Elizabeth Burnett's Graduate Defense Seminar

A Graduate Defense Seminar will be presented by Elizabeth Burnett, an MS student in Environmental Social Sciences, on Friday, June 13th at 1:00 p.m. in 245 Kottman Hall. She will present Implementation of The Influence of Stress and Hardiness on Farmer's Intentions to Adopt Best Management Practice in the Maumee Watershed.

Runoff from agricultural nutrient applications in the Maumee Watershed is the most significant human factor leading to water quality issues in Lake Erie. To reduce phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie tributaries, the Phosphorus Task Force of Ohio and the International Joint Commission recommend that farmers adopt nutrient management practices that address the methods, amount, form, placement, timing, and incorporation of nutrients. With long-term cost savings to the farmer and benefits to soil health and water quality, it is difficult to understand why many farmers choose not to adopt these practices. The aim of this study was two-fold: to examine whether occupational stress in farmers influences their intentions to adopt these practices, and to examine whether occupational hardiness moderates the impact of stress on farmers’ intentions to adopt these practices.