According to Executive Director, Bill O’Neill, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting is conducting waves of farmer media use surveys this year. It’s their NAFB 2008 National Producer Media-Use Study. He says they’re focusing on larger producers and ranchers (Class 1A, $100,000+ in sales/gross farm income).

I’ll be attending next week’s NAFB Washington Watch program courtesy of the organization to cover it here on AgWired.

He’s got these notes from the first wave (the others will be conducted in April and September):

While Web-based information use among producers has grown thanks to increased access to high-speed Internet connections, radio is holding place as the primary and most-used source of daily agribusiness information. The study’s initial results also reveal that agriculture’s listening patterns have changed little in 10 years, as all Class 1A producers are listening to radio 5.57 days per week — and those who listen specifically to agricultural programming are listening 6.42 days per week.

A new generation of younger producers (below age 50) is indicating more reliance on radio for specific information, and they are spending more time listening. A strong percentage of high-speed Internet users listening to farm radio are tuning to a specific broadcaster. Online, fragmentation is highly evident among producers attempting, without the aid of a reference list, to pinpoint their “most valuable Web site” for agricultural information.

Daily markets and weather information continue to be of the greatest interest to producers, who also value agricultural news and detail about area agribusiness events.

Again, this data is only a first glance. An initial media news release is to be issued soon, announcing this important NAFB national producer study and offering this same early look at results. More communication will follow the integration of Wave 2 interview data. The final report will contain a compilation of all three interview waves and complete results for numerous farm and ranch producer demographics, including commodities produced, age, and income. Roger Olson is coordinating review, analysis, and interpretation of the project for NAFB.