Extension Specialists Research Articles

Perception of the Sustainable Cattle Ranching Concept Among Producers, Extension Specialists, and Chief Officers in Oaxaca, Mexico

The sustainability concept has acquired a variety of meanings according to different currents of thought and the context in which it is used. The aim of this research was to characterize the perception of cattle producers, extension specialists, and chief officers regarding sustainable cattle ranching (SCR) in an area where tropical cattle ranching is practiced. A survey was carried out among cattle producers using stratified random sampling and among extension specialists and chief officers chosen using the snowball technique. The perception of SCR was determined under two contexts: (1) the idea or interpretation and (2) the assessment (positive or negative). The idea that producers have about SCR is centered on healthy and adequate food, higher production, and better marketing of livestock. The perception of extension specialists and officials is based on greater business vision and environmental conservation. Producers oriented their perception towards the economic (48.4%) and environmental (21.3%) dimensions, similar to extension specialists (52.2% and 47.8%, respectively), while chief officers related it more exclusively to the environmental dimension (71.4%). It is concluded that the overall perception of SCR is positive, but its conceptualization is differentiated according to the role the individuals play in the activity, their academic training, and their expectations.

A Scale to Measure the Level of Management Orientation of the Members of Farmer Producer Company with Reference to Potato Production in Assam, India

In the absence of a suitable scale to measure the management orientation of potato growers in relation to potato planning, potato production and potato marketing in Assam, there was a need to construct a management orientation scale. Therefore, effort was made to construct a scale to measure the level of management orientation of the members of the Farmer Producer Company with reference to potato production in Assam. A scale was developed with Likert’s summated rating technique. A list of 90 statements resulted after edition of 110 statements as per the fourteen criteria suggested by Thurstone and Chave. Statements were sent to 80 extension specialist working in various field of Assam Agricultural University for the critical evaluation of statements on a 3 point continuum. Based on the responses received from 60 out of 80 judges, the relevancy percentage (RP), Relevancy Weightage (RW) and Mean Relevancy Scores (MRS) were estimated. 74 items with RP > 60, RW > 0.60 and overall MRS > 2.0 were considered for item analysis. These items were administrated to 40 farmers for item analysis and items with ‘t’ value equal or greater than 1.75 were selected and those with ‘t’ value below 1.75 were rejected. Out of 74 statements, 30 statements were retained on the final scale through t-test item analysis. Thus, the instrument developed to measure the level of management orientation of the members of farmer producer company with reference to potato production in Assam consists of 20 positive and 10 negative statements. The dependability coefficient was determined using Rulon's formula and it was 0.8994. As a result, the developed scale was proven to be highly reliable. The scale developed to measure the level of management orientation of the members of Farmer Producer Company with reference to potato production in Assam is found to be reliable and can be utilized by researchers in similar studies. This scale will be very advantageous and convenient for researchers to examine the management orientation of potato growers in relation to potato planning, potato production and potato marketing.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Florida Extension Specialist

This publication was created to help Florida Extension specialists and their mentors in understanding their roles and responsibilities and the way their expertise fits within the Florida Cooperative Exten­sion Service (FCES). Written by Matt Benge, Karlibeth Leitheiser, Saqib Mukhtar, Karla P. Shelnutt, LaToya O’Neal, Maia McGuire, Shannon J. Horrillo, and Peyton N. Beattie, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, September 2024.

Sustaining Soil Health in High Tunnels: A Paradigm Shift toward Soil-centered Management

This review was conducted to synthesize current knowledge, learn producer and Extension specialist perspectives, and identify gaps in understanding of the role of soil health in sustaining production in high tunnel (HT) systems. This synthesis includes findings from scholarly resources related to soil health in HTs, including research and Extension-based literature, perspectives from experienced HT producers and technical assistance providers, and the direct observations of a broad network of university research and Extension personnel working with HTs. Findings are intended to identify knowledge gaps and additional research and Extension resource needs of greatest priority to the HT producer community and technical assistance providers that support them at the time of publication. A review of 68 research articles and 58 Extension resources was conducted. Focus group interviews were conducted with small groups of experienced HT farmers in four regions of the eastern half of the United States, with in-depth farm case studies conducted in individual farmers in three of these regions. Growers across regions identified soil fertility management, soilborne diseases, soil compaction, and lack of consistency of soil analyses specific to HTs as the greatest soil-related challenges to HT production. Research and resources for technical assistance providers on mitigation strategies to remediate yield-limiting HT soil conditions, such as excessive soil salinity and high pathogen populations, were also lacking. As such, process-based research on techniques such as leaching, soil steaming, solarization, and anaerobic soil disinfestation in tunnels that consider short- and long-term costs, benefits, and effects on soil and plant productivity should be prioritized in the future when considering the impact of HT production on soil health. Interviews also indicated a need for networking opportunities for technical assistance providers across agencies (e.g., Natural Resources Conservation Service, Extension, nongovernmental organizations). Despite a high and increasing rate of adoption, there is currently a lack of information about maintaining HT systems. Given that HTs play a critical and growing economic role for specialty crop growers throughout the eastern United States, comprehensive intervention across the research–Extension spectrum to sustain productivity in HT systems is recommended.

