Editor's Page

Dear Reader,

If this issue has a main theme, it's scholarship and Extension. Certainly a timely topic as many universities are wrestling with the issue of how to judge Extension faculty members in terms of promotion, tenure, and scholarship.

I think you find the two articles from Oregon particularly interesting as Oregon implements its new system of evaluation not only of Extension but all faculty members. New York chimes in with a piece about Extension and research working together. Florida contributes an article about county program reviews.

A secondary theme might be Integrated Past Management, or IPM as it's popularly known. The south central region offers a piece about how they assessed needs grower knowledge as well as identifying needs for research and Extension programs. From New Jersey comes an article with a different emphasis. Are consumers willing to pay more for IPM-grown produce?

Rounding out this issue are other thoughtful articles many will find of interest. Liability and risk management are particular concerns of the 4-H program and an article from Ohio deals with this subject. Two states, Washington and Nevada, talk about nutrition topics.

In other news of interest to parts of the Extension system, the Dairy Practices Council has announced for new guidelines for its membership. For more information and a free brochure, contact the council at P. O. Box 866, Barre, VT 05641-0866 or visit its web site at www.dairypc.org

The National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) is releasing the Equine ,98 Study results. The USDA effort collected data from 28 states representing more than 78% of the horses and ponies in the nation. Check out the web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm or call 970-490-8000 to request a hard copy.

Len Calvert, editor