Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Manifest Americans: the modern-day appropriation of the agrarian myth(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Robinson, Tonya Renee; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Susan KollinIn 'Manifest Americans,' I examine the modern-day appropriation of the agrarian myth under neoliberalism and associated sheltering of systemic marginalization and health and environmental hazards. I argue persistent agrarianism rhetoric, perverted by neoliberal realities and devices, lies at the core of these problems. Specific to this neoliberal moment, my conception of neoyeomanship encapsulates the embrace of classic yeomanship dogma and modern neoliberal doctrine towards the realization of Manifest Americans as idealized persons(products) of the agrarian myth--created in the minds of republican agrarians, propelled forward by Manifest Destiny, and consolidated through white settlement and cultivation of stolen Native lands. Manifest Americans believe themselves the backbone of American society and the embodiment of democracy. Neoyeomen as Manifest Americans are the neoliberal reification of the nation's most American Americans. This project also presents a new framework for analyzing the neoliberalization of American society and culture, with emphasis on impacts to agrarian(rural) people and spaces. Specifically, I explore neoliberal cultural production through cultural products which work to either appease or disrupt the agrarian metanarrative in modern society. To accomplish this, I bring together cultural studies and ecocritical approaches as methodology for cultural criticism, with additional consideration of affect theory and nostalgia criticism to read the agrarian myth in this neoliberal age. I also introduce my concept of perverse nostalgia. Perverse nostalgia explains how simple nostalgia, which normally works to mitigate disruptions in meeting core human needs, becomes perverted by neoliberal realities, which in turn creates discontinuity and exacerbates existential fears, resultantly triggering perverse nostalgia for an idealized(mythical) past--an America made great again. 'Manifest Americans' also expands myth criticism. Their overt exceptionalist associations notwithstanding, enduring American myths play a crucial role in projecting, informing, and affirming dominant modern-day ideologies and identity(ies). Far from being mired in history, American myths are well-evidenced in modern society and help us to understand and explain the nation's complex ideologies and longings for an idealized(mythical) past. This is particularly true concerning the agrarian myth, which has largely evaded criticism and condemnation. The agrarian myth is alive and well in neoliberal America--and hides a multitude of sins.Item Developing culturally acceptable peanut nutrition bars with smallholder women farmers in Kaffrine, Senegal(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2020) Allan, Edwin Yenbono; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Wan-Yuan Kuo; Florence Dunkel, Paul Lachapelle, Sun-Hwa Kim, Aliou Ndiaye, Cullen Kinnare and Wan-Yuan Kuo were co-authors of the article, 'Developing culturally acceptable peanut nutrition bars with smallholder women farmers in Kaffrine, Senegal using participatory action research' submitted to the journal 'Agriculture and human values' which is contained within this thesis.; Aliou Ndiaye, Emily Raber and Wan-Yuan Kuo were co-authors of the article, 'Developing culturally acceptable peanut nutrition bars with smallholder women farmers in Kaffrine, Senegal using response surface methodology' submitted to the journal 'Journal of food science' which is contained within this thesis.Smallholder farming families in Senegal suffer from poverty with children deficient in micronutrients despite contributing 80% of food exported and consumed in Senegal. The aim of this study is to employ participatory action research to seek out hindrances with value-added processing and recommendations to develop a culturally acceptable and nutritious product for school-age children in partnership with smallholder women farmers in Kaffrine, Senegal. A survey was conducted with 60 smallholder farmers in the Diamal, Ndangane, Keur serigne djibel and Ngouye Siwakh communities to identify constraints to peanut farming and value-added processing. Interested male and female survey participants were invited to focus group discussions to provide depth to survey findings and develop ideas for a healthy peanut product. The survey and focus groups revealed quality seeds, farm input and income as the challenges to peanut farming and food security and access to mills and other post-harvest equipment, as community needs. The focus groups identified Quakers Peanut Butter Baked Squares as a reference for peanut product due to its similarity to local peanut cakes and selected corn flour, cowpea flour and baobab powder as healthy ingredients. From the surveys, all four communities were generally interested in value-added processing, and the women farmers identified as responsible for processing the harvest. The women were therefore selected to evaluate developed prototypes, which they found to have an acceptable taste but crumbly texture. Smallholder women farmers in Senegal, engaging in value-added agriculture, have the potential to improve farm income and food insecurity. A peanut nutrition bar was therefore developed with supports of smallholder farmers in Kaffrine, Senegal, informed with the use of healthy Indigenous ingredients and community-feasible methods gathered in the previous focus group interviews. This study used response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design to optimize the formulation for making the peanut nutrition bars. The RSM design included two formulation factors, the weight ratio of cowpea flour to corn flour, and the weight percentage of baobab powder in the cowpea-corn-baobab blend. The influence of