Competencies, Importance, and Motivations for Agricultural Producers' Use of Online Communications

Farmer demographics are drastically changing and it is essential that farmers and ranchers are taking the story of agriculture directly to the consumer. Online communication tools may serve as a tool for this farmer to consumer communication. The purpose of this study was to determine agriculturists’ use of online communication tools. The target population for this study was members of organizations targeting beginning farmers and ranchers in Texas, Illinois, and Georgia. An online survey was administered electronically to members of seven organizations, and 185 completed questionnaires were analyzed for this study. It was determined that agriculturists of all levels of experience are not currently utilizing online communication tools to their full potential, for either business or personal reasons. Additionally, several specific training needs were identified regarding these tools. A wide variety of motivations and barriers were identified that might encourage or discourage agriculturists from attending future training sessions.