February 2005
Volume 43 Number 1

Tools of the Trade

What Cooperative Extension Professionals Need to Know About Institutional Review Boards: Risks and Benefits

Dan Weigel
Area Extension Specialist/Professor
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada
weigeld@unce.unr.edu

Sally Martin
State Specialist/Professor
Human Development and Family Studies
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada
smartin@unr.nevada.edu

Randy Brown
Consultant
Brown & Associates Research
Hollister, California
brownr@unce.unr.edu

More and more, Extension professionals are being asked to first run their needs assessment, program evaluation, and applied research projects through their university's Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). This article is the third in a series that addresses a number of issues in working with IRBs. (See "What Cooperative Extension Professionals Need to Know About Institutional Review Boards" and "What Cooperative Extension Professionals Need to Know About Institutional Review Boards: Recruiting Participants".) This article concerns the issues of risks and benefits associated with a research project.

What IRBs Look For

As IRBs review proposals, their primary concern is the protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects in research. The efforts of IRBs are directed at:

• Identifying the risks associated with the research;

• Evaluating procedures to minimize risk;

• Identifying the potential benefits to be derived from the research;

• Determining whether the risks are reasonable in relation to the benefits to subjects, if any, and assessing the importance of the knowledge to be gained; and

• Ensuring that potential subjects will be provided with an accurate and fair description of the risks or discomforts and the anticipated benefits.

Why is it important to consider the risks and benefits to participants? For potential participants to make a truly informed decision, they need to be able to weigh what risks they may encounter versus what benefits will come from their participation. In making their assessment, the IRB takes into account the purposes of the research and the setting in which the research will be conducted.

Identifying Risks

When writing a protocol, it is important for Extension professionals to thoroughly consider the potential risks that participants may encounter. There are several types of risks.

Physical Risk

Is there a chance that participants can be physically hurt or injured by participating in the project? For example, the evaluation of an educational nutrition and health project might include measures of body fat or the collection of blood or other bodily fluid. How might the collection of such data be risky for participants?

Emotional Risk

Does the collection of information generate emotional distress or anxiety? In an evaluation of a parent education program, for instance, are questions being asked that may create a strong sense of inadequacy or guilt in young parents?

Social Risk

Does participating in the evaluation or research project create a risk of affecting people's relationships with family, friends, neighbors, or other community members? For example, if it becomes known that a farm operator is participating in an Extension program designed to help farmers on the verge of foreclosure, how could that influence his or her relationships with friends, neighbors, or even potential lenders?

Economic Risk

Can participants be financially affected in a research project? An economic business development project in a small, rural community, for instance, might ask business owners to disclose financial information or business practices. If such information becomes known in a small town, it could jeopardize the future of that business.

Legal Risk

Are participants being asked to reveal information that might put them at risk for legal action? For example, a community-wide survey of youth might ask questions about implicating or illegal behavior, such as drug use, criminal activity, or sexual behavior. If a specific teenager's answers become known, the information might become grounds for criminal procedures.

Minimizing Risks

Just as important as identifying potential risks, IRBs look for safeguards that are in place to minimize potential risks and protect people's privacy and confidentiality. They look to see that risks are minimized as much as possible by:

• Using procedures that do not unnecessarily expose participants to risk;

• Determining if appropriate additional safeguards are in place to protect the rights and welfare of subjects, especially if they are likely to be members of a vulnerable population (e.g., children, prisoners, fetuses, pregnant women, human in vitro fertilization, persons who are cognitively impaired, or persons who are economically or educationally disadvantaged); and

• Determining whether adequate procedures are in place to protect the privacy of subjects and to maintain the confidentiality of the data.

Identifying Benefits

Beyond assessing risks, IRBs look for what benefits might come from the research project for participants, if any, and for the field in general. For example, an Extension professional might evaluate two exercise programs for senior citizens. If participants were to receive a summary of the results and be able to enroll in the better program, they may have direct benefits resulting from the study.

In addition to benefits for participants, some of the benefits for the field in general might include the identification of promising techniques for identifying needs, the recognition of effective teaching strategies or technologies, or the highlighting of educational programs that truly make a difference in people's lives. If results of the evaluation of the exercise program were to be shared at conferences or in publications and used in future programming, then the study may advance the field in general.

