Farmers’ Selection Of Opinion Leaders In Purchasing Behavior Of Corn Seed

Agriculture is not only an important industry in the national development, but also an integral part of the national economy, the development of the seed industry deeply influences the development of agriculture. However, since the Chinese seed market-oriented reforms, Variety "more, chaotic, miscellaneous" becomes the largest community on the seed market evaluation and one of the most straightforward generalization. Faced with such market conditions, some farmers showed confused when they choose varieties.So how to help farmers solve the difficult problem of selection has become a more pressing issue.Therefore, the article need to think about the following questions: First, if farmers will choose opinion leaders to discuss when buy seed ? Second, which factors will effect the farmers to discuss the matter of buying seed ? Third, What kind of opinion leaders will farmers find to discuss the matters relating to purchase seed.On the issues, the article selects 1973 farmers who bought seeds as the research object, selects whether farmers will choose opinion leaders and what kind of opinion leaders to choose as the dependent variable and selects the internal factors(farmers’ age, years of education, whether received training in agricultural technology, whether have other professions, whether the family has a computer, planting income proportion of household income, the number of purchased maize varieties, corn acreage)、external factors(whether received related promotional information before they bought)、regional dummy variables as explanatory variables.The article uses bivariate probit regression model to investigate the farmers’ choice of opinion leaders in maize varieties.The empirical results shows: farmers’ age,experience of participating in agricultural technical training or not, the number of corn planting, receiving related promotional information or not before buying, dummy regional variables have a significant impact on farmers’ selection of opinion leaders. Farmers’ age and years of education, family whether have computers, dummy regional variables have a significant impact on farmers’ selection of energy opinion leaders.The article presents the following recommendations : First,seed companies can expand their propaganda path and try to increase the network to promote their products. Second, seed enterprises should carry out extensive training in agricultural technology and focuse on expanding the agricultural knowledge of opinion leaders. Finally, seed companies should organize regular opinion leaders to participate in the exchange of experience.