Agricultural conservation adoption in the US Midwest: Needs assessment and evaluation of professional development for farm advisers

Systematic adoption of agricultural conservation practices in the Midwest is progressing at a gradual pace despite the degradation of habitat, soil, and water quality. Complex social and economic factors contribute to insufficient adoption including; financial risk, lack of technical supports, and poor perceived fit with current practices. Agricultural advisers, including extension educators, are trusted sources of guidance for conservation practice decisions and are familiar with farmers’ needs. Prairie strips is a conservation Best Management Practice (BMP) made available around 2014 by Iowa State University and has potential to improve habitat, soil, and water quality if broadly applied across Midwest row crop fields. In 2017, a three-part program for farm advisers was held throughout the state of Iowa that included a workshop series, creation of a communication piece, and assisted consultation with a prairie strips client. The intention of the program was to prepare advisers to provide consultation to farmers and landowners on potential adoption of prairie strips. Farm advisers included government and nonprofit staff, and both private and independent contractors, including Technical Service Providers (TSPs), Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs), and Extension educators. Program development was refined using a needs assessment survey. Outputs included seven workshops; one of which was canceled due to low registration. The workshops were held throughout Iowa and designed to educate advisers on (a) research on prairie strips, (b) siting and design of prairie strips, (c) prairie identification and management, (d) incentive program eligibility, and (e) communication with farmers and landowners. The itinerary included interdisciplinary speakers and hands-on applications. Ninety-one attended from five Midwest states comprising various occupational areas. The evaluation for the workshop series utilized a pre and post skills test and an online survey. Participant ability to assess age and health of prairie showed little improvement as a result of instruction. Participants, however, indicated that confidence and abilities in this area had improved. Advisers rated the value of additional supports during the workshops, including eligibility of prairie strips for government programs. Most attendees reported that they considered prairie strips to be a useful technology with potential to become a common BMP within the region, however, about half felt more research was needed. Management of prairie strips appeared to require skill levels that many advisers have not yet acquired

Agricultural conservation adoption in the US Midwest: Needs assessment and evaluation of professional development for farm advisers

Systematic adoption of agricultural conservation practices in the Midwest is progressing at a gradual pace despite the degradation of habitat, soil, and water quality. Complex social and economic factors contribute to insufficient adoption including; financial risk, lack of technical supports, and poor perceived fit with current practices. Agricultural advisers, including extension educators, are trusted sources of guidance for conservation practice decisions and are familiar with farmers’ needs. Prairie strips is a conservation Best Management Practice (BMP) made available around 2014 by Iowa State University and has potential to improve habitat, soil, and water quality if broadly applied across Midwest row crop fields. In 2017, a three-part program for farm advisers was held throughout the state of Iowa that included a workshop series, creation of a communication piece, and assisted consultation with a prairie strips client. The intention of the program was to prepare advisers to provide consultation to farmers and landowners on potential adoption of prairie strips. Farm advisers included government and nonprofit staff, and both private and independent contractors, including Technical Service Providers (TSPs), Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs), and Extension educators. Program development was refined using a needs assessment survey. Outputs included seven workshops; one of which was canceled due to low registration. The workshops were held throughout Iowa and designed to educate advisers on (a) research on prairie strips, (b) siting and design of prairie strips, (c) prairie identification and management, (d) incentive program eligibility, and (e) communication with farmers and landowners. The itinerary included interdisciplinary speakers and hands-on applications. Ninety-one attended from five Midwest states comprising various occupational areas. The evaluation for the workshop series utilized a pre and post skills test and an online survey. Participant ability to assess age and health of prairie showed little improvement as a result of instruction. Participants, however, indicated that confidence and abilities in this area had improved. Advisers rated the value of additional supports during the workshops, including eligibility of prairie strips for government programs. Most attendees reported that they considered prairie strips to be a useful technology with potential to become a common BMP within the region, however, about half felt more research was needed. Management of prairie strips appeared to require skill levels that many advisers have not yet acquired.</p

Program Evaluation of a Workshop on Prairie Strips for Farm Advisors: Framing the Co-Occurring Outcomes of Low Knowledge Acquisition and High Confidence

