


































2021-1-4-Vita-Roberts


Baker et al.  Advancements in Agricultural Development 
  Volume 2, Issue 3, 2021 
  agdevresearch.org 

1. Lauri Baker, associate professor, department of agricultural education and communication, UF/IFAS Center for Public 
Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (PIE Center), University of Florida, 1408 Sabal Palm Drive, Level 2, 
PO Box 110126, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, lauri.m.baker@ufl.edu,  

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4241-6077 
2. Christy Chiarelli, assistant extension scientist, department of agricultural education and communication, director, 

Wedgworth Leadership Institute (WLI), University of Florida, 121B Bryant Hall, PO Box 112060, Gainesville, FL 32611, 
ccw@ufl.edu,  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4839-5932 

3. Shelli Rampold, assistant professor, department of agricultural education, leadership, and communications, 321D Morgan 
Hall, 2621 Morgan Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-4500, University of Tennessee, srampold@utk.edu,  

 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4815-7157 
4. Ashley McLeod-Morin, associate director of strategic communication, Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health 

and Safety, 1408 Sabal Palm Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, 1408 Sabal Palm Drive, Level 2, PO Box 110126, University of 
Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, University of Florida, ashleynmcleod@ufl.edu, 
  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8649-9783 

5. Angela Lindsey, assistant professor, department of family, youth, and consumer sciences, University of Florida, 3014C 
McCarty D, Gainesville, FL 32611, ablindsey@ufl.edu,  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9859-7962  

72 

 

Communication in a Pandemic: Concerns of Agricultural and 
Natural Resources Opinion Leaders During Early Stages of the 

COVID-19 Pandemic 
 

L. Baker1, C. Chiarelli2, S. Rampold3, A. McLeod-Morin4, A. Lindsey5 

 

  

Abstract 

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-April 2020), opinion leaders in agriculture 
and natural resources (ANR) were asked to participate in a survey about the impacts of the crisis on 
the ANR industry specifically about their concerns related to communication, economics, level of 
preparedness, and health during this crisis. Of the 225 ANR leaders who participated, the majority 
were concerned that members of the public were sharing inaccurate information about COVID-19; 
others they come into contact with were not taking appropriate measures to avoid contracting 
COVID-19; about the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy, their state’s economy, and the global 
economy; and other countries’ level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19. ANR leaders were 
consistently the most concerned about items that were outside of their direct sphere of influence. 
Implications from this work are that ANR leadership programs should incorporate programing to 
help ANR leaders understand how to be influential during a crisis at a national and international 
level. For statewide ANR leadership programs, it is recommended to include programming sessions 
related to identifying and sharing credible information and enabling and inspiring those in their circle 
of influence to do the same. 
 

Keywords 

Crisis communication, diffusion of innovations, survey 



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Introduction and Problem Statement 
 
COVID-19 impacted the economy, environment, health, and society as a whole (Sahin et al., 
2020). By March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and had impacted communities in 
over 160 countries (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020). The agricultural industry was not 
spared from the impacts of COVID-19 and faced unique challenges on top of those already 
common to the industry. Farmers, particularly those that harvest crops, faced a shortage in 
farm labor as migrant workers were often blocked from traveling or became infected with 
COVID-19 and needed to quarantine (Duvall, 2020). Agricultural and natural resources (ANR) 
leaders were faced with the task of making decisions about new policies and practices during an 
unprecedented public health crisis.  
 
Managing crisis situations and maintaining communications during turbulent times are familiar 
roles to ANR leaders. A successful agricultural product depends on many different influences 
including weather, resources, lack of contamination, and safe practices. A break or failure at 
any level could potentially impact human health and safety (Edgar et al., 2012). Thus, having 
effective crisis communication is crucial to ANR leaders and is why industry leaders have crisis 
communication plans with detailed steps to provide a consistent and coordinated message 
(Sellnow et al., 2019). The COVID-19 crisis provided a unique, compound crisis for ANR leaders. 
While managing the impacts from nationwide food supply changes, ANR leaders were also 
tasked to ensure the health and safety of all personnel. The present study seeks to understand 
these challenges by identifying ANR leaders’ concerns about communication, economics, 
preparedness, and health during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework 
 
The theoretical and conceptual frameworks that guided this study included the diffusion of 
innovations theory (Rogers, 2003) and the conceptual framework of crisis communication 
(Coombs, 2007). The diffusion of innovations relies heavily on opinion leaders to either 
accelerate or decelerate the diffusion process (Valente & Davis, 1999). Opinion leaders have a 
stronger propensity to change people’s minds than media sources in which mass media’s 
messages are consumed by opinion leaders who then filter the media to broader, less 
interested populations. Essentially, people can move the diffusion of an idea more than 
anything else (Lazarsfeld et al., 1948).  
 