the two formulation factors on the texture properties, nutrition profiles, water activity, and consumer acceptance was investigated. Cohesiveness and gumminess of the peanut nutrition bars were dependent on both the ratio of cowpea flour to corn flour and percent baobab powder in the mixture. Protein and folate contents were found to be dependent on the ratio of cowpea flour to corn flour and a decrease in water activity was observed with increasing percent baobab powder in the mixture. Statistical differences were not observed between the acceptance scores of peanut nutrition bars with baobab powder levels between 10-20% (w/w, d.b.), a Senegal local peanut product and an industry optimized peanut product. Formulations with cowpea flour to corn flour ratios between 50-75 and baobab levels below 20% were identified as having suitable texture, nutrition content and water activity to be easily adapted by the smallholder women farmers in Kaffrine.Item Assessment of young and beginning producer practices in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Tintzman, Tyler William; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Shannon ArnoldThe agricultural industry is at a turning point regarding the labor force in the United States. The average age of the existing labor force continues to increase and fewer young and beginning farmers and ranchers (YBFR) are entering production agriculture. The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of the experience of YBFR entering production agriculture and the working challenges they are facing. This phenomenological research study utilized semi-structured interviews with active YBFR in Montana to examine their experiences. Following analysis, seven different themes surrounding the experiences of YBFR in Montana were revealed. 1. Access to land, capital, and equipment is a significant barrier for a YBFR to enter production agriculture. 2. Developing a network of peers and finding a mentor within production agriculture is a valuable tool for a YBFR. 3. The use of governmental YBFR programs has a positive impact on the experience. 4. Crop insurance is a valued risk protection tool for YBFR operations. 5. Support from family members and industry peers positively impacts the financial and intellectual experience of a YBFR. 6. Continuing formal and non-formal education on the latest technologies and industry practices can assist a YBFR in creating a competitive business. 7. A thorough understanding of production costs on an agricultural operation will allow a YBFR to make fact based, objective decisions that lead to a more profitable operation. In conclusion, these seven themes were shared across participants to explain what and how they experienced being a YBFR in Montana. Further research should be conducted to better understand the impact of networking, mentorship, and the costs of production.Item Adult agricultural education for the Crow Indian farmers and ranchers in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1970) Larsen, Knud C. B.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Max L. AmbersonItem The myth of the heroic American farmer in contemporary food documentaries(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2016) Kuxhausen, Brett Jacob; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Theo LipfertDocumentary has been a key catalyst in the modern 21st century food movement as a driver for change and awareness towards a new gastronomy. These types of films employ a variety of approaches to purport that our current system is flawed; built around industrialization and commodification of sustenance and living things. One universal method these films use to elicit audience reaction is through the use of the heroic cultural memory of farmers. I explore three very different contemporary food documentaries; Food, Inc., King Corn, and The Real Dirt on Farmer John as well as my own film Pork.0, as case studies to reveal how current social activist/issue documentaries represent the farmer by using the agrarian myth as a base, then use novel storytelling devices to show the necessity of change in the food industry. This contributes to the success of these films as effective works in the social issue/activist documentary genre.Item Womens's farm/ranch task participation : time, importance, and factors influencing time spent(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1987) Gallagher, Cecilia DawnItem Information sources and methods used by progressive farmers in the learning process(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1991) Stephens, Larry LowellItem Factors affecting the implementation of an electronic Pest Recommendation Network for pesticide applicators in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2001) Lanier, William ThomasThe problem is how to deliver pest management information to pesticide applicators, where they live and work, in a manner that does not intimidate them. The delivery structure must allow for the effective use, safety and hazard information to be ‘ incorporated into the daily decision-making process. The objectives of this study were to determine the factors that may enhance or prohibit use of the Pest Recommendation Network (PRN) and how valuable selected pest control topics are to pesticide applicators in Montana Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) Region 2. The six factors that may have affected a participants use of the WWW were lack of hardware, software, monthly service provider charges, familiarity with what the WWW offers, lack of computer technical assistance or training and/or high telephone line charges. The selected pest control factors were chemical control information, economic thresholds, crop variety susceptibility information, and pest life cycle conditions favoring susceptibility, typical infestation pattern in fields, symptoms and look alike symptoms, cultural control information and knowing required scouting frequency. The survey group (n = 497) was