- Information Sources – Sources used to receive farming and ranching information
- Talking to other farmers 85%
- Extension services 64%
- Agricultural trade magazines 64%
- Ag marketing materials 43%
- Agriculture expos 42%
- State Farm Bureaus 39%
- Planning protocols – How far in advance do you plan digging projects?
- More than a month 10%
- About a month 19%
- About a week 24%
- A few days 41%
- Never plan 6%
94% of farmers in the national survey planned their digging activities at least a few days in advance
- Risks when digging – What problems can arise when digging on your property?
- Hitting buried lines (total) 81%
- Electric 41%
- Water lines 39%
- Gas lines 32%
- Telephone 17%
- Oil pipelines 1%
- Terrain concerns (total) 25%
- Hitting bedrock 16%
- Soil erosion 9%
- Debris 4%
- Other concerns
- Personal injury 7%
- Equipment damage 7%
- No concern 8%
- Hitting buried lines (total) 81%
- Awareness of One Call service – are you currently aware of any phone number, program, or resources to get information about underground utilities on your property?
- Yes 67%
- No 33%
- Awareness of 811 – have you ever heard of a campaign called “811: Know what’s below, call before you dig”?
- Yes 61%
- No 39%
- Past use – farmers with a transmission line on their property
- Yes 18%
- No 78%
- DK 4%
- Use of 811 (for those that had used the service) – how often do you use 811?
- Always 42%
- Sometimes 36%
- Rarely 8%
- Once 14%
- Awareness prior to the survey – prior to the survey which of the following were you aware of?
- Pipelines can carry explosive gasses 96%
- A strike could result in safety risk 95%
- A strike could result in property damage 94%
- A strike can result in work delay 91%
- You could be held liable for damages 84%
- Pipelines could be buried as shallow as 18” 73%
- 811 is a free service 64%
- Motivation – what message would motivate you to call 811 in the future?
- 811 is a free service 51%
- Pipelines can carry explosive materials 50%
- You could be held liable for damages 48%
- Pipelines could be buried as shallow as 18” 48%
- A strike could result in property damage 47%
- A strike could lead to injury 47%
- A strike could result in work delays 39%
- Motivation – what would make you less likely to call 811 in the future?
- I already know the location of lines on my property 46%
- Having to wait 2-3 days for mark-out 21%
- I don’t dig deep enough to need it 14%
- Don’t want to bother anyone for a small project 13%
- I don’t think its legally required 10%
- No lines on my property 7%
- None of these would reduce the likelihood 28%