The diffusion of innovations model was developed to describe how an idea or product gains 
momentum and popularity within a defined group of individuals (Rogers, 2003). Opinion 
leaders can act as role models within their communities and can, therefore, be key 
determinants of others’ beliefs, perceptions, and sustained behaviors (Rogers, 3003; Valente & 
Davis, 1999). Beyond the concept of the opinion leaders’ role in the diffusion process, a 
multitude of scholars have defined the characteristics of opinion leaders (Burt, 1999; Corey, 
1971; Rogers, 2003; Rogers & Cartano, 1962; Shah & Scheufele, 2006; Valente & Davis, 1999). 



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Corey (1971) defined opinion leaders as “trusted and informed people who exist in virtually all 
groups” (p. 48).  
 
Characteristics unique to opinion leaders are that they (a) are typically more involved in 
activities relating to their specialty area, (b) are more informed about new developments in 
their specialty area due in-part to reading more media related to their specialty area, (c) will 
have similar demographics as non-leaders with the exception of a higher socio-economic status 
(Corey, 1971; Rogers, 2003), and will disseminate information with the purpose of exerting 
influence (Sahelices-Pinto & Rodríguez-Santos, 2014). Further, Weimann (1994) indicated 
opinion leaders interact with many people through a variety of voluntary associations and 
activities, such as meetings, discussions, and social events.  
 
During a crisis situation, the role of communications and opinion leaders takes an accelerated 
position. Seeger et al. (2001) noted the significance of open and accurate communication with 
all stakeholders during a crisis and stressed the importance of a proactive and timely response. 
This response often involves a three-stage approach that includes precrisis, the crisis event, and 
postcrisis (Coombs, 2012). It is often at the crisis event, or crisis recognition stage, where 
managers begin managing the threat. Much of this management entails continually developing 
and monitoring messages on traditional and social media to ensure their consistency and 
accuracy (Coombs, 2012). As publics have come to expect constant communication, it is 
imperative for organizations to keep in constant contact with their stakeholders during a crisis 
situation to avoid inaccurate information. Failure of organizations to keep in contact could 
result in publics perceiving organizations as untrustworthy (Ulmer et al., 2011). To avoid a 
potential break in trust, a pre-developed crisis communication plan should include a system for 
communicating with target publics that includes all potential interactions between an 
organization and their stakeholders (Coombs, 2012).  
 

Purpose 
 
This study sought to understand concerns of ANR opinion leaders during the early stages of the 
COVID-19 pandemic as a way to identify the communication flow of these concerns to the 
broader population of agriculturalists and inform agricultural communication in future zoonotic 
disease crises. Leaders within ANR are of particular interest in understanding the opinions and 
perspectives of the ANR industry members as a whole. Within the ANR sectors, alumni from 
statewide agricultural leadership programs are considered opinion leaders (Chiarelli et al., 
2010; Lamm et al., 2014; Lamm & Lamm, 2019). Due to their opinion leader characteristics, it is 
expected that alumni from these programs are widely diffusing information to their social and 
professional networks (Sahelices-Pinto & Rodríguez-Santos, 2014) regarding the impact of 
COVID-19 on their respective industries. Four objectives guided this study: 
1. Describe ANR opinion leaders’ communication concerns related to COVID-19 
2. Describe ANR opinion leaders’ economic concerns related to COVID-19 
3. Describe ANR opinion leaders’ preparedness concerns related to COVID-19 
4. Describe ANR opinion leaders’ health concerns related to COVID-19 



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Methods 
 
The targeted population for this study was active listerv members of U.S. agriculture and 
natural resources (ANR) leadership programs. These programs were selected because previous 
research has indicated ANR leadership programs are comprised of opinion leaders in their 
communities (Chiarelli et al., 2010; Lamm et al., 2014; Lamm & Lamm, 2019). The directors of 
each program were contacted and asked to invite their current class members and alumni 
members to participate in this study. Eight of the 40 U.S. leadership programs agreed to 
participate, including (a) Arizona Project CENTRL, (b) LEAD Delaware, (c) California Agricultural 
Leadership Foundation, (d) Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural 
Resources, (e) Leadership Idaho Agriculture, (f) Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program, (g) 
LEAD New York, and (h) Palmetto Leadership for the Environment, Agriculture and Forestry 
(LEAF).  
 