Enhancing Coffee Agroforestry Systems Suitability Using Geospatial Analysis and Sentinel Satellite Data in Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia.

The Gedeo zone agroforestry systems are the main source of Ethiopia's coffee beans. However, land-use and suitability analyses are not well documented due to complex topography, heterogeneous agroforestry, and lack of information. This research aimed to map the coffee coverage and identify land suitability for coffee plantations using remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in the Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia. Remote sensing classifiers often confuse agroforestry and plantations like coffee cover with forest cover because of their similar spectral signatures. Mapping shaded coffee in Gedeo agroforestry using optical or multispectral remote sensing is challenging. To address this, the study identified and mapped coffee coverage from Sentinel-1 data with a decibel (dB) value matched to actual coffee coverage. The actual field data were overlaid on Sentinel-1, which was used to extract the raster value. Pre-processing, classification, standardization, and reclassification of thematic layers were performed to find potential areas for coffee plantation. Hierarchy levels of the main criteria were formed based on climatological, edaphological, physiographic, and socioeconomic factors. These criteria were divided into 14 sub-criteria, reclassified based on their impact on coffee growing, with their relative weights derived using AHP. From the total study area of 1356.2 km2, the mapped coffee coverage is 583 km2. The outcome of the final computed factor weight indicated that average annual temperature and mean annual rainfall are the primary factors, followed by annual mean maximum temperature, elevation, annual mean minimum temperature, soil pH, Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), soil texture, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), slope, Soil Organic Matter (SOM), aspect, distance to roads, and distance to water, respectively. The identified coffee plantation potential land suitability reveals unsuitable (413 km2), sub-suitable (596.1 km2), and suitable (347.1 km2) areas. This study provides comprehensive spatial details for Ethiopian cultivators, government officials, and agricultural extension specialists to select optimal coffee farming locations, enhancing food security and economic prosperity.

Turfgrass Management Professional Development Needs Assessment of Extension Agents

Turfgrass management includes many different components and without proper management turfgrass aesthetics will diminish. In addition, mismanagement of turfgrass systems could lead to negative environmental impacts. This situation creates the need for Extension agents to deliver turfgrass management educational and outreach programs to the various stakeholders and the general public. However, Extension agents require professional development in terms of turfgrass management. A needs assessment of [State] Extension agents was conducted at the University of Florida to determine the professional development needs relating to turfgrass management. Through this needs assessment, there were 51 individual competencies identified that were categorized into nine distinct competency domains. In general, the highest priority relative to professional development needs were related to the pest management (i.e., disease, insect, weeds, and nematodes) competency domains. Extension specialists can use the information from this needs assessment to adjust current and tailor new turfgrass management professional development programs to address the identified needs with the highest priority [i.e., greatest mean weighted discrepancy score (MWDS)]. Professional development programs could include creating new or adjusting educational materials and resources for the needs identified, in-service trainings for Extension agents to provide additional education, series of academies to provide baseline knowledge to Extension agents, and an online database to provide information and guidance. In addition, the results and needs identified from this needs assessment can be used as a basis for obtaining educational funding.

