A22-Uncaster Firming, Saturday, January 14, 1995
TRANSFER OF
TECHNOLOGY AND
PARTICIPATORY
DECISION MAKING
Clair C. Engle
Associate Professor
Animal Science
Today’s fanners often enter an
area of decision making where pre
vious technology, experience, and
knowledge no longer apply.
Extension agencies must be able to
help farmers in such situations
move quickly through an aware
ness, interest, evaluation, trial, and
action process to adopt new prac
tices. Most get stuck in the first
two stages the information
transfer phases of awareness and
interest.
Agriculture has become
technology-propelled. At first
glance, this statement could be
seen as strongly validating the
traditional linear extension model
of passing knowledge from the
researcher through an exchange
agent to the adopter (farmer). It has
Lancaster Chamber Sets
Ag Financial School
The Lancaster Chamber Ag Committee is sponsoring their second
annual Farm Business Financial Management School on January 26,
1995, at the Chambers’ facility at 100 S. Queen St. in Lancaster.
This year’s facilitators arc Dr. Donald Jonovic, founder of Cleve
land’s Family Business Management Services and author of six books
about family business and business management. Also featured at the
seminar will be Dr. David Kohl, professor of ag economics at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, who will be speaking about managing family
finances.
(Continued from Page Al)
joined on the program'by indepen
dent dairy nutrition and manage
ment consultant Dr. Brian Peridns
of Dairy Tech Management Scr-
Delaware Valley College
ing and afternoon sessions.
A total of five important sub
jects to dairymen were discussed.
At the morning session Heinrichs
spoke of “Keeping Yearling Heif
ers Healthy and Growing, M Peridns
on “Using Commodities in Feed
ing Progams,” and Graves lectured
on “Cow Comfort in Stall Bams.”
Following a luncheon break and
tour of the exhibitions, the dairy
farmers returned to hear
about “Managing for High and
Continued Profits” by Peridns,
“Managing Dry Cows for High
Production ” by Heinrichs, and a
final question and answer period,
The “hot topic” in today’s dairy
medicine is heel warts. Better
known as digital dermatitis, there
is a lot of misinformation and a
general lack of understanding cir
culating about this problem.
Northampton County extension
agent Greg Solt has summarized a
presentation made at the 1994
Internationa] Symposium on Dis
orders of the Ruminant Digit held
last June in Alberta, fianartg
The disease is known variously
as footwarts, strawberry warts,
hairy watts, and Mortcllaro’s Dis
ease. It was first described by Dr.
Carlo Mortellaio in Italy in 1974.
He discussed the disease at the
1994 symposium from the Italian
perspective.
Twenty years after its fust
description (1974-1994), there is
There are several openings still available. For more information or
registration brochure, call Roger Rohrer, subcommittee chairman at
(717) 291-3707.
Names President
HAROLD SHELLY
Northampton Co. Correspondent
Dr. William L. George has been
named president of Delaware Val
ley College. He will officially
assume the post on Feb. 1.
Al96oDelVal graduate in Hor
ticulture, George has for 10 years
been associate dean and director of
academic programs in the College
of Agriculture at the University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He
did his postgraduate work at Rut
gers, earning a master’s degree in
1962 and a doctorate in 1966.
George is returning to his alma
mater as its tenth president as the
college prepares for its centennial
year in 1996. At Illinois he ini
tiated the Academy Endowment
Fund to support faculty in impro-
Lancaster Farm/Home Dinner
The Lancaster Farm and Home Center Foundation annual dinner
meeting is scheduled for Jan. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Center. A full
course roast turkey dinner is planned.
Cost for the dinner is $15.50 and includes a membership in the orga
nization. The featured speaker is Doris Thomas, retired Lancaster
extension home economist. Thomas’ topic is “Life After Retirement.’’
The Neffsville Handbell, Choir will also perform.
Everyone is invited to’ attend. For reservations call the Farm and
Home Center office at (717) 392-4911.
become apparent over the past
decade, though, that this approach
fails to reflect what actually
happens.
The transfer of technology
(TOT) model (missionary
approach) casts the researcher in
the role of source of new technolo
gy and the farmer in the role of pas
sive recipient There is clear evi
dence that this has never been the
case. Scientists and those com
menting on the outcomes of sci
ence have overlooked the fact that
the majority of innovations in pro
duction agriculture have origi
nated with the fanners themselves.
Not only did they produce die
innovations, but they also man
aged to extend them. The consis
tent key to their success was that
they did not separate implementa
tion of new technologies from their
creation.
Globally, the future sustainabil
ity of production agriculture
depends on applying a more flexi
ble technology-transfer system.
The suggested shift should be to a
more diffuse model, one that
encompasses a variety of produc
tion, allied industry, sociocultural.
ving curriculum and teaching and
was successful in bringing federal
and private grants to the university
for curriculum revitalization,
faculty development, and student
fellowships.
Prior to moving to Illinois,
George was a professor in the Col
lege erf Agriculture at Ohio State
University and a geneticist at the
Connecticut Ag Experiment Sta
tion. He has served on national
panels for the USDA and beat
engaged in educational programs’
in Japan, China, and Africa.
