Weed Management during Pasture Establishment

This publication details techniques for chemical weed control prior to and during pasture establishment and is intended for county Extension faculty as well as owners and managers of grazing lands. Written by Brent Sellers, Pratap Devkota, Joao Vendramini, and Marcelo Wallau, and published by the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department, revised August 2021.

Hairy Indigo Control in Peanut

This publication provides county Extension agents, growers, and pesticide applicators with information on hairy indigo control options in peanut. Written by Jason Ferrell, Blaire Colvin, and Pratap Devkota, and published by the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department, revised May 2021.

2021 Guidelines for Operation and Usage of County Kitchens in the State of Florida

Many county Extension office buildings have small kitchens or areas for food preparation to accommodate employees, group educational events, and other mission-related activities. In recent years, many people have become interested in developing small food businesses. Using county kitchens to make food products for sale may seem very attractive. However, because of different local, state, and federal regulation requirements, there may be some confusion and unresolved conflicts among different parties as to the legalities and practicalities involved. The objective of this document is to provide guidelines and advice for Florida Extension personnel to use when determining the appropriate usage for their kitchen facilities, based on a situation in one Florida county. The document will cover utilization, roles and responsibilities, and potential liability issues relevant to the use of county kitchens, providing some potential solutions to conflicts for all parties.

Soil pH and Electrical Conductivity: A County Extension Soil Laboratory Manual

This is a minor revision with new authors. Originally published April 1993 by E.A. Hanlon. This manual has been designed as a reference source for UF/IFAS Extension county offices offering soil pH and/ or electrical conductivity tests to their clients. This manual if followed, will assist county faculty in assuring that these laboratory measurements are done correctly with high quality assurance.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss118

A county extension-delivered, email-mediated walking intervention: A programme evaluation

Objective: The promotion of walking could be a feasible population-level physical activity strategy because it requires little planning, is low cost and can be done year-round across settings. Community, nonprofit organisations offer one means by which to help increase walking through community programmes. The US Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service has a history that spans more than a century and is known for quality in the delivery of educational programmes to help improve the lives of people in communities across the USA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of the Get WalkIN’ intervention – an initiative supported by this programme – from the perspectives of both programme participants and county extension educators. Methods: Participants were recruited from 15 county extension sites in the Midwest region of the USA. Intervention emails targeted self-efficacy, social support, goal-setting and benefits/barriers to walking. To assess the perceptions of feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, participants and extension educators were asked to respond to a series of Likert-type scale and open-ended questions. Self-reported physical activity was assessed using the Godin Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: On average, participants and extension educators agreed that the programme was easy to use and would consider either recommending the programme to a friend or implementing the programme again within the community. Post-intervention, 69.1% of respondents were classified as sufficiently active compared to 60.5% pre-intervention. Conclusion: The use of the county-based US Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service is an effective option for health promotion programming. Furthermore, a theory-based, email-mediated intervention is a valuable strategy as an independent and convenient way to facilitate increase in physical activity.

2011 BEEF FORAGE SURVEY RESULTS

The University of Florida / IFAS South Florida Beef Forage Program (SFBFP) is composed of county Extension faculty and state specialists. The members, in conjunction with the UF/IFAS Program Evaluation and Organizational Development unit, created a survey in 1982, which is used to evaluate ranch management practices. The survey is updated and distributed every 5 years to ranchers in 14 South Florida counties: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee, Polk, and Sarasota. The responses are anonymous.