Relationships between burley tobacco marketing practice use and Tennessee producersℓ̓personal and farm characteristics : and their contacts with county Extension Agents

The major purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between burley tobacco marketing practice use and Tennessee burley tobacco producers' personal and farm characteristics and their contacts with Agricultural Extension Agents. Data were obtained through personal interviews by county Extension Agents with 1,358 randomly selected burley tobacco producers in 55 Tennessee counties where burley tobacco production was important. Information was obtained about the general production characteristics of burley tobacco producers, their use of recommended burley tobacco production practices in 1983 and the number of contacts they had with Extension Agents over a 12-month period.

The data were coded and punched on computer cards and computations were made by The University of Tennessee Computing Center. One way analysis of variance F-test was used to determine strength and significance of the relationships between the dependent and independent variables.

Major findings included the following;

1. Only 12 percent of the burley tobacco producers were college graduates and over 50 percent were part-time farmers.

2. Burley tobacco producers had averaged making 8.1 contacts per year with county Extension Agents. They attended on the average 0.5 tobacco meetings, 1.1 other Extension meetings, made 2.0 visits to the Extension office, made 2.7 telephone calls to the Extension office, and received 1.8 farm visits from county Extension Agents. Seventeen percent of the producers had no contact with Extension Agents.

3. Forty-two percent of the producers had no tobacco land in permanent sod during the previous three years.

4. Forty-three percent of the producers fertilized and limed tobacco land according to a soil test recommendation.

5. Thirty-one percent of the producers applied over 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

6. The producers made an average of three grades of burley tobacco. Producers hand tied 40 percent of their tobacco, baled 55 percent of their tobacco, and sheeted 6 percent of their tobacco.

7. Producers with larger allotments and more pounds sold hand tied significantly less tobacco than producers with smaller allotments and fewer pounds sold. Producers with larger allotments and more pounds sold baled and sheeted significantly more tobacco than producers with smaller allotments and fewer pounds sold.

8. Younger producers and producers with more formal education hand tied significantly less tobacco than older producers and producers with less formal education. Younger producers and producers with more formal education baled significantly more tobacco than older producers and producers with less formal education.

9. Producers attending more tobacco meetings, attending more other Extension meetings, making more visits to the Extension office, making more telephone calls to the Extension office, receiving more farm visits and having more total Extension contacts hand tied significantly less tobacco than producers having fewer Extension contacts. Producers attending more tobacco meetings, attending more other Extension meetings, making more visits to the Extension office, making more telephone calls to the Extension office, receiving more farm visits and having more total Extension contacts baled and baled and/or sheeted significantly more tobacco than producers having fewer Extension contacts.

Implications and recommendations were also made.