•Organic farmers want a more sustainable alternative to polyethylene mulch.•They see biodegradable plastic mulch as a step towards greater sustainability and a market advantage.•They see the NOP's ...limitations on biodegradable plastic mulch as unfair.•They justify use of BDM using a complex mixture of rationales that are not clearly idealistic or conventionalized.
Although agricultural plastic mulches can have significant horticultural benefits for specialty crops such as strawberry ( Fragaria ×ananassa ), there can also be significant economic and ...environmental costs. In particular, polyethylene (PE) plastic mulch requires labor and financial investments for removal and disposal. Micro- or nanoparticles may persist in soil and negatively affect microbial activity, physical soil properties, and nutrient availability. A possible alternative to PE mulch is biodegradable plastic mulch, which has similar horticultural benefits but does not need to be removed from the field at the end of the growing season. Biodegradable plastic mulch can be tilled into the soil, where it is converted by soil microorganisms into water, carbon dioxide, and microbial biomass. Although horticultural and environmental research into the impacts of PE and biodegradable plastic mulch is ongoing, it is also important to understand farmers’ practices and perceptions related to these mulches. We conducted a survey of strawberry growers in three growing regions of the United States: California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Mid-Atlantic. Our results indicate several regional differences, with California farmers being more likely to have used biodegradable plastic mulch, and growers from California and the Pacific Northwest being more likely to perceive negative impacts of PE mulch compared with growers in the Mid-Atlantic. Regardless of region, a majority of growers were interested in learning more about biodegradable plastic mulch. We conclude with several suggestions for biodegradable plastic mulch development and outreach that may promote strawberry growers’ adoption of this technology.
Dramatic growth in herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds in the United States threatens farm profitability and may undercut environmentally beneficial farming practices. When HR weeds move across farm ...boundaries due to ecological processes or human action, a common pool resource challenge emerges, requiring farmer cooperation to manage such weeds effectively. We investigate the scope for cooperative management using responses to a national survey on HR weed issues to test a recursive model of three preconditions for collective action: (1) concern about HR weeds migrating from nearby lands; (2) communication with neighbors about HR weeds; and (3) belief that cooperation is necessary for effective resistance management. Results suggest that farmers who relied more on Extension educators regarding weed management, were more likely to satisfy each precondition. Further, concern about weeds resistant to multiple herbicides as well as concern about HR weed mobility positively influence concern about migration and views toward cooperation. Farmer time constraints and “techno-optimism” (a belief that herbicide discoveries will solve resistance problems) detract from the perceived need for cooperative approaches. A different set of factors significantly affect each precondition, suggesting heterogeneity in the underlying casual mechanisms. The findings can help tailor collective action to different socio-ecological settings experiencing HR weed resistance issues.
•Surveys were used to assess end-of-life decisions made by owners and veterinarians.•Most respondents were middle aged women with long-term industry involvement.•Respondents preferred chemical ...euthanasia and burial over other methods.•Limited research and knowledge remain barriers to wide acceptance of composting.•Most respondents would be willing to try composting if more research was available.
Challenges associated with burial, rendering, and cremation have forced horse owners to seek alternative mortality disposal methods. While equine mortality composting has been successfully demonstrated, industry-wide adoption has been limited. Therefore, evaluation of horse owners’ and veterinarians’ perceptions and experience with mortality composting is needed. Two surveys were developed to evaluate industry practices and decisive factors regarding equine euthanasia and mortality disposal methods. Each survey was designed for a separate audience: horse owners or veterinarians serving equines. The surveys were advertised as weblinks on relevant Facebook pages, e-newsletters, and email listservs. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate models for associations and factors influencing decisions surrounding composting. The surveys yielded 1,225 and 244 usable responses from horse owners and veterinarians, respectively. Respondent demographics were consistent with previous survey reports for horse owners and veterinarians in the United States with a majority being female between 41 and 60 years of age with long-term industry involvement. Horse owners (86%) and veterinarians (84%) that preferred chemical euthanasia tended to prefer burial (58% and 42%, respectively) over other mortality disposal methods. Only 12% of horse owner respondents had ever tried composting and only 25% of veterinarian respondents had ever recommended composting. Horse owner (47%) and veterinarian (67%) respondents indicated they would be more open to trying and recommending mortality composting if more scientific research were available. Equine mortality composting shows potential as a primary disposal method for the equine industry. Research and educational programs are key to industry-wide acceptance of equine mortality composting.
While herbicide resistance has been an agricultural issue for decades, it is currently getting growing attention from academics, chemical companies, extension educators, and farmers. This is largely ...the result of weeds’ increasing resistance to the popular herbicide glyphosate. Although an Integrated Weed Management approach is recommended to combat herbicide resistance, farmers are hesitant to adopt it and instead continue to express faith in herbicide solutions. Recognizing that society and nature are inseparable causes of this phenomenon, I introduce a sociological perspective to a field dominated by ‘hard sciences’ in order to clarify why farmers maintain faith in and use of herbicides in the face of increasing herbicide resistance and suggested alternative integrated management practices. In order to do this, I employ a three chapter format. My first chapter focuses on how farmers draw on master frames to understand and make meaning of their reliance on herbicides. This uncovers issues of farmers’ false trust in herbicides due to structurally binding conditions. My second chapter draws from place literature to understand herbicide resistant weeds as disruptions of place, arguing that these weeds present an observable challenge to farmers’ herbicide dependence that threatens and therefore triggers farmers’ place attachment. Together, these chapters describe how farmers understand herbicide resistance and their own reactions to it based on socio-environmental stimuli. Finally, my third chapter focuses on how quality data about farmers can be collected. Drawing from mixed methods, I suggest a framework of relational pragmatism that can be used to more effectively achieve this goal.
ABSTRACT WHERE IS "FUN ON THE FARM" TO BE FOUND? : HOW STRUCTURAL FACTORS AFFECT THE LOCATION OF AGRITOURISM ENTERPRISES IN MICHIGAN By Katherine E. Dentzman With growing emphasis on diversifying the ...agricultural sector, there is increasing interest in developing agritourism especially for small to mid-sized producers. This paper contributes to the literature in this subfield of scholarship by moving beyond the motivations of producers and consumers to consider what structural factors of place might explain the presence of agritourism operations. Using data on agritourism enterprises from the Michigan Agri-Tourism Association, I test three contending hypotheses. The first, derived from the literature on agritourism, argues that urban-ness is the main structural factor determining the presence of agritourism businesses. My second hypothesis, derived from Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, predicts that spatially grouped capitals such as income and education will be the main predictors of agritourism location. This goes beyond pure numbers of people and instead investigates the characteristics these groups possess that may create spaces supportive of agritourism. Finally, I hypothesize that urban-ness and capitals work together to predict the presence of agritourism more effectively than either factor alone. The results show that while spatial capitals are a stronger predictor of the location of agritourism enterprises, urban-ness has a unique multiplier effect that helps counties increase their number of agritourism businesses to three or more. This helps to resolve some debate over the complex effect of urban-ness on agritourism. The implications for future research and policy are discussed.
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