SOURCES OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION
Thinking back over your years as a certified organic producer, how important were each of the following as sources of information about organic production practices, farm management, and marketing strategies?
Information Sources | Mean Scores on a Scale from 1 (”Not Important”) to 5 (“Very Important”) |
---|---|
Own experimentation, creativity, or innovation | 4.25 |
Other farmers | 3.76 |
Conferences, workshops, or seminars | 3.29 |
Organic certification agency | 3.26 |
WA Department of Agriculture | 3.23 |
Agricultural input suppliers | 3.22 |
Newsletters, magazines, or newspapers | 3.21 |
Internet-based resources | 3.07 |
WSU scientists or researchers | 2.94 |
Field days or farm walks | 2.80 |
Washington Tilth Association | 2.73 |
WSU Extension educators | 2.73 |
Formal education or continuing education classes | 2.55 |
Family members | 2.52 |
Private consultants | 2.50 |
ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Info Service) | 2.42 |
USDA-SARE (including SAN) | 2.12 |
Marketing cooperative | 2.07 |
Commodity or growers association | 2.04 |
Nonresponses ranged from 10 to 20 |
In 2007, how many times did you have the following types of contact with Washington State University (WSU) representatives with regard to your organic farm operation?
Contact with WSU Representatives | Not at all (%) |
At least once (%) |
About two times (%) |
Three times or more (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Visited a WSU Extension office | 69.3 | 16.4 | 7.9 | 6.4 |
Visited a WSU Extension website | 50.1 | 14.9 | 13.7 | 21.3 |
Read a WSU Extension bulletin or report | 33.6 | 18.4 | 22.5 | 25.4 |
Attended a WSU Extension meeting, workshop, or field day | 57.8 | 19.3 | 13.5 | 9.5 |
Had a WSU scientist or Extension educator visit my farm | 74.3 | 11.6 | 6.4 | 7.8 |
Collaborated on a research project with a WSU scientist or Extension educator | 78.5 | 10.8 | 5.8 | 4.9 |
Nonresponses ranged from 8 to 14 |
In your opinion, how successful have Washington State University (WSU) representatives been in serving the needs of organic producers in the state?
Frequency | % | |
---|---|---|
Very successful | 50 | 15.9 |
Somewhat successful | 203 | 64.4 |
Not successful | 62 | 19.7 |
TOTAL | 315 | 100.0 |
Nonresponses = 41 |
How interested are you in working directly with Washington State University (WSU) scientists or Extension educators on a research project related to organic agriculture within the next one to three years?
Frequency | % | |
---|---|---|
Very interested | 129 | 37.8 |
Somewhat interested | 153 | 44.9 |
Not interested | 59 | 17.3 |
TOTAL | 341 | 100.0 |
Nonresponses = 15 |