Ratio Legis of Article 12 Letter F : The Extortion in Corruption

Corruption crimes encompass a variety of offences, one of which is the Extortion Offence. Extortion offences involve offenders proven to demand, receive, or withhold payments through force or threats on material matters while performing their duties as certain officeholders. In Indonesia, regulations for corrupt acts involving extortion offences are outlined in Article 12 letter f of Law Number 20 of 2001, amending Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption, as well as Article 425 paragraph (1) of the Indonesian Criminal Code. The extent to which a person is considered to have committed a corrupt act involving extortion is a crucial aspect of corruption offences. This study employs the Normative Research Method utilizing statutory and conceptual approaches, with legal material analysis conducted through descriptive means. The findings show that significance of Article 12 letter f in the Corruption Eradication Act as an extension and lex specialist in Article 425 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code. Officials can take measures to prevent such misconduct to avoid improper cash handling or extortion by those in positions of authority over them. This study offers an in-depth study of illegal levies in corruption, emphasizing Article 12 letter f of Law Number 20 of 2001, aiming to bridge the gap of previous studies and provide practical insights for law enforcement in anti-corruption efforts in Indonesia through normative legal research.

A Scale to Measure the Perception of Graduates towards Student READY Programme

A scale was developed to measure the perception of graduates towards Student READY Programme (SRP). The Likert’s summated rating scale was followed in the construction of scale. Based on the review of literature and discussion with the expert’s, 49 statements were enlisted. The relevancy rating were sent to 160 scientists and extension specialists working in research institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State Agricultural University (SAU) for critical evaluation of statements on a 5 point continuum. Out of 160 judges 66 responded within a period of one month. Based on their judgment 40 statements were isolated in the first stage of screening by finding the relevancy weightage scores. Statements having relevancy weightage of more than 0.70, relevancy percentage of more than 70 per cent and mean relevancy score of more than 3.70 were considered for final selection. By this process, 32 statements were isolated in the first stage of screening, which were suitably modified and rewritten wherever applicable. Eight statements were added as per the comments of experts. Thus finally 40 statements were selected for item analysis. In item analysis the selected statements were administered to 80 agriculture graduates of non-sample area of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Finally a total of 28 statements were selected for the study based on ‘t’ values (> 1.75) resulted from the item analysis and were included in the final scale. The ‘r’ value of the scale was found to be 0.922, which was highly significant at one per cent level indicating the high reliability of the scale. Hence, the scale developed was found to be reliable and valid. The instrument developed to measure the perception of graduates towards Student READY Programme (SRP) can be used by the researchers.

Biological Approaches for Sustainable Pest and Disease Management in Pulse Crops

Pulse crops, including lentils, peas, chickpeas, and beans, play a crucial role in addressing global food security and nutritional needs. However, their production is often hampered by various pests and diseases, leading to significant yield losses. Conventional pest and disease management practices, heavily reliant on synthetic chemical pesticides, have raised concerns about environmental sustainability, human health, and the development of resistance in target organisms. In recent years, biological approaches have emerged as promising alternatives for sustainable pest and disease management in pulse crops. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various biological control strategies, including the use of beneficial microorganisms, plant extracts, and other eco-friendly methods. The review discusses the mode of action, efficacy, and potential applications of these approaches in combating major pests and diseases affecting pulse crops. Additionally, it highlights the challenges and future prospects of integrating biological control methods into integrated pest and disease management programs. By adopting these sustainable practices, pulse crop production can be enhanced while minimizing the environmental footprint and promoting long-term ecological balance. The review serves as a valuable resource for researchers, extension specialists, and stakeholders in the agricultural sector, emphasizing the importance of biological approaches in achieving sustainable and resilient pulse crop production systems.

Measuring the Knowledge of Rural School Children on Nutrition Education in Bihar, India

This research study investigates the knowledge regarding nutrition education among rural school children in Bihar, India. The goal of the study is to evaluate the existing level of nutrition knowledge and comprehension among kids in rural regions and to pinpoint possible areas for development in nutrition education initiatives. The rural school students were subjected to an interview schedule. A sample of rural schoolchildren from different Bihar schools, ranging in age from 8 to 12, participated in the study. The environment was taken into consideration when choosing knowledge test questions. A 53-item knowledge test was put through a relevancy check with help from extension specialists, and 43 items were chosen for the test. Thirty extension workers from outside the research area pretested the 53 items. Item analysis evoking difficulty index, discrimination index, and point biserial correlation were conducted based on the results of the pretesting. Items with difficulty indices between 0.3 and 0.8, discrimination indices equal or above 0.3, and substantial point biserial correlation at the 5% level of significance were chosen. Utilising the split-half method, the test's reliability was calculated and determined to be 0.70. Ultimately, 18 questions were chosen for the final knowledge test given to rural schoolchildren. This knowledge test reveals a knowledge gap about nutrition and its significance for general health and well-being among Bihar's rural schoolchildren. Most kids showed little understanding of key nutrients, food groupings, and their nutritional value. Additionally, there was a paucity of knowledge regarding the long-term effects of improper eating patterns and inadequate nutrition.

