author(s)
Rajesh Kasrija and Harish Kumar Verma

abstract
A total of 540 farmers {180 dairy farmers each running small (with 1-9 animals), medium (with 10-30 animals) and large (with more than 30animals) dairy units respectively} were randomly selected from Punjab. The training needs and knowledge level of farmers about various farming practices were analysed and information about anoestrus was also gathered after consulting subject matter experts and after reading related literature for development of instructional materials i.e. charts, pamphlets and DVDs. The mean score of different aspects of multimedia elements as judged by 20 experts ranged from 4.2 to 4.8, with an average of 4.47 out of 5.The overall mean score of 4.47 (89.4%) assigned to all the multimedia elements, proved that developed DVD possessed all the qualities of a standard video based instructional device. There was significant difference (at P< 0.01) in knowledge score of pre-exposure group, after exposure to chart, pamphlet and DVD. The maximum knowledge score was for DVD group, followed by pamphlet, chart and then pre-exposure group. All the farmers were satisfied with suitability of the contents as per needs and level of understanding, visual quality, classification of contents into chapters and easiness in using the video-DVD. This suggests that the developed DVD is an excellent resource material for knowledge gain of farmers, is farmer friendly and is up to their level of satisfaction.