Useable responses were collected from 225 of the 3,172 listserv participants for a rate of 
14.9%. Respondents were primarily white (f = 201; 89.3%) and ranged in age from 20 to 79 
years. More respondents fell within the income ranges of $75,000 to $149,999 (f = 81; 36%) and 
$50,000 to $74,999 (f = 36; 16%) than any other income bracket, and the majority held at least 
a four-year college degree (f = 195; 86.9%). Respondents represented more than 14 industry 
sectors, among them animal agriculture (f = 32, 14.2%); fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop 
production (f = 32, 14%), public and/or government agency (f =27, 12%), and other, non-listed 
sectors (f = 27, 12%).  
 
Data were collected March 16 through April 21, 2020, using an online survey distributed via 
listserv by program directors. Participating leadership program directors sent an initial 
announcement of the upcoming study, an invitation to participate that included informed 
consent and the link to the online survey, and three follow-up reminder emails. An original 
survey questionnaire, developed by the researchers, was used as the instrument for this study. 
Four sections of the questionnaire were used for data analyses: (a) health-related concerns 
about COVID-19; economic-related concerns about COVID-19; (c) preparedness-related 
concerns about COVID-19; and (d) communication-related concerns about COVID-19. Health 
concerns were assessed using six items pertaining to concerns about the general health and 
well-being of respondents and others (e.g. “I am concerned I could die from COVID-19”). 
Economic concerns were measured using six items reflective of the various economic impacts 
of COVID-19 (e.g. “I am concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy”). 
Preparedness concerns were measured using six items pertaining to different agencies’, self, or 
others’ level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19 (e.g., “I am concerned about Extensions’ 
level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19”). Lastly, communication concerns were measured 
using eight items regarding accuracy of information being shared (e.g. “I am concerned I am not 
getting accurate information about COVID-19”). Responses for sections were collected using a 
dichotomous initial response format (1 = yes; 0 = no), followed by a five-point, ordinal 
branching response option for those who indicated they were concerned about that item (1 = 
only slightly concerned; 5 = extremely concerned). An ordinal variable was computed based on 
the initial response and branching response that ranged from zero (i.e., those who indicated 



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“no”) to five to represent overall degree of concern for each item. Data were analyzed using the 
SPSS26 statistical software package. Descriptive statistics (e.g., means, standard deviations, 
frequencies, and percentages) were computed for the objectives of this study.  
 
Limitations within this study are a lack of direct access to the population may have deterred 
participation in the survey. The sample collected in this study is not representative of all 
leadership programs across the United States, but is instead reflective of only those from select 
organizations who participated in and responded to this study. As such, the results should not 
be generalized beyond the sample acquired. This limitation should be considered when drawing 
implications and discerning potential use of the data and provided recommendations. 
 

Findings 
 
Objective One: Communication Concerns 
The majority of respondents were overall concerned that members of the public are sharing 
inaccurate information about COVID-19 (f = 197; 87.6%) and that the media and news outlets 
are sharing inaccurate information about COVID-19 (f = 177; 78.7%). Relatively fewer 
respondents were concerned they were personally not getting accurate information about 
COVID-19 (f = 118; 52.4%; see Table 1). 
 
Table 1 
 
Number of Respondents Concerned about Communication-Related Items (N = 225) 
 Yes No 
Concern f % f % 
I am concerned that members of the public are sharing 

inaccurate information about COVID-19. 
197 87.6 28 12.4 

I am concerned that media and news outlets are sharing 
inaccurate information about COVID-19. 

177 78.7 48 21.3 

I am concerned members of the general public are not 
getting accurate information about COVID-19. 

172 76.4 53 23.6 

I am concerned agricultural/farm laborers are not getting 
accurate information about COVID-19. 

145 64.4 80 35.6 

I am concerned my loved ones are not getting accurate 
information about COVID-19. 

128 56.9 97 43.1 

I am concerned I am not getting accurate information 
about COVID-19.  

