cooperative insurance travel

Journal of Extension
December 2008 Volume 46 Number 6

• Editor's Page
  "Remove Personal Information for Review & Quicker Review Results!" discusses the paramount importance of removing personal information from submission files, gives instructions for doing so, and announces that, starting in 2009, authors are going to be receiving review results electronically. "February Issue Heads Up" points to the redesign we're rolling out with the February 2009 issue. "Keyword Offer" repeats an offer I've made before. "December JOE" highlights, among other great articles, the Commentary on "Extension's Response to the Housing Crisis" and anticipates more submissions on ways you're responding to help our clients through the current financial crisis.
• Extension's Response to the Housing Crisis
  [Article No. 6COM1] Turner, Pamela R.
  Extension needs to react quickly to the current housing crisis. Rising mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures negatively affect the families and communities where we work. Extension is well placed to meet the needs of individuals and families as they weather the economic downturn. We need to respond by providing information, resources, and programs on financial and stress management. Working with local partners, we can help families and stabilize the communities we serve.
• Keeping our Charm: Residents, Growth, and Quality of Life Issues in a Small but Growing Texas Coastal Community
  [Article No. 6FEA1] Schuett, Michael A.; Jacob, John S.; Lu, Jiaying; Respess, Logan
  The study reported here assessed residents' perception of small, fast-growing coastal community on issues of quality of life, conservation, and growth. Data for the study were collected from an on-site survey in Aransas County, Texas from 2006 to 2007. Results show that the residents are concerned about preserving their natural resources, maintaining a small town atmosphere in their community, and ensuring citizens' involvement in future planning efforts, especially with tourism. The implications of the study are discussed for Extension professionals and residents, suggestions for future research are provided.
• Understanding Community Impacts: A Tool for Evaluating Economic Impacts from Local Bio-Fuels Production
  [Article No. 6FEA2] Fortenbery, T. Randall; Deller, Steven
  The popularity of public investment in local bio-fuel production as a rural development initiative is growing. An important consideration in determining the level of public support for a plant's development, however, is accurately measuring public benefits resulting from plant activity. The purpose of the research reported here was to first develop a set of community multipliers associated with various bio-fuel plant configurations and then to develop an easy-to-use tool that allows local communities to measure potential benefits based on varying levels of plant activity.
• Layered Community Support for Sustainable Dairy Farming
  [Article No. 6FEA3] Konovalchuk, Vladimir; Hanson, Gregory D.; Luloff, A. E.
  Environmental, community, and economic sustainability of dairy production has important support layers based on production system characteristics, farm size, locational variables, age, and grazing system amenities. Advanced pollution control technology is key to the sustainability of especially large confinement dairies. Grazing dairies are positively viewed, and nearly 70% of respondents are willing to pay a $0.50 premium for milk from grazed cows. Study findings, based on analysis of 600 telephone survey responses from 28 Pennsylvania counties, indicate strong support for dairy farm sustainability, especially when compared with industrial development, which points to critical opportunities for future Extension education programming.
• Living Well: National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences National Media Campaign
  [Article No. 6FEA4] Clarkson-Frisbie, Jean; Bartman, Debra; Gregov, Carolyn; Gregory, Elizabeth; Day, Sharon Hoelscher
  In 2000, a benchmark survey gathered information from the 18-44 age general urban population about where that group seeks Extension information and the level of the group's awareness of the Cooperative Extension Service. The information was used to develop a Family and Consumer Sciences media public relations campaign that allowed all FCS Extension agents in the U.S. to make a programming impact using the same logo, slogan, and items. The campaign has been heavily used by Extension Family and Consumer Sciences educators to educate the public about Cooperative Extension. The results have application for all components of Cooperative Extension.
• Obesity Prevention and Health Promotion: How Family Life Educators View Their Role
  [Article No. 6FEA5] Lanigan, Jane; Power, Thomas G.
  Parenting and family life educators should be part of the multi-disciplinary solution to childhood overweight. Their ability to work in a preventative capacity to facilitate healthy family practices around eating and activity can help alter one of the key social contexts in which children develop. This article shares the results from a survey of parenting and family life educators that explored their current efforts and understanding regarding childhood overweight, willingness to increase future involvement with the issue, barriers to addressing the issue, and need for Extension support.
• Use of County Tax Rolls for the Creation of Mailing Lists for Extension Programming
  [Article No. 6FEA6] Londo, Andrew J.; Kushla, John D.; Smallidge, Peter
  The Extension forestry programs at Mississippi State and Cornell use county tax rolls for developing county landowner mailing lists. The use of these mailing lists, when combined with traditional past program attendee mailing lists, has increased the visibility and activities of both programs by reaching out to a larger clientele base, including uderserved landowners.
• Landowner Characteristics Associated with Receiving Information About Invasive Plants and Implications for Outreach Providers
  [Article No. 6FEA7] Steele, Jennifer; McGill, David W.; Chandran, Rakesh S.; Grafton, William N.; Huebner, Cynthia D
  Based on a survey of woodland owners in West Virginia, we examined the possibility of differences in the characteristics of those who had and had not received information about local invasive plants and implications for outreach providers. Findings suggest that landowners who farmed on their property, held recreation objectives, and lived in the local area were significantly more likely than their counterparts to have received information. A majority of landowners with these characteristics, however, had not heard or read such information. Implications for expanding awareness through both traditional and non-traditional information channels are presented.
• Short-Cut Estimates for Annual Hog CAFO Production: Relationship Between Hog CAFO Inventory and the Annual Production
  [Article No. 6RIB1] Thaiprasert, Nalitra
  The increasing numbers of hog CAFOs has become a pressing issue around the country, yet estimating the annual hog CAFO production can be a daunting task for local communities. Current accessible information about hog production levels is either complicated or not useful for most interested parties. This article aims to provide a straightforward calculation of annual hog production adjusted to the full-grown hog equivalent based on available inventory data. The calculation could then be applied to the state, county, or farm level, and results easily compared among same-level study areas.
• Marketing Local Foods to Gourmet Restaurants: A Multi-Method Assessment
  [Article No. 6RIB2] Curtis, Kynda R.; Cowee, Margaret W.; Havercamp, Michael; Morris, Robert; Gatzke, Holly
  The study reported here examines the gourmet restaurant market for local agricultural products in Nevada. A multi-method assessment was implemented to collect data for the study. Study results indicate that both local producers and gourmet chefs lack appropriate information concerning production possibilities and gourmet chefs' needs and preferences. Chefs indicated preferences for high-quality products and viewed quality and freshness as positive aspects of purchasing locally. Chefs desired small quantities of unique and specialty products. The impacts of the study have been positive, in that gourmet restaurant purchases of local products expanded in both the Reno and Las Vegas markets.
• Using Focus Groups to Evaluate Youth Development Program Direction
  [Article No. 6RIB3] White, David J.;