Abstract

Entertainment media has become a primary source of agricultural knowledge for many Americans, particularly those without direct agricultural experience. Yellowstone, a contemporary western television series, is among the most watched shows in the United States and features recurring themes of land, succession, and ranching life. Whether this show is accurately portraying elements about ranching is up for debate amongst real ranchers and industry groups. The agricultural community has noted for better or worse, Yellowstone is telling a story about ranching and people are tuning in. The livestock industry has publicized the issues they are dealing with to inform members of the public about the efforts they are taking to address these issues. This study sought to explore what agricultural priority issues were present and how they were being presented in each of Yellowstone's five seasons' trailers through collaborative analysis. Findings included the show featuring "next generation" and "land resources" as the most present priority areas. The "power" value was the most present among priority areas. Agricultural communicators should consider the impact a popular film can have on the industry, as well as where opportunities of joining the discourse around scenes in the film can help lead to education or consumers understanding agriculture processes better. Implications of popular media of agriculture should also be explored. Future studies should test how impressions and perspectives may shift after consuming entertainment media on agriculture.

Keywords: Agricultural Priorities, Media Portrayals, Values, Yellowstone

How to Cite:

Chase, L., Stone, W., Lawson, C., & Fischer, L. M. Is this really ranching? An exploratory analysis of agricultural priorities in Yellowstone television trailers. Journal of Applied Communications, 110(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.4148/jac.20852