University extension services could help balance rural and urban priorities, but schools have been slow to expand

Expanding university extension services could help balance
rural and urban opportunities. (Photo via the Yonder)

When universities keep extension services limited to agricultural outreach, they miss opportunities to balance their educational mission to serve urban and rural populations equally.

An Ohio State University study completed in 2021 and repeated with roughly the same 400 respondents in 2025, asked respondents if universities should favor urban or rural residents. In 2021, 70% of respondents "answered that 'there should be no difference between how rural and urban communities are prioritized,'" reports Nick Fouriezos of The Daily Yonder. In 2025, 83% of participants said both populations should receive an equal focus.

"Nearly all of the respondents who wanted a balanced approach still held that stance four years later — meaning that most of the shift came from people who previously felt universities should favor one geographic region over the other," Fouriezo explains. Researchers believe the increase in respondents who support an equal division of university resources "underscores that universities aren’t structured to deliver the balance that the public wants."

Stephen Gavazzi, whose team conducted the survey, told Fouriezo, "It’s so easy to look at the university structure and realize: We’re not set up for that."

Extension services are the primary tool many universities use to reach rural populations. Fouriezo writes, "When extension programs only focus on agriculture, rural communities miss out on everything else the university offers — from business development to social work to engineering."

While some states have moved their extension offerings out of agricultural colleges, others are reluctant to make the change. Fouriezos explains, "Switching would require universities to admit their current structure doesn’t match their mission, or what the public expects from them."

When university administrations limit extensions to their agricultural college, they leave all their other colleges behind, which limits learning choices for rural residents. Fouriezos reports, "That narrow ag-centered focus doesn’t reflect the current diversity of rural towns and their communities, which have become important hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship."

'American Idol' and 4-H partner for virtual auditions Sept. 24

Willie Spence sings "A Change Is Gonna Come" during
American Idol's 2021 finale. Watch the performance here.

The singing-competition show "American Idol" is again partnering with the 4-H Council to host a dedicated virtual audition day for the show's 20th season. On Friday, Sept. 24, 4-H singers nationwide can audition over Zoom for a chance to earn a spot on the show. Registration closes at 3 p.m. ET Sept. 24. Click here to register, or here for more information.

It's no wonder the show is happy to partner with 4-H again: Last year, 4-H alumnus Willie Spence, from rural Douglas, Ga., blew away crowds and judges with powerhouse performances like Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," finishing second in the competition.

4-H, a program of the federal-state-local Cooperative Extension Service, is the nation's largest youth development organization, with nearly 6 million members nationwide and serving every county.

Pandemic roundup: Extension services try to build rural trust in vaccines; former skeptics include a weekly publisher

Here's a roundup of recent news about the pandemic and immunization efforts:

Getting more people vaccinated against the coronavirus will require building trust, so cooperative extension programs across the U.S. are trying to do just that. In June the Extension Foundation announced a federally funded initiative to educate rural and other underserved areas about vaccinations. This story zeroes in on one extension service's efforts in the Black-majority town of Cairo, Illinois. Read more here.

President Biden has ordered the Education Department to take action against governors who ban school mandates. Read more here.

As the coronavirus surges in Florida, some rural vaccine skeptics change their minds, including Roger West, co-owner of the weekly Westside Journal near Jacksonville, Fla. Read more here.

An interactive map shows the percentage of hospital beds in each county occupied by Covid-19 patients. Read more here.

This map shows, by hospital referral regions, where intensive care unit beds are nearly full of Covid-19 patients. Categorizing it by referral region makes it particularly relevant to rural interests. Read more here.

Alabama has no more ICU beds available, state authorities say. Read more here.

Even with the vaccination rate higher than ever, fewer American adults feel confident that they won't become infected with the coronavirus, according to a new Gallup survey. Read more here.

Small incentives go a long way in getting people vaccinated, found a Colorado tourism town whose business owners banded together to offer coupons and other incentives to vaccinated customers. Read more here.

Most private insurers will no longer waive patients' share of Covid-19 hospital bills. Read more here.

It feels a little on the nose, but: August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Read more here for free content, tools, links, and more.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a guide to advocating for vaccines in one's community and online, and how to encourage more trust in health departments. Read more here.

The CDC also has a guide to addressing misinformation on social media. Read more here.

'Adulting 101,' weekly online class for teens, teaches basic skills they need to mange time, stress, money, health, etc.

The University of Kentucky will offer an eight-week online course this summer that aims to teach teenagers nationwide about basic skills they'll need as adults, including time management, personal finance, stress management and physical health, study skills, and more, Carol Lea Spence reports.

This is the second year for the class, led by the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the UK Cooperative Extension Service. More than 580 students attended in 2020, and this year organizers are including new topics and expanding lessons from last year based on participant feedback.

The class will begin June 15 and meet every Tuesday via Zoom. Registration is $29.99 and capacity is limited so organizers recommend signing up soon. Read more here.

