Browsing by Subject "agriculture"
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Item A qualitative study of creative thinking using experiential learning in an agricultural and life sciences course(2009-05-15) Aboukinane, ChehrazadeThe purpose of this study was to explore whether creativity can be nurtured in an experiential learning environment at the college level. The study investigated how well process-based creativity models and construct-based creativity models reflected creative behavior in an experiential and team-based learning environment. The research design included field observations, focus group interviews, student questionnaires, and portfolio assessments. Study participants were selected students from Texas A&M University?s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Findings indicated that both process-based and construct-based creativity models are good indicators of creative behavior. Torrance?s creativity dimensions that emerged among students included problem awareness, ability to produce and consider many alternatives, ability to put ideas into context, ability to use humor, kinesthetic responsiveness, and ability to break through boundaries. Treffinger?s creativity dimensions included sensitivity to problems, tolerance of congruity, fluency, good research and management skills, cognition, memory, analysis, application, openness to experience, confidence, independence in inquiry, willingness to respond, and readiness for transformations. Dacey?s constructs included sensitivity to problems, divergent thinking, convergent thinking, openness, independence of judgment, self guidance, and playfulness. Jackson and Messick?s constructs included analysis, intuition, openness, and reflection. Study findings also indicated that all steps of the Osborn and Parnes processbased creativity model were fully utilized in the experiential and team-based learning environment. As part of the effort to seek models of teaching and learning that encourage students to be more creative while solving complex problems in the world of agriculture, findings of this study can be used to determine how creativity can be fostered through experiential and team-based learning.Item A semiotic analysis of biotechnology and food safety photographs(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Norwood, Jennifer LynnThis study evaluated photographs used in Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report in stories about biotechnology and food safety issues from the years 2000 and 2001. This study implemented a semiotic methodology to determine if the messages conveyed by the photographs positively or negatively communicated agricultural issues. This research found that the news magazines had a balanced number of positive and negative photographs. Data indicated that many of the photographs involved similar subjects and, therefore, could be promoting stereotypes. This research also examined the technical methods used by photographers and found that the majority of the photographs were taken with very similar camera settings. This study also found that magazines use a large number of staged shots as opposed to a more documentary style. This staging indicates that photographers have control in the messages communicated to the viewer of the photograph.Item A Social Semiotic Discourse Analysis of Film and Television Portrayals of Agriculture: Implications for American Cultural Memory(2013-04-27) Specht, AnnieThe U.S. farm populace is declining rapidly, and the majority of Americans are generations removed from food and fiber production. Society now receives the majority of its information about agriculture-related topics from sources removed from the industry itself, including entertainment media such as films and television programs. To better understand how these entertainment media influence societal perceptions of the food and fiber industry, the researcher sought to explicate the content of entertainment media texts related to agricultural production and to compare that content to previously recorded public perceptions of the industry. Using themes outlined by the Kellogg Foundation?s 2002 survey of perceptions of rural life?the pastoral fantasy, the traditional family farm, and the decline of the agrarian tradition?a social semiotic content analysis of 23 films and television programs released between 1950 and 2012 was conducted to identify parallels between the content of those media texts and the findings of the Kellogg study. Films and television programs released between 1950 and 1990 contained narrative and visual elements that closely linked those texts to the three themes identified by the Kellogg researchers, indicating that those perceptual elements could have been influenced by pervasive images of traditional agricultural production practices. Films and programs released after 1990 also contained components strongly tying them to the Kellogg study themes with added emphasis on the decline of the agrarian tradition theme.Item Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Change: Employing the Livelihood Vulnerability Index in Bluefields, Jamaica(2014-08-20) Fath, KevinThe purpose of this quantitative study was to examine agricultural livelihood vulnerability to climate change in Bluefields, Westmoreland, Jamaica based on the Livelihoods Vulnerability Index (LVI). Additionally, this study sought to examine relationships between selected characteristics of adopter innovativeness and farmer vulnerability level. Random sampling was used to select participants (N=52). Personal interviews were conducted with