C2-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 19, 1993
IS COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION
STILL NEEDED?
Kenneth B. Kephart
Associate Professor
Animal Science
• A company decides to market
a vitamin-mineral premix on the
basis that the limestone it contains
is mined in the Midwest, and there
fore of better quality than that
found in Pennsylvania. A con
cerned farmer contacts extension
to see if there is any truth to the
claim of improved quality.
• A rural resident files suit
against a neighboring hog farmer,
claiming noxious odors rendered
Ms property virtually uninhabit
able and reduced its market value.
The farmer's defense is the "Right
to Farm Law," which prevents
nuisance action as long as the
operation is normal, and no com
plaints have occurredfor one year.
Since extension is in the best posi
tion to decide whether or not the
operation is normal, the court
seeks its opinion.
• A moderately sized packing
company considers an investment
involving tens of thousands of dol
lars. The investment is for an opti
cal probe that will measure fat and
muscle in pork carcasses so they
can be priced fairly and competi
tively. Each manufacturer of avail
able optical probes claims its pro
duct is the best. During a period of
several years, decisions made on
which optical probe to purchase
and the nature of the payment
schedule for producers will
involve millions of dollars. The
packer contacts extension to seek
objective advice.
• A swine producer files a claim
against a power company for pro
duction losses due to stray voltage.
When the two parties disagree on
the circumstances of the stray vol
tage problem and the nature of the
losses, extension is called for
assistance.
These scenarios probably bear
litllc resemblance to the concepts
of the Smith Lever Act, the 1914
Congressional mandate which
formed the Cooperative Extension
Service. The routines of early
extension workers were vital in
getting the latest technology of the
industrial age to our country’s rur
al population. Cultivation and fer
tilization techniques, principles of
animal breeding, food preserva
tion in a sense, the needs of
today are similar to those in 1914.
But our current needs exist on a
different level, and today a diffe
rent approach is necessary.
Today, in addition to extension,
many more companies, agencies,
and institutions provide informa
tion to the public. For example, a
dairy farmer is bombarded with
information from commercial
publications, feed companies, vet
erinarians, private consultants,
pharmaceutical companies, dairy
cooperatives, and computer datab
ases. This raises the obvious ques
tion, “Is extension still needed?”
Extension’s
Strengths
The mission of extension (rede
fined in March 1991) states: The
Cooperative Extension System
helps people improve their lives
through an educational process
that uses scientific knowledge
focused on issues and needs.
Yes, we’re in the education bus
iness that serves farmers, home
owners, township supervisors,
t
Kenneth B. Kephart
youth, even the senior population.
But to remain effective, our infor
mation must be accurate and
impartial.
Unlike a company that markets
feed, buildings, or pharmaceuti
cals, extension has no vested inter
est. And so we truly have the edge
on impartiality. With this impar
tiality, we have contact with youth
through 4-H and undergraduate
education. Teaching young people
to consider all the facts and to think
critically is an important goal that
applies throughout life in any busi
ness. We build on that impartiality
by conducting research adding
not only to our own knowledge
base, but that of the companies and
agencies that also provide infor
mation to the public.
Weaknesses
Extension is sometimes criti-
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cized for being too bureaucratic
and generalized, criticism that may
be valid to some extent. Large,
innovative farmers tend to skip
extension when seeking advice.
For example, the top 20 percent
of swine producers using the Pig
Improvement Company records
system (Pigtales) was recently
asked to identify their primary
source of advice. Of 57 producers
responding, 24 listed a veterina
rian as their primary source of
advice. Genetics companies, feed
companies, and private consul
tants followed. Only one farmer
listed extension at the top of sour
ces of advice.
Because extensions funding
base is limited largely to a shrink
ing base of public funding and
grant support, county- and
university-based staffs are dwin
dling. Yet we strive to meet all the
needs that we did in the past. This
spreads the extension staff thin and
hampers specialization.
Changes are already occurring.
For example, the nature of faculty
appointments is much different
today than it was even IS years
ago. At that time, many universi
ties hired faculty to teach and do
research, and other faculty to con
duct extension programming.
Today, teaching, research, and
extension faculty in general are no
longer separated. This improves
interaction and collaboration,
which keeps all faculty in touch
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with the realities of research prog
rams needed to address real-life
problems outside the university.
For example, all faculty mem
bers hired in the last five years in
Penn States College of Agricultur
al Sciences have split appoint
ments. Responsibility is divided
among teaching, research, or
extension. Most faculty working in
extension are also expected to con
duct research. There is little ques
tion that teaching (in the classroom
or in the field) increases proficien
cy in a particular subject area. But
it’s also true that the real experts in
a given area are those doing
research. Clearly, research activity
by both university- and county
based personnel should continue to
increase.
On a county basis, Penn State
has met the generalization dilem
ma, in part, by appointing agents
with multicounty status one
agent in a county develops exper
tise in dairy cattle while an agent in
a neighboring county conducts the
livestock program. Although
minor funding difficulties some
times occur, and farmers may lose
some accessibility, the public gen
erally is better served by the same
number of people.
Another idea that’s occasionally
mentioned is charging for services.
This would help identify programs
most important to the public and
would relieve the funding crunch.
We certainly would become more
sensitive to public needs. We cur
rently charge for some publica
(Turn to Pag* C 3)
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