University of Maryland Extension Winter Meeting Data 2023" (FS-2024-0731)

The UME Agriculture and Food Systems educators convened to finalize survey questions for the winter agriculture production meetings to ensure consistency and relevance in data collection. After careful consideration, the team agreed on a standardized evaluation, which was then approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

The final survey comprised 18 questions, including multiple-choice and open-ended formats. These questions captured farm and demographic information, production practices, and profitability estimates. The survey was designed to offer quantitative and qualitative insights into participants’ farming operations and experiences with the winter meetings and Extension events.

Before distributing the survey, UME educators provided participants with a consent statement outlining the survey’s purpose. For in-person meetings, attendees were given a paper version of the survey. Virtual participants received an electronic link to the survey, hosted via Qualtrics, an online survey platform. This dual-format approach maximized response rates while accommodating both in-person and remote participants.

All survey responses collected on paper or online were compiled into a unified Qualtrics dataset for analysis. The Qualtrics platform automatically generated descriptive statistics, including percentages, means, and counts, allowing for a clear data summary. No further statistical analyses were conducted beyond these descriptive statistics.

A total of 487 participants completed all or portions of the survey. The data provided important insights into the effectiveness of the educational content delivered during the winter meetings and helped evaluate the program’s impact on farming practices and profitability.

UME educators conducted 21 meetings between November 2022 and March 2023. The meetings are strategically located around the state to reach the intended audience of farmers (Figure 1 and Table 1). Twelve of the educational meetings focused on agronomy, four on vegetable production, two on fruit production, and three on forage and hay production.

The 2022-2023 winter meetings held by the University of Maryland Extension drew participants from 22 Maryland counties and from out of state. These meetings aim to improve yields and profitability by updating farmers and agriculture service providers on relevant regulations and practices. UME Extension Team distributed surveys:

1. to discover who attended the meetings,
2. to obtain farm production outcomes due to information received, and
3. to assess impacts on the farm due to information obtained.

The surveys included questions designed to learn more about the participants and farms, including acreage, years of participants’ experience, and demographics. Agronomy and forage participants farm an average of 606 acres, while vegetable and fruit participants farm an average of 127 acres. The winter meetings attract long-time farmers, with 58% farming for over 20 years. Additionally, 20% identified as agriculture service providers in attendance to learn and network. The winter meetings' demographics are strongly aligned with the USDA Agriculture Census for Maryland, with 78% male, 48% between the ages of 55 and 75, and 96% self-identifying as white.

Participants were asked to select their most significant farm challenges from a list and could choose as many as they wished. The most commonly selected challenges were input costs (56%), regulations (44%), and weather (38%) (Table 2).

Note. Participants could select more than one option. Percent equals more than 100%. N=433

The survey included questions about farm production practices and how the UME winter meeting affected farms and businesses. Participants were asked to choose from eight production practices they planned to implement based on the knowledge they obtained at the winter meetings. They could choose as many as applied; therefore, percentages will equal more than 100. The most selected practices include improved crop production efficiencies (43%), improved pest management practices (41%), increased knowledge of regulations (33%), and enhanced manure and nutrient management practices (30%) (Table 3). When asked how the winter meetings have affected their farms and businesses, most participants (89%) expressed that their operations benefited from the meetings.

Note. Participants could select more than one option. Percent equals more than 100%. N=419

To understand more about educational topics and program delivery, two questions were asked about future training options. Over half of the participants prefer half-day in person seminars or workshops (62%). Additional choices were extension newsletters and emails (48%), full-day in-person seminars or workshops (39%), hands-on training (22%), and online classes (21%). When asked about the top priorities of Extension program activities, respondents report research data from field and variety trials (47%), interpretation of and assistance with agricultural regulations (39%), source of educational material (32%), agriculture promotion and education to consumers and non-farmers (32%), source of educational workshops (32%), on-farm consulting (30%), farm management advice (29%) and agribusiness training (26%). These results will help inform the planning and execution of UME programming.

The UME Nutrient Management program also sought feedback related to plan writing activities. Participants were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with the following statements (see Table 4). Overall, participants are 86% satisfied or very satisfied with the UME Nutrient Management program. Participants are satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the nutrient management plan (89%), timeliness of the nutrient management plan (86%), and usefulness of the nutrient management plan (82%). These results will help UME make changes and modifications to the nutrient management program.

N=336

Participants could provide additional comments and feedback about the event. Many of the comments were related to the presentation topics and formats and the overall coordination of the event. Selected quotes about the winter meetings include:

• “Presentation topics were well thought out and useful.”
• “As a service provider, the winter agronomy update provides useful information related to field trials, nutrient management regulations, and agricultural issues affecting the farmers I serve.”
• “Everything was very well planned and interesting. The speakers were knowledgeable and easy to talk to.”

The UME winter meetings serve as critical events to provide education and recertification options to farmers and the industry. The survey results assist UME in understanding the audience of participants and the implementation of production practices. Furthermore, UME can utilize the survey results in individual and team reporting.

Participants from Western Maryland to the Lower Eastern Shore attended winter production meetings hosted by UMD Extension during the winter of 2022-2023. The objective is to provide updates on the latest research findings and production practices. There were 21 events from November 2022 to March 2023, reaching 487 farmers. Of those replying to a postmeeting survey, 89% report the ability to use information gained at the meeting on their farm. When asked about production practices that will be implemented due to information received:

• 43% reported improved crop production practices, 41% reported improved pest management practices, 33% reported increased knowledge of regulations, and 30% reported improved manure and nutrient management.
• Over half of the participants prefer in-person half-day seminars or workshops (62%), extension newsletters and emails (48%), in-person full -day seminars or workshops (39%), hands-on training (22%), and online classes (21%).
• Top Extension program priorities are research data from field and variety trials (47%), interpretation and assistance with agricultural regulations (39%), source of educational material (32%), agriculture promotion and education to consumers and non-farmers (32%), source of educational workshops (32%), on-farm consulting (30%), farm management advice (29%) and agribusiness training (26%).
• UME Nutrient Management: 86% are satisfied or very satisfied with the UME Nutrient Management program.