One challenging aspect of educating children is to gain and retain their attention. From past experience, the investigators know students are seeking hands-on experiences in their classes and educational experiences. Therefore, it is important to ask how do we develop these hands-on teaching modules and at the same time, enhance the learning potential of students? Also, how can we better focus students on the importance of agricultural education?

The first two questions are extremely important to educators and present a difficult task. The first question has been approached via live animals (baby chicks). The latter question will be approached through implementation of learning materials; these technologies created at the university level (through interaction between college professors, students, and communities) will further positively impact the students' views of education.

From this approach, the "Incubators in the Classroom" project was designed to enhance the awareness of agriculture through an interactive learning experience. "Incubators in the Classroom" provides incubators, fertile eggs, and educational materials to Indiana elementary classrooms. The program draws connections between products and the importance of education in the advancement of agricultural products.

It is hoped that this approach will further illustrate that learning can be fun and exciting. Collectively, these learning materials will provide a better understanding of (a) the relationships that exist between math, science, and products, (b) the importance of learning, and (c) higher education's role in the research and development of products.

The question is often asked, why target young school children? Super, et al. (1957) state, that it is around the 4th grade that children are exceptionally receptive to concepts. Therefore, it is essential to convey important messages during this time period. Further, Super, et al. (1957) suggest that little to no exposure to a particular subject at this stage of development generally resulted in little desire to learn about this subject later in life. Hence, the enhancement of active learning coupled with a university at this stage is important to ensure that future adults understand the importance of education and how it impacts the world.

The program, "Incubators in the Classroom," offers the following materials: (1) incubators for incubating chicken eggs, (2) a teacher's lesson guide to incubating chicken eggs, (3) a lesson guide covering egg formation within the hen reproductive tract, (4) a lesson guide for housing, brooding, and handling chicks safely, (5) a story-line agricultural learning guide (hardcopy and CD-ROM), (6) The Developing Chick Embryo CD-ROM, and (7) an embryonic developmental poster.

The 18 incubators are capable of incubating up to three dozen eggs. These are non-commercial incubators used only in classrooms and by educators within the State of Indiana.

The teachers lesson guide to incubating chicken eggs provides insight as to how chicken embryos develop and how to properly care for hatching eggs. This publication also provides information about the science and technology discovered through artificial incubation of chicken eggs. Specifically, the students learn how artificial incubation of chicken eggs has been applied to save wild bird species.

The egg formation guide provides educators with information regarding how, when, and where the process of egg formation takes place within the hen reproductive tract. This publication helps educators and their students understand the biology and anatomy of how an egg is formed within the hen.

The lesson guide for housing, brooding, and handling chicks safely provides teachers/educators with information about safely raising chicks. Specifically, this publication addresses (a) sanitation, (b) space, (c) feed and water, (d) brooding and housing temperature recommendations, and (e) safety issues.

The agricultural learning guide (hardcopy and CD-ROM) is a bilingual (English and Spanish) publication in which agriculture is seen through the eyes of two chicks, Chirp and Shelby. These chicks travel around the farm and continually question their parents and other animals about agriculture. Within the story, the chicks soon discover the many aspects of agriculture. Chirp and Shelby also discover that humans are engaged in educational studies at colleges, where people can learn exciting things and assist in the discovery of new technology. The goal is for children, both English and Spanish speaking, to develop a better understanding of the food and fiber chain and how a college education helps in the development of products for humans.

The Developing Chick Embryo CD-ROM was created to capture the process of incubation. The CD-ROM captures the fascinating development of a chick embryo in a 21-day period. The CD-ROM is similar to a VHS tape, except the user can easily navigate the CD-ROM, dictate how fast the embryo grows, and more closely monitor the developmental process by using Object QuickTime Virtual Reality© technology.

The embryonic developmental poster contains a series of color pictures and information covering the developmental process throughout the incubation period. The poster works well in combination with the CD-ROM, especially in a large group setting. The need for a poster is two-fold, (a) educators indicated a technology access barrier (computer with a CD-ROM), and (b) the poster can be displayed on a permanent basis for all students to view.

