Economic assessment and analysis of agricultural education programs in the north central region

Agricultural education in the land grant university is an integral part of the total educational process of the university. Little or no attempt has been made to assess the resource use in agricultural education. The purpose of this study is to assess, using economic criteria, the agricultural education programs in the land grant universities of the north central region. Data from the departments within this region are analyzed to determine resources used, inputs and outputs, efficiencies of individual programs, and analyses by size groupings;Data collected from the departmental executive officers revealed a variety of degree programs offered among the universities except for the undergraduate programs. For the 1978-1979 year, the undergraduate program required the largest amount of staff time (36.7% of the total) followed by the research function and graduate teaching/advising. During the same time period, over two-thirds of the salaries paid were used to support the undergraduate program;Various input/output measures were calculated from the data to examine the relationship between salaries, staff time, students, and credit contact hours. The study departments were divided into two size groupings to test statistical differences due to size. Statistical analyses revealed that salary costs per full-time equivalent are significantly different for graduate and research functions. Semester credits per full-time equivalent are also statistically significant;An economic model was conceptualized to test a production function with students graduating as the output measure and salaries and staff as the input measures. Several forms were tested with only a Cobb-Douglas production function being significant

Perceptions of Iowa Beginning Farmers Toward the Delivery of Education

The results of this research show that Iowa beginning farmers prefer radio and information services for the delivery of beginning farmer education. At the same time, these same farmers viewed the Extension Service as an important educational provider. Research was conducted to identify the perceptions of beginning farmers toward education, educational providers, and educational media. A sample of beginning farmers was surveyed in 1997. This study revealed they prefer on-site educational instruction, single meetings, community-based education, and were “neutral” (had no opinion) about the future usefulness of cutting-edge technologies as a delivery method. The results of this study should be useful to educational providers who plan and deliver education to beginning farmers

Which Swine Production System for You?

Pork plays a major role in Iowa\u27s agricultural economy and is likely to do so in the future, this study shows. However, there\u27s no one system of pork production that is ideal for all conditions

A Risk-Return Analysis For The Midwest Farmer-Feeder

Risk has always been an important dimension of the agricultural sector, and considerable effort has been expended to incorporate risk dimensions in decision models for the farm firm. With the dramatic fluctuations in commodity prices of the 1970\u27s, the Midwest farmer has been confronted with increasing risk, particularly if cattle feeding has been a part of his farm organization. Fluctuations in feed costs, feeder cattle and fed cattle prices have resulted in wide variations in profit per head. In addition, new technology in feeding systems and housing is available and feeders must decide if that technology is feasible and if it should be adopted

Educational Needs of Beginning Farmers as Perceived by Iowa Extension Professional Staff

A survey of local and state Extension professionals in Iowa and implications for Extension and beginning farmer education are discussed. Professional groups differed slightly in their ratings, but perceived educational providers to be useful overall. They rated the Internet as the most useful media and gave low ratings to radio and newspaper. This contrasts with earlier opinions of beginning farmers. The groups supported using input from farmers and problem-solving methods, but disagreed when rating distance education for program delivery. The topics perceived to be most important were in the business area

Educational needs and perceptions of Iowa beginning farmers toward their education

Abstract The primary purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of beginning farmers i