RDI Hog Research Project Assistant

Rural Development Institute, Brandon University Research assistant : Confinement Agriculture (Hogs) project. (Jan-Oct/01)

Background Context

Doug Ramsey had a research project in which he wanted to assemble a number of hog-related documents for further article writing purposes in the area of confinement hog production. He wanted to use the exercise as a platform for gathering baseline information and scouting out the field. The project had specific objectives and defined target activities, but these were secondary to the larger one of reconnaissance.

It took a while to get my head around what was wanted in this project really, and to ascertain the frame of reference he was utilizing in his larger research agenda. I was unfamiliar with the geographic sub-set of interests, and had no agricultural background.

Approach Used

• I spent considerable time trying to articulate the question, purpose, operating platform, methodology, and conceptual framework which underlay the larger piece of research.
• I secured the research material from Candice who was doing some work on the personnel area of hog production.
• I hit the web to see what was there in both the academic and popular material
• On my own time I roughed out a web-based tool to facilitate the conveyance of material and the long term guidance of assistant researchers from a distance and attached it to my web site
• I did some newspaper searches around the hog inquiry I had discovered on the web in several archives
• I mapped out the footprint of local papers in the province
• I analyzed the report of the inquiry (on the web tool)
• I turned over to Doug the materials

Current Status

• The tool is roughed out
• The preliminary scouting of the subject was done
• The newspaper search was conducted
• The news sources for further analysis was located
• The conceptual framework was roughed out
• A work base was laid

Findings To Date

Base info and sources on Hog debate issues

Lateral Connections

Required for Completion

Small balance remaining on his account.