farmers using an instrument consisting of LVI components representing livelihood strategies, natural and physical assets, socio-demographic profile, social networks, water issues, food issues, and natural disasters and climate variability. The instrument also contained questions related to selected characteristics of adopter innovativeness: years of farming experience, relative income, farm size, access to credit, contact with extension services, distance to market, and head of household age. LVI data were aggregated using an indexing approach to create scores for comparison across vulnerability components. The study showed farmers in Bluefields have the greatest amount of vulnerability in the area of social networks and water issues. Low numbers of farmers owned their land, had contact with extension services, or used irrigation. Most farmers reported having problems with access to seeds and planting material, depended on their farms for food, and experienced frequent crop failure. Only one adopter innovativeness characteristic was significantly correlated to farmer vulnerability scores. A moderate negative association was observed between perceived relative income and farmer vulnerability. Farmers in Bluefields are vulnerable to climate change. Development organizations and local change agents should target the areas of greatest vulnerability illuminated by this study. Vulnerability and its contributing factors (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) should be reassessed with the LVI and other methods to monitor changes in Bluefields over time.Item Analysis of factors affecting participation of faculty and choice of strategies for the internationalization of the undergraduate agricultural curriculum: the case in two land grant universities(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Navarro, MariaTo adapt to the new global system, internationalization is increasingly being accepted as a necessity in higher education. Although the process involves the research, service, and education components of academic institutions, many authors have contended that the internationalization of the curriculum is the most important component of the process and that faculty are its main drivers and actors. While a number of the issues involving internationalization are very well documented, there is still little published information regarding the perspectives of random samples of faculty regarding strategies by which to internationalize the undergraduate curriculum. The purpose of this study was to analyze perspectives of faculty in two land grant colleges of agriculture regarding academic and institutional strategies for the internationalization of the undergraduate agricultural curriculum. A mixed method research approach was used to gather data, combining the use of a questionnaire with both quantitative and open-ended questions sent to a census of the teaching faculty of the two colleges, and conducting eight one-hour interviews. The researcher also carried out an in-depth assessment of the effect of nonresponse error in the study by using and comparing various methods of nonresponse analysis. Faculty knowledge of international issues was positively correlated with their participation in the internationalization process. Knowledge and participation were, in turn, positively correlated with faculty perceptions of relevance of internationalization of the curriculum, and with faculty acceptance of most of the proposed academic and institutional strategies for internationalization. Faculty ranked mobility and infusion approaches as their preferred academic strategies for internationalization of the curriculum, and there were clear patterns of associations between selections by faculty, with mobility and infusion belonging to different groups. When asked about incentives to participate in the internationalization process, faculty mentioned funds, "real" recognition, and release time as their foremost choices. Also, faculty expressed a need for increased leadership, vision, and focus for the process. When looking at the academic and institutional strategies together, various patterns of association also appeared, reiterating the notion that there is not a single best approach to internationalization, but that multiple and complementary strategies are needed.Item Education, research, and extension: an evaluation of agricultural institutions in Tunisia(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Bedo, Shannon HajdikTexas A&M University of the United States and the Institute National Agronomique de Tunisie (INAT) of Tunisia established a collaborative relationship of mutual exchange of information and ideas for the further advancement of both universities. The researcher worked closely with these universities to conduct a qualitative study in Tunisia to determine the effectiveness of agricultural institutions working to further development in that country. The emphasis of the study was on the transference of knowledge and innovations from the research level through extension to the farmers and other end users. The triangle of teaching, research, and extension provided a base perspective. The researcher interviewed 37 respondents, including researchers, extension personnel, administration, professors, and farmers. From data that respondents provided, the researcher used a constant comparative method to organize results into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the agricultural institutions as a system. Overarching themes included a pointed focus on meeting farmer needs, but this desire was hindered from being