The Agronomic Crops Team was formed in 1995 to provide an Extension program that linked all disciplines together in an attempt to provide an integrated delivery mechanism designed to address all producer needs in a timely fashion. The team provides a newsletter, Web site, agronomy meetings and workshops, and a satellite broadcast to better serve state clientele. To date, the impact of the Agronomic Crops Team has been substantial, reaching managers of over 2.6 million acres of production ground in the state with an economic impact of over $11 million

LaBarge, Greg A

Lentz, Edwin M

Mullen, Robert W

Thomison, Peter R

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

The Journal of Extension Volume 45 Number 4 Article 22 8-1-2007 Delivering Timely Extension Information with the Agronomic Crops Team in Ohio Robert W. Mullen The Ohio State University, mullen.91@osu.edu Peter R. Thomison The Ohio State University, thomison.1@osu.edu Edwin M. Lentz The Ohio State University, lentz.38@osu.edu Greg A. LaBarge The Ohio State University, labarge.1@osu.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Mullen, R. W., Thomison, P. R., Lentz, E. M., & LaBarge, G. A. (2007). Delivering Timely Extension Information with the Agronomic Crops Team in Ohio. The Journal of Extension, 45(4), Article 22. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol45/iss4/22 This Ideas at Work is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of Extension by an authorized editor of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu. 	 JOEHOME JOURNAL GUIDELINES ABOUT	JOE CONTACT NATIONAL	JOB	BANKCurrent	Issues Back	IssuesAugust	2007	//	Volume	45	//	Number	4	//	Ideas	at	Work	//	4IAW40Delivering	Timely	Extension	Information	with	the	AgronomicCrops	Team	in	OhioAbstractThe	Agronomic	Crops	Team	was	formed	in	1995	to	provide	an	Extension	program	that	linked	alldisciplines	together	in	an	attempt	to	provide	an	integrated	delivery	mechanism	designed	toaddress	all	producer	needs	in	a	timely	fashion.	The	team	provides	a	newsletter,	Web	site,agronomy	meetings	and	workshops,	and	a	satellite	broadcast	to	better	serve	state	clientele.	Todate,	the	impact	of	the	Agronomic	Crops	Team	has	been	substantial,	reaching	managers	of	over2.6	million	acres	of	production	ground	in	the	state	with	an	economic	impact	of	over	$11	million.	The	Agronomic	Crops	Team--Delivering	Timely	InformationOne	of	the	challenges	facing	Extension	programs	today	is	delivering	useful	information	to	stateclientele	in	a	timely	fashion	to	influence	producer	decisions.	The	Agronomic	Crops	Team	wasformed	in	1995	to	provide	an	Extension	program	that	linked	all	disciplines	together	in	an	attemptto	provide	an	integrated	delivery	mechanism	designed	to	address	producer	needs	related	to	fieldcrops.	The	team	concept	for	providing	Extension	programs	and	fostering	interdisciplinarycollaboration	on	applied	research	is	a	focus	of	Ohio	State	University	Extension.The	Agronomic	Crops	Team	is	comprised	of	17	state	Extension	specialists	and	Extension	programspecialists	covering	agronomy,	pathology,	entomology,	weed	science,	agricultural	engineering,and	soil	fertility	for	all	major	field	crops.	County	Extension	educators,	representing	30	countiesacross	the	state,	are	the	hub	of	the	program,	serving	as	the	link	between	state	Extensionspecialists	and	local	producers	and	agribusiness.	The	county	Extension	educators	provide	valuableinput	regarding	current	production	issues	being	faced	by	local	producers	that	allows	stateExtension	specialists	to	prepare	newsletter	articles	and	bulletins	in	addition	to	workshops	relevantto	grower	concerns.Robert	W.	MullenAssistant	Professor/Soil	Fertility	Specialistmullen.91@osu.eduPeter	R.	ThomisonProfessor/Corn	Production	Specialistthomison.1@osu.eduEdwin	M.	LentzAssociate	Professor/Extension	Educatorlentz.38@osu.eduGreg	A.	LaBargeAssistant	Professor/Agronomic	Crops	Team	Co-coordinatorlabarge.1@osu.eduHarold	WattersAssistant	Professor/Agronomic	Crops	Team	Co-coordinatorwatters.35@osu.eduSchool	of	Natural	Resources,	Horticulture	and	Crop	Sciences,	Agriculture	and	NaturalResourcesThe	Ohio	State	UniversityColumbus,	OhioProducers	and	agribusiness	are	largely	responsible	for	the	direction	taken	by	the	team,	the	type	ofinformation	the	team	provides,	and	the	on-farm	research	that	the	team	undertakes.	TheAgronomic	Crops	Team	relies	on	Extension	educators	and	their	connection	to	local	producers	todetermine	the	education	materials	prepared	by	state	specialists	to	ensure	the	informationprepared	is	timely	and	relevant.	This	team	approach	could	serve	as	a	model	for	other	land-grantuniversities	that	desire	to	improve	Extension	programming	for	state	clientele.Crop	Observation	and	Recommendation	Network	(C.O.R.N.)NewsletterThe	primary	mechanism	used	to	disseminate	information	at	Ohio	State	University	is	the	C.O.R.N.Newsletter.	The	C.O.R.N.	Newsletter	is	a	weekly	publication	prepared	by	state	Extensionspecialists,	program	specialists,	and	Extension	educators	to	address	current	production	concerns.A	weekly	teleconference	involving	all	members	of	the	Agronomic	Crops	Team	occurs	every	Mondaymorning,	which	allows	county	Extension	educators	to	inform	state	Extension	specialists	andprogram	specialists	of	specific	questions	relevant	to	producer	concerns.	