The agricultural conservation practice of prairie strips is new and novel. Prairie strips planted in row crop fields warrants greater adoption because the application decreases erosion; protects water quality; and supports habitat for wildlife and biodiversity, including pollinators. Prairie strips are a vegetative practice composed of diverse, native, and mostly perennial species that, as a community, follow principles of ecological succession; however, they must be managed for success. Farm advisor comprehension of practice characteristics is key for adoption by producers and landowners. This article reports on a developmental evaluation of workshops intended to change farm advisor knowledge, skills, and confidence related to prairie strips management for use in consulting with farmers and landowners. The study used pre-post instruments of knowledge and skill focused on prairie species identification and age of prairie strips planing; pre-then post-end of session questions were asked in a survey to report change in knowledge, skill, and confidence, as well as farm advisor situation. Advisors reported increased confidence, but acquisition of prairie knowledge and skills resulted in flat to lower scores. The paper explores the discrepancy of lower cognitive scores (knowledge and skills) compared to higher confidence. Explanations explore the phenomena of satisficing and perceived self-efficacy to explain the differential

Program Evaluation of a Workshop on Prairie Strips for Farm Advisors: Framing the Co-Occurring Outcomes of Low Knowledge Acquisition and High Confidence

The agricultural conservation practice of prairie strips is new and novel. Prairie strips planted in row crop fields warrants greater adoption because the application decreases erosion; protects water quality; and supports habitat for wildlife and biodiversity, including pollinators. Prairie strips are a vegetative practice composed of diverse, native, and mostly perennial species that, as a community, follow principles of ecological succession; however, they must be managed for success. Farm advisor comprehension of practice characteristics is key for adoption by producers and landowners. This article reports on a developmental evaluation of workshops intended to change farm advisor knowledge, skills, and confidence related to prairie strips management for use in consulting with farmers and landowners. The study used pre-post instruments of knowledge and skill focused on prairie species identification and age of prairie strips planing; pre-then post-end of session questions were asked in a survey to report change in knowledge, skill, and confidence, as well as farm advisor situation. Advisors reported increased confidence, but acquisition of prairie knowledge and skills resulted in flat to lower scores. The paper explores the discrepancy of lower cognitive scores (knowledge and skills) compared to higher confidence. Explanations explore the phenomena of satisficing and perceived self-efficacy to explain the differential.This article is published as Whitehair, Rachael, Nancy Grudens-Schuck, and Lisa A. Schulte. 2022. "Program Evaluation of a Workshop on Prairie Strips for Farm Advisors: Framing the Co-Occurring Outcomes of Low Knowledge Acquisition and High Confidence" Horticulturae 8, no. 12: 1215. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8121215. Posted with permission.This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Reducing acetylated tau is neuroprotective in brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the largest non-genetic, non-aging related risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We report here that TBI induces tau acetylation (ac-tau) at sites acetylated also in human AD brain. This is mediated by S-nitrosylated-GAPDH, which simultaneously inactivates Sirtuin1 deacetylase and activates p300/CBP acetyltransferase, increasing neuronal ac-tau. Subsequent tau mislocalization causes neurodegeneration and neurobehavioral impairment, and ac-tau accumulates in the blood. Blocking GAPDH S-nitrosylation, inhibiting p300/CBP, or stimulating Sirtuin1 all protect mice from neurodegeneration, neurobehavioral impairment, and blood and brain accumulation of ac-tau after TBI. Ac-tau is thus a therapeutic target and potential blood biomarker of TBI that may represent pathologic convergence between TBI and AD. Increased ac-tau in human AD brain is further augmented in AD patients with history of TBI, and patients receiving the p300/CBP inhibitors salsalate or diflunisal exhibit decreased incidence of AD and clinically diagnosed TBI.[Display omitted]•Brain injury induces Alzheimer’s disease-like neuronal ac-tau•Neurodegenerative brain injury is reflected by ac-tau blood levels in mice and people•Decreasing ac-tau after brain injury at multiple signaling nodes is neuroprotective•Ac-tau-inhibiting medicines are associated with reduced neurodegenerative diseaseReducing brain injury-induced neuronal tau acetylation is neuroprotective in traumatic brain injury and has a role in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis