Oklhom Coopertive Extension Servie AGEC-249 Stoker Cttle Prodution nd Mngement Prties in Oklhom Rhel J. Johnson Former Agriulturl Eonomis Grdute Student Dmon Doye Extension Eonomist, Frm Mngement Dvid L. Llmn Beef Cttle Speilist Derrell S. Peel Extension Eonomist, Livestok Mrketing Kellie Curry Rper Assistnt Professor, Livestok Mrketing Sine 983, the Oklhom Beef Cttle Mnul written y 6 led uthors from 6 demi disiplines, hs een key resoure for eef ttle produers, extension professionls, veterinrins, nd mny others in the eef ttle industry (Llmn nd Doye 2005). The mnul hs een distriuted through lol Extension offies, produer meetings, nd y e-mil request from n Oklhom Stte University (OSU) wesite (http://geon.okstte.edu/ttlemn/). Produers who reeived opy of the Oklhom Beef Cttle Mnul etween 2004 nd 2006 were sked to omplete Beef Cttle Mngement Prties Assessment, survey doumenting their urrent eef prodution nd mngement prties. Two surveys were distriuted: one for eef produers with owlf herd (who my or my not hve hd stokers), seond for produers only with stoker ttle. This Extension Ft Sheet summrizes stoker prodution nd mngement prties for Oklhom produers. Further informtion on stoker eonomis n e found in Peel 2006. The demogrphis of survey respondents will e riefly summrized in this ft sheet in ddition to produer responses regrding nutrition nd prodution mngement, forge nd introdued psture mngement, qulity ssurne nd niml helth, mrketing nd risk mngement nd usiness plnning mngement. Tles nd hrts grphilly depiting produer responses to ll survey questions n e essed t the Mster Cttlemn wesite listed ove. Complete results n e found in Johnson 2008 2. Proedures Dt generted from the survey instrument ws used to lssify produer respondents into groups sed on herd Peel, D.S. 2006. The Veterinry Clinis: Food Animl Prtie. Beef Cttle Growing nd Bkgrounding Progrms. 22(2): 27-296. 2 Johnson, Rhel J., 2008. The Adoption of Best Mngement Prties in Stoker Cttle Prodution. Mster s Thesis. Deprtment of Agriulturl Eonomis, Oklhom Stte University, Stillwter, Oklhom. Oklhom Coopertive Extension Ft Sheets re lso ville on our wesite t: http://osufts.okstte.edu size, perentge of net household inome generted from the stoker enterprise, nd speiliztion in eef prodution. Stoker produers were tegorized into three size groups sed on numer of stoker/feeders mnged eh yer: ) smll opertions: to 00 hed, 2) medium opertions: 00 to 500 hed, nd 3) lrge opertions: 500+ hed (Tle ). Produers were lssified s either inome dependent or non-inome dependent: ) Non-inome dependent produers generted 0 to 40% of their pst yer s net household inome from the stoker opertion nd 2) Inome dependent produers generted 4 to 00% of their pst yer s household inome from the stoker opertion. The third tegory used to evlute mngement prtie doption ehvior ws speiliztion: ) Speilized eef produers rised only stoker ttle nd 2) Diversified eef produers hd oth ow-lf nd stoker opertion. Sttistil tests were used to ssess differenes nd similrities etween the produer groups within eh tegory. One hundred nd seventy-eight produers hd stokers only s eef enterprise. Of the totl 745 ow-lf survey respondents, 43 (57.85%) indited tht they hd stoker ttle s well. Tles -3 depit the perentges nd numer of produer responses orresponding to eh tegory. Tle. Perentge nd Numer of Produer Responses y Opertion Size. Numer of stoker/feeder Perent of Numer of ttle mnged eh yer Responses Responses Smll (-00) 38.2 68 Medium (00-500) 32.0 57 Lrge (500+) 28.8 53 Tle 2. Perentge nd Numer of Produer Responses y Inome. Perentge of pst yer s household net inome from Perent of Numer of stoker opertion Responses Responses 0-40% 63 0 4-00% 37 66 Division of Agriulturl Sienes nd Nturl Resoures Oklhom Stte University