randomly divided into two groups. Each group received a take-home worksheet that provided step by step instructions on how to access and receive information from the PRN. In addition to the worksheet, one group received training that included verbal explanation of 11 Power Point text slides and 3 PRN screen images from the PRN application. The purpose of the mini-lecture slides were to motivate and familiarize subjects to the availability and value of the PRN. The control group saw only one text slide referring to the PRN. To use the PRN, the control group would have to rely on the worksheet instructions. In summary, the amount of training the participants received at the Region 2 PAT re-certification program did not significantly affect their access of the PRN. Ranking of the results of the survey showed that people with access to the Internet found familiarity with what the Internet offers, lack of computer technical assistance or training, high telephone line charges as the factors that affected their use of the Internet the most. Participants also ranked chemical control information, economic thresholds, crop variety susceptibility information, pest life cycle as most valuable to their pest control decision making. The results of the demographic section of the survey revealed that over half of the surveyed participants had access to computer hardware, over half used it for farm business and over half had either access to the Internet or email.Item An economic analysis of the impact of decoupled payments on farm solvency in the United States(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2014) Hasenoehrl, Amy Rae; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: Eric Belasco and Anton BekkermanThis thesis evaluates the effects of decoupled agricultural support payments on the debt-to-asset ratio of farmers in the top five states producing corn, cotton, wheat and soybeans from 1996 to 2011. Building on existing literature, this study estimates the broader impacts of decoupled payments on farm solvency by considering all decoupled payments made since their establishment in 1996. A theoretical model of profit maximization identifies the factors predicted to influence solvency, which include farm assets, income, expenses, scale, production risk, decoupled payments and operator characteristics. Following the literature, the relationship between these factors and farm solvency are estimated empirically using a linear regression model with data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey, Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency. The results indicate decoupled payments have a positive relationship with the debt-to-asset ratio and that the elimination of decoupled payments in the upcoming Farm Bill could lead to decreases in farmers' debt-to-asset ratios by an average of approximately ten percent. Furthermore, an analysis of the effects of decoupled payments by primary crop designation suggests that only corn soybean, corn and wheat farmers' debt-to-asset ratios are significantly responsive to changes in decoupled payments. This study also finds the effect of decoupled payments on solvency is uniform across farm size. In addition to these results, this thesis also contributes to current literature by providing preliminary evidence of an endogenous relationship between acres operated and the debt-to-asset ratio, which appears to introduce a positive bias on the parameter estimate for decoupled payments in the linear regression model. Furthermore, when a two-stage least squares model is used to control for this bias, the results estimate a negative relationship between decoupled payments and the debt-to-asset ratio. Due to the change in the coefficient of decoupled payments between the two models, this study suggests that results from research failing to account for a potential endogenous relationship between acres and the debt-to-asset ratio should be interpreted with caution.Item Communication channels : educational providers engaging beginning farmers and ranchers with the information they need, the way they want it(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2013) Hebel, Katie Jorine; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carl IgoBeginning farmers and ranchers are a critical demographic in the agricultural industry as more and more farmers and ranchers are reaching the age of retirement. As they emerge into this field, they have critical production-oriented educational needs in order to be successful. It is critical for educational providers to consider beginning farmers and ranchers preferred communication channels when transferring this educational information. Programs need to deliver the desired content through the desired communication channel in order to be most effective. This review sought to identify communication channels, beginning farmers and ranchers, and their self-perceived preferences for educational information over the last twenty-five years. This exhaustive literature review examined research on communication channels, beginning farmers and ranchers and their self-perceived educational needs. The problem identified was what preferred communication channels were most effective in engaging beginning farmers and ranchers with production-oriented educational information. Beginning farmers and ranchers have a need for educational information, particularly relating to agriculture business management. Even though their need for educational information has not changed in the last twenty-five years, the content of educational information has progressed with the changes in agricultural technology, regulations, practices and services. Educational providers need to consider and continually re-assess the educational content and communication channel when engaging beginning farmers and ranchers. Educational providers need to provide educational information through a variety of communication channels in multiple ways to reach their target demographic.