FROM A LIST OF 2,260 BEGINNING DAIRY OPERATORS THE STRATIFIED RANDOM CLUSTER METHOD WAS USED TO SELECT APPROXIMATELY 10 PERCENT WHICH REPRESENTED 13 AGRICULTURAL REGIONS OF NEW YORK. THIS SAMPLE OF 223 OPERATORS WAS INTERVIEWED TO (1) DETERMINE THEIR PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS, (2) ASCERTAIN THEIR ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO SELECTED FARM BUSINESS FACTORS, (3) DETERMINE THEIR LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION IN EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND FARM ORGANIZATIONS, (4) DETERMINE THE ESTABLISHMENT PATTERN THEY USED TO ATTAIN THEIR PRESENT STATUS, (5) DETERMINE NEEDED MODIFICATIONS IN AGRICULTURAL PROCEDURES, (6) DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY ADOPTED SELECTED PRACTICES, AND (7) IDENTIFY PROBLEMS THEY NEEDED ASSISTANCE WITH AND DETERMINE THEIR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE. DATA INDICATED (1) THEY HAD AN AVERAGE OF 12.4 YEARS OF EDUCATION, (2) THEY RANKED BETTER THAN THE AVERAGE COMMERCIAL DAIRYMAN IN BUSINESS SIZE, PRODUCTION, AND LABOR EFFICIENCY, BUT THERE WERE GREAT VARIATIONS AMONG RESPONDENTS, (3) MANY READ TRADE LITERATURE, SOUGHT ASSISTANCE FROM MANY SOURCES, AND BELONGED TO FARM ORGANIZATIONS, (4) THEY PREFERRED LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN WHICH THEY COULD PARTICIPATE, (5) THE MOST IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATION BEFORE OWNERSHIP OR PARTNERSHIP WAS FARM LABORER, (6) THEY NEEDED ASSISTANCE WITH MANY PROBLEMS, (7) THEY HAD NOT ADOPTED A NUMBER OF APPROVED PRACTICES, AND (8) THE MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED WERE IN FARM MANAGEMENT. (EM)