Comparing Risks and Benefits

In their discussions, IRBs weigh whether the risks to participants are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The goal is to ensure that the risks to research participants posed by participation are justified by the anticipated benefits to the participants or society. Toward that end, IRBs judge whether the anticipated benefit, either of new knowledge or of improved well-being for the research participants, justifies asking any person to undertake the risks.

Communicating Risks and Benefits to Participants

IRBs will want to see how the Extension professionals plan to inform potential participants of the risks and benefits. Projects can have risks, but those risks need to be communicated so participants can make an informed decision about whether or not to participate.

Obtaining informed consent is a critical step in conducting ethical research projects. As part of that consent process, people need to know what risks might be involved and what benefits might result from their involvement--only then can they make an informed choice to participate. The final article in this series will focus more closely on the issue of obtaining informed consent.

In conclusion, as Extension professionals plan their projects, they will want to keep in mind the potential risks and benefits for participants. Addressing these issues will make for a better IRB submission and ultimately higher quality projects.

Extension Professionals' Ever-Changing Roles when Working with At-Risk Clientele

Alayne Torretta
County 4-H Agent
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Warren County
Belvidere, New Jersey
Torretta@aesop.rutgers.edu

Extension's role is to educate participants of its programs and measure impact upon clientele. In addition, Extension professionals are quite familiar with evaluating client satisfaction to improve and modify the program to increase client's satisfaction rating. However, when working to improve the skills of at-risk clientele, the professional faces the challenge of balancing what the clients want with what they need. Often these two extremes come into conflict with one another.

While Extension professionals are educators, the at-risk clientele have many issues that supersede education. How then does the educator create an environment that is conducive to learning, build a trusting relationship, and meet immediate needs that interfere with learning without exceeding the boundaries of the role of educator into the role of therapist?

A framework is necessary from which the Extension professional can operate. Figure 1 presents a helpful tool for the Extension professional in maintaining boundaries in the professional relationship with the clientele as well as understanding the various "roles" needed to move clients to adopt improved practices.

Figure 1.
Cooperative Extension At-Risk Service Model

How the Model Has Been Applied

The Children Youth and Families at Risk initiative in New Jersey has sponsored a Family Camp program for at risk families. Two of the goals of the camp are to increase communication among family members and to identify barriers to positive communication. Program evaluations revealed that both parents and youth would like more structured time apart.

At first glance, it seems a legitimate request to allow more time apart. After all, parents can learn a lot from and support each other, and peer support among teens can be a very positive experience. However, the goals of the program are to increase trust and communication skills among family members, something that many at-risk families report they struggle with on a daily basis and report that they are not comfortable interacting with each other for one reason or another.

After much discussion among Extension professionals who assisted with implementing the camp, it was stressed that the goals of the camp are family centered, and, because the camp is one weekend out of the year, it was decided not to structure future camps with "alone time" for parents and teens. The role of the Extension professional, in order to teach concepts of healthy communicating, is to assist with this uncomfortable skill-building exercise to forge positive changes within the family.

The Extension professional takes on a supportive, counseling role to assist family members in internalizing new concepts (Figure 1). The purpose of the program is to move the client from obligatory behavior that is extrinsically rewarding onto voluntarily, self-regulated intrinsically rewarding behavior. As clients acquire more skills and takes more responsibility for themselves, the role of the Extension professional shifts to that of advisor or leader and then eventually to that of facilitator or partner.

The Model

Intervention

Although the role of the Extension professional is "counselor" during the intervention stage, do not perceive this as in the traditional patient/doctor relationship. As a counselor, the professional has more control of the environment and the activity. At this stage, there is little input from the clientele as to which activity/lesson is used and how the activity will run. Based on a needs assessment, the professional chooses the appropriate lesson or activity that will most accurately meet clientele's needs.

For example, a mother who is in danger of losing a child due to parental negligence may be referred by a social service agency or the court to Extension-sponsored parenting classes to learn proper nutrition or discipline for her child. The mother may not be able to identify her needs, because she may see nothing wrong with her parenting style. In addition, accompanying the mother's lack of skills may be regret/guilt, low self-esteem, or much anger/blame. The Extension professional can penetrate through these barriers using empathy and encouragement so that she can focus on the lesson at hand.

