Extending Research Relevance.

Extension has played a leading role in the successes of communities across America since its origination with the Smith Lever Act in 1914. In the last decade, the rise in personal technology and internet connectivity has allowed users access to a world of resources and reliance on fast communication more readily than ever. In addition, waves of private companies have entered into the consulting business with flashy marketing, research, innovative products, and new ideas. These resources all play an important role in modern society; however, the extension service offers a unique link between the public and unbiased university research, which no other system provides. Replication, experimental design, basic understanding of statistics, and unbiased, peer-reviewed research are all checks and balances of the public university research system. In 2016, a survey of 1,165 farmers and other agriculture personnel from South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Minnesota was conducted. Of 1,066 question respondents, just 44% indicated they felt confident in their understanding of an LSD (least significant difference); however, only 68% of those people were able to identify the correct answer to a case study question using LSD values. In order to address issues such as this and remain relevant, extension needs new and exciting content and delivery. Professionals involved with the 2016-2017 North Central Agriculture and Natural Resources Academy are developing curriculum for use by agriculture extension personnel to train agriculture producers regarding the importance of research understanding, relevance, and identification of quality research results. These resources will improve the understanding and application of unbiased, public research on Midwestern farms. Extension is a necessary leg of the land grant institution model, and a continuing effort toward extending relevant research information in an exciting and accessible manner through efforts such as this is key.