Month: January 2005

Claude Gifford contributions being processed.

We are delighted to report on recent materials from Claude Gifford, retired Director of Information and an executive in Governmental and Public Affairs with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than 20 years. Claude received the USDA Distinguished Service Award and other honors for his contributions. Before joining the USDA he was associate editor of Farm Journal magazine for 23 years, including responsibilities for the editorial page.

The personal collection that Claude has contributed closely matches core interests of the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center. Some materials relate to his career, to farm publishing and to information services of the USDA. Others of research interest include, for example, the speeches of former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture Earl Butz and Clifford M. Hardin. We appreciate this generous contribution and will keep you posted as materials are processed into the ACDC collection and University Archives during the months ahead.

Images of rural areas as theme parks.

“Too many city people regard rural areas as theme parks, put there to amuse us,” noted a recent commentary in Macleans (Canada). Anthony Wilson-Smith argued: “We want everything to stay the way it’s always been, but we want city-style comforts as well. Those are largely contradicting goals, so it’s no surprise that rural people often find outside intruders so invasive and annoying.”

“If we want rural Canada to flourish – and no one is opposed to that goal – a start would be a commitment on the part of various governments to give people in those regions the high-tech tools to do more jobs. ‘Life in the slow lane’ should refer to a matter of choice – and not a trip down the information highway.”

Reference: Life in the slow lane
Author: Wilson-Smith, Anthony
Posted @
http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/canada/article.jsp?content=20041129_93803_93803

On communicating to build or restore trust. 

Public and private interest groups strive for high levels of credibility and public trust. However, recent research among rural residents living near major nuclear power and hazardous waste storage facilities led authors to conclude in Environment and Behavior that achieving trust is not a “realistic goal” for environmental risk communicators.

Instead, they proposed that strategies for risk communicating should focus not on building trust but on establishing procedures and standards that the public understands and accepts.

Reference: Is trust a realistic goal for environmental risk communication?
Posted in PDF format @ http://eab.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/32/3/410.pdf
Authors: Trettin, Lillian and Musham, Catherine

Better ways to boost credibility.

Similarly to results above, a study of public perceptions of agricultural biotechnologies in Europe led researchers to conclude that “just better public relations strategies” won’t do the job. Instead, they advised institutions to:

• Admit past errors, uncertainty and lack of knowledge
• Use input from all relevant sources (not just scientific experts)
• Be transparent about how decisions are made, including explaining how different interests, risks and benefits have been balanced against each other.
• Impose heavy sanctions in cases where mismanagement or fraud is identified.
• Demonstrate that views of the public are understood, valued, respected and taken into account by decision-makers – even if they cannot all be satisfied.

Reference: Public perceptions of agricultural biotechnologies in Europe
Authors: Marris, Claire; Wynne, Brian; Simmons, Peter; and Weldon, Sue
Posted @ http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/ieppp/pabe/

Tightening disclosure policies about scientist authors. 

We have added to ACDC a recent “conflict of interest” example involving the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives. Merrill Goozner examined 37 scientific studies published in EHP from December 2003 through February 2004. Only two included conflict of interest disclosure statements. Goozner investigated the first and last authors involved in the other 35 studies. Findings revealed “at least three articles (8.6%) where either the first or last authors should have disclosed conflicts in accordance with the disclosure policy.”

In response, the journal has strengthened instructions to authors and established a three-year ban on publication of information from authors who willfully fail to disclose a competing financial interest. You can track some of the dialogue about this matter at:

“Study on failures to disclose conflicts of interest in Environmental Health Perspectives”
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2004/112-14/correspence.html

“Embracing scrutiny” (commentary by the editor-in-chief)
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2004/112-14/editorial.html

“Journal’s new disclosure policy praised”
http://www.cspinet.org/new/200410061.html

The extension worker’s code: a classic refresher.

Professional issues such as those above remind us of T.J. Talbert’s extension bulletin, The Extension Worker’s Code. It may be 83 years old, but it breathes an enduring freshness. Talbert was superintendent of institutes and extension schools at Kansas State Agricultural College in 1922. His concise code offers 46 ever-timely points of advice for extension workers. They range from “Study and serve the people,” “Stick to the truth” and “Forget yourself” to “Watch your bank account” and “Don’t mail that sarcastic letter.”

Let us know if you would like to see this 18-page classic and do not have local access to it.

Reference: The extension worker’s code
Posted in PDF format @ http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/historicpublications/Pubs/exbul33.pdf
Author: Talbert, T.J.

How about placing government price controls on packaged foods?

The Harris Poll® #64, September 9, 2004 invited views from a national sample of U.S. adults. Responses:

Favor 26%
Oppose 70%
Not sure 4%

Posted @ http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=493

Ag radio, never in a stronger position.

Lynn Ketelsen of Linder Farm Network, based in Minnesota, expressed that view in a recent issue of Behind the Mic. Among the reasons he cited:

• “Farmers spend more time on and in vehicles than just about any consumer of information. And farm radio is with them.”
• “No matter what the size of farmer, they want information from their farm broadcaster.”
• “Farm broadcasting has adapted to a changing farmer.”
• “Never in history has there been such interest in food, diet and health.”
• “Farm broadcasting stations and networks are stronger and more committed than ever before.”

Reference: “Ag Radio, Never In a Stronger Position”
Posted @ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3147/is_200409/ai_n7853115

Author: Ketelsen, Lynn

Voice-recognition gremlins at work. 

• “One author was identified as being affiliated with the “Department of journalism and mask medications.”
• “One abstract about crisis communications at land-grant universities explained: “On the angry campuses. Official crisis plans are most often found at the university level…”
• “The abstract of a research paper said scholars “have advanced conceptual metaphoric ligature review.”
• “The title of one article about microcomputers referred to “OA adapters and extensions” rather than the actual “early adopters and extension.”