118 52.4 107 47.6 

 
Respondents who indicated they were concerned about a communication-related item 
indicated greater degrees of concern that members of the public are sharing inaccurate 
information about COVID-19 (M = 4.11; SD = .93), that members of the general public are not 
getting accurate information about COVID-19 (M = 4.06; SD = .91), and that media and news 



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outlets are sharing inaccurate information about COVID-19 (M = 3.97; SD = 1.07) compared to 
other communication-related items. 
 
Objective Two: Economic Concerns 
The majority of respondents were concerned about all economic-related items. Compared to all 
items, the largest number of respondents were concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on 
the U.S. economy (f = 222, 98.7%), their state’s economy (f = 220, 97.8%), and the global 
economy (f = 218, 96%; see Table 2). 
 
Table 2 
 
Number of Respondents Concerned About Economic-Related Items  
 Yes No 
Concern f % f % 
I am concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. 

economy. 
222 98.7 3 1.30 

I am concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on my 
state’s economy. 

220 97.8 5 2.20 

I am concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the 
global economy. 

218 96.0 7 3.1 

I am concerned about potential labor shortages in 
agriculture and natural resources sectors due to COVID-
19. 

201 89.3 24 10.7 

I am concerned about the financial impact of COVID-19 on 
me personally. 

186 82.7 39 17.3 

I am concerned about an increased cost of food because 
of COVID-19. 

123 54.7 102 45.3 

 
Respondents who indicated they were concerned about an economic-related item were then 
asked to indicate how concerned they were about that item. Respondents indicated greater 
degrees of concern about the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy (M = 4.6, SD = .67), the 
impact of COVID-19 on their states’ economies (M = 4.45, SD = .75), and the impact of COVID-
19 on the global economy (M = 4.38, SD = .77) than the other economic-related items. 
 
Objectives Three: Preparedness Concerns 
The majority of respondents were concerned with most preparedness items, particularly 
regarding other countries’ level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19 (f = 195; 86.7%), 
hospitals’ and health professionals’ level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19 (f = 192; 
85.3%), and the United States’ level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19 (f = 184; 81.8%; see 
Table 3). The majority of respondents were not overall concerned about Extension’s level of 
preparedness, nor their own personal level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19 (see Table 
3). 
 
 



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Table 3 
 
Number of Respondents Concerned About Preparedness-Related Items 
 Yes No 
Concern f % f % 
I am concerned about other countries’ level of 

preparedness to deal with COVID-19. 
195 86.7 30 13.3 

I am concerned about hospitals’ and health care 
professionals’ level of preparedness to deal with 
COVID-19. 

192 85.3 33 14.7 

I am concerned about the United States’ level of 
preparedness to deal with COVID-19. 

184 81.8 41 18.2 

I am concerned about my state’s level of preparedness to 
deal with COVID-19. 

175 77.8 50 22.2 

I am concerned about my local community’s level of 
preparedness to deal with COVID-19. 

167 74.2 58 25.8 

I am concerned about my loved ones’ level of 
preparedness to deal with COVID-19. 

132 58.7 93 41.3 

I am concerned about Extension’s level of preparedness to 
deal with COVID-19. 

86 38.2 139 61.8 

I am concerned about my personal level of preparedness 
to deal with COVID-19. 

77 34.2 148 65.8 

 
Respondents who indicated they were concerned about a preparedness item were then asked 
to indicate how concerned they were about that item. Respondents indicated greater degrees 
of concerns about hospitals’ and health care professionals’ level of preparedness to deal with 
COVID-19 (M = 4.34, SD = .88), the United States’ level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19 
(M = 4.24, SD = .87), and other countries’ level of preparedness to deal with COVID-19 (M = 
4.18, SD = .88) compared to other preparedness concern items.  
 
Objective Four: Health Concerns 
The majority of respondents were concerned that others they come into contact with are not 
taking appropriate measures to avoid contracting COVID-19 (f = 179, 79.6%), that they are 
personally at risk of contracting COVID-19 (f = 160, 71.1%), and that illegal immigrants and/or 
non-citizens currently residing in the United States will not seek medical attention if they 
believe they have contracted COVID-19 (f = 136, 60.4%). Only 18 (8%) respondents were 
concerned about pets and/or livestock being infected by COVID-19 (see Table 4). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



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Table 4 
 
General health concerns of ANR respondents (N = 225) 
 Yes No 
Concern f % f % 
I am concerned others I come into contact with are not 

taking appropriate measures to avoid contracting 
COVID-19. 

179 79.6 46 20.4 

I am concerned I am personally at risk of contracting 
COVID-19. 

