Stock Breeders, Educational Needs in Artificial Insemination of Dairy Cattle and Their Attitudes towards the Practice: A Case Study of Dairy Farms in Marand County

This research aims at reviewing educational needs of stock breeders for how to practise on artificial insemination of dairy cattle in Marand county. It has been carried out in a survey method and characterized by a descriptive-correlation analysis. Statistical universe of the research consists of 150 cattle husbandries of the Marand county in 2004, and a statistical sample of 108 cattle husbandries were selected at random. For data collection a questionnaire was formulated in four categories, including: individual, social, and economic features; measuring technical knowledge; measuring extent of access to technical information; and measuring the attitudes. As shown by the results, almost 77 percent of the respondents apply the artificial insemination method in their cattle. Moreover, the farmers, technical knowledge of the practice appears to be at a medium level, indicating their educational needs in the following priorities: cross-breeding management, artificial insemination hygiene, identification of rutting period of cattle, and nutrition. An analysis of the relationship between independent and dependent variables reveals that there is a positive significant relation between farmers, ages and experiences in stock breeding, and their educational needs, while the relation of their schooling level and technical knowledge with their educational needs is a negative significant one. As indicated by a multiple regression test, literacy simply determines 13.8 percent of variations in educational needs (R2 = 0.138); it means that there might be plenty of factors affecting fluctuations in the extent of farmers, educational needs for the artificial insemination not yet identified in the present study.