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Dairy-related Extension programming is important in many states, but the economic impact of such programming has received little attention. We examined the impact of Know Your Numbers, an educational program offered by the Penn State Extension Dairy Team. Using follow-up evaluation data and the economic impact tool IMPLAN, we estimated that the program had a total financial impact of $9.5 million and an employment impact of 69 jobs in 2014. The overall financial impacts of the Dairy Team, given its abundance of other programming, likely are significantly higher. Our approach for estimating the economic impact of an Extension program can be used by others to understand and demonstrate the value of their work.

The common wisdom in many growing communities is that newcomers demand more services than do long-term residents. Dissimilar attitudes toward local services can have important effects on local government activities [...]

The applicability of the concepts of interdependence, rules and property rights in examining rural development can be seen in analyzing land use conflicts between farmers and their non-farming neighbors. The consideration of the concept of interdependence and its consequences allow economic analysts to focus on and fully understand the kinds of rules and institutions which have substantial impact on economic and behavior and can therefore determine effective policy alternatives.

The appropriate methods to preserve agricultural land are subject to ongoing debate. One agricultural land preservation technique that is becoming increasingly common is the purchase of conservation easements (also known [...]

As communities and agriculture change, the juxtaposition of farming and other rural activities has become a battle-ground over water and related nutrient management issues, odors, insects, and other community impacts [...]

Agriculture's status as one of the nation's most hazardous occupations has been an impetus for a reexamination of the federal role in agricultural safety and for various proposals to make farming safer. During the 1970s congressional debate and farm group testimony that led to agriculture's current exemption from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's enforcement efforts, regulation foes made use of the 'Agrarian Myth.' The myth portrays farmers as the bedrock of democracy, suffering so that society may prosper and living a natural life away from the artificiality and evils of cities. Despite the inaccuracy of its images, the myth is a potent symbol in American culture, and its influence could arise again in current policy debates. This paper examines specific issues that may be obscured by the myth but that must be addressed in any agricultural safety policy debate. It then recommends that responses to agricultural safety be carefully considered and that value judgments about what the issues are, who would benefit, and who would bear the costs be explicitly discussed during debate. (Am J Public Health. 1994;84:1171-1177), Policies designed to lower injury and death rates in agriculture should be carefully designed to specify who is covered, what goals are desired and who will pay for implementation of new regulations. In 1976, agriculture was exempted from the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The act outlined federal safety guidelines designed to protect all employees. Agricultural interests seeking exemption from the act based their appeals on the myth of the American farmer as honest and self-reliant and as doing a hard, tiring job. Because of this myth, many believe society owes a debt to farmers. However, while injury and death rates have declined dramatically in fields such as mining and construction they have dropped only slightly in agriculture. It appears that it is time to reassess the need for federal regulation of farm safety policies.

A contrasting trend of population growth in different rural communities is creating problems for appropriate local government response. The population surge in one community and the decline in another has generated differences including population size, age profiles and state law applications. Thus, the development of research and extension results is hampered. Fiscal impact analysis must therefore be considered carefully to promote related policies.

Survey responses from 228 Pennsylvania extension staff revealed time- or travel-related reasons inhibited inservice participation. They preferred regional locations over any other, though they were receptive to having some inservice programs delivered using distance education technologies. A pilot test of quarterly satellite inservice programs was undertaken as a result. (SK)

Pennsylvania extension educators (n=228) find it increasingly difficult to participate in inservice education, desire more distance delivery and an active voice in program planning, and would like inservice to be integrated into their plan of work. Past inservice experiences lacked quality in content and instruction. (SK)

Farming is associated with high rates of fatal accidents, 50 percent of which involve tractors. Roll-overs account for more than half of tractor accidents. Deaths resulting from such accidents may be prevented by the use of roll-over protective structures (ROPS), which prevent tractor drivers from being crushed when the tractor overturns. ROPS became available in the 1960s but were not included as standard equipment until 1985. The National Coalition for Agricultural Safety and Health has put forth a proposal to offer farmers incentives to install ROPS for five years and to require ROPS on all tractors after 10 years. The cost-effectiveness of this policy was assessed in relation to the potential economic costs of each life saved. The number of tractors in New York without ROPS, the retirement of such tractors, and number of lives saved with the installation of ROPS on all tractors, were assessed. The costs of mandatory installation of ROPS was estimated to be $511,136 per life saved and $253,254 per life saved for every $1 million spent each year to enforce mandatory ROPS installation laws. Although a mandatory policy for installing ROPS on all tractors would be expensive, the policy and the need for and cost-effectiveness of enforcement should be considered. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Much of the public interest about the recent boom in shale natural gas development is due to expectations that the activity generates significant economic benefits within host communities, such as increases in employment and compensation. Numerous studies have examined the economic impacts of this activity and generally find mixed results; some studies find such impacts, while other studies find little evidence of an economic boom. An equally important, but much less frequently asked question is what portion of employment and compensation benefits from shale gas development stays local. Sociological literature on uneven development and economic literature on the natural resource curse provide reasons to be skeptical and suggest that these benefits are distributed unevenly and are often dispersed to recipients outside of the community. In this case study, we compare federal and state employment, compensation, and business data from four Pennsylvania counties experiencing rapid Marcellus Shale development to consider what portion of these benefits stay within their respective counties and what is awarded to out-of-county recipients. We then draw on focus group data for individual community leader accounts of how benefits are distributed and the possible mechanisms that explain the trends identified in the employment, compensation, and business data. Our findings suggest that a substantial portion of employment and compensation benefits associated with natural gas extraction have gone to out-of-county recipients, suggesting much more limited direct benefits for residents than previously described in economic projections. We conclude that this outflow of benefits is a form of uneven development that may partially explain the natural resource curse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonfarming neighbours are complaining against the on-farm composting facilities at mushroom farms in suburban areas, Pennsylvania. The complaints lead to municipal ordinances restricting agriculture, changes in farm enterprises and abandoning of cultivation. The composting operations require large, flat open areas and heavy machinery to turn the windrows. The machinery generates noise and runoff is produced by the windrows. Larger farms get more complaints than smaller ones. The productive output of the farms and density of surrounding homes are the other causes of complaints.