Tle 3. Perentge nd Numer of Survey Types. Survey Type Perent of Numer of Respondents Responses Responses Stoker survey respondents 30 78 Cow-Clf survey respondents 70 432 Demogrphis of Stoker Survey Respondents Survey respondents were sked vriety of questions pertining to opertionl nd personl hrteristis. Highlights of the demogrphi profile re mentioned elow. Of ll respondents, 95% were mle nd 5% were femle nd more thn hlf (53%) were over ge 50. Nerly, 82% of produers hd ttended some ollege, grduted from ollege, or ompleted post-grdute work. Nerly hlf of ll produers (48%) indited tht they hd no off-frm employment while 33% of respondents were employed full-time off the frm. Nineteen perent of respondents indited hving prt-time off-frm work. Overll, 70% of produers indited tht generting enough inome to redue off-frm work ws very importnt ojetive for their stoker opertion. Fifty-nine perent lso highly vlued the ojetive of hoosing mngement prties to redue lor use. The use of the internet for usiness purposes ws highly vlued y only 25% of respondents. Nutrition nd Prodution Mngement A wide vriety of questions were sked regrding nutrition nd prodution mngement prties pursued y the produer (Tle 4). Minerl supplementtion is reommended ny time ttle re grzed. More produers (79%) nerly lwys provide ommeril minerl for ttle grzing spring nd summer pstures thn provide slt (44%). Approximtely hlf (49%) provide oth. The optiml pproh for supplementtion is to ondut forge tests, estimte niml requirements, nd determine nutrients tht need to e supplemented when forges lone do not nutritionlly suffie. Using softwre n lso e helpful in designing supplementtion or feeding pln. However, produers differ widely in their strtegies for supplementtion. Thirty-one perent of produers nerly lwys ondut forge tests nd estimte niml requirements nd 7% nerly lwys use softwre to develop supplementtion pln. Sttistil differenes exist etween opertion size nd type produer groups. The mjority of produers (72%) use supplement tht hs worked well in the pst. Reserh hs shown tht implnts re one of the most ost-effetive tehnologies ville to ttle produers (Reuter, Highfill, nd Llmn 2005). Implnts inrese the rte of growth, mesured in verge dily gin (ADG) nd oth the metoli nd eonomi effiieny of growth, often providing lves the pity to inrese weight gins y 8 to 8%. Considering implnting prties, 59% of produers nerly lwys implnt steers nd 43% of produers nerly lwys implnt heifers. Lrge nd speilized produers re sttistilly more likely to implnt ttle. Nine perent of produers implnt heifers intended s replements. Implnts re not pproprite if lves re eing trgeted for n ll nturl eef retil mrket. Dehorning ttle is prtie tht not only redues rss dmge, thus yielding eonomi enefits, ut produers n often expet to reeive higher prie t sle from dehorned ttle. Fifty-eight perent of produers indite tht they nerly lwys dehorn ttle. Tle 4. Nutrition nd Prodution Mngement Survey Responses Opertion Size Opertion Inome Opertion Type Provide ommeril minerl 79 7 83 87 74 89 79 79 Provide slt 44 46 4 43 46 43 45 44 Provide oth white slt nd ommeril minerl 49 5 46 48 47 52 53 49 Use forge tests nd estimted niml requirements to determine type of supplement 3 23 29 44 23 4 32 3 Use OSU or other softwre to design supplementtion or feeding pln, 7 4 8 0 9 3 6 7 Use supplement tht hs worked well in the pst 72 62 8 75 70 76 68 72 Implnt steers, 59 38 70 78 54 7 29 59 Implnt heifers not intended to e sved, 43 26 50 63 39 56 9 43 Implnt heifers intended s replements 9 5 3 0 7 8 0 9 Dehorn ttle with horns, 58 60 56 56 56 62 55 58 Sttistil signifines etween opertion size groups. Sttistil signifines etween inome dependeny groups. Sttistil signifines etween speilized nd diversified groups. Perent of respondents inditing they nerly lwys implement prtie. AGEC-249-2
