Research

Our goal is to make research-based knowledge discoverable and accessible to individuals, businesses, and communities to foster positive changes to rural livelihood. We do so through supporting the mission of the land-grant institution at Kansas State University, University of Minnesota and the University of Florida.

Objectives:

  1. To generate research-based knowledge related to new media technologies and rural enterprises
  2. To offer hands-on research experiences for graduate and undergraduate students
  3. To serve as a source for research-based knowledge for local, regional, and national rural enterprises and others involved in improving rural life

Secured Grants

Boyer, C.R., L.M. Baker and H.H. Peterson. 2016-2019. Courting the consumer: Social media marketing of farm products. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Federal State Marketing Improvement Program. 3 years. $123,835.

Baker, L.M., C.R. Boyer and H.H. Peterson. 2016. New-media marketing boot camp (for green industry businesses). K-State Global Campus New Program Grant. 1 year. $9,550

Boyer, C., Baker, L. M., & Peterson, H. (2013-2015) “Social Media Marketing Strategies for Rural Nurseries and Garden CentersUSDA Federal State Marketing Improvement Program. $107,000.

Publications

* indicates graduate student as lead author
** indicates undergraduate student as lead author

Baker, L. M., Tully, K. M., Sumners, D. R., Jones, E. F., León-Reyes, A. E., Boyer, C. R., & Peterson, H. H. (2020). Is it for generation me? A qualitative study exploring marketing and selling plants online to millennial-aged consumers. Journal of Applied Communications, 104(2), 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2289

*Yao, B., A. Shanoyan, H.H. Peterson, C.R. Boyer, L.M. Baker. 2018. The use of new-media marketing in the green industry: Analysis of social media use and impact on sales. Agribusiness 1-17; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.21581.

Peterson, H. H., Boyer, C. R., Baker, L. M., & Yao, B. 2018. Trends in use of new-media marketing in ornamental horticulture industries. Horticulturae, 4(4). doi: 10.3390/horticulturae4040032 https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/4/4/32

Baker, L. M., Boyer, C. R., Peterson, H. H., & and King, A. E. H. 2018. Online opportunities: A quantitative content analysis benchmark study of online retail plant sales. HortTechnology 28, 516-523. doi: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH03901-17

*Yao, B., Shanoyan, A., Peterson, H. H., Boyer, C. R., & Baker, L. M. 2018. The use of new-media marketing in the green industry: Analysis of social media use and impact on sales. Agribusiness. doi: 10.1002/agr.21581

*Stebner, S., L.M. Baker, H.H. Peterson, and C.R. Boyer. 2017. Marketing with more: An in-depth look at relationship marketing with new media in the green industry. Journal of Applied Communications 101:7-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.1001

*Stebner, S., C.R. Boyer, L.M. Baker, H.H. Peterson. 2017. Relationship marketing: A qualitative case study of new-media marketing use by Kansas garden centers. Horticulturae 3(1), 26; doi:10.3390/horticulturae3010026.

Thomas, D., Craig, C., Capoun, S., Baker, L. M., King, E. H., Boyer, C. R., and Peterson, H. H. (2016). The e-commerce landscape: An environmental scan of online greenhouse retailing. Poster presented at the American Society for Horticultural Science, Atlanta, Georgia. HortScience 51(9): S336. Abstr. [Poster]

Boyer, C.R., L.M. Baker and H.H. Peterson. 2016. The Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement: Helping green industry businesses navigate new media. HortScience 51(9): S335-S336. Abstr. [Oral]

Kruse, N., L.M. Baker, I. Campbell, S. Stebner, H.H. Peterson, and C.R. Boyer. 2016. Connecting Online Garden Centers Use of Facebook Marketing. Poster presented at the 2016 Gamma Sigma Delta College of Agriculture Undergraduate Research Showcase, Manhattan, KS. Abstr. [Poster]

* Stebner, S., C.R. Boyer, L.M. Baker, and H.H. Peterson. 2015. Green growth: An exploratory study of metro and non-metro garden centers’ use of new media marketing. HortScience 50:S289. (Abstr.) [Poster]

Stebner, S., L.M. Baker, C.R. Boyer, H.H. Peterson, and J. Crow. 2015. Green growth: An exploratory study of garden centers’ use of new-media marketing. Journal of Interactive Marketing (Abstr.) [Presented at the 2015 Direct/Interactive Marketing Research Summit in Boston, MA on Oct. 4. Program of the MarketingEDGE professional organization] http://www.marketingedge.org/events/marketing-research-summit/sunday-proceedings-2015 [Oral]

Boyer, C.R., L.M. Baker, H.H. Peterson, and S. Stebner. 2015. Like it, pin it, follow it: Opportunities and challenges for social media marketing in garden centers and nurseries. HortScience 50:S77. (Abstr.) [Oral]

*Stebner, S., Holderness, A., & Baker, L. M., Boyer, C., & Peterson, H. (2014). Social growth: Evaluating Kansas garden centers social media presence. Poster presented at the 2014 Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences Conference, Portland, OR.

** Swanson, B., H.H. Peterson, C.R. Boyer, and L.M. Baker. (2014). Social media marketing for locally owned independent garden centers. HortScience 49(9):S18. (Abstr.)

Boyer, C.R., L.M. Baker, and H.H. Peterson. 2014. Social media marketing by garden centers: Findings from a pilot study. HortScience 49(9):S29. (Abstr.)

**Ashmore, L., Baker, L. M., Stebner, S., Holderness, A., Boyer, C., & Peterson, H. (2014). Expanding the marketing mix for garden centers through social media. Poster presented at the 2014 Gamma Sigma Delta College of Agriculture Undergraduate Research Showcase, Manhattan, KS.

**Hannigan, K., Baker, L. M., Stebner, S., Boyer, C. & Peterson, H. (2014). Social media marketing in the garden center industry. Poster presented at the 2014 Gamma Sigma Delta College of Agriculture Undergraduate Research Showcase, Manhattan, KS.

Boyer, C. R., Baker, L. M., & Peterson, H. H. (2013). Opportunities for social media marketing in retail garden centers. Proc. Southern Nurs. Assoc. Res. Conf. 58:46-51.