Empathy and encouragement are basic skills professional counselors use to initially build a working rapport with their clients. It is important to note that if a client cannot move to the next level to education after using an empathic approach, communication between the referring agency and Extension professional is crucial for providing the client with additional resources, such as a professional counselor or psychiatrist, in order to meet her basic needs before implementing prepared lessons.

Education

This is the realm where Extension professionals are traditionally most proficient. As that same mother begins to feel safe and trusts the Extension professional, she becomes open to new ways of tackling old and sensitive problems. She is more prepared to accept new information given to her during the prepared educational lessons. There are many effective curricula in the Extension system that improves parenting skills and family strengthening such as Strengthening Families program: For parents and youth 10-14 (Molgaard & Spoth, 1998), and Building Family Strengths (Thames & Thomason, 1999).

Recreation Participation

Effective and comprehensive programs go one step further to include a recreation participation portion, where participants can implement, under facilitated circumstances, newly learned skills. Such activities in this realm include the Family Memory Book (Torretta, 2003). It is important to note that the Extension professionals' role is to facilitate and supervise to assure that participants derive maximum benefits during the activity. Use of recreational activities for a desired outcome is the basic premise for the field of recreation therapy, which is the field that originated the Therapeutic Recreation Service Model.

Using loosely structured recreation activities provides the arena for practicing the concepts newly learned in the educational segments. According to Garbarino (2001), research on violence reduction programs show that successful programs combine cognitive restructuring with behavioral rehearsal.

Conclusion

It is important for Extension professionals to be aware of the role they assume when working with at-risk clientele in order to empower them to work towards an independent, contributing lifestyle. The Cooperative Extension At-Risk Service Model gauges clientele needs and assists professionals in visualizing where the clients are in the spectrum and where they are in relation to the desired outcome. What impedes the educational process is when the professional becomes "stuck" in a counseling role. He or she needs to step back and view the process in its entirety. This tool serves this purpose.

References

Garbarino, J. (2001). A safer community of children and youth: Ten things you can do. Satellite Broadcast, Iowa State University Extension Service.

Molgaard, V., & Spoth, R. (1998). Strengthening families program: For parents and youth 10-14. Iowa State University Extension publication.

Peterson, C. A., & Gunn, S. L. (1984). Therapeutic recreation program design: Principles and procedures. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Thames, B., & Thomason, D. (1999). Building family strengths. Clemson University Cooperative Extension Services publication.

Torretta, A. (2003). Using a family memory book to strengthen families. Journal of Extension [On-line], 41(6). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2003december/tt1.shtml

Torretta (2003). Family memory book. Rutgers Cooperative Extension publication

Torretta, A. (2003). Family memory book user's guide. Rutgers Cooperative Extension publication

Non-Traditional Extension Education Using Videoconferencing

Dan Nudell
Research Scientist
Hettinger, North Dakota
dnudell@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Beth Roth
Extension Agent
Hettinger, North Dakota
broth@ndsuext.nodak.edu

David Saxowsky
Associate Professor
Fargo, North Dakota
dmsaxows@ndsuext.nodak.edu

North Dakota State University

Introduction

Prior to videoconferencing, for-credit university programs for adult learners required the student to travel to a campus location. This was difficult for older-than-average and other non-traditional students. Studies conducted throughout the years have all shown there is a strong need for distance education in our rural communities.

Potential students indicate they are constrained by financial and time pressures, commitments to family and jobs, and responsibilities to the operation of the family farm or business.

Clients also indicate they need training beyond the traditional offerings of our land-grant system. They need to be connected to educational resources ranging from plumbing certification to human resource management to nursing, as well as to the more traditional agriculture and family management training offered by Extension.

Extension serves many clients who live great distances from university campuses. By utilizing videoconferencing, educators are successfully facilitating connections between their clients and educational resources located anywhere in the world.

Training in Action

Videoconferencing has been used for years in a variety of ways throughout our state. Following are a few of our success stories.

"It's been great. We can get a one or two hour class without using up a whole day traveling," Pat Carroll, Adams County Auditor.

In the past, continuing education for Pat Carroll meant traveling to Bismarck, North Dakota to attend training--a 300-mile round-trip. This distance may often require an overnight stay. The time and expense of this travel are a burden on county government budgets and a staffing problem in a small office. Through videoconferencing, Carroll has participated in training on delinquent taxes and the taxation process, budgets and other auditing topics, using time wisely, Americans with disabilities act, family medical leave act, and workers compensation.

