2020
County Based Mini-Proposals and Soybean Agent Training
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Contributor/Checkoff:
North Carolina Soybean Producers Association
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
ExtensionIndustry outreach
Parent Project:
County Based Mini-Proposals and Soybean Agent Training
Lead Principal Investigator:
Rachel Vann, North Carolina State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
19-073
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
North Carolina Soybean Producers Association
$15,320
Institution Funded:
North Carolina State University
$15,320
Brief Project Summary:

This project assists North Carolina soybean farmers to improve soybean profits by showcasing results of projects or production practices they should know about. Efforts from this work improve the farm-level profitability of producing soybeans in North Carolina, showcase relevant project results, train county extension personnel about soybean production, provide county extension personnel a vehicle for teaching their producers and agribusiness personnel about soybean production and support NCSU's Soybean Extension On-Farm test and Demonstration program. This project also supports an annual soybean agent training, where agents can see field demonstrations and interface with diverse soybean experts on the fundamentals and the latest research.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension agents

Information And Results
Final Project Results

This proposal provided our County Extension Agents with the financial resources to conduct County-based activities to showcase the diverse and impactful applied soybean research that has been conducted across North Carolina. These mini-proposals allowed for agent driven soybean research and extension efforts at the County level. In 2019, 11 County Mini-Proposals were funded across the state for research and extension activities related to soybean production. In 2020, 6 County Mini-Proposals were funded across the state for research and extension activities related to soybean production. This financial support is foundational to ensure County Extension Agents have the resources needed to execute soybean programming at the County-level.

Support was also provided for hosting an annual Soybean Agent Training where agents can see field demonstrations and interface with diverse soybean experts on the fundamentals and the latest research. We had planned a two-day, statewide soybean agent training event for 2020, however due to COVID-19 restrictions, we had to pivot and host smaller, regional agent trainings to ensure we provided training for the County Extension Agents who felt safe attending
the trainings. The training event was hosted by Drs. Dominic Reisig and Rachel Vann and focused on deeply exploring soybean growth stages and subsequent management decisions. The training events were held at the large planting date trials in Beaufort County (n=15), Robeson County (n=10), and Rowan County (n=10). Each training lasted 2 hours. Of the
County Extension Agents that responded to the survey (n=14), they indicated that their soybean knowledge increased by 14% as a result of this short, focused training.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.