The purpose of this study was to determine the competencies entry–level Extension professionals will need in 2015. A Delphi panel of nationally recognized Cooperative Extension experts was developed to collect data. The 12 panelists reached consensus on 19 competencies. There were two key groupings among the competencies: extension program development process and core interpersonal skills. Cooperative Extension should examine ways to align its efforts with the competencies identified from this study in order to pro–actively plan for a successful future.

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Cooperative Extension's role as a relevant provider of nonformal education is dependent upon its ability to improve and adjust in response to internal and external pressures. Periodically conducting needs assessments focused on the Extension organization can aid in Extension's efforts to deliver quality educational programs by pinpointing priority areas in need of improvement. A qualitative analysis of the final reports from the University of Florida's IFAS Extension annual county program review process was conducted to identify challenges and threats facing county Extension offices. Common challenges were marketing deficits, loss of human capital, and technology barriers. Common threats were the economy, increased numbers of urban residents, and insufficient facilities. Developing and implementing strategic plans to resolve the needs identified in this study may increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Extension.

The Ministry Extension struggled to provide adequate services to Trinidadian farmers because of a reliance on top-down methods. Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been touted as an effective and efficient way to serve farmers in the Caribbean. This study sought to describe the factors affecting Ministry Extension officers’ decisions to adopt text messaging via Short Messaging Service (SMS) to communicate with farmers. The Diffusion of Innovation theory guided this study, and data were collected from a census of Extension officers in the Ministry Extension service. Results showed most Extension officers used voice calls and SMS to communicate with farmers. Many Extension officers who did not use ICTs were willing to use multimedia messaging, SMS, electronic mail (email), voice calls, and social media to interact with farmers. Extension officers were accustomed to using text messaging, saw the benefit of using SMS to communicate with farmers, and were confident in their ability to use SMS for farmer interactions. However, results indicated a lacking policy environment for SMS use, and limited support existed from peers and supervisors to use SMS to interact with farmers. Findings showed most Extension officers perceived farmers can use mobile telephones to make calls, send text messages, and use multimedia messaging. This implies Extension officers were aware of the potential for using a variety of ICTs to engage with farmers. However, internal policies and administrative support are critical to their adoption of ICTs for farmer interactions in Extension.

Higher education institutions are attempting to use teaching farms to provide hands-on learning experiences to students, but there is a lack of research on the degree of cognitive engagement at teaching farms. Kolb's model provided the theoretical framework for assessing evidence of experiential learning in courses using teaching farms. Qualitative methods were used to examine syllabi from courses that use teaching farms at higher education institutions. Syllabi were collected using a snowball sample. Overall there was evidence for the presence of both concrete experience and active experimentation in the syllabi. Practitioners should be cognizant of when activities are intended to facilitate students to enter the reflective observation and abstract conceptualization stages. Opportunities for experience that are included in teaching farm courses should have purpose and be more than just mere activity.

The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast an academic extension education model with an Extension human resource management model. The academic model of 19 competencies was similar across the 22 competencies of the Extension human resource management model. There were seven unique competencies for the human resource management model. The integration of the models was informative to support and confirm the educational directions of each model. The human resource management model provided information for potential areas to include in the academic preparation of entry-level educators and agents. The academic extension education model indicated possible educational opportunities for credit and non-credit course work.

Master Gardeners serve Cooperative Extension as volunteer educators who deliver horticultural knowledge to citizens across Florida by teaching a broader amount of public constituents than can a single extension agent. The economic value of the Master Gardener participation to Florida Extension was nearly $9,000,000 in 2010. Very little research has been conducted to determine what affects Master Gardener tenure. This study utilized self-efficacy theory and Houle's Typology on adult learning orientations as the overlapping framework to determine what predicts Master Gardener tenure. The research design was survey research, and stratified sampling was implemented to select the population of participants. A mail survey was employed as the data collection method, and the response rate received was 86.78%. Participant age, instructional efficacy, and specific learning orientations were found to significantly affect Master Gardener tenure. Instructional efficacy was the only variable that Master Gardener coordinators can enhance in participants in order to retain quality Master Gardeners. The continued participation from adults in the Master Gardener program improves the goals of Cooperative Extension. This study underscores the importance of preparing current and future Master Gardeners in teaching strategies to retain their participation in order to educate more of the state's citizenry.

This research sought to investigate the dependence on farm visits in selected Caribbean islands, and estimate the impact of such visits on farmers’ satisfaction with extension. The study utilized a causal-comparative design using a convenience sample from six major farming countries in the Eastern Caribbean. Descriptive frequencies, ANOVA, principal factor analysis, and hierarchical OLS regression models were presented. It appears the low use of alternate approaches to disseminate information to eastern Caribbean farmers has led to a dependency on farm visits. This is unsustainable primarily because of its high cost, given the financial constraints of countries. Results indicated that while farmers were fairly satisfied with extension, there was a significant difference in satisfaction based on country of residence, and frequency of farm visits was a significant moderator of satisfaction. Countries’ GDP per capita were consistent with satisfaction levels. Proactive initiatives by extension that focus on alternative education approaches are needed; farmers can be clustered into commodity groups and extension can also make use of the good ICT infrastructure in these countries. Extension can influence farmers’ expectations if it capitalizes on other approaches such as ICTs and group visits. Effective use of alternative lower-cost approaches can result in greater ability to deliver each dimension of quality and match farmers’ expectations. Farm visits have become entrenched as the preferred extension method in the Caribbean. This first-time study, which looks at the issue from an extension and economic perspective, shows the urgent need to revisit the farm visit approach to extension.