carried out fully due to complex communication systems and an organizational structure that did not facilitate change. Hope did abound for Tunisian agriculturalists because the opportunities available through globalization and international collaboration far outweighed any possible threats to development, such as fierce competition in trade and lack of quality water. The researcher also made specific recommendations based on the information gathered in the study. These recommendations were based on the findings of the study, and they were directed to leaders within the Tunisian agriculture system and other agriculturalists wishing to further development in countries facing similar situations as Tunisia.Item Evaluating the effectiveness of doing mathematics warm-up problems with an agricultural context on improving mathematics performance(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Jasek, Mary HelenThe purpose of this study was to evaluate one instructional activity that could be used by agricultural science teachers to improve math performance of students, grades 7- 12. The treatment group (11 schools, 218 students) used math warm-up problems that coincided with topics covered in Agriscience 101, while the control group (13 schools, 170 students) did not use contextual warm-up problems. Both groups were tested with a 30-item word problem exam. Students and teachers in each group were asked questions regarding demographics. Students and teachers in the treatment group were also asked questions related to their perceptions of the activity and TAKS-related materials. The results of the study showed no statistically significant difference in the performance of the groups. The scores for schools in the treatment group had a mean of 18.95 (SD 4.33), while the scores for schools in the control group had a mean of 20.14 (SD 2.35). Hispanic students in the treatment group outperformed all other subgroups in both experimental groups. A majority of students in the treatment group perceived the difficulty level of the warm-up problems as "neutral" (42.2%) or "easy" (29.9%) and did not enjoy doing the warm-up problems (71.8%). Over 40% of the students in the treatment group believed that the warm-up problems were "absolutely" (4.9%) or "probably" (36.8%) beneficial for improving their math skills. Teachers in the treatment group perceived their students' attitudes about doing the warm-up problems as favorable (40%) or indifferent (40%) and all perceived the warm-up problems as being "very beneficial" (33.3%) or "beneficial" (66.6%). Furthermore, teachers were almost unanimous in expressing their desire for more TAKS-related materials based on an agricultural context. In summary, this study showed that the warm-up problems activity did not significantly improve math performance overall, but seemed to have some benefits for Hispanic students.Item Evaluating the External Validity of Experimental Auctions: The Case of Hydroponic Lettuce(2014-12-10) Ness, Meghan LeighAgribusinesses have been investigating alternative methods for food and agriculture production as a way to differentiate their product to consumers. Although experimental auctions have increasingly become a popular tool for gathering information about consumers and their valuations of differentiated products, little is known about their valuations for vegetables that are grown using different methods and few studies have simultaneously studied external validity and the influence of outside prices. This study investigates consumers? valuations of different agricultural production methods and provides a unique method for studying whether consumers? purchasing behavior reflects their willingness to pay. Additionally, it provides insight into the relationships between consumers? valuations and their prestige-seeking behavior and health-consciousness. A Vickrey 2nd price auction was conducted and immediately followed by the introduction of an on-site secondary market that used induced value theory and the retail prices of the auction products in surrounding stores in the Bryan-College Station area of Texas. Several econometric models were thereafter estimated using data collected from the experiment; however a random parameters tobit model proved to be most appropriate due to the heterogeneous nature of the data. Results indicate that consumers express deep discounts for red colored lettuce. While tasting the products did not have an impact on valuations, consumers did express significant premiums for organic lettuce after they learned about hydroponic lettuce production and the growing methods of the products were revealed. The same can be said for valuations of mixed lettuce, which was hydroponically grown. Consumers were also categorized using three applications of Latent Class Analysis and responses to scale-style questions about health-consciousness and prestige-seeking buying behavior. The willingness to pay for lettuce was estimated using a random parameters tobit model for each latent class in each application. In addition to advancing the understanding of consumers? valuations of horticultural production methods, this study contributed to the external validity of experimental auctions. By using an on-site secondary market, it was discovered that consumer surplus and the relative importance of the compensation fee affect an individual?s behavior in the experiment setting.Item Financial Implications of Intergenerational Farm Transfers(2013-11-25) Peterson, Devin RichardThis study seeks to address the challenge of family farm succession. A recursive, stochastic, simulation model is