Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Research Articles

Highlights of the ESC 2014 Conference

Coverage of the 2014 Annual Conference of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, featuring
 
 The keynote address from Dr. Rajesh Tandon
 Poster Session Award Winners
 
 First Place—Integrating High-Impact Scholarship into a General Education Class. By Careen Yarnal and Hsin-Yu Chen (The Pennsylvania State University)
 Second Place—The Impact of Homelessness and Incarceration on the Health of Women. By Louanne Keenan and Rabia Ahmed (University of Alberta)
 Third Place—Does Service-Learning Make Graduates (Feel) More Employable? By Paul H. Matthews and Jeffrey H. Dorfman (University of Georgia)
 Honorable Mention with Distinction
 
 Illustrating the Impacts: Global Community Engaged Design. By Rebekah Radtke and Travis Hicks (University of North Carolina-Greensboro).
 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service: Building an Interculturally Competent Community. By Maria G. Fabregas Janeiro and Jorge Atiles (Oklahoma State University).
 Characteristics of Effective Practice by Faculty in Service-Learning Courses. By Paul H. Matthews (University of Georgia) and Andrew J. Pearl (University of North Georgia).
 
 
 
 

New Approach to School Health Initiatives: Using Fitness Measures Instead of Body Mass Index to Evaluate Outcomes

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service provided elementary school students with a program that included a noncompetitive physical activity component: circuit training that combined cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility activities without requiring high skill levels. The intent was to improve fitness without focusing on body mass index as an indicator of fitness. Youths (111) in grades 3–5 underwent President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition testing at baseline and program completion. Significant improvements were observed in average fitness measures among youths who participated in the circuit training. Extension professionals looking for new tools to use with school-based physical activity programs may consider circuit training as a noncompetitive means of improving youth physical fitness and fitness measures as more appropriate outcome indicators.

Designing a Master Level Class to Improve Agricultural Students’ Intercultural Competence

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES) has adopted a core competency model that contributes to the actualization and professional development of extension educators. Due to the flexibility of the model, the selected core competencies, intercultural competence could be achieved during extension educators’ undergraduate and/or graduate studies, as well as after they are hired as extension educators, through an online course. However, it is always preferred to hire extension educators who had received intercultural competence training and potentially could successfully work with people from other cultures. To support this initiative, this paper describes the process of developing a graduate course in intercultural competence, aiming to contribute to the development of extension educators’ intercultural competence.

Will eXtension Survive? Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Employees' Perceptions of Adopter Attributes of eXtension

eXtension was introduced in 2008 as an innovation to rekindle public interest in Extension. The founders forecasted a 75% adoption rate within 1 year. However, adoptions rates have been much lower than expected. The study reported here investigated eight perceived adopter attributes (relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, visibility, ease of use, result demonstrability, image, and voluntariness) of eXtension among Oklahoma Extension employees to identify threats to adoption. Findings indicated that Extension employees generally held negative views of all eight attributes of the innovation. Without profound changes to the innovation and process of adoption, eXtension risks failure in this state.

The Financial Education Tool Kit: Helping Teachers Meet State-Mandated Personal Finance Requirements

States are recognizing the need for personal financial education and have begun requiring it as a condition for high school graduation. Responding to teacher requests to help them meet state-mandated financial education requirements, FCS educators in the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service developed a financial education tool kit. This article describes the contents of the tool kit and its many uses.

An Automated Data Analysis Tool for Livestock Market Data

This article describes an automated data analysis tool that allows Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service educators to disseminate results in a timely manner. Primary data collected at Oklahoma Quality Beef Network (OQBN) certified calf auctions across the state results in a large amount of data per sale site. Sale summaries for an individual sale need to be quickly dispensed to program coordinators, auction barn owners, and program participants. Data entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet at sales is summarized using Excel database commands. A link to Microsoft Publisher then generates the sale summary for an individual OQBN sale.

What Do Schools Want? Assessing Elementary School Administrator and Teacher Preferences Related to Nutrition Education Program Scheduling

Extension is positioned to provide school-based nutrition education programs as required by the 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act. To enhance program acceptance and sustainability, it is important to consider school administrators' and teachers' interests and preferences regarding nutrition education programming. The project described here assessed interest in nutrition education, scheduling, and implementation format preferences among 34 elementary school administrators and 45 elementary school teachers. Among administrators and teachers interested in Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service's county educators providing nutrition education programs, the general trend was for in-school student education, consisting of four weekly programs, 30 minutes in length.

2008 Farm Bill Decision Tools

This article describes a tool developed by Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service to aid in the decision to enroll in a new commodity program contained in the 2008 Farm Bill. Producers have the option to enroll in the Direct Counter-Cyclical Payment (DCP) program or the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program. The choice between ACRE and DCP is an important decision for farm profitability. The ACRE program is complex, and the calculation of potential ACRE payments can be quite daunting. The ACRE decision tool was developed to perform the calculations necessary to estimate potential ACRE payments for the 2009-2012 crop years.