"We have been waiting for this technology for years," Harvey Peterson, Golden Valley County Extension Agent

Harvey Peterson recently brought the High Profit Wheat School taught by agronomists at the campus of North Dakota State University (NDSU) to his county. Because Golden Valley County is 350 miles from NDSU, attendance by local producers on campus or bringing instructors from the campus to the county is cost and time prohibitive. The High Profit Wheat School included specialists in wheat breeding, plant nutrition, plant disease, weed and insect control, and crop marketing. Local producers were grateful for the opportunity to attend this multi-session school.

"Continued education allows individuals to continue to live here while training or retraining in a profession of their choice," Melana Howe, Chief Nurse Executive, West River Regional Medical Center

West River Regional Medical Center serves an 18,000-square mile area of the western Dakotas. It is the only full-service medical facility available for many residents of this area. The medical center has long identified a need for licensed practical nurses and has difficulty recruiting LPN's to serve in such a rural area. Distance education has allowed the medical center to train local residents to fill these critical jobs. This accomplished two positive outcomes: filling the nursing shortage and creating new employment for residents.

Issues

Successfully providing credit courses required numerous organizations to collaborate. Multiple campuses, the state interactive video network system, the state information technology department, local organizations needing employee training, local facilitators, and the students all need to work together to accomplish the task.

Several issues arose with this new collaboration. They included working with universities we have not worked with before; working in subject matter areas different than our traditional agriculture, youth and family programming; and accommodating a "campus coming to the student" model, rather than the traditional reverse approach.

Facilitating a relationship between our clients and a college or university not our own creates new challenges. As the facilitator for a program being delivered to the local site, the student sees the Extension professional as the go-to person for help in solving any issue that arises during the course of study. While we may feel comfortable helping answer questions relating to courses offered by our home university, assisting students enrolled at another institution can be problematic. This forces us to take the time to quickly build relationships with different campuses so we can assist students or direct them to an appropriate resource.

In the same way, as we facilitate education in areas of study different from our training, we need to learn who the contacts are to provide student assistance to this new clientele. For example, facilitating a nursing class at an agricultural research center quickly revealed that we needed a strong relationship with the staff at the college of nursing so the students using our facility felt connected to their program in the same ways that on-campus students were.

Finally, while distance delivery of education is not new, videoconferencing as a delivery method and responding to the wants and needs of the remote student have made distance delivery much more labor intensive for the facilitator at a remote site. As we expand beyond traditional Extension non-credit training by facilitating more credit offerings, we need to prepare to proctor tests, distribute daily class materials, send and receive faxes, take roll call, and complete other small tasks that increase the facilitator's workload and time commitment.

The rewards of adding more diverse educational offerings for our rural clients far outweigh the additional burdens. The people served are often new clients to the Extension service. Facilitating credit education allows us to interact with a new and diverse audience.

Future Plans

The education being offered through videoconferencing has been so successful that we now recognize the need to provide more student services than the current staff can supply. To make our rural locations a true learning environment, connections with distant teachers, accessing campus services (such as financial aid, and student counseling), and providing a liaison between local students and the numerous universities delivering education to each location all need to strengthened. To fulfill these duties, we are searching for funding to hire a distance education learning center coordinator. Questions are also being raised about how to administer tests and bring needed university resources to the students.

Promoting Biosecurity in the Equine Community: A New Resource for Extension Educators and the Equine Industry

Jennifer Ather
Undergraduate Student
jather@uvm.edu

Elizabeth A. Greene
Associate Professor and Extension Equine Specialist
Betsy.Greene@uvm.edu

University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont

Introduction

The term "biosecurity" is more commonly associated with cattle operations than equine operations. However, a recent outbreak of some infectious diseases such as Equine Herpes Virus and Vesicular Stomatitis at several U.S. equine facilities warrants the need for equine biosecurity. Biosecurity is defined as management practices and procedures that can reduce the risk of infectious disease outbreaks. In agricultural facilities, biosecurity can involve management of animal health, animal/vehicle/human traffic patterns, manure, pastures, and water and soil quality.

