Many financial education providers still do not have a basic level of evaluation capacity and are unable to identify program outcomes and design effective evaluation instruments. It is difficult to propose a national evaluation strategy without a basic understanding of current evaluation capacity and of the critical gaps in program evaluation. In addition, there has been little discussion about the challenges facing financial professionals and educators who are on the “front lines” delivering and evaluating programs. The purpose of this survey article is to address these critical gaps in the literature and to provide an overview of the current state of financial education and program evaluation. Using qualitative and quantitative data collected from financial professionals and educators nationwide, this study provides insight into what can be done to build national evaluation capacity and conduct more effective program evaluations.

Winter annual cover crop use is limited in conservation management systems in the United States. Grazing cover crops could encourage cover crop adoption if returns o set establishment costs without reducing crop yields. A 4-yr eld experiment was conducted near Watkinsville, GA, in which a rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop was grazed by cattle or roller-crimped before planting cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Cattle consumed about 2.4 Mg ha -1 of forage annually but amounts were variable due to weather conditions. Rye residue remaining at cotton planting averaged 6.7 Mg ha -1 for non-grazed compared with 1.7 Mg ha -1 for grazed treatments. Cotton yields tended to be better in the non-grazed treatment but were signi cantly di erent only in 2009 when yields were reduced in the grazed treatment due to soil compaction. Four-year average lint yield was 120 kg ha -1 greater for the non-grazed treatment. Cotton ber quality parameters were generally better in the non-grazed treatment but not enough to change crop price. Di erences between grazed and non-grazed returns ranged from $-26 to $355 and averaged $81 ha -1 when based on market year prices. e di erence in average return increased to $110 ha -1 when based on 2012 market year prices.Although negative e ects of soil compaction were observed the nal year, returns from grazing have the potential to o set establishment costs of a rye cover crop and increase pro ts for cotton producers in the Southern Piedmont of the United States.

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