The project, "Incubators in the Classroom," has been tremendously successful in terms of acceptance by educators since it was implemented in May 1997. Since that time, the program has directly reached more than 15,000 school children. Specifically, the program has been delivered to 275 elementary classrooms, two state fairs and a farm progress show, eight daycare providers, five home schools, and 15 county Extension offices. The tremendous response for the program, in terms of popularity, has caused an interest in assessing the true impact of this program.

Currently the authors are visiting with educational experts at Purdue University in a quest to generate an agriculture awareness evaluation instrument. In addition, the team is pursuing effective avenues of educating youth through agricultural examples. Once a plan is drafted, the authors will be working with local elementary schools to further refine the program and it's learning materials. Past experience shows that successful programs include input by teachers/educators.

During the developmental process of new materials and evaluation techniques, a review committee of elementary teachers and Extension educators will be selected so that all contents are evaluated for language and subject matter. In addition, a questionnaire/survey response will be developed in order to assess participants' views of agriculture pre- and post-exposure to the program. The questionnaire/survey administered to participants prior to the program will provide some insight as to their knowledge and perceptions about agriculture prior to the implementation of the program. Likewise, the questionnaire/survey following the program will give the investigators some indication of the change in student perception towards agriculture following implementation of the program. The questionnaire/survey administered following intervention will also assess the program's learning materials.

In addition, the investigators will evaluate the program based on geographic locations and population sizes (rural vs. suburban vs. urban). For example, to test whether pre- and/or post-evaluation scores differ among children in rural versus suburban versus urban populations of Indiana. This type of evaluation will give investigators insight on how and where the to focus the program.

The authors thank The Indiana State Poultry Association, The Turkey Market Development Council, Purdue University, and The Purdue Research Foundation for financial assistance.

Super, D.E., Crites, J.O., Hummel, R.C., Moser, H.P., Overstreet, P.L., & Warnath, C.F. (1957). Vocational development: A framework for research. New York: American Book - Stratford Press.

Over 29,000 farms and ranches in Nebraska are involved in beef production. The beef industry offers a myriad of career opportunities, ranging from production to public relations to food safety. Even though many youth are active the management and day-to-day operations, informing them about current production practices and other aspects of the beef industry can have a positive impact on the industry.

Although the opportunity to remain on the ranch may not exist for all, knowing about other parts of the beef industry may encourage them to remain involved in the future. To help youth become more informed, the Youth Beef Roundup was held at the University of Nebraska Animal Science Complex in Lincoln. Other objectives were to familiarize youth with the University of Nebraska faculty and facilities and to develop leadership skills.

During this intensive two-day program, youth participated in eight different workshops that included hands-on activities such as giving injections, implanting, reading labels, condition scoring cows, yield and quality grading beef carcasses, and using the Internet to select bulls based on their EPD's. They also learned about job interviews and careers in the beef industry. Other activities included taste-testing beef products, seeing fistulated steers and their rumen contents, learning how ultrasound can be used to determine the sex of a fetus, learning how to calculate break even prices for calves, dealing with misinformation about the beef industry, and touring a meat processing facility.

The workshop targeted youth ages 12-18. The registration fee of $60 covered the cost of one night in a college dormitory, meals, and use of equipment and facilities. Many received scholarships from local cattle organizations and/or 4-H groups to attend the Roundup.

In an evaluation of the program, 95% of the youth stated they would use the information and knowledge gained at the Roundup in the near future. Specifically, 85% stated they would use it to improve a 4-H project, 80% would use it to help decide on a college major, 70% would use it to help decide on a future career, and 60% would use it in their future career. In addition, 95% of the youth planned to stay involved in the beef industry in one or more ways: 75% planned to be directly involved in beef production, 20% plan to be involved in public relations for the beef industry, and another 10% plan to be involved in another industry directly related to beef production.

Youth were asked to rank their knowledge about various topics before and after attending the Roundup. A scale of 1 to 5 was used, with 1 indicating "No Knowledge" and 5 indicating "Much Knowledge". Pre- and post-knowledge results were analyzed in paired T-tests for each topic covered by a workshop. Youth's perceptions of the pre- and post-Roundup knowledge were significantly different for all topics. Results were as follows:

Youth also had the opportunity to add written comments to the evaluation. Written comments were very positive about the program, especially the hands-on aspects. Written comments made about the program included "This is a good program that will help many of us understand the beef industry", and "I learned a lot and liked the hands-on stuff..".