Work-Life Balance and Faculty Functions of Married Faculty Members of One State University in the Philippines: Basis in the Development of Wellness Program

Work-life balance is essential for every employee’s success and productivity. Thus, identifying the practices in the institution and current scenario can fill the gaps that instructors experiencing in the work-life. The study used a quantitative research design employing a descriptive survey that systematically describes a situation, problem, phenomenon, service, or program. The study was participated by 147 faculty members. Random sampling was used to choose the respondents. Based on the results of the research, both male and female faculty members at LSPU need to take care of their time and relationships with work-life balance factors in order to maintain wellness, emotional connections with family and friends, and spiritual growth while carrying out their roles as instructors, researchers, and extension specialists. Anxiety and fatigue brought on by their work-related exhaustion that they overlook the maintenance of their spiritual lives (such as praying, reflecting, and meditating). Therefore, to keep faculty members from becoming stressed out or overburdened with their everyday responsibilities, institutions need to support individuals in finding a balance between their personal and professional lives. However, work-life balance can be managed with the assistance and support of their organization and/or faculty. It is suggested that administrators continue promoting self-care practices to support physical health by addressing emotional well-being, giving the opportunity for resources related to mental health, such as workshops on stress management or counseling, and organizing networking opportunities, team-building exercises, and support systems to cultivate positive relationships between faculty and staff.

A SCALE TO MEASURE THE PERCEPTION OF STAFF TOWARDS STUDENT READY PROGRAMME

This study aimed to develop a robust scale for measuring staff perception towards the Student READY Programme (SRP) using Likert’s summated rating scale methodology. Fifty statements were initially enlisted based on literature review and expert discussions. Relevancy ratings were sought from 160 scientists and extension specialists affiliated with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State Agricultural University (SAU). Sixty-six judges responded within a month, leading to the isolation of 38 statements in the initial screening. The first stage of screening focused on identifying statements with relevancy weightage scores exceeding 0.70, relevancy percentages surpassing 70 per cent, and mean relevancy scores exceeding 3.70. This process resulted in the final selection of 24 statements after modifications and additions based on expert comments. These statements underwent item analysis with 48 agriculture staff from non-sample areas, ultimately narrowing down to a final set of 19 statements based on ‘t’ values (>1.75) from the analysis. The reliability of the scale was determined through a split-half method, resulting in an ‘r’ value of 0.759, exceeding the standard of 0.70. This indicates the scale’s high reliability and validity. The instrument developed to measure staff perception towards SRP is deemed reliable and can be utilized by researchers in similar studies.

Climate change vulnerability and resilience strategies for citrus farmers

The adverse effects of climate change on food production, livelihoods and agroecosystems are well-documented. This paper investigates the vulnerability and resilience of citrus farmers to climate change using a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology. The quantitative study analysed the trend and variability of the climatic data comprising annual precipitation and annual average, minimum and maximum temperatures (1984-2021), collected from Iran's Meteorology Organization and analysed by the Mann-Kendall test. The qualitative research also employed the grounded theory method (GTM) and collected data through direct observations of citrus farms, focus groups and semi-structured interviews with 35 citrus farmers and 11 agricultural extension agents and specialists in North Iran. The results indicated that citrus farms are sensitive to temperature extremes, with increased instances of freeze stress during winter and heat stress during spring and summer over the past four decades. These stresses have reduced the productivity and marketability of fruits, making farmers' livelihoods more vulnerable. While scientific knowledge exists, farmers generally have limited adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change. Existing policies, innovations and institutions are insufficient to enhance farmers' resilience. To cope with climate change-induced hazards, resilience mechanisms in the long and short term are necessary to mitigate, prepare and reconstruct before, during and after the incidence of such events. Effective strategies, such as input, insurance and credit support services and innovations, are thus required to increase farmers' resilience. This paper also offers insights into the way external organisations' policies and institutional strategies affect farmers' vulnerability and resilience to climate change.