Forge nd Introdued Psture Mngement Creful onsidertion of forge prodution mngement prties n signifintly redue winter-feeding osts. Feed osts ount for pproximtely one-fourth of the osts of prodution, seond only to the purhse prie of the niml (Redfern nd Cddel 2006). Hy is y fr the most ommon livestok winter-feeding option. Mny produers hve high feeding osts euse they either use hy tht is low in nutritive vlue, or feed hy for too long of time period during the winter months. Produers were sked to speify their typil hy feeding seson length. Less thn hlf of ll produers (46%) indited hving hy feeding seson less thn 90 dys in length (Tle 5). Speilized produers re sttistilly more likely to hve shorter hy feeding seson length. Tle 5. Forge nd Introdued Psture Mngement Survey Responses. Soil tests revel the ext mount of fertilizer needed to mintin soil nutrient levels nd thus optimize forge growth. Just s soil tests n gurd ginst ineffiient fertilizer use thus reduing osts, testing hy nd silge n lso relize eonomi enefits with the informtion eing used to djust the mount of supplement eing fed. Fifty-two perent of produers ondut soil tests every 3 to 4 yers. Twenty-five perent of produers nerly lwys ondut forge tests on produed forges, while 20% nerly lwys test purhsed forges. Lrge nd inome dependent opertions re more likely to ondut forge tests. Sine forge utiliztion represents suh ritil ost ftor in stoker prodution, knowing how to set proper stoking rte is key to stoker profitility, ensuring mximum profitility ttriuted to oth plnt nd niml performne. Overll, 52% of produers indited tht they knew how to set nd monitor proper stoking rtes. Lrge, inome dependent, Opertion Size Opertion Inome Opertion Type Typil hy feeding seson 90 dys or less 46 38 44 57 44 44 32 46 Soil tests onduted t lest one every 3-4 yrs 52 52 53 54 44 69 58 52 Produer hs knowledge of setting nd mintining proper stoking rtes,, 52 36 54 64 40 68 42 52 Forge tests onduted for produed forges, 25 3 2 42 20 32 20 25 Forge tests onduted for purhsed forges, 20 8 33 3 32 5 20 Stokpile fesue or Berumdgrss for fll nd winter grzing 46 43 5 4 45 46 44 46 Sttistil signifines etween opertion size groups. Sttistil signifines etween inome dependeny groups. Sttistil signifines etween speilized nd diversified groups. Perent of respondents inditing they nerly lwys implement prtie. Tle 6. Qulity Assurne nd Animl Helth Survey Responses Opertion Size Opertion Inome Opertion Type Pestiides used to ontrol tiks 84 8 84 90 8 88 77 84 Psture rottion used to ontrol tiks 30 28 39 24 28 32 37 29 Presried fire used to ontrol tiks 3 7 6 8 7 23 4 3 Cttle re dewormed 93 88 94 98 88 98 n.. 2 n.. Modified live vines used, 6 44 44 88 50 83 n.. n.. Killed vine produts used 25 27 73 8 26 20 n.. n.. Ownership of ttle is retined through finishing phse 25 23 25 28 23 30 n.. n.. Cttle re individully identified 89 82 88 79 7 7 n.. n.. Intrmusulr injetions dministered in nek,, 80 69 87 86 74 90 84 80 Sttistil signifines etween opertion size groups. Sttistil signifines etween inome dependeny groups. Sttistil signifines etween speilized nd diversified groups. Perent of respondents inditing they nerly lwys implement prtie. 2 n.. is shown when no omprle question ws sked out stoker prodution on the ow-lf produer survey. AGEC-249-3
nd speilized produers re sttistilly more likely to hve knowledge in setting proper stoking rtes. Furthermore, mngement prties tht extend grzing nd redue hy feeding hve een found to improve profitility of the enterprise. An lterntive to feeding hy during the winter, nd thus method to redue winter feeding osts is to stokpile forges. Stokpiling ermudgrss or fesue for fll or winter grzing is prtie routinely performed y 46% of produers. Qulity Assurne nd Animl Helth Conerning niml helth mngement prties, ontrolling internl nd externl prsites plys n importnt role in niml weight gin, whih is the rux of stoker prodution. There re severl vile options ville when it omes to ontrolling tiks to redue eef ttle weight loss, suh s pestiides, psture