Influence of Selected Personal Characteristics and County Situational Factors on Time Allocated to Dairy Subjects by Extension Agents in Selected Tennessee Counties.

The study deals with various predictors of time spent on dairy subjects by Extension agents and predictors of contacts made by agents with dairy clientele. Purposes were to determine the relationships, if any, between various independent variables and groups of independent variables (agents' background and training, county dairy situation, agents' knowledge of dairying, and interest and attitudes of agents toward dairying) and two major dependent variables (amount of time spent by agents on various groups of dairy subjects and the number of contacts made by agents with dairy clientele). A description of methods used and a three-page summary of findings are presented, with six conclusions based on the findings. It was concluded that the overall best predictor of time an agent would spend and number of contacts he would make with dairymen is the number of Grade A dairymen in the county. (Tables of relationships among variables are appended.) (Author/AJ)