408 Awardee Talk: Team Approach to Beef Cattle Extension Programming

Abstract Over 100 years ago, the Smith Lever Act created the Cooperative Extension Service in conjunction with the land grant institutions. Extension has seen much change with a never-ending list of challenges presenting themselves. Graduate training programs are typically discipline focused, answering questions using the scientific method. Most new hires have limited exposure to Extension educational program development and likely have not received training in curriculum planning, program assessment or logic model development. The learning curve can be even steeper when one accepts a position with multiple disciplinary responsibilities or outside their industry sector focus (i.e., cow/calf verses feedlot nutrition). Success is often determined by developing relationships with experienced faculty both at their institution and others in the region. Guidance can be sought from these experienced individuals, knowledge can be gained from their successes and failures, and one can learn the Extension arm of the land grant system quickly from these relationships. Relationships should not be limited to the home department of the individual but should reach across disciplines to engage others to work with and learn from to aid in developing a system-wide view of agricultural production. Regional research and extension groups are key contributors to building multi-state programming of new Extension specialists. Access to funds is critical for the implementation of Extension programming and these networks increase funding opportunities. My success in Extension is a shared success with all those that were kind enough to take the time to teach me a little of their area of expertise. Having the willingness to be part of a team in developing Extension programming for beef cattle has resulted in a rewarding career. New hires in the Extension specialist role will find building a team to work with to develop effective beef programs will ease their transition from graduate student to Extension specialist.

PSX-5 Evaluating the Impact of an Online Newsletter on Virtual Stakeholder Engagement with Extension Educational Materials

Abstract University Extension programs traditionally disseminate agricultural information via in-person meetings and hardcopy publications even though universities have progressively transitioned towards delivering educational materials online over the past few decades. Given the demographic characteristics of beef cattle producers, who are predominantly older and tend to adhere to traditional practices, it is crucial to understand how the implementation of different content delivery strategies impact their engagement with online educational material. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing an electronic newsletter on stakeholder engagement with beef educational online publications. Engagement with online material provided on the University of Georgia (UGA) beef extension website (ugabeef.com) was evaluated 12 months before and 12 months after the UGA Beef Tips n’ Advice newsletter was launched using Siteimprove monthly reports. The newsletter was delivered monthly to an email list of beef cattle producers and industry professionals that previously attended in-person Extension programs provided by the UGA. Content of the newsletter included articles written by beef Extension Specialists, resources on current market updates and industry performance trends, and resources for upcoming Extension programs. Response variables included overall number of website visits, number of unique visitors, and overall number of pages within the website that were visualized. Each month was considered an experimental unit (n = 24) and data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with the fixed effect of the email newsletter status (before versus after newsletter launch). The overall number of monthly visits to the website increased by 259% after the newsletter was launched (before: 99.17 ± 13.39 and after: 307.69 ± 12.87; P < 0.01). Moreover, the monthly number of unique visitors increased by 210% (before: 99.17 ± 13.39 and after: 307.69 ± 12.87; P < 0.01). Similar results were observed for the overall number of pages visualized, where the 12 months before launching the website had fewer page visits in the 12 months before the newsletter was launched compared with the 12 months after launching the newsletter (before: 170.92 ± 36.86 and after: 613.62 ± 35.42; P < 0.01). In conclusion, the use of an online newsletter increased stakeholder engagement and resulted in greater producer outreach through the UGA beef extension website.

Time, Money, or Knowledge: What factors are associated with implementing youth cooking programs?

Research suggests participating in youth hands-on cooking programs, like those offered by Extension and 4-H, can improve nutrition behaviors and reduce the risk for obesity. We surveyed [STATE] Extension professionals (n = 127) to explore factors (e.g., employee characteristics, resources, county demographics) related to offering youth hands-on cooking programs and curricula used. Over 2/3 of participants offer programs and reported creating their own curriculum. More years of experience, having received Extension Specialist training, and increased confidence were positively related to offering these programs. Results suggest training could increase confidence and program implementation and standard curricula may be needed.

Opportunities for Competency Support of Virginia Cooperative Extension Professionals at the Colleague Stage

This study focused on the professional development needs of Cooperative Extension agents and specialists with between four and seven years of experience, placing them roughly within the colleague career stage. Data were collected through focus groups and validated through member checking and the use of a modified World Café approach. A research team collaborated, increasing the reliability of the findings through intentional reflection in the development of the findings. Areas of competency strength and weakness vary for agents and specialists, and specific topic areas within competencies vary. While many of the emergent competencies identified in this study fit within the competency framework of Harder et al. (2011) and previous competency studies, more specific topic areas were identified. However, the top priorities identified for professional development focus included communication, educational design, leadership, and budget and fiscal management. Attention to these areas can increase the ability of these professionals to work more effectively and productively. Providing professional development in areas of need for both agents and specialists can support the development of collegiality within the Extension organization. Supporting professionals in this stage of their career growth will position them well for advancing to additional career stages within Cooperative Extension.

