Incorporation of a Statewide Webinar Series into an Existing County-based Beef Cattle Extension Program

With the objective of continuing educational delivery while county Extension offices were unable to host large group meeting due to pandemic response regulations, a series of webinars were developed as a component of the Tennessee Master Beef Producer program. A secondary objective was to maintain a county-based approach to programmatic delivery. To reach these objectives, individual webinars (Zoom Video Communications, San Jose, CA; n = 9), each lasting approximately 1.5 hr were developed by UT Extension Specialists and offered between October and November of 2020 covering the topics of breeding and genetics, reproductive management, nutrition, animal handling, economics, health management, and forages. Questions were administered during the live session via the Zoom polling function to assess production statistics and collect evaluation data. The series was advertised in local communities through UT Extension County Agents. Agents were given the opportunity to choose as many or as few to incorporate into their local delivery and could choose to give producers the option of viewing at home, at socially distanced group meetings, or either. Interaction was limited to the chat function within Zoom with the expectation that attendees would make audio and video interaction difficult to manage. Total live participation was 8,009 and averaged 890 ± 15.3 unique views per session. Each webinar was recorded and posted to YouTube to be used by agents for later delivery. In-webinar polling showed that an average of 91% of the webinar participants planned to implement a change on their operation as a direct result of information provided in the presentation. Post-webinar Likert scale (1 to 5) analysis of participants indicated approval of speaker ability (4.52 ± 0.03) and content quality (4.51 ± 0.03). These results indicate a high adoption rate by agents and that webinars are an effective tool for achieving behavioral change through a county-based Extension system.

Perceived Barriers Affecting Extension Agents’ Personal Resilience Post-Hurricane

Related disaster stresses such as employee burnout negatively influences effective disaster response. The prevalence of hurricanes and other natural disasters impact Extension agents around the world. This research explored barriers affecting UF/IFAS Extension agents’ ability to effectively engage in post-hurricane response. Resilience and burnout literature led to a researcher-developed conceptual model. A basic qualitative research design facilitated face-toface and telephone interviews with UF/IFAS Extension agents engaged in hurricane-response efforts. Results showed mental and physical stress, performance deficits, and perceived lack of motivation negatively affected agents’ ability to engage in post-disaster response. Overall recommendations were to: (a) strengthen communication between Extension administration and county agents, (b) inform agents of ongoing disaster developments to clarify professional disaster expectations, and (c) provide trainings on mental health and coping strategies in disasters. Results of this research suggest this phenomenon should be examined in other Extension systems. Keywords: barriers, Extension, hurricane, personal resilience, post-disaster response

196 Animal Nutrition: How are we serving our clientele through Extension?

Nutritional management is a crucial component of animal production and enterprise economic sustainability. Nutritional value of feedstuffs and nutrient requirements of livestock are often misunderstood by producers and feedstuff providers. Extension specialists support the continuing education of the livestock industry by communicating nutritional research results to county agents and clientele. A survey of Extension specialists in the ASAS Southern Section was conducted to understand the current state of nutritional education strategies in the region. The goal was to identify: 1) specialist background knowledge, 2) industries specialists serve, and 3) processes, tools, and resources used to maximize nutritional efficiency. The survey was answered by 25 specialists from 13 states. Among the 13 states, 1 state has 5 or more specialists providing nutritional assistance, while 6 indicated only 1 or 2, and the average number of specialists was 2.8 per state. Of the specialists, 13% indicated their background was feedlot nutrition, 47% forages, and 40% both. Animal industries supported included 85% for beef cattle, 3.5% for sheep and goats, and the remainder for other species such as dairy and horses. Currently, 9 states offer forage/feed analysis, and in the states that do not offer the service, specialists indicated that commercial laboratories were utilized. More specialists indicated they may require a forage analysis (70%) compared to grain/byproduct feeds (55%) before providing recommendations. When formulating feed recommendations, specialists indicated that 33% were performed by hand and 67% by computer program. All states indicated that they perform at least 1 agent and (or) stakeholder training per year on ration balancing. Additionally, when asked to characterize the nutritional knowledge of agents, specialists indicated 16% were capable of handling most nutritional issues, 23% could handle some issues, 41% had minimal familiarity with animal nutrition, and 19% were considered focused on other areas. These results indicate specialist knowledge base and tools to understand feedstuffs are present in the region. Stakeholders may benefit by understanding information required for nutritional assessment and recommended changes to meet production goals. Additionally, there is potential to work across state lines to utilize expertise in specific areas.

