Selected characteristics of Tennessee feeder pig producers and their use of recommended swine management practices in relation to the number of contacts producers had with county extension agents

The purpose of this study was to characterize Tennessee swine producers, and determine the relationship between the number of con-tacts producers had with the Agricultural Extension Service and their use of recommended swine management practices. One thousand and eighty-three swine producers were randomly selected and personal interviews were conducted by county Extension agents. Survey and interview schedules were developed by the University of Tennessee Extension Swine Specialists and the Agricultural Extension Education Department. These surveys were administered by county Extension agents during the fall of 1984. Information recorded included the producer's personal characteristics, the size of the operation, the number and type of contacts producers had with Extension during a 12-month time period and their use of recommended swine management practices. The data were coded and punched on computer cards, and computations were made by the University of Tennessee Computing Center. The Chi- Square test and the one-way analysis of variance F test were used to determine the significance and strength of the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The .05 level of probability was chosen for determining significance. Major findings included the following: 1. Almost 80 percent of the producers were over the age of 36 and had obtained a high school education or less. 2. The majority of the swine producers surveyed operated on a small scale with about 74 percent averaging less than 20 sows, and approximately 80 percent farrowed less than 50 litters per year. 3. Extension contacts made by producers ranged from a high of 77 percent using telephone calls to the Extension office to a low of only 45 percent attending Extension swine meetings. 4. About 4 percent of the recommended swine management practices were used by 85 percent of the producers. 5. Over 50 percent of the producers used more than 66 percent of the swine management practices. 6. Younger producers (under 36 years of age), producers with a college degree, and those who were full-time farmers made signifi-cantly more Extension contacts than the other producers. 7. There was a significant difference between the use of 10 of the following recommended swine management practices and the total number of contacts producers made with Extension: (1) number of times/year sows were vaccinated for leptospirosis, (2) number of times/ year sows were vaccinated for rhinitis, (3) number of times/year boars were vaccinated for parvovirus, (4) used medication in water to treat disease, (5) used sulfa in the water, (6) used antibiotic in water, (7) used medication in sows gestation, lactation ration, (8) frequency with which iron shots were given to pigs, (9) clipped needle teeth, (10) pounds of feed fed sows.