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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Life Sciences

Mississippi State University

Journal

Communication

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Engaging In Conversations About Climate Change With Cattle Producers, Ricky Telg, Cassie Wandersee, David Smith, Saqib Mukhtar Mar 2020

Engaging In Conversations About Climate Change With Cattle Producers, Ricky Telg, Cassie Wandersee, David Smith, Saqib Mukhtar

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Cooperative Extension Service agents and United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) personnel used a dialogic model of communication in their interactions with cattle producers in the Southwest and Mountain West regarding the topic of climate change. Findings indicated that dialogic communication is being used, with a focus on discussing best management practices, avoiding the term “climate change,” and focusing on local data and weather events. The study suggests that Extension agents and NRCS personnel recognize the need to adapt their communication strategy and tactics to suit the …


Targeting Extension Programs To Opinion Leaders Guiding Genetic Modification Discussions, Alexa J. Lamm, Melissa R. Taylor, Joy N. Rumble, Jason D. Ellis Feb 2019

Targeting Extension Programs To Opinion Leaders Guiding Genetic Modification Discussions, Alexa J. Lamm, Melissa R. Taylor, Joy N. Rumble, Jason D. Ellis

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Despite communication efforts developed to educate the public about genetic modification (GM) science designed to ensure consumers are making educated purchasing decisions, most consumers do not seek out information about GM science and make emotional purchasing decisions. GM supporters and opponents can also be very vocal about their opinions, having an impact on those within their social realms of influence. Using opinion leadership theory, this study sought to identify GM opinion leaders within the U.S. who consider themselves to be outspoken and a source of information for GM science. An online survey was deployed with the purpose of identifying GM …


From Resistance To Receptiveness: Farmer Willingness To Participate In Extension Discussions About Climate Variability And Climate Change, David C. Diehl, Elder P. Garcia, Nicole L. Sloan, Daniel R. Dourte, Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez, Clyde W. Fraisse Oct 2016

From Resistance To Receptiveness: Farmer Willingness To Participate In Extension Discussions About Climate Variability And Climate Change, David C. Diehl, Elder P. Garcia, Nicole L. Sloan, Daniel R. Dourte, Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez, Clyde W. Fraisse

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Identifying what Extension professionals believe are the critical elements of a communication strategy that is most likely to encourage agricultural producers to participate in discussions of climate variability and climate change is pivotal to providing timely solutions to issues facing farmers. The current study involved interviews with 50 Extension professionals from four southeastern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina) who were engaged in ongoing work related to climate and agriculture. Respondents were asked to assess how best to engage farmers in conversations related to climate variability and climate change. Qualitative analysis showed that Extension professionals recommended avoiding content related …