Information Transfer in the Illinois Swine Industry: How Producers Are Informed of New Technologies.

Abstract

This study examined how information transfer of new technological advances occurs between university scientists and pork producers. The questionnaire was designed to determine two things: (a) where producers from various swine operations obtain their information about new technologies and (b) how aggressively they implement of these advances. The subjects for this survey were swine producers primarily from Illinois. The survey was mailed to more than 300 swine producers and 127 usable surveys were returned. The results showed that producers have access to on-farm computers, but rely on them and university specialists less as information sources.