Informal evaluations by faculty members involved indicated the youth were very interested in the workshops, the youth felt they learned something from the workshops that they could take home to their farm or ranch, and that the youth became more comfortable with asking questions and talking with faculty as the program progressed.

Based on the evaluations by youth and faculty, the program will be continued in its present format.

A Vine Grant program has been established through the Ohio Grape Industries Committee (OGIC) in cooperation with the Ohio State University Extension viticulturist to encourage the establishment of new wine grape vineyards in Ohio. At present, most Ohio wineries are forced to purchase grapes/grape juice of different wine varieties from other states because of a short fall in in-state production. OGIC has set aside funds in its budget for reimbursement of established vines as an incentive to promote the production of wine grapes in Ohio and reduce the dependency on external wine grape sources.

In the long term, the Vine Grant program will provide a more stable source of grapes for Ohio wineries. Additionally, wines produced from grapes grown within Ohio can be labeled with the state name (such as, Ohio Cabernet Franc) that will provide considerable name recognition to the Ohio wine industry. This program is strictly designed to encourage expansion of acreage that is not owned or operated by an Ohio winery. All Ohio wineries are precluded from applying for Vine Grants.

Each applicant selected to receive a Vine Grant shall be reimbursed for the purchase price of established wine grapevines. This incentive program covers from 1-to-5 acres per grower each year. The OGIC has a target of 15 new acres to be established each year. Growers will have to apply annually to be eligible for funding under this program.

Since this is a pilot project with a limited amount of funding, special consideration is given to all grape and other fruit growers. Additional funding may become available if qualified growers who meet all program requirements and show potential of becoming successful wine grape growers are available. The OGIC will make the final decisions regarding growers receiving funding under the incentive program.

Successful applicants will not be reimbursed under the Vine Grants program until the second year at which time all vines and trellises must be in place. Failure to complete each of the requirements set forth in the guidelines will disqualify an applicant from receiving any funding.

The Extension viticulturist will be in charge of vineyard site inspections and evaluation of each applicant. Questions regarding applications are directed to the OGIC or Extension viticulturist. The viticulturist advises applicants on specific aspects of the application process.

To maximize the success of the program, all juice grape growers and other fruit growers will receive top consideration for Vine Grants, although other potentially qualified persons are not precluded from applying. The program is intended to provide support for those individuals serious about making a long-term commitment to wine grape production. Those individuals who are merely testing their skills as viticulturists and/or are not sure of their long-term commitment to grape production were discouraged from applying.

Each grower will have to meet important vineyard management guidelines to qualify for any grant funding. Management guidelines assure that the grapevines established under the incentive program have the best possible opportunity to reach and maintain full production. To be eligible for funding through the OGIP Vine Grants incentive program growers must meet the following guidelines:

Only Ohio growers are eligible for the OGIC Vine Grant program. Ohio wineries are excluded from applying for these grants.

An applicant must have a minimum five-year harvest contract with a licensed and bonded Ohio winery.

Vineyard sites are evaluated by the Extension viticulturist to assure that each site is conducive for growing grapes.

Growers must plant wine grape varieties desired by licensed and bonded Ohio wineries.

Vineyard sites must be appropriately cleared and prepared for planting, with special attention given to field drainage (tiling and waterways).

Structurally sound trellises must be established by the second year, and a standard grapevine training system must be used to maximize yield potential and reduce unwanted grape diseases and pests.

A maintenance program for the vines must include balanced pruning, cluster thinning (when appropriate), soil and leaf petiole analysis, and pest control to reduce vine competition.

Applications must be filed by October 1st of each year.

The Vine Grant program was developed to encourage growers to plant additional acres of highly desirable varieties to improve the overall supply of in-state wine grapes. In the first year of the program, four growers applied for and received reimbursement for the cost of vines planted. Applications were reviewed by the OGIC and questions were directed to the Extension viticulturist regarding grower qualifications, vineyard establishment and maintenance, and overall potential of vines planted under the program to remain productive for several years. OGIC wanted to provide an incentive for commercial grape and fruit growers to plant new vineyards without having to underwrite the entire cost of establishment, which can cost from $5,000 to $10,000 per acre in the eastern United States. The average cost per acre of grapevines can be from $1080 to $2540 depending on whether vines are own rooted or grafted. Purchase of plant material for a vineyard can be quite expensive and may be a determining factor in whether growers increase production acreage.

