Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of information from different sources on farmers’ attitudes regarding the effects of
pesticides and other agricultural chemicals on environmental quality using a survey of 2700 farmers in three mid-Atlantic
states. Farmers’ beliefs are similar to those of the general public on average, but are distributed more uniformly, suggesting
that the farm community may be more polarized on environmental issues than the general public. Farmers regard first-hand
sources of information such as direct field observation and pesticide labels as being the most important. Chemical dealers and
extension rank next in importance. Farmers who attached greater importance to information from news media and extension
expressed greater environmental concern. Farmers who found information from chemical dealers more important expressed
greater concern about injury to wildlife and pesticides in drinking water but less concern about general environmental quality
problems associated with agricultural chemicals. ©1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.