Nitrite as undesirable substances in animal feed ‐ Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain

Nitrite as undesirable substances in animal feed ‐ Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain

After-School Gardening Improves Children’s Reported Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity

The USDA MyPyramid recommends increased amounts of fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk, whole grains and physical activity for children. After-school programs incorporating gardening provide opportunities for hands-on food, nutrition and physical activity education for children. In-school gardens have been utilized to enhance children’s eating habits. In a survey of fourth grade teachers at schools reported to have gardens, 47% reported they taught nutrition along with the use of gardening and 43% reported they perceived the garden to be somewhat to very effective at enhancing children’s eating habits. Another study reported fourth grade children’s preference for some vegetables improved when in-school gardening was combined with nutrition education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES) after-school education and gardening program on reported vegetable intake and physical activity among children in 3 through 8 grade.

Rebuilding After Natural Disaster: A Targeted Economic Development Approach

Many rural communities, such as Stroud, Oklahoma, in Lincoln County, are struggling for survival. Leaders in Lincoln County asked economists at the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service at Oklahoma State University to assist them with a targeted economic development strategy. One part of that process was a target industry analysis during which a list of key industries was created using the regional input-output modeling software IMPLAN. On the list were industries with a moderate-to-strong likelihood of containing companies that might be interested in locating or expanding in Lincoln County. When community leaders work with volunteer economic development groups, one common challenge they face is the perception that "the list" is the final product. However, to obtain the maximum community benefit from the list of target industries, leaders in Lincoln County should use the list to develop focused recruitment strategies and retention/expansion programs. This article documents the efforts of the Lincoln County Industrial Development Authority to undertake targeted economic development through the use of target industry analysis. Both successes and challenges are presented.

Oklahoma Proven: A Plant Evaluation and Marketing Program

Oklahoma Proven is a plant evaluation and marketing program developed by the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University. An advisory committee comprised of representatives from state agencies, industry, and Oklahoma Botanical Garden and Arboretum Affiliate Gardens makes plant recommendations to an executive committee which in turn selects one tree, shrub, perennial, and annual for promotion each year. Trees and shrubs are selected 3 to 5 years ahead of promotion while perennials and annuals are selected 1 to 2 years in advance to give nurseries time to increase production. Marketing includes posters, billboards, pot stakes, and hang tags with the Oklahoma Proven logo and related extension service programming and news coverage. Consumers appreciate having help selecting plants and one retail nursery reported an 81% increase in sales of Oklahoma Proven plants. Funding for the program is provided by industry, Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, and a grant from Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.

Impact of a Nutrition Promotion Program on Dietary Behaviors, Dietary Intake, and Health Measures in Adults over Fifty-Five Years of Age

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service developed and implemented an eight-session food and nutrition promotion program entitled “Healthy Living.” The program was designed to provide Oklahomans over fifty-five years of age with the knowledge and skills to apply the Food Guide Pyramid, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and Nutrition Facts Label to food selection, food preparation, and food safety practices. Significant improvements were observed in participant's food selection and preparation, food intake, and food safety behavior scores; number of servings consumed from the Food Guide Pyramid; and health measures after completing the “Healthy Living” program. These observations represent improvements in dietary behaviors, nutritional status and decreased disease risk.

396 Children's Gardens in Which to Learn and Grow—A Service/Learning Project

The purpose of a service/learning project is two-fold: to gain skill in one's area of study and simultaneously to provide service to an unrelated community. This project provided such an educational opportunity for our Horticulture and Landscape Architecture students by providing the mechanism for them to develop and practice their skills of garden design, presentation, installation, and maintenance, while also providing a service to Oklahoma's fifth grade teachers and their students. Through their service, our students gained insight into the creation of public gardens, specifically ones for children. This project created a template through which elementary educators could then work with their communities to develop children's gardens at their schools. Our students presented gardening ideas via slides to fifth grade classes, geographically distributed throughout Oklahoma, and then surveyed them for their input into a garden designed for and by children. The survey accessed the needs and dreams of both the fifth grade students and their teachers. The children's and teachers' desires, as expressed in the surveys, were incorporated into garden designs by our students. A prototype of one of the children's gardens was then installed at the Oklahoma Gardening studio grounds with the help of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture students, OBGA Ambassadors (a group of horticulturally trained volunteers from the Greater Stillwater Community), and Oklahoma elementary school teachers, who sought to gain experience in garden installation in order to create a children's garden at their own schools. The processes, from conception through design and installation, and finally utilization for elementary education, were videotaped and incorporated into a “how-to” video and fact sheet, produced and made available through the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES).