The equine industry has unique challenges relative to biosecurity protocols because successful riding instruction programs and boarding and training operations are often dependent on heavy barn traffic of both horses and clientele. However, facility owners can significantly reduce the risk of disease transmission for horses and clientele by learning to pay close attention to and making changes in daily routines, behaviors, and management protocols. The Tools for Promoting Biosecurity in Vermont's Equine Industry CD-ROM provides Extension personnel with a new, easy-to-use resource to increase the knowledge of equine clientele about the biosecurity risks in their own facility.

Biosecurity Challenges Faced by Equine Owners

Unlike many other traditional agricultural livestock businesses, most equine operations:

• Depend on public traffic in their facility--Most equine operations rely on visitors for their livelihood (boarding horses, giving lessons, hosting trail rides, etc.), and cannot restrict public access.

• May have limited options for manure disposal--Depending upon the size of the facility, equine owners may not have adequate storage area, equipment or fields for spreading, or adequate quantities to utilize outside compost facilities.

• May rely on frequent participation in shows and events--Practices such as limiting travel and exposure to strange animals are not always realistic goals when business success often relies on effective marketing of animals through performance of animals and/or clientele in competition or activities off the farm.

• Do not maintain a closed herd--Horse temperament, owner preference, or physiological growth stage often dictate horse pasture groups, rather than travel schedule and/or quarantine issues. In addition, most equine facilities lack adequate quarantine areas for newly purchased, sick, or traveling animals.

Prevention Is Key

The risk of infectious disease is best reduced by sanitary day-to-day practices and routine attention to facility management. Some obvious benefits of incorporating good biosecurity procedures in management practices include:

• Preventing an infectious disease outbreak--Prevention of one occurrence of an outbreak could potentially save thousands of dollars in veterinary costs.

• Alleviating ecological issues with water and soil quality--Responsible livestock nutrient management is critical, especially as residential areas infringe upon agricultural operations. It is imperative for horse owners to be proactive in avoiding any problems with non-point pollution.

• Improving animal health--Stricter biosecurity protocols and practices can reduce the possibility of animal loss due to death or extended recovery times from illness.

A preliminary impact study was conducted with the final draft of the CD-ROM. In the 10 horse facilities of varying sizes and disciplines that tested the materials, lack of proper or adequate quarantine facilities was identified as a common occurrence. Reviewers found the Wildlife Biosecurity and Disease sections extremely helpful. All participants found areas for improvement in their operation after utilizing the biosecurity guidelines and recommendations.

Increasing Horse Owner Awareness

Tools for Promoting Biosecurity in Vermont's Equine Community is designed to help users increase their knowledge of disease mechanisms in barns and modification of management protocols to prevent spread. The three most common methods of disease transmission in the barn are from (1) horse to horse, (2) human traffic in the barn, and (3) wildlife and pests (rodents, birds, and insects) gaining access to the barn. Each of these risks is addressed in a section, with in-depth information on the potential hazards they represent. These are followed by the infectious diseases section, which breaks down common equine ailments by cause, agent, symptoms, treatment, responsibilities of the owner, and keys to prevention. Finally, a compost publication specifically targeting horse owners is included.

Using the Materials

The CD-ROM is specifically designed in a format for "busy horse owners" to help them take an active role in biosecurity management. The "Quick View" in each section provides a condensed reference for readers to pick up information at a glance. The CD-ROM provides tools for the user including:

• Evaluating Your Current Practices--Horse owners take a pre-survey to categorize their operation as low-risk, medium-risk, or high-risk, based on activities and how much attention is given to biosecurity issues.

• Quick Views--Each section begins with a table that summarizes key points. This provides the "bottom line" to readers/users who are looking for a specific point.

• In-Depth Information and Resources--Sections contain a thorough breakdown of background information, recommended biosecurity protocols, and references to further reading.

• Summary Surveys--Sections end with a checklist survey that emphasizes the main ideas of each section, allowing the user to apply the recommended practices to their own facility.

Although the CD-ROM is specifically geared to the state of Vermont, its format can easily be adapted for application to other state regulations and region-specific problems. Additionally, references are cited throughout the CD-ROM, allowing easy access to further information. The CD-ROM is available through UVM Extension by contacting the second author.

Acknowledgment

This project was funded through the University of Vermont Undergraduate Research Endeavors Competitive Award Program (J. Ather with Faculty Mentor E. Greene).

