Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Estimating The Effectiveness Of Extension Information Systems Using Farm Trical And Subjective Probabilities, Wayne H. Howard, Robert W. Blake, Thomas O. Knight, Richard C. Shumway, Michael A. Tomaszewski

Agribusiness

A method of combining survey data and Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) records to achieve low cost farm trials is presented. Farm trials and surveys of current practices and production responses are useful to identify yield gaps between expectations predicted from experimental findings and actual field results. Different management schemes can be ranked using subjective probabilities and stochastic dominance to enhance successful implementation of research findings and to increase the feedback between researchers, extension workers, and producers. A survey of current masitis control practices and expected milk yield response is the example. Combining survey results with DHIA records allowed estimating …