Adjusting to Changing Clientele |
In the late 1960s and in the early 1970s, agricultural extension in the United States was undergoing a subtle change. The days of growth and easy budgets were slowly coming to an end. Farmers were dwindling in number. They were better prepared technically and had easy access to a myriad of reliable technical resources and services in addition to Extension. Demographic shifts affecting clientele and political support were a stark reality. Practically every state was taking stock of its shrinking resources and thinning clientele. Administrators and advisory groups came up with the ultimate solution; seek new audiences and develop new programs to replace those that were being lost. Extension and Farm Bureau Safety Specialists met the challenge by expanded and modified programs and innovative approaches for suburban audiences, for example, by focusing on lawn and garden equipment and the related chemicals. Other new audiences were reached in different places and in different ways. New educational media were used in conjunction with television as a dynamic teaching device. Home safety received additional emphasis as programs once designed only for farm situations took on a new look for the suburban setting. Leisure time and the activities and equipment that accompanied it were another focus. Several innovative safety programs were developed and shared during these times. NIFS, as always, served as a clearinghouse for ideas and problems. One such effort that gained emphasis on a regional and national basis was farm rescue. As rural areas finally began to get coverage by emergency medical services, the training of emergency crews in farm rescue techniques was a natural activity for safety specialists. Schnieder of Nebraska, Fields of Indiana, and Baker in New York had developed teaching materials and techniques on farm rescue involving farm equipment, silos, farm chemicals, grain storage and liquid manure systems. Under the auspices of NIFS, these four safety specialists cooperatively authored and illustrated handbook for use in training emergency crews in farm rescue techniques. During this time, Murphy in Pennsylvania also produced a series of farm rescue training films. Many new audiences were being reached, and state program reviews and idea exchanges at NIFS meetings took on a new life. A unique audience for Fields of Indiana was and still is the disabled farmer, for whom the modification of equipment makes it possible to continue to work in farming. Many other examples of new audiences could be cited and many more will be noted in future years as innovative thinking continues in farm and home safety. |