rottion, nd presried fire. As indited in Tle 6, pestiides re the most ommon method employed y produers for tik ontrol (84%). Thirty perent of produers use psture rottion nd 3% use presried fire s mens of tik ontrol. Internl prsites in ttle derese growth performne y reduing feed intke, utilizing nutrients tht would otherwise e ville to the niml, nd impiring proper utiliztion of nutrients. A reltively high perentge (93%) of produers indite ttle re dewormed. Vintion in generl n e viewed s n investment. The risk of ontrting the disese nd the ost of treting it must e weighed ginst the ost of the vintion. Virl or teril vines my e lssified s killed or live. Live vines ontin teri or virus tht hs een modified (MLV) thus wekening the virus nd rendering it intive. Killed vines re void of ny ility to use disese. Both vines hve dvntges nd disdvntges; 6% of produers indite nerly lwys using modified live vines while 25% indite using killed vine produts. Lrge nd inome dependent produers re sttistilly more likely to use MLV vines. Retined ownership is type of integrtion in the eef prodution proess. The term refers to extended ownership of ttle from one phse of prodution to the next. In the se of stoker prodution, ownership would e retined into the feedlot stge. Retined ownership ffords the produer the opportunity to relize greter eonomi returns due to greter numer of mrketing options ville to the produer. Twenty-five perent of produers retin ownership of ttle through the finishing phse. There re multiple enefits ssoited with individul niml identifition. Ntionlly, the primry ojetive of individul identifition is disese ontinment nd ontrol. However, produers who individully identify stoker ttle n relize the enefits of trking niml performne. Most produers (89%) indite ttle re nerly lwys individully identified. Injetion site lesions rise from the dministrtion of intrmusulr injetions (IM). Blemishes result in not only visul defets ut they require further proessing, resulting in inresed toughness in the end produt (USDA-APHIS 2000). A reommended prtie for voiding injetion site lesions is to dminister IM injetions in the nek region of the niml, prtie followed y 80% of ll produers. Sttistil differenes exist etween ll three produer groups onerning the dministrtion of IM injetions. Mrketing nd Risk Mngement Mrketing ttle nd mnging risk is n re of eef prodution of prtiulr importne to stoker produers who often fe inresed risk due to ftors suh s prie voltility nd nrrow mrgins of ttle weight gin. Preonditioning is helth nd nutrition mngement progrm designed to strengthen young ttle ginst the stresses of trnsporttion nd mintin performne. While lso dding vlue, purhsing preonditioned ttle redues risk for stoker produers. As indited in Tle 7, 32% of ll produers purhse t lest perentge of their ttle preonditioned. The type of prodution system employed y stoker produers n vry gretly. Stoker produers my rise ttle sesonlly or yer round, using smll grins psture, wrm or ool seson grsses or ny omintion thereof. The type of prodution system employed y the produer will ffet the time period in whih ttle re reeived. Forty-six perent of ll produers indite tht they reeive ttle from Septemer through Novemer. Thirty-four perent of produers nerly lwys grze ttle on smll grins psture with 8% inditing tht ttle re grzed during the summer. Approximtely hlf of ll produers (49%) nerly lwys grze ttle yer round. Considering forge ses used for stoker prodution, the mjority of produers (6%) indite tht wrm seson forges re nerly lwys used for grzing. Smll grins psture is the primry forge se for 23% of produers nd 6% of produers indited tht ool seson forges re primrily used for grzing stokers. Sttistil differenes exist etween size nd inome dependeny groups onerning time of grzing nd primry forge se. Medium sized opertions nd inome dependent produers re the most likely to grze ttle