Amounts of Tennessee Extension staff time planned and expended and contacts made with wheat producers, fiscal years 1975 and 1977, and possible implications for 1972 statewide Extension wheat production practice checklist survey and educational program

Information from the 1972 and 1977 Tennessee Wheat Production Practice Checklist Surveys was studied together with data from the Tennessee Extension Management Information System, TEMIS (i.e agent days planned and expended and clientele contacts made) for Fiscal Years 1975 and 1977 to determine whether there were possible implications for the survey and Extension's educational program.

The classification of wheat survey practices and TEMIS primary subjects was assumed to be acceptable for this study. Data were considered for five selected District I counties. Use of various teaching methods also was studied.

From the 1972 and 1977 Tennessee Wheat Production Surveys, it was found that the average yield in bushels of wheat per acre were 38.8 and 42.6, respectively. Significantly higher percents of those producing yields of over 42.6 bushels per acre from the 1977 survey, on the average, used a larger number of the ten recommended practices.

Recommended practices were grouped under Primary TEMIS Subject One, "Wheat (Small Grain) Disease?" Subject Two, "Wheat (Small Grain) Nutrition;" Subject Three, "Wheat (Small Grain) Weeds;" Subject Four, "Wheat (Small Grain) Insects;" Subject Five, "Wheat (Small Grain) Management and Planning;" and Subject Six, "Wheat (Small Grain) Production." Two of the subjects. Subjects One and Two, were below the concern level and the other four subjects were all above the concern level of 60%. Thus, of the six subjects mentioned above. Subjects One and Two were the weaker of the six, based on 1972 data, suggesting the need to emphasize them more in Extension's wheat (small grain) educational program as priority areas.

There was an increase in total agent days planned and expended on wheat (small grain) subjects between FY 1975 and FY 1977. An increase was also noted in total contacts made by agents with wheat (small grain) producers between FY 1975 and 1977.

Of Extension methods studied, shifts in numbers and percents of agent time devoted to wheat (small grain) Extension work varied from county to county but were greatest for Individual Methods of Instruction, increases were also occurring for Group and Mass Methods.

It was not clear whether agents had considered priority wheat (small grain) areas identified via the 1972 survey when planning for the period 1974-78, it was implied that the district-wide survey of wheat (small grain) producers did not appreciably influence Extension programs during the period. Recommendations for further study were made.