Managing Landscape Irrigation to Avoid Soil and Nutrient Losses

Proper irrigation management is critical to conserve and protect water resources and to properly manage nutrients in the home landscape. How lawns and landscapes are irrigated directly impacts the natural environment, so landscape maintenance professionals and homeowners must adopt environmentally-friendly approaches to irrigation management. After selecting the right plant for the right place, water is the next critical factor to establish and maintain a healthy lawn and landscape. Fertilization is another important component of lawn and landscape maintenance, and irrigation must be applied correctly, especially following fertilization, to minimize potential nutrient losses. This publication supplements other UF/IFAS Extension publications that also include information on the role of soil and the root zone in irrigation management. This publication is designed to help UF/IFAS Extension county agents prepare materials to directly address nutrient losses from lawns and landscapes caused by inadequate irrigation management practices. This 6-page fact sheet was written by George Hochmuth, Laurie Trenholm, Don Rainey, Esen Momol, Claire Lewis, and Brian Niemann, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, October 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss586

Conducting a Blue Dye Demonstration to Teach Irrigation and Nutrient Management Principles in a Residential Landscape

This publication discusses the “blue dye” test, which is one way that Extension professionals can show homeowners how water and nutrients move through the soil following irrigation. The information should be useful for county agents to demonstrate basic irrigation and nitrogen management practices and their effects on nitrate-nitrogen (N) leaching. This 4-page fact sheet was written by George Hochmuth, Laurie Trenholm, Esen Momol, Don Rainey, Claire Lewis, and Brian Niemann, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, November 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss594

Confirmation of Glyphosate-Resistant Italian Ryegrass (Lolium perennessp.multiflorum) in Arkansas

In 2007, populations of Italian ryegrass were observed surviving applications of glyphosate under field conditions in southeast Arkansas. At least 10 reports of Italian ryegrass escaping glyphosate applications followed in subsequent years in Arkansas. These were unconfirmed reports of resistance from county agents, consultants, and farmers. The objectives of this research were to confirm resistance to glyphosate in a suspected resistant population collected in 2007 (Desha 2007) and to determine the level of resistance of a putative glyphosate-resistant population collected in 2009, both from Desha County, AR. Other objectives were to determine the resistance frequency in these populations, to determine whether the 2009 population was also acetolactate synthase (ALS) or acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase-resistant), and to determine the effect on plant size as it relates to dose–response to glyphosate. The Desha, AR, 2007 population exhibited a low level of resistance to glyphosate. The estimated glyphosate dose that would control this population 50% was 1,260 g ae ha−1, compared with 190 g ae ha−1for the susceptible check. In 2009, a population of Italian ryegrass (Des03) was identified that survived a glyphosate application of 1,740 g ae ha−1made in the field, which is twice the commercial use rate for glyphosate. Dose–response experiments determined that an estimated 3,890 g ae ha−1glyphosate was required to obtain 50% biomass reduction of Des03; this was 23 times that of the susceptible standard. Neither growth stage nor glyphosate rate evaluated affected the level of resistance observed in the Des03 population. This population was determined to be more than 70% resistant at the levels reported. In addition to glyphosate, Des03 was also resistant to diclofop, a commonly used herbicide in wheat in Arkansas and other areas. As a result, alternative management strategies for Italian ryegrass are currently being explored.

Southern Farmers' Attitudes and Opinions about Federal Conservation Programs and the 2007 Farm Bill

FE682, an 8-page fact sheet by Michele C. Marra, Rodney L. Clouser, James L. Novak, and Nathan B. Smith, draws from the results of a national survey to report on southern farmers' attitudes and opinions about present and future conservation programs and goals. The information contained in this report should help policy makers make decisions that take the desires of farmers into consideration, and should also be of use to state Extension specialists and county agents in the southern region, in that it shows some areas where more farmer education might be beneficial. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Food and Resource Economics, February 2007.