Lights, Camera, AG-tion: Promoting Agricultural and Environmental Education on Camera

Viewing of online videos and television segments has become a popular and efficient way for Extension audiences to acquire information. This article describes a unique approach to teaching on camera that may help Extension educators communicate their messages with comfort and personality. The S.A.L.A.D. approach emphasizes using relevant teaching tools to decrease anxiety, implementing effective questioning as a natural segue to a deeper discussion in a follow-up segment, and sharing examples or case studies in the form of stories with characters. Extension educators should engage with local television outlets and their own web cameras to reach broader and more diverse audiences

Leadership and Life Skills Development among 4-H State-Level Youth Leaders

This mixed-methods study sought to determine the impact of a 4-H state-level youth leadership program on participants’ leadership and life skills (LLS) development. Youth who participated in the study served as a state-level leader for one year. Two cohorts, 2017 and 2018 (N = 18), participated in the study. Twelve youth completed the survey and interviews. Results from the Youth Leadership Life Skills Development scale (YLLSD) and interviews revealed participants gained LLS in the areas of understanding self, decision-making, strengthened oral communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills. Participation in 4-H positively built LLS among participants. Long-term engagement in 4-H was found to increase and deepen LLS development among participants by reinforcing lessons learned and through positive role-modeling between peers. Further research should explore the relationship between assigning youth leaders with titles such as president, vice-president, and secretary and associated LLS outcomes as previous research indicated that those given these titles benefited more than youth without titles in spite of all youth receiving similar formative experiences

Identifying the Behavioral Intent to Use Social Media through the application of UTAUT in ANR and Turfgrass Extension

Little research exists on the role Extension Agricultural and Natural Resources professionals play in communicating information about new turfgrass cultivars. In an effort to analyze behavioral intentions related to social media and its use in the turfgrass industry, the researchers drew from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). A pilot instrument was developed to measure the intent of University researchers and county-based Extension professionals to use social media to disseminate turfgrass information, as well as their use of social media for seeking turfgrass information. This case study examined the role of county-based ANR Extension professionals across six states, analyzing their role as either creators or disseminators of ANR and turfgrass information, their intent to use social media, and their use of these communications to engage with ANR and turfgrass information. Findings of this study show that Facebook is the primary communications channel used by county-based Extension professionals. Further, it has been determined that the role of the county-based Extension professional in “creating” verses “using” previously established research-based information to disseminate to clientele is not well-defined. Broader implications include examination of performance expectations of county-based personnel related to their use of social media for communicating turfgrass information

Building Bridges: Improving Extension Support to Organic Growers in North Georgia

Organic agriculture has the potential to improve the environmental performance of U.S. agriculture, supporting increasing food demand and diversification of food consumption while improving the quality of ecosystems. Organic growers are challenged by a lack of Cooperative Extension agent support as agents have not served organic growers to the same extent as conventional growers nationwide. Rogers’ (2003) diffusion of innovations theory guided our phenomenological inquiry to explore (a) what agents experienced while supporting organic growers, and (b) how agents experienced providing support to organic growers in north Georgia. According to participants, the essence of the support offered to organic growers was an uneven bridge. Agents were willing to provide growers with the resources to support organic production; however, they lacked theoretical and empirical knowledge regarding organic agricultural production that would enable them to establish stronger relationships with growers. Findings from the study and the uneven bridge metaphor led to an original model to assist Extension agents in better serving the organic agricultural community

Agricultural and Natural Resources Awareness Programming: Barriers and Benefits as Perceived by County Extension Agents

The study described here assessed Extension agents\u27 perceived barriers and benefits concerning a new Florida agricultural and natural resources awareness initiative and Web site. A total of 186 agents responded to a statewide Web-based needs assessment, for an overall response rate of 58%. Results highlighted several barriers to communicating about agriculture and natural resources, including (a) a lack of interest, knowledge, and awareness among the general public, government, clientele, and media, (b) a lack of agent access to resources/contacts, and (c) inconsistent/ineffective message delivery methods. Concerning the Web site, most respondents wanted information to be presented via fact sheets, economic facts, and downloadable brochures

Consistency of Developmental Outcomes of 4-H Camp Experiences Over Time and Across Sites

The purpose of the reported trend study was to examine consistency in youth life skill outcomes following exposure to 4-H camp. Parents of campers ages 9 to 13 were randomly sampled in 2001, 2004, and 2007 and asked to report changes in their child’s behavior following camp. Statistical analysis indicates an overall consistency in parent reports of youth life skill development over time. Life skills that showed consistent gains over seven years and across six 4-H educational centers included an enhanced ability for youth to take care of their own things and to share work responsibilities. Multivariate statistics revealed that a standardized instrument used with parents over time can produce valid and reliable results concerning the impact of experiential learning on youth

Can 4-H Involvement Have a Positive Impact on 4-H Youth’s Bullying Beliefs and Behaviors?

Bullying has negative emotional and physical effects on youth which often continues into adulthood. Bullying can contribute to emotional distress which is often more difficult to detect in victims.  Documented effects of bullying include depression, anxiety, bitterness, elevated levels of stress, as well as negative feelings of self-image and low self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that involvement in the state 4-H program has on bullying beliefs and behaviors. This study found that 94% of the participants (senior high students) agreed that 4-H helped them to shape their belief towards bullying; 84% either agreed or strongly agreed that 4-H has helped them be more confident around strangers; and 93% indicated that 4-H helped them to gain confidence in situations so they could speak up for themselves

Factors Influencing 4-H Club Enrollment and Retention in Georgia

Middle school aged 4-H member participation is on the decline across the nation. Research has identified reasons for declining 4-H club participation, including conflicting time commitments (with school and community activities) and opinions that the program was boring or for little kids. This study sought to gain a clearer understanding of why 4-H member involvement in Camden County, Georgia has steadily declined in recent years. The most prevalent reason listed for leaving the Camden County 4-H program was that the 4-H meeting conflicted with school and community activities. Other reasons listed included wanting to be with friends in a relaxed setting, not liking the activities and lessons at the special interest club meetings, and not feeling welcome in the 4-H club meetings. The 4-H members who continued with the program had 100% parental involvement – the number one indicator of continued 4-H participation

A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth’s microbial diversity

A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world's importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth's microbial diversity.Peer reviewe