employed to estimate the financial impacts and accompanying risk incurred through the intergenerational transfer of farm assets and management. The model assists in creating a before and after comparative analysis of succession for a large, medium, and small sized representative farm in Texas. Eight methods of farm transfer are analyzed: a will, trust, buy-sell and lease-to-buy agreements, the formation of business entities, life insurance, gifting, and selling farmland to outside investors. These methods are employed to help minimize estate taxes, create retirement income for the owner, or decrease general transfer costs such as probate fees. The simulation model utilizes stochastic and control variables to create pro -forma financial statements that aid in determining net income, debt requirements, and debt outstanding each year for a ten year time period. Key output variables such as combined net present value (NPV) of the owner and successor and the debt to asset ratio are used to analyze financial performance and position. Combined NPV is also employed to rank risky alternatives from most to least preferred using the method of stochastic efficiency with respect to a function. Output variables of estate and gift taxes and debt capital volume are also examined to compare across methods of transfer and to view their effects upon NPV, debt levels, and cash flows. The study finds that the most preferred method varies by farm size, net worth, and the underlying goals of the farmer.Item Life Cycle Assessment Applied to 95 Representative U.S. Farms(2012-10-19) Rutland, Christopher T.Since World War II, concern for the environmental impacts of human activities has grown. Agriculture plays a significant role in several impact categories including global warming. Governments, including the U.S., have recently begun or are considering the regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission to mitigate the global warming effect. Because agriculture accounts for a large portion of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to establish a baseline measure of the GHG emission of U.S. agriculture at the farm level. The objective of this research is to estimate the GHG emission levels for multicrop farms in the U.S. and identify the major sources of GHG emissions in their supply chains. To accomplish the objective, a partial life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is used to establish a GHG baseline for the representative farms. LCA as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) includes four phases: goal and scope definition, inventory, impact assessment, and interpretation. It is a holistic approach that catalogues environmental impacts of all relevant processes at all stages of production, from raw material extraction to disposal. However, this study only catalogues impacts up to the farm gate. Partial LCAs are common in agriculture. Emissions of three GHGs, CO2, CH4, and N2O, are inventoried for 95 U.S. farms. The results are characterized using their 100-year global warming potentials into CO2 equivalents. The CO2 equivalents are then normalized over four functional units: enterprises, acres or head, harvest units, and pounds of production. The variation of GHG intensity between crops and farms is very large. However, it is clear that GHG intensity is affected by three characteristics: location, size, and irrigation practice. Crops grown in their associated regions tend to be more GHG efficient than those grown outside their associated regions. Also, crops grown on large farms tend to be more GHG efficient than the same crop grown on a small farm in the same area. Lastly, with the exceptions of cotton and soybeans, irrigated crops tend to be more GHG intensive than non-irrigated crops. These results combine to suggest that there may be a correlation between production efficiency and carbon efficiency.Item Source choice in agricultural news coverage: impacts of reporter specialization and newspaper location, ownership, and circulation(2009-05-15) White, Judith McIntoshThis study examined coverage of the December 2003 bovine spongiform encephalopathy event to discover reporters? sources for breaking agricultural news, the impact of reporter specialization on source choices, and the impact of newspaper differences, including location, circulation, and ownership, on coverage. Quantitative content analysis was performed on 62 stories selected through a keyword search for the period December 23, 2003 through October 31, 2004 from U.S. newspapers included in the LexisNexis database. These stories were divided into two equal groups based on reporter work-role identity and were analyzed by length, number of sources, and source variety, and by location, circulation, and ownership of the newspapers in which they appeared. ANOVA, bivariate correlation, and forced entry regression were statistical techniques used. Results indicated numbers of stories, story length, and numbers of sources per story appear related to newspaper location, and use of scientists and agricultural scientists as sources to be correlated with type of newspaper. Newspaper circulation and ownership type were found to explain a statistically significant amount of variance in number of sources used. No statistically significant differences between mean length or mean number of sources used were found between stories written by science-specialty beat reporters and those written by reporters not assigned to such beats, contradicting previous research. However, while mean overall source variety did not differ between the two reporters groups, work-role