during the winter nd spring on smll grin forge. Sixty-four perent of produers indite tht ttle re mrketed sesonlly ( to 3 times per yer). Buyers of feeder ttle generlly pool ttle together into lrge lots. When ttle re purhsed tht hve lredy een pooled together into lrger lot sizes, often truklod lots, pooling is mde esier nd premium is often pid. Reserh showed tht inresing lot size from hed to 0 to 5 resulted in prie premiums verging ner $2.50/wt over tht period of time (Wrd 2005). Trnstion osts n lso e redued when lrger lots re purhsed y uyers s opposed to purhsing severl smller lots nd putting them together. Overll, 43% of produers indite they mrket ttle in lrge truklod lots. Likewise, uyers py premium for uniform lots. Uniform lots my onsist of ttle with similr frme, musling, weight, nd reeding. Using 200-2003 dt, Wrd 2005) found tht verge sle prie inresed $.9/wt for the sle of uniform lots. A strong mjority (74%) of ll produers mrket ttle in uniform lots. Lrger, inome dependent, nd speilized produers re sttistilly more likely to mrket ttle in lrge, uniform lots. Feeder ttle pries re mong the most diffiult to predit due to the onstntly hnging demnd for slughter ttle ttriuted to hnging feed pries nd shifting demnd in oth domesti nd interntionl mrkets. Utilizing futures nd options ontrts re mong the risk mngement strtegies ville to produers when mrketing ttle. Thirty-four perent of ll produers indite using futures ontrts, 29% indite using options ontrts, nd 26% of produers indite using sh ontrts. Sttistil differenes re determined AGEC-249-4
Tle 7. Mrketing nd Risk Mngement Survey Responses. Opertion Size Opertion Inome Opertion Type A perentge of ttle purhsed re preonditioned 32 23 29 48 2 47 n. 2 n.. Cttle re reeived Sept- Nov 46 3 54 52 44 47 n.. n.. Cttle re grzed winter/ spring on smll grins forge, 34 30 67 56 4 64 n.. n.. Cttle re grzed during the summer 8 56 55 6 54 67 n.. n.. Cttle re grzed yer round 49 57 5 52 56 53 n.. n.. Smll grins psture is used for grzing, 23 53 83 83 67 84 n.. n.. Wrm seson forges re used for grzing 6 62 64 68 64 57 n.. n.. Cool seson forges re used for grzing 6 24 2 8 8 8 n.. n.. Cttle re mrketed sesonlly (-3 times per yer),, 64 68 75 45 64 62 78 64 Cttle mrketed in truklod lots,, 43 6 53 88 3 65 6 43 Cttle mrketed in uniform lots,, 74 6 82 85 68 84 62 74 Produer uses futures ontrts, 34 2 25 65 28 40 7 34 Produer uses options ontrts, 29 0 3 55 23 40 6 29 Produer uses sh ontrts, 26 0 20 43 20 33 7 26 Sttistil signifines etween opertion size groups. Sttistil signifines etween inome dependeny groups. Sttistil signifines etween speilized nd diversified groups. Perent of respondents inditing they nerly lwys implement prtie. 2 n.. is shown when no omprle question ws sked out stoker prodution on the ow-lf produer survey. etween opertion type nd size onerning the use of risk mngement tools. Business Plnning Mngement The ttle usiness t times n e very ostly, time onsuming, nd stressful mking usiness plnning prtiulrly importnt endevor for produers. A usiness pln defines the opertion s gols, identifies limittions, nd inludes finnil plns. Livestok re relistilly mthed to lnd resoures, pproprite mrkets re trgeted, nd finnil resoures re identified. Thus, the ultimte gol of usiness plnning is to move the enterprise in diretion so produer s gols nd ojetives will e fulfilled nd to provide fesile opertionl/ finnil pln for fulfilling those gols. A usiness pln n e prtiulrly useful for stoker opertors sine it n serve s n importnt referene for produers seeking finning. As shown in Tle 8, hlf of ll produers (50%) indite hving long term usiness pln (5 yers or longer). There re multiple lterntives to reord keeping. Finnil reords serve s the foundtion for urte udgets, finnil sttements, nd tx reports. Finnil ounts my inlude personl trnstions, monetry vlue of trnstions, lnes owed, et. Reord keeping n e time onsuming