| This study identified the stakeholders of Louisiana plant commodity farmers and rated them in terms of importance. Findings of this study show that farmers/ranchers, LSU AgCenter Experiment Station Research personnel, family, consumers, farm labor and agriculture chemical, fertilizer and seed dealers are the most important stakeholders.; The second aspect of this study was to discover the stakeholder perceptions of agricultural practices and their relationship to the environment. An environmental perceptions survey was conducted with two of the most important stakeholder groups identified---Experiment Station Research Faculty associated with plant commodities and Louisiana consumers.; LSU AgCenter Experiment Station Research Faculty have more positive perceptions of agriculture and the environmental practices of farmers than Louisiana consumers. However, both the research faculty and Louisiana consumers have positive perceptions of agriculture and the environmental practices of farmers.; There were six separate scales in the agriculture environmental perceptions survey---food safety, biotechnology, chemical use, chemical safety, conservation and water usage. With respect to food safety, both research faculty and Louisiana consumers perceived that all aspects of food production are safe. Similarly, both research faculty and Louisiana consumers perceived that the use of genetically modified plants in agriculture is beneficial and safe.; With respect to chemical usage, both research faculty and Louisiana consumers perceived that the use of chemicals in agriculture is beneficial and necessary. In addition, both research faculty and Louisiana consumers perceived that farmers are safely using pesticides and fertilizers. |