identity was found to be correlated with use of scientists and agricultural scientists as sources. Extrapolation from this study suggests it is open to question whether (a) reporters would be well-advised to pursue courses of study or to seek additional training to build defined areas of expertise, better equipping themselves to cover more complex issues; (b) editors should seek candidates with such special training and structure their newsroom routines to accommodate specialty reporters when considering adding employees to their reporting staffs; and (c) universities should offer journalism curricula that facilitate both acquisition of basic reporting skills and registration for substantive electives which build subject-matter knowledge. Answers to these questions should be actively pursued, since they may shape the future of journalism education and practice.Item Students' Perceptions of International Agriculture After an International Agricultural Experience(2012-02-14) Miller, Kasey LynnStudy abroad and internship experiences are the best ways for students to globalize their education. The purpose of this study was to identify students' perceptions of international agriculture before and after they participated in an international agricultural study abroad and internship. The objectives were to identify the attitudes about both international agricultural study abroad programs and internships, compare and contrast perceptions of international agriculture based on study abroad experience or internship, and identify any motivations, barriers, and benefits of international agricultural experiences to student development. The results indicated the major motivations, barriers, and benefits, the role of agriculture in students' decisions to study or intern abroad, and the importance of the length of a trip abroad. Major motivations included travel/international experience, education, work experience/hands-on activities, culture, and agriculture/natural resources; barriers included cost, time off work/schedule, language, safety and health, and time away from home; finally, benefits included experience in international agriculture and natural resources, culture, international travel, global perspective, and education. This study found that international agriculture was a major motivator, even with the students who had no agricultural background. It also indicated that short-term study abroad trips and internship programs during break times from school are increasingly popular. Universities can use this case to understand better and improve international learning opportunities for students and increase interest and knowledge in agriculture.Item The Intersection of Ownership and Leadership in Texas Ranch House: Lessons in Leadership for the Family Business(2012-04-21) Brown, TonyA family business often behaves and operates differently than a nonfamily-owned business. Family matters and dynamics can influence organizational health and business sustainability. Accordingly, leadership in a family business can embody challenges that are both different and magnified in comparison to leadership in other businesses. There is a particular requirement of owners of family businesses to structure the interface of family and business in a manner that assures a successful business while accommodating the interests of the family. This case study identifies lessons in leadership. The report embraces an overarching question regarding the roles and functions of an executive-level organizational leader and narrows the analysis to a focus on the application of the leadership lessons learned to the roles and functions of the owner-leader and his spouse in a start-up, family-owned business enterprise. The examined case is the short-lived Cooke Ranch, documented in the television miniseries Texas Ranch House. A family-owned business needs specific contributions from its ownership in order to thrive and endure. Prominent among these contributions are clarity and intention regarding leadership. A family business embodies overlapping and interdependent parts, each of which has specific leadership needs. The added complexity of family dynamics causes a successful family business to operate, adopt strategies, and make decisions differently than does a nonfamily business. This examination of Cooke Ranch reveals that perspectives, emphases, and behaviors of family business owners may or may not always translate as effective leadership. Owners who are preoccupied with the family and being owners instead of genuinely leading their family business organization can easily forfeit the whole enterprise. The identification of a distinguishable group of elements at the core of ownership?s interface with leadership?s exacting responsibilities in the television documentary Texas Ranch House adds to current research and literature regarding leadership in a family business. Three subsystems - ownership, family, and business/management - comprise an overall family business system that thrives when ownership is mindfully acting in ways that cultivate organizational health and unity. The case study reveals that ownership intersects leadership?s values, purpose/vision of continuity across generations, ethics/trust, decisions, and aligned results at the point it overlaps both the family and business subsystems in an interdependent organization. The report concludes that a thriving family-owned business is unique in composition, strength, and competence and that such a business demands that its leaders and their subordinates practice an advanced degree of organizational citizenship.?