Editor's Page

Dear Reader,

Gloria Kraft of New Jersey offers some interesting ideas about 4-H and educational reform in this issue's commentary. I recommend it to you.

In other articles, you'll find a report of a major national study of the Youth, Children and Families-at-Risk initiative as well as of some studies of Extension staff needs in the area of evaluation and Extension salaries.

Food safety is the subject of two articles. One examines a HACCP train-the-trainer model, while the second deals with delivering information and training via distance education.

Many people wonder how Extension should be organized both now and in the future. Michigan State follows a model called area of expertise teams that may give you some ideas.

For those interested in agriculture, two items of interest reached the Journal this month. First are Highlights of the Equine 98 Study Results: Part IV. You can access this at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm The second was a report about the 1999 Agriculture in the Classroom conference and the announcement that the 2000 conference will be held June 14-17 in Salt Lake City. More information is available at http://www.reeusda.gov/serd/hep/agclass.htm

I trust you will find several ideas that you may adapt in your work in this issue of your Journal of Extension.

Len Calvert, editor