Advancing cane-quality management in the South African smallholder-farmer sector through participatory on-farm demonstration and knowledge exchange

Cane-quality management involving chemical ripening is an important component of profitable sugarcane production by large-scale commercial farmers in South Africa. For smallholder farmers (SHFs), however, sugarcane field size and adjacent alternative land-uses render conventional aerial crop-spraying methods unsuitable. The recent availability of spraying drones has created opportunities for chemical ripening to be introduced to the smallholder farmer sector. A network of demonstration trials based on strong partnerships of researchers, extension specialists and smallholder farmers, and participation by various industry stakeholders was established in 11 smallholder farmer regions. Knowledge exchange in each region involved an initial stakeholder engagement workshop, a series of practical field days during the execution of the trial, and post-trial information sharing events. The initial workshops were aimed at creating project awareness, defining the relative advantage that ripening with drones could deliver, identifying negative perceptions and potential barriers that might hinder adoption, and reaching consensus on trial methodology. Field days were focused on demonstrating the processes of maturity assessment to establish the need for chemical ripening and applying a ripener with a drone to parts of the fields. At the same time, control portions were left untreated, and assessing the efficacy of ripening benefits and harvest readiness. These demonstrations illustrated the judicious use of agrochemicals by only spraying fields suited to ripening. In-field estimates of cane yield and cane quality in the ripened and control treatments shortly before harvest, and in some cases, field production data from the sugar factories, revealed a range of improvements in recoverable crystal (ERC) due to ripening that was influenced by location and sugarcane cultivar. Although the SHFs expressed genuine interest in chemically ripening their crops with spraying drones, industry challenges will need to be addressed prior to wider adoption.

Using survey results to direct future extension efforts in annual bluegrass management

AbstractControlling unwanted annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) in desirable turfgrass species often relies heavily on herbicide use. As a result, increasing populations of herbicide‐resistant annual bluegrass have become a concern. In 2018, a university research and extension initiative began addressing the increasing herbicide‐resistant annual bluegrass epidemic. Preliminary findings produced by this research initiative were presented to golf course employees at the 2022 Golf Course Superintendents Association of American Educational Conference in San Diego, California. Findings were presented by a panel of scientists working on various annual bluegrass research sub‐objectives. A survey was designed to match the sub‐objectives within this panel presentation and determine what recommendations the attendees were most likely to use. The survey also identified environmental zones where participants originated and what turfgrass species they are managing in various areas of the golf course. The goal of sharing these survey findings is to assist turfgrass extension specialists and managers interested in designing annual bluegrass management programs that match stakeholder needs. Survey results determined that extension material pertaining to controlling annual bluegrass with cultural practices would interest the largest stakeholder cross section regardless of environmental turfgrass zone. Another major topic was annual bluegrass emergence patterns for herbicide timing, which was the most important or interesting topic for golf course employees in the warm‐season turfgrass environmental zone.

Enhancing Production Efficiency and Farm Profitability Through Innovative Extension Programming

Cooperative Extension strives to provide agricultural producers with non-formal educational opportunities designed to positively impact agriculture (NIFA, 2021). Therefore, a team of Extension professionals at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln developed and facilitate an ongoing professional development program designed to enhance the engagement of agricultural producers in farm management, especially in the areas of input use efficiency and profitability. Andragogy was used as the framework to help ensure the Testing Agricultural Performance Solutions (TAPS) program provided agricultural producers with non-formal education that aligned with andragogical principles. Knowles (1980) refers to andragogy as the “art and science of helping adults learn” (p. 45) and his assumptions of andragogy include: 1) Learner’s need to know, 2) Self-Concept of the learner, 3) Prior experience of the learner, 4) Readiness to learn, 5) Orientation to learning, and 6) Motivation to learn (Knowles, 1998, as cited in Knowles et al., 2015, p. 6). The TAPS program uses the assumptions of andragogy (Knowles, 1998, as cited in Knowles et al., 2015) to provide a common platform for experiential and peer-to-peer learning that includes the involvement of university researchers, extension specialists, and industry personnel.