TY - JOUR T1 - Using targeted messages to improve farmer engagement in conservation programs JF - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation SP - 546 LP - 551 DO - 10.2489/jswc.2022.00145 VL - 77 IS - 5 AU - C. Weigel AU - R. Cruse AU - S. Reddy Y1 - 2022/09/01 UR - http://www.jswconline.org/content/77/5/546.abstract N2 - In this time of information overload, successfully engaging farmers with compelling outreach materials is a major challenge for conservation programs and related research projects. One potential approach is targeting information to the recipient, e.g., local rather than regional soil and water conditions, when sending messages to farmers. Targeted information may increase engagement by making materials stand out as more relevant and useful; conversely, it may decrease engagement by making farmers wary of the program and how it is using the information. We tested the effect of targeted information on farmer engagement using a large, randomized controlled trial in Iowa. In partnership with Iowa State University, we sent 2,996 farmers a single mailing with information about erosion at the local watershed (targeted) or state (control) level and measured their responses to a two-minute survey. We found that targeted information increased relative response rates by 20%, from 13.8% to 16.4%. This level of increase is meaningful for practitioners, as well as statistically significant. Our findings show that targeted information can be an important tool for practitioners and researchers seeking to better connect with farmers who are inundated with marketing mail. ER -