Current information and technology priorities of dairy farmers - a challenge for agricultural researchers

Farmers' conferences have been a key technology transfer mechanism for agricultural research over many years. However, farmer support for these events has been declining. As part of a review of the Ruakura Dairy Farmers' Conference, a study was conducted to determine the information needs of dairy farmers, and establish the best methods of communicating research findings to farmers at conferences. The four predominant information needs of dairy farmers pertained to increasing the efficiency of labour use, increasing farm profitability, reducing the impact of farm practice on the environment and animal welfare, and increasing business management skills. While many of these broad categories fall outside the traditional sphere of agricultural research, researchers must relate their findings to these information needs if they are to communicate research effectively. Conference organisers must provide farmer audiences with a programme which is directly related to their goals. To improve communication there should be a move away from lecture-based presentations to interactive workshop and seminar sessions. Not only does this better suit the learning style of many farmers, but it provides researchers with an opportunity to receive feedback on their ideas from those who will apply the knowledge. Agricultural scientists may need to change the emphasis of their research and assess their methods of technology transfer if they are to continue to make a major contribution to the grass roots level of the dairy industry. Keywords: conference, dairy industry, information needs, technology transfer