Using a Contest to Attract and Disseminate Innovative Production Practices

Mohamed F. R. Khan
Extension Sugarbeet Specialist
North Dakota State University & University of Minnesota
Fargo, North Dakota
mkhan@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Introduction

In eastern North Dakota and Minnesota, there are three sugar cooperatives where the growers own the land, machinery, and equipment for sugarbeet production and the factories for processing the sugarbeet. The sugar cooperatives are American Crystal Sugar Company, with five factories, and Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative and Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, each with one factory. The cooperatives are comprised of 3,600 growers producing about 50% of U.S. beet sugar (Anon., 2002). The sugarbeet industry contributes $2.3 B in economic activity to the bi-state area (Bangsund & Leistritz, 1998).

Specialized sugarbeet machinery and equipment are manufactured by a small group of companies mainly in sugarbeet production states. Most growers modify their machinery and equipment to further improve production efficiency. In 1978, the Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota (SBREB) initiated the Grower Idea Contest. The contest provided a forum whereby growers willingly submitted ideas to be shared with other growers. The ideas were disseminated at annual sugarbeet seminars and in the Sugarbeet Research and Extension Reports as information and for adoption or further modification and adoption by fellow growers.

Rules, Ratings, and Rewards

The grower idea contest was managed by a committee comprised of one grower and one management representative from each of the three sugar cooperatives and two Extension sugarbeet specialists. The SBREB funded the contest. In August, growers were invited to submit ideas they had successfully implemented in improving their production practices. The entry provided the following information:

• Title of idea;

• Description of the idea, how it came about, how it worked;

• Number of seasons and acres where idea was used;

• Cost of implementing the idea;

• Benefits in terms of financial savings, increased efficiency, improved safety; and

• Photographs that illustrated the idea.

Areas of production that were of particular interest included:

• Improving plant stand,

• Nitrogen management,

• Environmentally friendly practices,

• Energy savings,

• Reduced tillage systems,

• Equipment modifications,

• Maximizing yields,

• Improved safety, and

• Reducing harvest losses.

Growers generally submitted their ideas through their agriculturists who ensured that the entries followed requested guidelines. About 10 to 20 ideas were submitted annually. The contest committee rated all the ideas based on:

• Quality of the entry,

• Originality,

• Simplicity,

• Adaptability,

• Importance to the industry, and

• Economics.

Growers determined the winners by ranking the ideas presented at the annual winter seminars. Generous cash prizes were awarded to winners, who were recognized at the annual International Sugarbeet Institute (ISBI) attended by several thousand growers and allied industry representatives. The winning entries were also highlighted at the North Dakota State University and University of Minnesota exhibition booths at the ISBI. Agriculturists encouraged and assisted growers with good ideas to submit entries to the contest. Agriculturists who assisted entry winners also received cash prizes and were recognized. All ideas submitted, with permission by the entrants, were published in the annual Sugarbeet Research and Extension Reports.

Discussion

The Grower Idea Contest served to inform and educate growers of production practices that fellow growers had successfully implemented. Some of the ideas were further developed and commercialized. Most successful ideas were usually very quickly and widely adopted by growers and became part of sugarbeet production practices. Some examples of grower ideas widely adopted in the industry include the use of mud removers on wheels of trucks at harvest and the "Safety-T Pull" used in safely pulling machines and equipment stuck in fields. Some growers modified ideas to suit their particular situation. Growers interested in a particular idea would contact the developer of the idea through the Extension sugarbeet specialists or field agriculturists.

Sugarbeet acreage in Minnesota and North Dakota increased by over 250% from the early 1970s to 2003. Growers were able to cope with the increased acreage by quickly adopting mechanization. The Grower Idea Contest played a significant role in growers sharing ideas quickly, which enhanced mechanized activities in sugarbeet production (Youngquist, 1989).

The attributes of the Grower Idea Contest that contributed to its success are as follows.

• The ideas were developed and proven by fellow growers.

• The contest was voluntary. Growers willingly shared their ideas that benefited other growers.

• Growers were interested in The Grower Idea Contest; the contest was a well-attended feature at all winter seminars.

• Sugarbeet growers generally very quickly adopted new and proven ideas, practices and technology.

• Because most growers were shareholders, all benefited from improvements in the industry.

Possible Usefulness of Contests for Educators

• Educators could use contests to share tried and proven practices, skills, or technology with clientele having similar interests.