388 Extension Water Quality Training for the Nursery Industry

A comprehensive educational program focusing on water quality protection was developed for the Oklahoma nursery industry. The program focused on best management practices to limit pesticides and nutrients in irrigation runoff and on capture and recycle technology as a pollution prevention strategy. Key professionals from the departments of entomology and plant pathology, biosystems and agricultural engineering, and horticulture formed a multidisciplinary team within the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES). During 1998, water quality workshops were conducted on-site throughout Oklahoma at leading nursery operations. These workshops were designed to highlight best management practices (BMPs) that were already in place as a foundation on which to implement additional BMPs with the assistance of the OCES team. Training workshops were augmented by written publications, by web-based information, and by videotape instruction. These provided for ongoing education beyond the formal grant period. The written materials included a water quality handbook for nurseries and a fact sheet on capturing and recycling irrigation runoff. The water quality handbook was also made available on the web and a website on disease management for nurseries using recycling irrigation was provided. The water quality video, highlighting successful growers, was designed to show aspects of both best management practices and capture and recycle technology. Results of these 3-year extension efforts will be discussed.

Effects of an Education Program Utilizing the Dietary Guidelines and Food Guide Pyramid on Diet and Health

Achieving and maintaining optimal nutritional health requires consumers to have current dietary information, to make informed decisions on food selection and preparation, and to practice safe food handling techniques. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service designed and implemented an eight-week nutrition education program, The Healthy Living Program, that provides lessons on how to apply the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid to food selection, food preparation, and food safety. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of The Healthy Living Program on food selection, preparation, food safety practices and behaviors, dietary intake, anthropometric, and biochemical health measures. Statewide data were collected over a two year period from subjects who volunteered to participate in The Healthy Living Program. Pre and post data were collected and analyzed using analysis of variance with significance set at p<0.05. Food selection, preparation, and food safety practices and behaviors were measured using a Food and Nutrition Behavior Questionnaire, while dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. The subjects’ weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, and physical activity were recorded. In addition, blood samples were collected and biochemical values were obtained for fasting total serum cholesterol, fasting serum LDL-cholesterol, fasting serum HDL-cholesterol, fasting serum triglycerides, and fasting serum blood glucose. Results indicate significant improvements in food selection and preparation practices and behaviors. Significant changes were also noticed in the number of daily servings from each of the food groups within the Food Guide Pyramid. Subjects’ total body weight, BMI, diastolic. blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and blood glucose significantly decreased. Furthermore, a significant increase in time, intensity, and calories expended in physical activity was observed. Our findings suggest that an eight-week Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service nutrition education program is successful in improving Oklahoman's health status and reducing the risks of diet-related diseases.

Oklahoma Gardening—Extension Horticulture Education Through Television

In an era of shrinking Extension resources the question of how to reach large audiences with horticulture information is a pressing concern. Now in its 23rd year, Oklahoma Gardening is an example of spreading Extension information to large audiences through television. Oklahoma Gardening is produced cooperatively by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Dept. of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, and the Dept. of Ag. Education, Communication, 4-H and Youth Development. The show offers traditional how-to information about gardening, lawn care, and landscaping, as well as up-to-date university research on horticulture. Extension specialists from other disciplines such as entomology, plant pathology, human environmental sciences, and soils frequently contribute to the show fostering cooperation between these programs. Weekly, Oklahoma Gardening reaches more than 175,000 viewers in Oklahoma and surrounding states. County Extension Educators are kept informed of programming and provided with support materials for each weekly show. They are also encouraged to provide input as to content and needs in their particular area of the state. In addition, consumer horticulture programming and show content are closely tied and the show serves as a bulletin board for horticulture related events coordinated by the extension service.

ORIGINS—Evaluation of a Statewide Electronic Database to Aid Community Developers

Strategic planning is an important aspect of community development, and data are integral tostrategic planning. ORIGINS&Oklahoma Resources Integration General Information Network System is an electronic database which contains economic, social, and demographic data which can be used by community leaders, educators, businesses, government agencies, and decision makers.The ORIGINS system relies heavily on computer technology, especially in the area of information transfer, to aid decision makers by providing a comprehensive data source. The data are centrally located, continually maintained and updated, easily accessible to anyone with a personal computer and a modem. ORIGINS is a cooperative effort of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Oklahoma University, and Oklahoma State University Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. ORIGINS is constantly evolving to meet the changing and growing needs of users.Training is an ongoing part of the ORIGINS efforts. Evaluation and monitoring of ORIGINS are important ...

OKLAHOMA GARDENING—TWENTY YEARS OF HELPING PEOPLE AND PLANTS GROW

Oklahoma Gardening, a television program produced by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Departments of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Agricultural Communications, is tied for the longest running consecutively taped gardening program in the nation. The program airs weekly on Oklahoma's PBS affiliate and ranks as the top locally produced program in the viewing region, with a dedicated weekly audience of 150,000 gardening enthusiasts. As an Extension constituent, Oklahoma Gardening is successful at program identification, development, and evaluation—a new twist for most television programs. In addition to television programming, educational opportunities are available through tours of the 5-acre studio gardens located in the Oklahoma Botanical Gardens and Arboretum on the Oklahoma State Univ. campus where most of the shows are taped. Visitors touring the gardens increased 204% from the previous year. Extension fundamentals of l) program development and coordination, 2) volunteer training and activities, and 3) community and business involvement and support can be implemented effectively into television programming as shown by Oklahoma Gardening's productive 20-year history!