Parent educators at Michigan State University Extension have had great success with their Extension Extras Parenting Hour series which began in 2020. The series is organized every quarter, meets weekly, and changes topics every week. The 90 minute class covers a range of parenting topics from positive discipline, talking to children about race,…

This study investigates college students' current food safety knowledge and food-handling perceptions and utilized an online survey which designed based on previous studies as method. The questionnaire measured respondents' food safety knowledge and perception, and were divided into knowledge, attitudes and perception categories. The results show…

Local leaders are essential for helping Michigan achieve its 30-year water strategy goals. The Michigan Water School is an Extension nonformal educational program to address the knowledge gap of local leaders. We evaluated programs conducted from 2017 to 2019. Results revealed program outcomes in knowledge, attitudes, perceptions of criticalness…

The teens as teachers model is a promising approach to impact teen behavior. The current study evaluated dietary knowledge and behavior among teen teachers participating in a 4-H youth development program (N = 46; M[subscript age] = 15.5 years; 67% female; 48% Hispanic; 38% White Non-Hispanic, 14% Other). A paired sample t test was conducted on…

Extension traditionally involves undergraduate students through experiential learning and internships. We sought to develop a new model, and created an undergraduate life skills course for students in our college that featured Extension educators as guest lecturers in areas aligned with their specialty. Universities have a stable population of…

Limited organizational capacity has hindered Extension's ability to address substance misuse in communities. To inform capacity-building efforts, we obtained Extension educator and health educator feedback on opportunities, challenges and resource needs using the Delphi technique. Opportunities included collaboration and partnerships with local…

This study examined the program effectiveness of Health Rocks!, a youth substance use prevention program. Merging data from 128,544 youth participants in 21 states between 2009 and 2021, this study compared self-reported levels of knowledge, skills, and internal and external assets before and after the program. Youth reported significant increases…

We describe Pennsylvania's Commercial Manure Hauler and Broker Certification Program and discuss results of an industry survey. Survey knowledge questions were centered on state-mandated program competencies designed to minimize environmental losses of manure nutrients. Survey results demonstrated that participation in state-directed,…

Compared to urban counties, Utah's rural counties experienced high levels of unemployment. Informed by a statewide needs assessment, Utah State University Extension developed a remote work leadership course to equip business leaders with knowledge and skills to create remote jobs as a solution to rural unemployment. This descriptive evaluation…

An online survey was administered to all educators and specialists within the University of Maryland Extension to assess client-driven opportunities and priorities for energy-related programming, while in-service training evaluations were used to further assess programmatic needs. Results indicate the need for information related to energy…

Because FCS agents teach communities about dietary guidelines, it is important that they are aware of the latest nutrition research. This study assessed FCS agents' knowledge of popular fad diets (low-carbohydrate, intermittent fasting, detoxes and cleanses) and their potential adverse effects, and its relationship among location, certifications,…

This study explores the human dimensions of the broad-based adoption of Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRWCs) among farmers in North Carolina. We used an actor diagramming and tracing approach to explore factors influencing farmers' adoption of SRWCs. Results suggest four factors strongly influence the adoption process: (1) market availability; (2)…

Plant clinics have been used as a tool to help Extension professionals diagnose crop production problems; however, limited resources have made it difficult to continue to offer in-person clinics. Using distance-learning technology, University of Maryland Extension initiated and offered to Extension professionals "virtual" plant clinics…

Liberating Structures (LS) provide a user-friendly toolkit to shift group power dynamics and allow all stakeholders to contribute. We explored the novel use of LS in soil health extension to conduct high-engagement events with diverse stakeholders. Our goals were to promote social learning, networking, and to encourage innovation. Soil health…

The purpose of this paper is to present a profile of middle-school-age youth who participated in a weeklong experiential residential camp focused on helping campers learn about and interact with money, personal finance topics, and mainstream financial service providers. Based on pre- and post-test data, it was determined an experiential real-world…