Youth Agricultural Literacy

Work Group Names: DeeLee Smith, Phyllis Griffin, Kristi Kerr, Kim Miles, Gayle Hall

Region: East Circle which primary base program it addresses - 4-H

Section 1. Relevance

Where did this issue surface?

Texas Community Futures Forum

Specialist(s)

What is the issue/problem?

As generation after generation becomes further removed from the farm, American youth have less of an appreciation for the critical roles Ag plays in our nation.

Problem size and scope? (How many people does it affect? How wide spread?)

National problem / Production Ag generates in excess of 15 billion dollars in sales in Texas alone as well as serving as

the nation’s largest employee - in excess of 23 million jobs

Problem severity? (How serious is this issue?) HIGH

Description: Recent heightened concerns regarding bio-terrorism and our food supply creates an enhanced importance

for agriculture in our national safety awareness.

Target Audience? (Who does the problem impact and how many?) Youth 5-19 years

What are some general characteristics of the audience this program targets? How will you market this program to others?

Lack of knowledge about agriculture.

Section 2. Response

State the goal of the program.

State the outcome objectives.

Client Change	At the end of this program, will....
	See the below comments which cover all outcome objectives: 4-H Youth Development uses experiential, research-based educational opportunities that help youth become competent, caring, confident, connected, and contributing citizens of character. These experiences immediately yield new knowledge, which leads to changed behavior, through prolonged participation, gradually promotes attitudes, characterizations, and outcomes of: Competence - advanced skills in some important subjects of interest. Character - clear consistent moral precepts that effectively guide behavior. Confidence - willingness to take on new challenges, and expect success. Connections - establishing and maintaining relationships at many levels. *Contributions - making a difference in lives of others through service
Knowledge	increase knowledge on..... >Ag commodities and how it affects food supply. >Youth learn that milk comes from a cow, not HEB. >There are no chocolate milk cows.
Skills	develop skills.... >nutrition >record keeping >consumer education skills >cuts of meat
Attitude	change their attitudes pertaining to... >accessibility to Ag commodities
Behavior Change	adopt.... >choosing foods sensibly for healthy, nutritious options
New Technology	adopt.... >web-based record keeping
Best Practice	adopt .....

Program Design.

Topic (Subject Matter)

Strategy to Deliver Content (Method)

Existing Resource(s)

Contact Person(s) (Includes CEA’s Specialists, Commodity Reps)

Local Ag commodities	Ag in the Classroom http://www.agclassroom.org
Dairy farmers	Kids, Kows and More	City and County Government
Nutrition	Food & Fiber	Financial Institutions
Nutrition	Southwest Dairy Museum	Hospitals
Nutrition	Dairy Max	School Districts Boy and Girl Scouts
Nutrition	Texas Beef Council	Child Care Centers Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs
	North American Guidelines for Children’s Agricultural Tasks http://www.nagcat.org	Headstart Chamber of Commerce
Ag Commodities	Planet Agriculture Farm Bureau	Local
Ag Safety	Progressive Farmer Farm Safety Day Camp	Progressive Farmer

Section 3. Results

Client Change Level	Sample Questions (Review the objectives section to help place questions or statements in the space below)
Knowledge	> Where does milk come from? > Name one healthy snack.
Skills	> Provide a strong base for nurturing children’s literacy development and providing a variety of types of literacy experiences.
Attitude	> Provide a strong base for nurturing children’s literacy development and providing a variety of types of literacy experiences

PRE POST Example Evaluation

The following is a pretest and post test design to measure knowledge and some attitudes.

Agricultural Awareness

“Where students feel the presence of agriculture”

Student Survey of Agriculture

PLEASE CHECK THE ANSWER THAT GOES WITH HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STATEMENTS BELOW:

YES NO

Pigs provide medical products for human use. _____ _____

You should have 2-3 servings of dairy products every day. _____ _____

Erosion is the process of improving soil. _____ _____

Beef cattle provide people with leather to make belts and shoes. _____ _____

Agriculture is more than food. _____ _____

A dairy cow can produce milk even if she has never had a calf. _____ _____

Meat from livestock provides a good source of protein. _____ _____

Milk products include cheese, ice cream, and yogurt. _____ _____

All the water in the world is mainly useable water we can drink. _____ _____

Three-fourths of the earth’s surface is water. _____ _____

Can you get water out of the ground? _____ _____

Agriculture is the science of growing crops & producing livestock. _____ _____

Agriculture affects your life if you eat or wear clothes _____ _____

CIRCLE THE BEST ANSWER:

Cotton is a fiber used to make:

blue jeans leather wool

Water conservation should be practiced by:

farmers homeowners industry everyone

Annual rainfall _______ influences the type of crop grown in the various geographic regions:

never sometimes always

Today, a 1 pound loaf of bread loaf costs $1.00. How much of that $1.00 do you think the farmer gets.

5 cents 25 cents 50 cents 75 cents

The worse time of day to water the landscape is:

the morning the middle of the day during the night

Over 50% of the water used inside the home is for:

bathing and flushing drinking and cooking washing clothes and dishes

PLEASE CHECK THE BOX FOR THE STATEMENT THAT BEST DESCRIBES HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT AGRICULTURE:

Statements	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	No Opinion	Agree	Strongly Agree
Agriculture will become less important as the population of the earth increases and more people live in the city.
It is important for farm animals to eat grass and grains so humans may use their meat and other by-products to improve human life.
If farmers did not raise farm animals or grow crops, I would not be able to eat such foods as pizza.
Farmers are doing a good job of providing food and habitat for wildlife.
Eating meat is an important part of a healthy and balanced diet.
Agriculture touches my life ever day.
This agriculture awareness program has allowed me to understand the importance of agriculture.
I am going home to tell my parents about the importance of agriculture.

Economic Indicators. Are there economic indicators that can be measured concerning this issue?

YES NO

Please list them below.

Interpretation. The last step in the process is interpreting the results to our stakeholders. List internal and external stakeholders that would be interested in the results of this educational program. Do not forget to think about other state agencies and groups that would be interested in these outcomes.

Internal to Extension Stakeholders

External Stakeholders

Commissioner’ Court

Ag Program Committees

EPC

Ag producers

Farm Bureau

Those involved in the program

Additional Resources. What additional resources are needed to address this issue? In other words, what is needed to design innovative programs that will impact our audiences? Use the space below or the back if needed.