Millenial Production Agriculturalists' Preferred Sources of Information Consumption: A Q-Sort
Abstract
The number of millennials working in production agriculture is increasing as family operations transition generational leadership from the baby boomers to millennials. Millennials have different values and preferences than those of the baby boomers. Because production agriculture information sources, like cooperative extension, want to reach as many producers as possible, they must pay attention and adapt to the preferences of information consumption habits of millennials. Q-methodology was used to look at preferred sources and methods of information consumption about production agriculture for millennials. After using a varimax factor rotation and centroid factor analysis, 3 factors were extracted. The factors or viewpoints extracted and analyzed were named based on their information source preferences. Conventional confidants prefer speaking with cooperative extension and other risk management organizations. Relationship reliers appreciate relationships made when receiving information by phone or text. Social savants prefer to turn to social media for new information to see how it is currently working for others. While a large majority of participants fell into the first viewpoint of being a conventional confidant, those who wish to connect to millennial production agriculturalists must diversify the ways they disseminate information.
Citation
Rogers, Taylor Johnson (2019). Millenial Production Agriculturalists' Preferred Sources of Information Consumption: A Q-Sort. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /187927.