The present age may be considered as information age as information is accepted as an important resource in this century. It may be described as a stimulating factor for the new processes and outcomes. Newspaper is arguably one of the most cost-effective and appropriate media to transfer agricultural information. Many studies have also shown that newspaper is the most popular source of getting latest agricultural information and it has an important credibility element. The present study was conducted in Kumaon division of Uttarakhand. The data for the study was collected by personally visiting the farmer readers with the help of a structured interview schedule to assess the correlates of utility perception of agricultural information and farmers. Variables under study were age, education, family size, annual income, land holding, social participation, extension contact, scientific orientation, leisure time, innovativeness, and mass media exposure. Four variables viz., education (0.410), leisure time (0.355), scientific orientation (0.455) and mass media exposure (0.517) were found to have a significant relationship with perceived utility. It was also found that independent variables under study were affecting only 46.29 per cent (R2 = 0.4629) to the perceived utility of the farmers for the information published.

Keyword: Utility perception; Agricultural information; Farmer readers; Newspaper; Mass media.