ut it is often lso finnilly rewrding. Sixty-four perent of ll produers enter expense nd reeipt dt into reord system t lest monthly. The mount of informtion olleted, the method of reording dt, nd the struture of reports typilly vry etween frm reord systems nd every produer must deide the mount of informtion required for finnil purposes s well s the system tht will est provide desired informtion. The first option is to simply store reeipts nd ills in ox or file. This is onsidered miniml reord keeping system. Summrizing inome nd expenses in noteook or ledger is nother option for produers s slightly more forml reord keeping system. Finlly, there re numerous omputerized reordkeeping systems suh s Quiken, QuikBooks, Redwing, nd Frmworks s well s ustom spredsheets nd dtses tht produers themselves n rete. Fiftytwo perent of produers use omputerized reordkeeping system with inome dependent produers sttistilly more likely to use suh system. Finnil sttements re not only useful for ssessing finnil performne, ut lso for plnning future finnil strtegies. A lne sheet, or net worth sttement, is summry of the vlues of ssets held y the produer nd demonstrtes the produer s equity in the usiness. A sh flow evlutes the flow of money nd helps to determine when sh is ville for det pyment. Similrly, surplus or defiit of money t time period is demonstrted whih n help produer determine when svings or redit is needed. The inome sttement reflets profit or loss in the opertion. A strong mjority of produers (80%) prepre lne sheet, 7% of produers drft sh flow sttement, nd 86% of ll stoker produers prepre inome sttements t lest nnully. Speilized produers re more likely to prepre ll three types of finnil sttements. AGEC-249-5
Tle 8. Business Plnning nd Mngement Survey Responses. Opertion Size Opertion Inome Opertion Type Produer hs long term ( 5 yrs or more) usiness pln 50 47 49 52 47 57 44 50 Reeipt nd expense dt is entered into reord system (t lest monthly), 64 58 39 7 59 73 57 64 A omputerized reordkeeping system is used 52 4 6 60 44 66 38 52 Blne sheets re prepred (t lest nnully) 80 75 80 9 74 88 66 80 Csh flow sttements re prepred (t lest nnully), 7 6 7 84 65 79 57 7 Inome sttements re prepred (t lest nnully), 86 8 90 93 80 97 73 86 Reords re mintined on vintions 65 72 66 57 64 68 60 65 Reords re mintined on medil tretments 63 63 64 62 60 68 54 63 Reords re mintined on soure of ttle 66 58 68 76 6 75 75 6 Sttistil signifines etween opertion size groups. Sttistil signifines etween inome dependeny groups. Sttistil signifines etween speilized nd diversified groups. Perent of respondents inditing they nerly lwys implement prtie. Regrding ttle reordkeeping, not only n this prtie help the produer to selet the optiml tretment for ttle in terms of niml helth, ut keeping niml reords n lso e useful in lulting expenses in finnil sttements. Reords re mintined on vintion history, medil tretments, nd the soure of ttle y 65%, 63%, nd 66% of produers, respetively. Summry nd Conlusions Oklhom stoker produers who reeived n Oklhom Beef Cttle Mnul provided informtion on their urrent prodution prties. Produer responses regrding numerous nd speifi prodution prties in the tegories of nutrition, forge nd introdued psture, nd qulity ssurne nd niml helth re summrized in this Extension Ft Sheet long with the demogrphi hrteristis of the produers surveyed nd their opertions. Sttistil differenes regrding mngement prtie doption ehvior re lso identified etween relevnt produer groups. Produer groups hve een tegorized ording to opertion size, inome dependeny, nd speiliztion versus diversifition. Considering the sttistil differenes etween produer groups, lrger opertions, inome dependent produers, nd speilized eef prodution re ll ftors influening the doption of reommended mngement prties in stoker ttle prodution. Opertion size nd inome dependeny strongly influened the doption of vriety of mrketing, risk mngement, nd usiness plnning mngement prties. Referenes Johnson, Rhel J., 2008. The Adoption of Best Mngement Prties in Stoker Cttle Prodution. Mster s Thesis. Deprtment of Agriulturl Eonomis, Oklhom Stte University, Stillwter, Oklhom. Llmn, D., nd D. Doye. 2005. Beef Cttle Mnul, 5 th ed. Oklhom Coopertive Extension Servie, Oklhom Stte University. Peel, D.S. 2006. The Veterinry Clinis: Food Animl Prtie. Beef Cttle Growing nd Bkgrounding Progrms. 