Best regards and good searching.

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas for ACDC. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to

Ag Com Documentation Center,
510 LIAC, 1101 S.
Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801)
or electronic form (at docctr@library.uiuc.edu )

January, 2005

Happy New Year

And welcome to this first 2005 issue of news from the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center. If you are new to ACDC News we hope you find it interesting and useful.

The ACDC collection topped the 27,000-document mark on January 3.

It keeps growing in size – and in value to professionals, teachers, researchers, students and others interested in communications, as related to agriculture, food, natural resources and rural matters, globally. The amount of such information “out there” continues to surprise, inspire and challenge us.

“Deep” subject indexing adds power to your scouting.

• Want to monitor attitudes? More than 2,400 documents provide survey results about attitudes of consumers, farmers, journalists, scientists and others regarding agricultural biotechnology, food irradiation, environment, animal rights, nutrition labeling, livestock diseases and other issues. To identify them: On the Database Search page of this ACDC web site, use a Subject search on the term “attitude”

• Interested in effective rural-urban interactions? You can identify more than 500 documents about this subject in the ACDC collection. Use a Subject search on the term “rural-urban communication
• Want updates on the information sources of farmers, extension workers, agricultural reporters and others? To identify more than 1,100 documents about that topic use a Subject search on “information sources”
• Interested in “farm journals” (more than 1,100 documents), rural “radio” (more than 1,700 documents), agriculture-related “advertising” (more than 1,800 documents), “media effectiveness” (more than 1,300 documents) or agriculture-related uses of the “Internet” (more than 500 documents)? Use Subject searches on terms within the quotation marks above.

Some recent documents in the ACDC collection are available online, in full text. However, most materials are not. If you lack local access to documents that interest you, contact us by e-mail at docctr@library.uiuc.edu and we will help. All are available here.

Following are a few samples of documents added recently to the ACDC collection:

Will agricultural e-commerce lead to greater openness and competition?

An analysis of the ornamental horticulture industry has led to a conclusion that “it is still far too early to predict.” This case study reported in a 2004 book, The ICT Revolution, examined the $7.7 billion global trade in cut flowers, foliage and plants. Authors reported that interest so far in a new business model using the present distribution chain streamlined by the Internet is “scant.” Few buyers have signed up for online auctions, they found. Arranging lines of credit, foreign exchange, and insurance at various auctions – necessary for selling online – has proven time-consuming and costly.

“If the physical chain, with its interdependency, remains dominant and e-commerce only intensified pre-existing developments in the industry, the barriers that producers in developing countries have to surmount to directly access consumers remain staggering.”

Reference: ICT revolution
Author: Cohen, Daniel

Coming scandal in organic foods.

“Look out for coming scandal in surging organic foods,” read the headline of an Advertising Age column – 34 years ago. In December 1971, columnist E.B. Weiss predicted a chain of events leading to regulations whereby “organic farms will be certified and inspected regularly. There will be regs in packaging and marketing.”

Reference: Look out for coming scandal in surging organic foods
Author: Weiss, E.B.

U.S. organic farmers are dissatisfied with the extension service. 

That message appeared in a 2003 journal article about responses to a national survey among U.S. organic farmers. Demand for organic information is growing rapidly, but organic producers (63% of whom are full-time farmers) are finding limited help from extension.

They “probably know more than the local extension advisor about the agroecology determining the success or failure of the organic system.” Authors urged extension to support on-farm experimentation, help producers monitor organic regulations, aid farmer-to-farmer interaction and test farm-based theories in scientifically rigorous settings.

PDF posted at:http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=6547&ftype=.pdf

ACDC Reference: Improving extension effectiveness for organic clients 
Authors: Lohr, Luanne

Information issues in the “deskilling” of farmers.

Anthropologists are noting concerns seldom heard in discussions about the effects of agricultural biotechnology. These concerns strike close to the interests of communicators.

“American history shows how closely agri-biotechnology can be linked to farmer deskilling,” noted Glenn Davis Stone in a Current Anthropology article. “…research is needed on how agricultural biotechnologies may already have caused deskilling and how information flow may be further impeded with genetically modified seeds.”

PDF posted at: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~anthro/research/BothSidesNow.pdf

ACDC Reference: Both sides now: fallacies in the genetic-modification wars
Author: Stone, Glenn Davis

Who’s going to pay? 

Will I have a voice? Will my data be kept confidential? These questions reflect major concerns of U.S. livestock producers about the lively topic of animal identification. Results emerged from a recent survey about the National Animal Identification System being implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state animal health agencies. Specifically, producers registered these as biggest concerns:
Funding 20 percent
Producer participation 17
Data confidentiality 15
Data collection and housing 11

Reference: Confidentiality and data housing
Posted @ http://www.animalagriculture.org/headline/2004NR/NR_NAISSurvey_Nov8.htm

Encouraging words we appreciate.

Communicator activities approaching

February 1, 2005
Deadline for electronic submissions of research papers to be presented at the
Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources,
and Life and Human Sciences (ACE), San Antonio, Texas, May 31-June 4, 2005.
Information by e-mail: david.doerfert@ttu.edu

February 5-9, 2005
Agricultural Communication Section, annual meeting of the Southern Association
of Agricultural Scientists (SAAS), Little Rock, Arkansas.
Information: www.saasinc.org

 Please let us know if you would rather not receive ACDC News.

Best regards and good searching.

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas for ACDC. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to

Ag Com Documentation Center,
510 LIAC, 1101 S.
Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801)
or electronic form (at docctr@library.uiuc.edu )

January, 2005