TO EVALUATE THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CIRCULAR LETTER, NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING, AND FARM VISIT IN GETTING A NEW FARM PRACTICE ADOPTED ON RICE FARMS IN ST. LANDRY PARISH, LOUISIANA, THREE SAMPLE GROUPS WERE SELECTED AT RANDOM FROM THE AGRICULTURAL STABILIZATION AND CONSERVATION SERVICE RICE GROWERS LIST AND EXPOSED TO ONE OF THE TEACHING METHODS. DATA WERE OBTAINED BY PERSONAL INTERVIEW, USING A PREPARED LIST OF QUESTIONS DESIGNED TO GIVE SOCIOECONOMIC AND PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE INFORMATION AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING METHODS. IT WAS FOUND THAT 77 PERCENT OF THE FARMERS STUDIED ADOPTED THE PRACTICE. THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING WAS THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD, PROBABLY BECAUSE OF ADDED DISCUSSION AND INTERCHANGE OF IDEAS AMONG FARMERS, FOLLOWED BY THE FARM VISIT AND CIRCULAR LETTER. HOWEVER, THE CIRCULAR LETTER WAS AS EFFECTIVE AS THE OTHER TWO METHODS IN CREATING AN AWARENESS OF THE NEED. ESTIMATED COSTS PER CONTACT WERE--FARM VISIT $2.92, NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING $.90, AND CIRCULAR LETTER $.08. COSTS OF INDIVIDUAL CONTACT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN EVALUATING THE TEACHING METHODS. (DOCUMENT INCLUDES THE QUESTIONNAIRE, CIRCULAR LETTER, AND 24 REFERENCES.) THIS MASTER'S THESIS IS AVAILABLE FROM LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, BATON ROUGE. 77 PAGES. (AJ)