State	Extension	andprogram	specialists	then	prepare	short	documents	that	cover	as	many	issues	as	possible.The	information	generated	is	distributed	electronically	via	email	to	over	2,500	subscribersstatewide	and	is	made	available	on	the	Internet	<http://corn.osu.edu/>.	Over	250	articles	arepublished	in	the	C.O.R.N.	Newsletter	annually	addressing	all	areas	of	field	crop	production.	TheC.O.R.N.	Newsletter	has	had	a	documented	impact	of	$11.3	million	and	reaches	managers	of	over2.6	million	acres	of	Ohio	cropland	(Battelle,	2005).	The	C.O.R.N.	Newsletter	is	the	centerpiece	ofthe	Agronomic	Crops	Team	and	serves	as	the	primary	interface	between	local	producers	and	statespecialists.This	type	of	weekly	newsletter	has	been	promoted	as	a	model	for	other	Extension	programs	inOhio.	The	C.O.R.N.	Newsletter,	as	well	as	the	Web	site	maintained	by	the	Agronomic	Crops	Team,can	be	found	at	<http://agcrops.osu.edu/>	and	can	be	used	as	a	model	for	other	Extensionprograms.Agronomic	Update	MeetingsRegional	Agronomy	MeetingsTo	re-enforce	information	provided	in	publications	or	to	provide	new	information	based	upon	fieldresearch,	Regional	Agronomy	Meetings	are	held	at	various	locales	across	the	state	that	featurestate	Extension	specialists	or	program	specialists	representing	multiple	disciplines.	RegionalAgronomy	Meetings	allow	a	forum	of	discussion	between	state	Extension	specialists	and	growersto	address	a	wide	array	of	production	issues.Since	1997,	over	5,500	clientele,	including	crop	producers,	agribusiness	personnel,	governmentpersonnel,	and	crop	consultants,	have	attended	Regional	Agronomy	Meetings.	On	average,	four	toeight	locations	every	year	have	been	selected	to	host	Regional	Agronomy	Meetings.	The	agendasfor	the	Regional	Agronomy	Meetings	are	prepared	at	biennial	meetings	among	all	members	of	theAgronomic	Crops	Team	to	determine	the	topics	that	need	to	be	addressed.Crop	Profit	GameInitiated	in	2003,	the	Crop	Profit	Game	was	designed	to	replace	Regional	Agronomy	Meetings	byproviding	information	on	production	issues	that	growers	will	face	in	the	upcoming	growing	season.The	Crop	Profit	Game	is	a	satellite	broadcast	accessible	by	all	Extension	offices	across	the	state.Similar	to	the	Regional	Agronomy	Meetings,	a	wide	range	of	field	crop	production	topics	arecovered.	Satellite	broadcasts	are	conducted	during	the	winter,	allowing	part-time	farmers	andothers	who	normally	do	not	attend	county	Extension	programs	an	opportunity	to	be	educated	bystate	specialists.Interaction	in	the	form	of	phone-in	questions	is	encouraged	to	allow	producers	the	opportunity	topose	questions	that	directly	relate	to	their	operation.	In	the	first	year,	37	counties	were	scheduledto	receive	the	satellite	program,	and	nearly	400	producers	actually	viewed	the	broadcast.	The	CropProfit	Game	is	another	tool	employed	by	the	Agronomic	Crops	Team	to	reach	as	many	stateclientele	as	possible	to	improve	timeliness	and	relevance	of	agronomic	information.On-Farm	ResearchTo	maintain	an	objective	research-based	educational	program	and	ensure	that	Extensioninformation	is	timely	and	relevant,	applied	research	that	includes	producer	cooperation	is	anecessity.	On-farm	experiments	are	conducted	across	the	state	each	year	to	evaluate	newmanagement	concepts	for	crop	production.	Since	1999,	over	180	on-farm	trials	have	beenconducted	to	address	local	needs	and	answer	production	questions.	Potential	research	projects	arediscussed	at	biennial	meetings	between	all	members	of	the	Agronomic	Crops	Team.The	Agronomic	Crops	Team	at	Ohio	State	University	provides	a	diversified	and	innovativeExtension	program	to	address	producer	needs	and	provide	timely	and	relevant	information	topositively	affect	their	operations.	Dissemination	of	information	through	a	newsletter,	a	Web	site,regional	agronomy	meetings	and	workshops,	as	well	as	a	satellite	broadcast	is	having	a	positiveeffect	on	Ohio's	agronomic	industry.ReferencesBattelle	Memorial	Institute,	Technology	Partnership	Practice.	(2005,	January).	The	Ohio	StateUniversity	Extension:	A	generator	of	positive	economic	impacts	for	Ohio.	Retrieved	October	18,2006,	from	http://extension.osu.edu/about/extension_report.pdfCopyright	©	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Articles	appearing	in	the	Journal	become	the	property	of	theJournal.	 Single	 copies	 of	 articles	may	 be	 reproduced	 in	 electronic	 or	 print	 form	 for	 use	 in	 educational	 or	 trainingactivities.	Inclusion	of	articles	in	other	publications,	electronic	sources,	or	systematic	large-scale	distribution	may	bedone	only	with	prior	electronic	or	written	permission	of	the	Journal	Editorial	Office,	joe-ed@joe.org.If	you	have	difficulties	viewing	or	printing	this	page,	please	contact	JOE	Technical	Support©	Copyright	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Copyright	Policy

Delivering Timely Extension Information with the Agronomic Crops Team in Ohio

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Delivering Timely Extension Information with the Agronomic Crops Team in Ohio

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