Iowa State University Extension Research Articles

Having all the right connections: telecommunications and rural viability

Theory, Policy, and Practice: Setting the Stage for Rural Telecommunications Rural America and the Information and Communications Revolution by Peter F. Korsching, Patricia C. Hipple, and Eric A. Abbott Policy Initiatives and Rural Telecommunications by Dom Caristi Telephone Companies: Providing All the Right Connections for Viable Rural Communities by Peter F. Korsching and Sami El-Ghamrini When Public Leadership Outperforms Private Leadership: The Case of Public Telecommunications Utilities by Montgomery Van Wart, Dianne Rahm, and Scott Sanders Using Telecommunications in the Rural Community Rural Business and Telecommunications Technologies by G. Premkumar The Community Newspaper in an Online Society by Eric A. Abbott and Walter E. Niebauer, Jr. Rural Libraries: Conflicting Visions and Realities in the Information Age by Eric A. Abbott and Bridget Moser Pellerin Municipal Governments' Use of Telecommunications: Leading the Charge or Lagging Behind? by Erin K. Schreck and Patricia C. Hipple Telecommunications: A Complex Prescription for Rural Health Care Providers by Patricia C. Hipple and Melody Ramsey Farmers, Computers, and the Internet: How Structures and Roles Shape the Information Society by Eric A. Abbott, J. Paul Yarbrough, and Allan Schmidt Making the Connections What Happens When Information Technologies Are Forced On Rural Community Organizations? The Case of Iowa State University Extension by Eric A. Abbott and Jennifer L. Gregg Telecommunications and Economic Development: Chasing Smokestacks with the Internet by Brent Hales, Joy Gieseke, and Delfino Vargas-Chanes On-Ramps and Road Blocks to the Information Superhighway by Peter F. Korsching, Eric A. Abbott and Patricia C. Hipple Glossary Index

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Associated With Use of LPG-Powered (Propane) Forklifts in Industrial Settings--Iowa, 1998

In 1998, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Department, with the assistance of local health departments, investigated a series of carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings associated with the use of liquified petroleum gas (LPG)-powered forklifts in light industry. In each episode, forklifts emitting high CO concentration levels were operated in inadequately ventilated warehouse and production facilities, which resulted in high CO accumulations. Employees at each site developed symptoms of CO poisoning, and some employees received inadequate or inappropriate medical care. This report summarizes the investigations and provides recommendations to prevent such incidents.

Iowa State University Extension: Evaluation of Programs and Services Offered to Iowa's Turfgrass, Nursery, and Landscape Plant Installation and Maintenance Industries

A survey was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Iowa State University (ISU) extension programs and services to the turfgrass, nursery, and landscape plant installation and maintenance industries in Iowa. Completed questionnaires were received from 294 individuals (55% response rate). Respondents indicated they have a continuing need for pest identification and management information and that ISU extension is an important source for this information. In general, most respondents said quality of information provided by ISU extension was better than that offered by horticultural consultants or product suppliers; however, only 48% said extension was doing very well delivering programs and information in a timely manner. Demand for on-site visits with extension specialists was greater than that for distance learning opportunities, suggesting that extension must do a better job of marketing and making relatively new communication technologies palatable.

European Corn Borer Management in Field Corn: A Survey of Perceptions and Practices in Iowa and Minnesota

The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hubner) is a major pest of field corn (Zea mays L.) in the midwestern states. In 1991, an outbreak of this insect caused yield losses as high as 32.6 bu/acre in Iowa and averaged 14 bu/acre in Minnesota. Following this pest outbreak, a questionnaire was developed to: (i) assess how farmers and agribusiness professionals perceive the crop production risks posed by European corn borer, and (ii) explore how these perceptions are reflected in management options they use or recommend. Farmers and agribusiness professionals completed 851 surveys. The survey results provided insights into yield loss perceptions, management tactics used, and research needs for European corn borer management. Economic yield losses caused by European corn borers during the first and second generations, respectively, were thought to occur only by 65 to 69% of farmers, 78 to 81% of ag-chemical professionals, 84 to 89% of crop consultants, and 68 to 70% of educator/agronomists. Respondents that perceived economic losses caused by European corn borers thought that the average loss was 15.3 to 16.6 bu/acre during the first generation and 15.2 to 18.1 bu/acre during the second generation. Although two-thirds of the farmers perceived the European corn borer as a serious pest, only 35% had ever scouted their fields and used economic thresholds, and only 28% had ever used an insecticide to control the pest. Farmers' primary and secondary options for managing the European corn borer or reducing yield losses were to harvest the fields early before ears drop onto the ground (63.4%) and to plant hybrids with known resistance (39.0%), respectively. In contrast, scouting and using economic thresholds was the primary recommendation from ag-chemical professionals (68.3%), crop consultants (88.5%), and educator/agronomists (54.0%). The second most common recommendation was using an insecticide by ag-chemical professionals (57.9%) and educator/agronomists (41.4%), whereas crop consultants were more likely to suggest early harvest to prevent ear droppage (73.8%). The survey results suggest that many farmers don't manage European corn borer because of historic inaction, hidden yield losses, reluctance to scout, logistical burnout, capital doubts, cultural competition, insecticide concerns, and a failure to recognize the problem. The results also suggest a strong need to educate farmers and agribusiness professionals regarding biology, crop damage, and management options for the European corn borer.

Safe Farm: The Impact of an Iowa Public Information Campaign

The 1992 public information campaign, Safe Farm, made farm safety messages available to a diverse and independent target audience of 104,000 full-time and parttime Iowa farm operators and their families. The print portion of the campaign reached 5.03 million Iowa newspaper subscribers. A series of public service announcements received at least 180 h of air time on more than 100 Iowa radio stations and nearly 80,000 farm safety publications were distributed by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension during the campaign. The impact of this public information campaign was measured by a baseline and follow-up telephone survey of 460 Iowa farm operators. The baseline survey showed that farm operators relied heavily on local media for farm safety information, as well as the cooperative extension service.When asked where they obtained safety information, 95% of the respondents said newspapers and magazines, 82% radio, 77% television, 59% relied on publications from ISU Extension, and 33% relied on ISU Extension staff. The follow-up survey measured significant improvements in Iowa farm operators? awareness, concern, and behavior based on three indices composed of scales common to both surveys. A multiple regression analysis was conducted based on a causal model. The multivariate test indicated that these changes could not be statistically attributed to the Safe Farm campaign.