Grower interest has been strong with several new growers inquiring about the guidelines and the ramifications of committing to a harvest agreement(s) for five years. In some cases growers were not sure whether they could remain committed to a contractual agreement of their grapes to one winery and they chose not to participate in the program. A five-year contract would lock in sales, and the seller/buyer were encouraged to develop a contractual agreement that provides an opportunity to raise the amount paid per ton depending on fair market value and quality of grapes.

This program was developed to encouraged experienced grape and fruit growers to plant more wine grapes. Individuals with no grape or fruit growing experience have been encouraged to develop some expertise before applying. OGIC was explicit that no funding be given to individuals lacking experience or viewing viticulture as a hobby. This restriction may help to assure that growers with the greatest potential receive grants.

The number of grape growers receiving funding will depend on the overall amount of money budgeted by OGIC. With a limit of five acres per grower, the committee can distribute grant money to a larger number of qualified growers. With any new program, critical evaluations and adjustments will be required to assure that the grant program remains viable to help foster the expansion of wine grape acres in the state. Several other states in the midwest and eastern US are interested in expanding their wine grape production to meet the demand from the ever increasing number of new and established wineries. This type of grant program that directly reimburses the grower for vines planted may be a useful approach to solving the high demand for wine grapes.

Financial records are an integral part of the long-term success of farm businesses. Properly used, farm records can help managers monitor production costs, analyze production enterprises, and make well informed management decisions. However, in too many cases, farmers keep records simply to satisfy tax requirements and fail to take the next step in using their records for management purposes.

A collaborative effort between the Tuscarawas County office of Ohio State University Extension, the Buckeye Career Center Farm Business Planning and Analysis (FBPA) Program, the local Farm Service Agency Ag Credit office, and the local branch of the Huntington National Bank helped create a successful farm management workshop. Planning meetings were held during the fall and winter of 1998 and 1999 with each of the cooperators to plan the workshop. During these meetings, the planning committee established workshop objectives, developed the curriculum, and developed a strategy to attract participants.

The workshop title, "Progressing to Profitable Performance," was selected to convey a message of helping producers achieve financial goals and taking action for their financial future. The curriculum was based upon materials developed by the Farm Financial Standards Task Force and included an in-depth discussion of each of the major farm financial statements: balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and income statement.

Farm managers consider this an important topic, but other commitments or deadlines prevent them from attending this type of workshop and the planning committee was concerned that attracting participants would be difficult. In addition to the traditional newsletters, radio announcements, and newspaper announcements, the planning committee identified specific individuals to invite. Lists of potential participants were developed from FBPA client lists, Farm Service Agency borrowers and Huntington National Bank borrowers. These lists were merged and the Huntington National Bank sent a letter of invitation.

Workshop objectives included an introduction to each of the farm financial statements, a discussion of how each of the financial statements is organized and constructed, and intensive, hands-on exercises using a sample farm to teach the concepts.

The planning committee decided to hold these two and one-half hour workshops one day per week for five consecutive weeks. Each session began with an introduction for the week and was followed by intensive, hands-on instruction. The first session began with the balance sheet, the most basic farm financial statement, and was followed by the income statement, statement of owner equity, cash flow statement, and a final session on financial analysis. This format allowed participants to understand the interrelationship of each statement and how one statement builds on the next.

Included in each session was a discussion of financial ratios that can be calculated and measured against established standards to measure performance and take corrective action. Part of one session was devoted to a question and answer period with the three lenders participating in the workshop. This proved to be a popular part of the workshop.

A post-workshop evaluation revealed a very favorable response to the workshop. Participants indicated they had learned new information and were better able to use the workshop information with their own farm financial records. On a scale of one to four (1) being poor and (4) being excellent) participants indicated their knowledge of farm financial records at 2.1 prior to the workshop and 3.2 following the workshop.

Collaboration with all members of the planning committee occurred through the joint efforts to make the program a success. Each of the planning committee members saw the objectives of the workshop as being important and each was committed to make the workshop useful to participants. This collaboration used expertise from many people interested in the long-term success of farm managers and provided participants with new skills to improve their management abilities.

This article is online at http://joe.org/joe/2000february/ent-iw.html.

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