160 71.1 65 28.9 

I am concerned illegal immigrants and/or non-citizens 
currently residing in the United States will not seek 
medical attention if they believe they have contracted 
COVID-19. 

136 60.4 89 39.9 

I am concerned that COVID-19 will be used for biological 
warfare. 

68 30.2 157 69.8 

I am concerned I could die from COVID-19. 67 29.8 158 70.2 
I am concerned about pets and/or livestock being infected 

by COVID-19. 
18 8.0 207 92.0 

 
Respondents who indicated they were concerned about a health-related item were then asked 
to indicate how concerned they were about that item. Respondents indicated greater degrees 
of concern that others they come into contact with are not taking appropriate measures to 
avoid contracting the coronavirus COVID-19, e.g. washing hands, staying at home when sick (M 
= 3.98, SD = .91), that illegal immigrants and/or non-citizens currently residing in the United 
States will not seek medical attention if they believe they have contracted COVID-19 (M = 3.82, 
SD = .97), and that they are personally at risk of contracting COVID-19 (M = 3.48, SD = 1.00) 
than the other health-related items. 
 

Conclusions, Discussion, and Recommendations 
 
The results of this study indicate ANR leaders were concerned about health, economics, 
preparedness, and communication early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March/April 2020). This is 
expected since ANR leaders tend to notice trends and be more aware of issues than others 
within their communities (Corey, 1971; Rogers, 2003). In health-related and economic-related 
concerns, ANR leaders’ greatest concerns were for those beyond the control of the individual 
leader. ANR leaders were least concerned for increased food costs, which may speak to them 
being well-informed of the low cost of food in this country and the stability of American 
agriculture. When it came to concern for preparedness, again the biggest concerns were for 
entities further removed from an ANR leader’s direct control (e.g., health care professionals, 
the United States, and other countries). Notably, the majority of respondents were not 
concerned with their personal level of preparedness, which again is within their control.  
 



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For communication concerns, ANR leaders were most concerned about the public sharing and 
receiving inaccurate information, as well as the media sharing inaccurate information. These 
concerns are less likely to be within a leader's direct control and may be seemingly outside of 
their circle of influence. Conversely, they were not as concerned about not receiving accurate 
information themselves which aligns with previous work by Corey (1971) and Rogers (2003). 
This finding may be due to the tendency for opinion leaders to be information seekers and 
connected to multiple sources of information (Weimann, 1994). Perhaps due to the nature of 
their opinion leader statuses, ANR leaders were seeking information often during the crisis and 
were able to identify inaccurate information they saw in the media. Moreover, these leaders 
may have been reaching out to individuals to provide accurate information during the 
pandemic (Sahelices-Pinto & Rodríguez-Santos, 2014). 
 
The results of this study offer recommendations for practice and for research. We recommend 
ANR leaders or communicators working with ANR leaders seek to change the availability of 
reliable communication during a pandemic or future health crises. While ANR leaders may feel 
like they do not have control over others’ information choices, they do have influence over 
those within their communities (Corey, 1971; Rogers, 2003; Sahelices-Pinto & Rodríguez-
Santos, 2014). ANR leaders have the power as opinion leaders to impact communication issues 
for the greater good. They should embrace their identity as message managers to provide 
accurate information, even if they are using secondary information. If they speak out when they 
see inaccurate information and actively seek opportunities to share information that is accurate 
and credible, they may have the opportunity to increase understanding and reduce the spread 
of inaccurate information during a pandemic. For statewide agricultural leadership programs, it 
is recommended to include programming sessions related to identifying credible information 
and leading during a pandemic. Future research should investigate specifically what 
information ANR opinion leaders considered inaccurate during the pandemic.  
 
The results from this study could speak to the value of Extension during a pandemic, as ANR 
leaders were not as concerned about the level of preparedness of Extension to handle COVID-
19. Extension and Extension communication specialists specifically could be leaders in 
communication and preparing for a pandemic. It is recommended Extension take an active role 
in preparing communities before, during, and in between health crises. ANR leaders and 
communicators working with these leaders should use their experience in crisis situations and 
rely on their communication plans to provide accurate information to their stakeholders. 
Though ANR leaders are not the responsible party in a crisis such as COVID-19, they have the 
ability to reach out to stakeholders and help provide accurate information.  
 

Acknowledgements 
This research was supported by the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture 
and Natural Resources (PIE Center) and the Wedgworth Leadership Institute (WLI). 

 
 



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