ACDC News – Issue 05-11

Posted on by Elizabeth Ray

Celebrating 90 years of market news reporting.

An anniversary of market news reporting earned recognition through three presentations at the 2005 Agricultural Outlook Forum sponsored by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. USDA market reports have provided inestimable value to producers and others in the food complex. Presentations about the service included:

“The Fruit and Vegetable Market News portal.”
http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/speeches/Okoniewski-ppt.pdf
Text Version

“Livestock mandatory reporting: Datamart.”
http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/speeches/vanDyke-ppt.pdf
Text Version

“Using market news information in the private sector.”
http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/speeches/Murphy-ppt.pdf.
Text Version

Women scientists overlooked as media sources.

A recent commentary in Quill magazine cited evidence of women missing in media reports that involve science and technology. For example, one study in 2003 found that U.S. news programs relegated women to stereotypical fields of expertise: health, society and human interest.

“Review the number of times women are cited as experts in science and technical fields in your own outlet, and I’ll bet you’ll find similar results,” author Sally Lehrman suggested. This invitation opens the question of sources used in the coverage of agricultural sciences.

Reference: Female scientists too often overlooked as sources.

 New research reports from the ACE conference.

Following are 12 papers presented to the Research Special Interest Group during the recent conference of ACE (Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences) in San Antonio, Texas:

•  Amanda M. Ruth, Travis D. Park and Lisa K. Lundy, “Glitz, glamour, and the farm: portrayal of agriculture in the “Simple Life.” Contact Ruth at amruth@ifas.ufl.edu
•  Emily B. Rhoades and Ashley Hurst, “Interactivity and two-way communication options on livestock publication websites: a content analysis.” Contact Rhoades at ebbisdorf@ifas.ufl.edu
•  Danna B. Kelemen, D. Dwayne Cartmell II, and Shelly Peper Sitton, “Service learning: a case study of an agricultural communications course.” Contact Kelemen at danna.kellemen@okstate.edu
•  Terrie Clark, Kristina M. Boone, Lori A. Bergen and Jacqueline D. Spears, “A frame analysis of a lawsuit: enforcing clean water regulations in Kansas.” Contact Clark at terriec@ksu.edu
•  Amanda M. Ruth, Melissa Muegge, and Tracy Irani, “Seeds planted for recovery: framing of agriculture during the 2004 Florida hurricanes.” Contact Ruth at amruth@ifas.ufl.edu
•  Jamie M. King and D. Dwayne Cartmell II, “Newspaper coverage of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy outbreak in the United States: a content analysis.” Contact King at jamie.king@okstate.edu
•  Lisa K. Lundy, “What’s in a frame? The effect of message frames on attitudes toward internationalizing agricultural extension.” Contact Lundy at llundy@lsu.edu
•  Tracy Irani, Amanda Ruth, Ricky W. Telg and Lisa K. Lundy, “The ability to relate: assessing the influence of a relationship marketing strategy and message stimuli on consumer perceptions of extension.” Contact Irani at irani@ufl.edu
•  Steven G. Hill, Terrie Clark, Ted Cable, Kris Boone and Pat Melgares, “Overcoming barriers to adoption of water-quality BMPs in Kansas: an initial assessment.” Contact Hill at shill@ksu.edu
•  Gary J. Wingenbach and Tracy A. Rutherford, “Trust, bias, and fairness of information sources for biotechnology issues.” Contact Wingenbach at g-wingenbach@tamu.edu
•  Deborah W. Dunsford, “Feedback follow up: the influence of teacher comment on student writing assignments.” Contact Dunsford at dunsford@tamu.edu
•  Chad S. Davis, Cindy Akers, Marvin Cepica, David Doerfert, Steve Fraze, David Lawver and Meredith Schacht, “Cognition responses by West Texas Hispanics/Latinos to agricultural news: a comparison of four English and Spanish presentation media.” Contact Davis at chad.s.davis@ttu.edu

Extension educator: shifting from “sage on the stage?” 

The role of the extension educator should be examined, according to results of an education program to improve milk quality on dairy farms. “Perhaps many would do well to facilitate teams to affect change rather than design programs in which the extension agent is ‘the sage on the stage’,” said researchers Joseph Donaldson and Edgar Yoder.

For example, feedback from participating farmers showed that involvement of veterinarians in educational teams improved communications between farmers and their veterinarians.

Reference: Updating farm demonstration model

Five new “Useful Links” added.

You may be interested in these five websites added recently to our “Useful Links” page. All involve communications related to food and agriculture, in varying ways:

•  Development Communications Archive. Reports, papers, printed materials, surveys, articles, audiotapes, videocassettes and films make up the archive of the Clearinghouse on Development Communication of the Academy for Educational Development, 1960-1994. Posted at: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00261/cah-00261.html
•  Association of Food Journalists. A network system for food journalists who plan and write food copy for news media worldwide. Posted at: http://www.afjonline.com
•  Smokey Bear Collection. This special collection in the National Agricultural Library includes information about a widely acclaimed campaign for preventing forest fires. Posted at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll/findaids/smokey/
•  ACE Papers. Historical records (1913 to date) of the American Association of Agricultural College Editors (AAACE), later renamed Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE), and currently Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences. Posted at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll/findaids/ace/index.html
•  Records of the Tobacco Market News Service. Includes historical information about the Tobacco Market News Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Posted at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll/findaids/tobacco/index.html

Communicator activity approaching.

July 31-August 3, 2005
“Agricultural Media Summit.” Professional development conference of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA), Livestock Publications Council (LPC) and AgriCouncil of the Association of Business Media Companies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA.
Information: http://www.agmediasummit.com

Advice on business conversations.

We close this issue of ACDC News with advice that George Horace Lorimer’s self-made merchant, Chicago pork packer John Graham, extended a century ago to his son Pierrepont, a fresh Harvard graduate:

“I remember reading once that some fellows use language to conceal thought, but it’s been my experience that a good many more use it instead of thought. A businessman’s conversation should be regulated by fewer and simpler rules than any other function of the human animal. They are:
Have something to say.
Say it.
Stop talking.

Beginning before you know what you want to say and keeping on after you have said it lands a merchant in a lawsuit or the poorhouse, and the first is a shortcut to the second.”

Reference: Letters from a self-made merchant to his son

When you see interesting items you can’t find online or locally 

Get in touch with us at docctr@library.uiuc.edu. Tell us the titles and/or document numbers. We will help you gain access.

Best regards and good searching.

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions, and ideas for ACDC. Feel free to invite our assistance 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.
June, 2005
Updated on by Elizabeth Ray