ANIMAL SCIENCES GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORSHIP: EXTENSION AND ACADEMICS WORKING TOGETHER
Early Career Development
Donald Llewellyn
State Livestock Extension Specialist and Director, Lincoln County Extension
Washington State University
Davenport
Abstract
Students who desire to work in Extension or the agricultural industries must be able to effectively interact and communicate with producers and industry professionals, emphasizing the need for an augmented graduate program. Beginning in 2013, this project creates synergies between Extension and campus activities to highlight the key components of the Land Grant Mission—Extension, teaching, and research, thus combining these factors from the perspective of those who play a role in career development. Extension mentorship provides a novel approach to graduate training, preparing students for future applied research activities and interactions with a diverse agriculture and community clientele. Project objectives include: provide Extension and applied research experiences; provide grant writing experience; work with faculty from a variety of disciplines; provide an interactive learning environment with scientists, producers, industry, and youth; create student training partnerships; learn the logic model; and become proficient at measuring outcomes and impacts. To achieve the objectives, partnerships were created between Washington State University (WSU) Extension administration and faculty, WSU Department of Animal Sciences, WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, WSU School of Economic Sciences, and faculty from other departments and agricultural interests outside of WSU. To date, three graduate students (MS Degree) have been trained in projects including evaluation of dual-purpose canola for silage, forage triticale and barley for silage and hay, and alfalfa forage quality and value as supplemental protein for beef cow and stocker operations. Engaging graduate students in Extension increases the programming capacity of Extension and enhances scholarship, including Beef Quality Assurance (BQA), Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA), producer education and research reports at the Washington Cattlemen’s Association Convention and other statewide activities, as well as regional events such as the Pacific Northwest Animal Nutrition Conference and Regional Stockmanship & Stewardship. In total, combining the efforts of Extension along with academic programs results in training graduate students to meet or exceed all expectations, demonstrate professionalism when interacting with producers, industry professionals and the public, and being highly respected within the campus departments as well as valuable members of the WSU Extension team.
Authors: Donald Llewellyn
-
Donald Llewellyn Livestock Extension Specialist, Washington State University Extension, Washington, 99164