Issue: Agriculture Awareness

Work Group Names: Ron Woolley, Truman Lamb, Mark Arnold, Brian Cummins, Mike Gage

Region: EAST Circle which primary base program it addresses - ANR

Section 1. Relevance

Where did this issue surface?

Sources where issue surface

Texas Community Futures Forum

What is the issue/problem?

Consumers need research based information to make policy decisions and to understand the economics of agriculture and natural resource products and marketing.

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

All consumers.

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

Description: A lack of understanding affects all of products of agriculture.

Target Audience? (Who does the problem impact and how many?)

All Consumers.

Section 2. Response

State the goal of the program. This is a statement, usually general and abstract, of a desired state or outcome.

Increase awareness of agriculture and its impact on the general population.

State the outcome objectives.

Client Change	At the end of this program, will....
Knowledge	increase knowledge on.... 1) Food and fiber production, 2) Best management practices, 3) Food Safety, 4) Quantity and Quality
Skills	develop skills.... 1) Develop spokesman to address issues and provide information that impact public understanding and perception.
Attitude	change their attitudes pertaining to... 1) use of pesticides, 2) Food safety, 3) Environmental quality.

Program Design.

Topic (Subject Matter)	Strategy to Deliver Content (Method)	Existing Resource(s)	Contact Person(s) (Includes CEA’s Specialists, Commodity Reps)
Food and Fiber Production	Youth Ag Fairs	Ag in the classroom AgVenture Food and Fiber Roundup	Appropriate subject matter specialist. Farm Bureau, Commodity Groups
Bio-Teaching Education	New release; Ag Fair; Collaborating with commodity groups		Commodity groups; Agri Business; Appropriate subject matter specialists
Food Protection Management	Meeting	Food Protection Management	FCS & Ag Agents
Environmental Concerns	Meeting series Newsletter Demonstrations	Best Management Practices Fact Sheets
Animal Health Issues

Section 3. Results

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.