Educational Needs of Beginning Farmers as Perceived by Iowa Extension Professional Staff

A survey of local and state Extension professionals in Iowa and implications for Extension and beginning farmer education are discussed. Professional groups differed slightly in their ratings, but perceived educational providers to be useful overall. They rated the Internet as the most useful media and gave low ratings to radio and newspaper. This contrasts with earlier opinions of beginning farmers. The groups supported using input from farmers and problem-solving methods, but disagreed when rating distance education for program delivery. The topics perceived to be most important were in the business area.