Survey of Extension Agents

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Survey of Extension Agents

• Ken Smith
• Outreach Specialist
• 608-262-8637
• kennethsmith_at_facstaff.wisc.edu
• http//www.biotech.wisc.edu/seebiotech

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The SEE Biotech consortium grant serves 5 states.

• A comprehensive regional program will be
  undertaken for training extension personnel,
  faculty members, and teachers in the economic,
  ethical, and social aspects of agricultural
  biotechnology.

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The SEE Biotech website at UW-Madison should meet
the needs of Extension Agents in the 5 states

• Social,
• Economic and
• Ethical
• aspects of Agricultural Biotechnology.

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It seemed logical enough to ask the question

• What kinds of issues do extension agents deal
  with?
• What sort of help do they need?
• What sort of format should it be in to meet their
  needs?

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We prepared a web survey.
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The beauties of a web survey include

• Its easier and faster for respondents
• (if the respondents are already sitting at their
  computers)
• No issues of interpreting handwriting
• Data should be relatively easy to tabulate
• Response is almost immediate

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Notifying agents in 5 states

• I have no idea how many there are possibly as
  many as 1000.
• (3 per county times 70 counties per state)
• No state-wide list of extension agents e-mail
  addresses was available
• If anybody can get me one for any of the states
  Id appreciate it.

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Notifying agents in 5 states

• We had to ask SEE Biotech contacts in each state
  to send out the message.
• That resulted in a variable message.
• Some requests sounded more urgent or more
  official than others
• In some states (MN, SD) all agents may not have
  received the message

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Responses

• A total of 154 responses came in.
• Very few came in more than 3 days after the
  request

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Open-ended Question

• Please give us an example of a question you have
  received.

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Tabulating the data

• Few respondents read the instructions on the
  media preference questions, or the instructions
  were not clear
• As a result, preference data are weak

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First media question

• 3a. What kind of material or aids would be most
  useful to you in explaining or providing
  information about biotechnology to the public?
  (Select as many as you like)

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Useful aids

• 82 computer power point
• 73 slide shows with no audio
• 69 descriptions of fun food projects
• 54 handouts
• 46 lab kits
• 35 VHS videotape
• 33 slide shows for slide projector
• 20 slide shows with audio
• 17 videos on cd-rom

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Second media question

• 4. There are many ways to make a presentation.
  Please check the ones you feel most comfortable
  using or find most useful. If you're comfortable
  with all, please check only the ones you prefer.
  Leave the ones you dislike blank.

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Preferred Presentation

• 65 VHS video
• 33 easel with paper
• 26 visuals from DVD
• 23 whiteboard
• 22 speak without aids
• 15 computer video
• 14 computer power point
• 14 chalk

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What I get out of this

• Power point slide sets
• VHS video tape
• Handouts
• Forget CD-ROM, physical slides, audio slide sets

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Agent suggestions re media

• This should not be about making presentations.
  Need some interactive ideas to ENGAGE the
  audience in thoughtful discussion. The days of
  the "expert model" with the audience passively
  listening to a university expert should be over.
  Adults learn best by participating.

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Agent suggestions re media

• Need training to better understand
• Need some engagement strategy
• Need information on overall food safety i.e. in
  Bt corn- aside from the cry protein- what is the
  role of the genetic marker(s) and are there any
  health concerns with it(them)?
• Names of specialists/people I can refer clients
  to for additional information

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Agent suggestions re media

• Media kits - the press are the ones that shape
  opinion- not us
• Materials to help local economic development
  contacts better recruit and retain high-tech ag
  businesses Materials to build capacity to support
  high-tech Ag Businesses
• Knowledge! Explanation of the politics of
  Europeans desiring to find any means to keep US
  Ag products out of European markets

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Agent suggestions re media

• Information must be concise, factual, and cost
  effective.
• Demonstrations would be useful so attendees would
  be able to connect with foods their familiar
  with.
• Accurate- science based research data that I can
  learn from and also show and explain to others
  would help the most

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Comments on Economics

• From the producer's perspective- where is the
  gain from applying any new technology? If the
  benefit is primarily for the originating company
  or the consumer- why should producers adopt or
  use a specific technology? What problem does a
  particular technology address? Perhaps one could
  defend the use of bt corn seed because the use of
  certain insecticides would not be necessary

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More Economic Comments

• I know so little, that I don't know the different
  aspects in order to be able to choose one.
• I wish we could move the benefits in GMOs more to
  consumers and not say just in weed and insect
  control. Once GMO's truly and directly benefit
  consumers there will definitely be a more
  willingness to accept the technology

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More Economic Comments

• If I were to engage myself in a program to
  educate folks about these issues, I would want to
  make sure that I was armed with information
  representing many perspectives. Using the Bgh
  controversy as an example, (and I was not
  immersed in it so this opinion is not
  well-informed) it did not appear that the
  university was providing balance in its
  educational programs.
• I have very little basis to form an opinion on.
  Since I know very little- anyone who knows more
  than me looks like a genius. I know so little-
  that I don't know the different aspects in order
  to be able to choose one

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Select Comments on Social Impacts

• Why lower societal levels will have to pay the
  price for the higher levels fixation on natural
  foods
• How Organic farming and local organic farms will
  actually provide more jobs and be a greater
  benefit to the local community
• We need to counteract the scare tactics being
  used by radical groups ("Frankenfoods")

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Select Comments on Social Impacts

• Education will help the public to a point.
  However, there are advocacy groups (mostly
  organic people and those who think biotech is
  going to continue to push the little guy out of
  farming) in the area who are vehemently opposed
  to any biotech
• Can we really trust the information? Who is
  telling us the truth? Does the government really
  look out for our best interests? Will this really
  have a positive impact on the rest of the world's
  population?

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Select Comments on Social Impacts

• The public should understand the reduced use of
  certain pesticides in production ag due to the
  growing of GMO crops is better for the
  environment and uses less energy to produce a
  crop than more traditional methods of crop
  production.
• The impact of big business and big-business
  mergers on how producers make their buying
  decisions

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Comments on Ethical Issues

• There is risk in everything we do. How do we sort
  this out so we are comfortable or okay with the
  decisions/inventions scientists make? How do we
  know that we won't "invent" a disaster?
• That Ag biotech is not all bad a perception held
  by many people. I'd like to be able to say what
  the "good" things about Ag biotech are!

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Comments on Ethical issues

• It's the media, advocacy groups who like to write
  letters to the media, who will need to be
  convinced more than the public itself.
• Many are just against biotechnology and think it
  is wrong. I don't know if we can change their
  minds. It might be better to take much of the
  information to the general public.

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Comments on Ethical issues

• I realize that plant life evolves all the time.
  However, who will help to preserve biodiversity
  for future needs and for historical study. I
  suppose I will be on the carpet for not
  rah-rahing the company line!! Oh well they will
  soon retire me...
• I think with a better understanding of the actual
  procedures being used- the public will lighten up
  on the ethical issues. The majority of the
  resistance to this technology is under-education.

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Comments on the Survey

• It wouldnt be hard to do this again
• A better E-mail list of agents in Minnesota and
  South Dakota would help.
• Dont ask questions with more than one possible
  answer

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Special thanks to

• Richard Kunert, systems operator at the UW
  Biotechnology Center in Madison, who wrote the
  server-side script that executed the survey.