| The purpose of this study was to perform a beta needs assessment of the educational needs of agricultural education and industry professionals in the United States regarding agricultural safety and health. An additional purpose was to develop a workable profile of the role and relationship of agricultural professionals with farmers/ranchers regarding agricultural safety and health hazards.;The seven professional groups included in the study were secondary agriculture teachers, cooperative extension agents, equipment dealers, veterinarians, insurance company representatives, grain/feed dealers and agrichemical/fertilizer dealers. A proportional random sample of 826 participants was selected from a target population of 45,421 professionals. A self-administered mail survey was used to collect the data using a modification of Dillman's "Total Design Method". This yielded a 63.1 percent usable response rate. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze eight hypotheses.;The data revealed that over eighty percent of agricultural professionals are sharing safety and health information with farmers/ranchers. The results showed significant differences between professional groups regarding: their sharing of safety information; their interest in new coursework and information regarding agricultural safety and health; their general agricultural safety knowledge level; their preferred delivery approaches for instruction in safety; their preferred educational methods for learning about agricultural safety; their subject matter needs regarding agricultural safety and health hazards; and their perceptions of their potential impact on reducing agricultural hazards and injuries.;A major conclusion was the need for regional workshops for professionals in the field and undergraduate coursework for students studying to become agricultural education and/or industry professionals. The findings, conclusions, and recommendations provide a framework for the design and development of instructional programs and coursework for present and future agricultural professionals that is relevant for each professional group. |