George was bom in New Jersey.
He and his wife Marilyn were mar
ried after his graduation from
Del Val in 1960. They have two
children, Jeffrey and Deborah, and
will live on the Del Val campus.
Clair C. Engle
and environmental perspectives.
Acronyms or phrases such as
“Farming Systems Research/
Extension” (FSR/E), “integrated,”
“farmer-first," or “co-lcamer”
approaches—are commonly used
to describe this transfer process.
Initiatives: science based
•ansfer Agent
Educator
I
• discipline-onemed
k Technology Adoption
8 Driving Forces
homogenous agricultural
base !
emphasis on maximizing production
existing stable domestic economy
strong overall resource/research base
ag marketing reform linked to subsidy policies •
Dairy Expo Called Successful
Different from the traditional
approach of technology transfer,
the FSR/E concept makes the
major shift of actively involving
and eliciting farmer and communi
ty participation. Likewise, another
shift is made, whereby the scientist
becomes a better listener and sub
sequently responds more directly
to both basic and applied research
needs as defined by the adopters
within the agricultural community.
The model extension agent’s prim
ary responsibilities would that
shift from educator to team mem
ber and informational resource/
facilitator.
In other words, the FSR/E mod
el builds on participatory team
work and farmer/community
managed research and develop
ment principles. This participation
process allows team members to
take a more comprehensive
approach to contemporary issues
as well as strategic needs. Para
mount to the overall exchange pro
cess, this co-leamer approach is
Tech ?^«S^iSlS ( » shift
111
still no exact known cause for the
condition. Spirochete bacteria
associated with the lesions have
been found in Italy, die United
Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the
United States.
The disease progresses as hard
ening and swelling of the skin bor
dering the area between the claws.
This is followed by erosion and
ulceration of the foot skin and
hoofwall border. The final stage is
the appearance of granulating or
the “strawberry.”
All cows do not go lame with
digital dermatitis. Many will lift
the affected foot repeatedly
because of discomfort or will stand
abnormally. Severe lameness usu
ally results when the lesion
extends into the homy structures.
Traditional treatment of heel
warts has involved cutting out the
lesion in conjunction with hoof
trimming. Beginning in the early
1980 s, the most successful treat
ment has been topical application
of oxytetracycline mixed with gen
tian violet
It has been determined, of late
that gentian violet has not
influenced the final outcome of the
treatment For the treatment to to
work, the affected area must be
cleaned and the drag sprayed on
for several seconds. It is a known
fact that a second application
mcreses the chance of recovery.
Persistent or large lesions may
require removal.
Even though this treatment
appears to work well, management
of outbreaks of heel warts is still
frustrating. Studies in two widely
separated slates Florida and
California reported different
complementary in defining and
supporting innovations for the gre
ater well-being of all, and places
the forces of society at the heart of
the decision-making process.
Some argue that extension educa
tion needs to move away from its
heavy science/technology-transfcr
orientation to role models in the
management of human endeavor.
"The success of technology
transfer depends not only on the
technology but also on the degree
to which both developers and users
want to make the transfer succeed.
The will to make it succeed is more
likely to be present if both sides of
the transfer start with the premise
that they ate co-crcating change
that will benefit both sides”
(Leonard-Barton, 1988).
What can be learned from this
thesis is that successful implemen
tation is not the predictable realiza
tion of a preprogrammed plan. It is
a dynamic process of mutual adap
tation between the technology and
its environment
TO“CO;LE a RMNG APPROACH”
ires: agricullurelcommuniiy-aclwn groups
Transfer Agent
• educator/facilitator
■ systems-orientcd
ygy Adoption
J Driving Forets I
diversified agricultural base I
• •
p •
* •
emphasis on production efficiencies
resolve socio-cultural/environmental issues
; • multidisciplinary/integrated approach
• ■ ag marketing reform bated on free trade
conclusions.
The usefulness of footbaths is
still controversial, probably
because of improper usage. Indivi
dual treatment appears to be the
preferred way to go.
In the California study,
researchers described the different
appearances of heel warts. They
found that the differences were
probably due to the length of time
the lesions, or the “infection,” had
been present
Heel warts are prevalent in 90
percent of southern California’s
herds with spring and summer
months being the worst time of
year. They are most common in
first-calf heifers and young cows a
few months after they enter the
milking herd.
In Forida a spray solution of
oxytetracycline and glycerine and
water showed visible improve
ment in lesions on the rear feet of
89 cows. The lesions appeared to
regress after five days. Investiga
tors also tested urine and milk for
anti-biotics and could find none.
A Slovenian study described
one-half to one inch heel warts as
"raspberry red.” It noted that they
(die warts) caused lameness in
affected cows, were apparently not
painful, and did not respond to top
ical tetracyuclines.
Investigators also identified
spirochetes associated with the
lesions, failed to find viruses, and
couldn’t reproduce the disease
with the spirochetes they found.
In Israel, an investigator
claimed that three outbreaks of
digital dermatitis were »itnr»nffd
with excessive dietary protein
intake by the cattle hods.