Evaluation of the trade information sources acquired by the selected farmers from Podlaskie voivodeship

Article history: Received: April 2014 Received in the revised form: July 2014 Accepted: August 2014 The paper includes evaluation of the sources of acquiring information in agricultural farms by farmers. The research was carried out in 2012 in the form of a direct survey of owners of 102 agricultural farms located in Podlaskie Voivodeship. A survey questionnaire, which consisted of two parts, was a research instrument. The first one concerned information on the farm owner and a farm and the second part of the questionnaire consisted of questions related to the manners of acquisition of information sources and their evaluation. The research which was carried out proves that shows and exhibitions are the weakest information sources according to the evaluation (10%). Information obtained from the Commune Offices (16%) and the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (18%) were evaluated as a weak source of information. However, a direct contact with friends and neighbours (42%) and agricultural advisers (59%) seems to be a popular source of information. The Internet, as well as radio and television, each reach more than 70%. Specialist press and guides were evaluated very high (above 80%). According to the investigated group, agricultural journals are the most significant source of information in the plant and livestock production and information on agricultural machines and devices. In the evaluation of the access to various types of agricultural information as much as 58% said that it is on a very good level, 30% of respondents evaluated it as good and only 12% of the respondents claimed that the access to various types of agricultural information sources is at a fairly good level. Any of the questioned farmers did not claim that the access to information is bad.