• Contests could be planned and implemented to attract the attention and develop interests of particular target groups. For example, if a low income group of clients were interested in using a low carbohydrate diet, a contest could focus on developing and judging recipes of low carbohydrate, low cost meals that are well presented and tasty.

• Contests could be used to provide possible solutions to specific situations. For example, educators working with organic producers could develop a contest to share techniques or methodologies used to manage specific problems, such as pest control.

References

Anonymous. (2000). Sugar and sweetener, situation and outlook yearbook. Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, May 2000, SSS-228.

Bangsund, D. A., & Leistritz, F. L. (1998). Economic contribution of the sugarbeet industry to North Dakota and Minnesota. In: 1998 sugarbeet research and Extension reports, Cooperative Extension Service, North Dakota State University, 29, 160-179.

Youngquist, B. E. (1989). International sugarbeet institute, 1963-1989. University of Minnesota.

Ropes Course Builds Confidence and Teamwork in Teens

Kenneth Spoto
County Agent, 4-H
kspoto@agctr.lsu.edu

Beverly R. Bailey
Extension Agent, FCS & 4-H
bbailey@agctr.lsu.edu

Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service
Clinton, Louisiana

Introduction

Ropes courses have been around since the early 70's. Their basic purpose was (and is today) to offer an educational method that resulted in increased self-esteem, awareness, motivation, self value, problem solving abilities, communication skills, conflict resolution, leadership abilities, and increased morale for individuals.

Corporations and organizations around the world began utilizing ropes courses in the early 80's as a means of motivating employees and increasing productivity. 4-H delivers programs that help develop many of the behaviors ropes courses were designed to instill, especially leadership and teamwork.

Organizing the Local Ropes Course

During the spring of 2004, 17 teenagers were recruited by the advisory committee, Extension agents, and other individuals in the parish to spend a weekend on a ropes course, aptly named "challenge outdoor personal experience" (C.O.P.E). The teenagers ranged in age from 13 to 18 years and represented youth from different cultural and economic backgrounds. All of the teens were currently enrolled in 4-H, and seven were also enrolled in JROTC.

The teens who participated in the spring 2004 4-H-sponsored course paid for half the cost of the weekend (or their half was paid by adult sponsors). The other half of the cost and the cost for food and refreshments came from donations from the local Kiwanis Club, the two local Lions Clubs, the local banks, two local volunteer fire departments, and a pizza restaurant.

Preparing for the Low Ropes Phase

The teens arrived at Avondale Boy Scout Reservation, the site of the ropes course, at 5 p.m., on a Friday. That evening, the teens put away their gear, ate a pizza dinner, met their course instructors and volunteers from the area Boy Scout District, and played get-to-know-you games.

On Saturday, after a 6:30 a.m. wakeup and 7 a.m. breakfast, the teens boarded a bus for the low ropes phase of the course. The teens were divided into two groups, and each group engaged itself in activities, including the spider web, the trolley, the trust fall, zig zag, nitro crossing, port hole, cat walk, whale watch, island, pirates crossing, and the 10-foot wall. Each one of these activities demanded teamwork from the groups and confidence in oneself and the group. For example, during the trust fall, teens fell backwards from a 3-foot stump into the arms of their waiting group members.

The High Ropes Phase

The high ropes phase of the course on Sunday demanded the trust and confidence developed during the activities in the low ropes phase, and the teens were ready for the challenge. After a 7 a.m. breakfast, the teen participants, during an hour-long high ropes school, learned how to make and wear a Swiss seat, how to pull and give slack on a line attached to a fellow participant, and what language to use during a climbing or rappelling activity. Participation in the high ropes phase involved climbing a rope ladder, walking on a v-shaped wire bridge 50 feet above the ground; zipping down to within 10 feet of the ground on a 200 foot-long cable, climbing a 20-foot rock wall, and rappelling down a 20-foot wooden wall.

Once again, these activities demanded teamwork and confidence in oneself and the group. For example, during the rope climb, group members on the ground were ready with belay ropes to stop a climbing member's unexpected fall.

Conclusion

Findings from an evaluation of the ropes course weekend indicated the activities built teamwork, confidence in oneself, and confidence in the group. The findings also indicated the instructors and the camp staff were very helpful in making the weekend rewarding.

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