Abstract:
The objectives of this research were to study on economic and social status, opening of agricultural information and status of beef cattle raising of farmers in Chanthaburi Province and to study factors related to status of beef cattle raising. The sample consisted of 239 farmers who raised beef cattle and data were collected by interviewing. The statistical analyses were frequency, percentage and Chi-square statistic.
Research results revealed that the majority of farmers were male with age over 54 years old. The farmers finished primary school level and believed in Buddhism. They had 4 -5 persons of their household members. Their main occupation was farming and their minor occupation was employee and trading. They had the experience in cattle raising for 1 - 5 years. The number of cattle was 1 - 5 heads. The income from beef cattle raising was less than 60,000 baht/year and the expense of beef cattle raising was less than 1,200 baht/year. The labors in beef cattle raising was 1 persons. They received agricultural information from livestock officers, internet/journals and books and from training. Most of farmers raised native beef cattle and bred their beef cattle by artificial insemination. They had forage plantation for their beef cattle. Their beef cattle buildings were made of wood and the space of the buildings were 16 - 30 m2. Most of their cattle never got disease. The results of hypothesis testing were found that social status(age, level of education, main occupation, experience in cattle raising) was significantly correlated with status of beef cattle raising. Economic status(number of cattle, income, expense, labor) was also significantly correlated with status of beef cattle raising. The opening of agricultural information(personal media, mass media, activity media) was significantly correlated with status of beef cattle raising. The problems of farmers were raising native beef cattle, lack of know-how in breeding, lack of know-how in feed and feeding, expensive materials for building and lack of know-how in disease control and prevention.