Growing concern that the Cooperative Extension Service was failing to adequately reach small farmers with education materials through regular extension channels led to the implementation of Missouri's Small Farm Family Program. In this program, education assistants, many of whom are small farmers themselves, link the educational resources of the land grant university with the small farmer in his own social system. In 1977 questionnaires were given to education assistants to determine the personal qualities that have a bearing on the education assistant's capability as an intermediary, and the methods of operation utilized by the assistant. Of the 34 responding, most approximated the characteristics of their clients in 4 respects: sex, age, occupation and educational level. Satisfaction from helping people ranked as the primary source of job motivation; money ranked next to last. The education assistant's relationship with clients was personal, interactive, and empathetic. Visiting and listening were the activities stressed most highly (82%), followed by making clients aware of the help available from regular extension sources and government agencies. Finding people at home, the personal problems of clients, deficiencies in the assistant's own knowledge of how to motivate and work well with people, and lack of concern on the part of the client were some of the difficulties listed. Also listed and evaluated were the types of information obtained from the various university sources. (DS)