22(2): 27-296. Reuter, R., G. Highfill, D. Llmn. 2005. Implnts nd Their Use in Beef Cttle Prodution. Beef Cttle Mnul 5 th ed. D. Llmn nd D. Doye, eds. Oklhom Coopertive Extension Servie, Oklhom Stte University. U. S. Deprtment of Agriulture (USDA), Animl nd Plnt Helth Inspetion Servies (APHIS). 2000. Injetion Prties in U.S. Feedlots. Wshington, DC. Aville t: http://nhms.phis.usd.gov/feedlot/ Wrd, C.E. 2005. Vlue-Added Mrketing Opportunities. Beef Cttle Mnul 5 th ed. D. Llmn nd D. Doye, eds. Oklhom Coopertive Extension Servie, Oklhom Stte University. AGEC-249-6
The Oklhom Coopertive Extension Servie Bringing the University to You! The Coopertive Extension Servie is the lrgest, most suessful informl edutionl orgniztion in the world. It is ntionwide system funded nd guided y prtnership of federl, stte, nd lol governments tht delivers informtion to help people help themselves through the lnd-grnt university system. Extension rries out progrms in the rod tegories of griulture, nturl resoures nd environment; fmily nd onsumer sienes; 4-H nd other youth; nd ommunity resoure development. Extension stff memers live nd work mong the people they serve to help stimulte nd edute Amerins to pln hed nd ope with their prolems. Some hrteristis of the Coopertive Extension system re: The federl, stte, nd lol governments oopertively shre in its finnil support nd progrm diretion. It is dministered y the lnd-grnt university s designted y the stte legislture through n Extension diretor. Extension progrms re nonpolitil, ojetive, nd reserh-sed informtion. It provides prtil, prolem-oriented edution for people of ll ges. It is designted to tke the knowledge of the university to those persons who do not or nnot prtiipte in the forml lssroom instrution of the university. It utilizes reserh from university, government, nd other soures to help people mke their own deisions. More thn million volunteers help multiply the impt of the Extension professionl stff. It dispenses no funds to the puli. It is not regultory geny, ut it does inform people of regultions nd of their options in meeting them. Lol progrms re developed nd rried out in full reognition of ntionl prolems nd gols. The Extension stff edutes people through personl ontts, meetings, demonstrtions, nd the mss medi. Extension hs the uilt-in flexiility to djust its progrms nd sujet mtter to meet new needs. Ativities shift from yer to yer s itizen groups nd Extension workers lose to the prolems dvise hnges. Oklhom Stte University, in ompline with Title VI nd VII of the Civil Rights At of 964, Exeutive Order 246 s mended, Title IX of the Edution Amendments of 972, Amerins with Disilities At of 990, nd other federl lws nd regultions, does not disriminte on the sis of re, olor, ntionl origin, gender, ge, religion, disility, or sttus s vetern in ny of its poliies, prties, or proedures. This inludes ut is not limited to dmissions, employment, finnil id, nd edutionl servies. Issued in furtherne of Coopertive Extension work, ts of My 8 nd June 30, 94, in oopertion with the U.S. Deprtment of Agriulture, Roert E. Whitson, Diretor of Coopertive Extension Servie, Oklhom Stte University, Stillwter, Oklhom. This pulition is printed nd issued y Oklhom Stte University s uthorized y the Vie President, Den, nd Diretor of the Division of Agriulturl Sienes nd Nturl Resoures nd hs een prepred nd distriuted t ost of 42 ents per opy. 0808 AGEC-249-7