Earth Day is Thursday; here are resources for reporting on it

Thursday, April 22, is Earth Day. Here are a few resources for coverage:

• The official Earth Day website includes news stories and resources reflecting this year's theme of "Restore Our Earth." Some stories have rural resonance, such as the one about reducing farming emissions with regenerative agriculture.
• Track social media conversations by searching for the hashtags #EarthDay2021 and #EARTHRISE. The Earth Day Network, which organizes the observance, will post new content all week at @earthdaynetwork on Twitter.
• USA Today has a piece with an overview of the observation, including some history.
• The Verge has a guide to online Earth Day observations.
• Amanda Gumbert, extension water specialist with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, wrote an excellent piece in 2020 with ideas for celebrating Earth Day while socially distanced. “Take some time to get out into nature, even if it’s just in your backyard," she wrote. "Breathe in the fresh air, listen for birds, enjoy the many spring colors, and if you’re lucky enough to have a creek nearby, take a moment to appreciate the many benefits of clean water for both humans and wildlife.”

Gumbert suggested some other activities that people can do alone or with their families:

• Plant a garden. Try containers for small patios or yards. Include both vegetables and some flowers for cutting. Another option is to join in a local farm’s community supported agriculture program.
• Compost food scraps and yard waste, rather than sending them to the landfill. Before long a compost bin will provide rich, nutritious soil amendment for your garden.
• Follow the 3 Rs to keep as much as possible out of the landfill. They are:
• Reduce: Avoid using single-use, disposable items like paper plates, cups, napkins and utensils. “This is easier when eating most meals at home,” Gumbert said, “but try to create a new habit to avoid disposable items in the future. Also, avoid purchasing items with lots of packaging, which is usually wasted.”
• Reuse: Find new uses for household items or share them with a friend.
• Recycle: Look for opportunities to recycle items that can’t be reused or composted.
• Take care of water resources. Planting along a backyard stream or neighborhood pond or lake will help reduce erosion, protect water quality and improve the beauty of the landscape.
• Conserve water at home by taking shorter showers and turning off the faucet while brushing teeth.
• Conduct a family litter cleanup. Grab some trash bags, sturdy gloves and boots and pick up litter along nearby streets and roads. Litter can create hazards for livestock, wildlife and waterways.
• Save energy by turning out lights when leaving a room, unplug electronics when not in use, and switch to energy-efficient appliances when it’s time to replace old ones.
• Check out nonprofit organizations with eco-friendly missions and support them if possible. “This Earth Day may be different than previous ones, but if we all take little steps, we can still make a big impact in improving our environment,” Gumbert said.

Free online course aims to help farmers and and their neighbors recognize signs of stress and suicide risk

A free online course aims to help rural farmers and those in farming communities learn how to recognize the signs of stress and suicide risk, communicate effectively with stressed farmers, and help reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues. The course is timely, because suicide and mental illness are higher for farmers, especially during the pandemic.

Rural Resilience: Farm Stress Training takes less than three hours to complete, but you can go at your own pace. It has slide presentations and downloadable resources, and is available through June 2021.

The course was funded by the Cooperative Extension Service, Farm Credit, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union. Course content was created by Extension experts at Michigan State University, the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin, Montana State University, and South Dakota State University.

Here are some other farmer suicide prevention and mental-health resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (24 hours)
• Crisis Text Line: 741-741 (24 hours)
• Farm Aid farmer hotline: 1-800-327-6243 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern)
• National Farmers Union Farm Crisis Center
• Suicide warning signs: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Wed. is Earth Day; here are coverage ideas and resources, and a list of possible activities from an Extension specialist

Wednesday, April 22, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Here's a few resources to help you cover it:

• The official Earth Day website includes news stories. 
• Environmental news website EcoWatch has ideas for coverage content and more.
• Most in-person Earth Day celebrations have been canceled because of the pandemic. Columbia University's Earth Institute offers some ways readers can celebrate while sheltering in place.
• Track social media conversations by searching for the hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE. The Earth Day Network, which organizes the observance, will continue to post plenty of new content all week at @earthdaynetwork on Twitter. 
• USA Today has an excellent piece that includes Earth Day history, discussion about how the pandemic intersects with the observance, and related news.

“This year, most of us will celebrate Earth Day at home, but there are some simple things we all can do to be more eco-friendly every day, and raise our spirits in a time of uncertainty,” writes Amanda Gumbert, extension water specialist with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. “Take some time to get out into nature, even if it’s just in your backyard . . . Breathe in the fresh air, listen for birds, enjoy the many spring colors, and if you’re lucky enough to have a creek nearby, take a moment to appreciate the many benefits of clean water for both humans and wildlife.”

Gumbert suggested some other activities that people can do alone or with their families:

• Plant a garden. Try containers for small patios or yards. Include both vegetables and some flowers for cutting. Another option is to join in a local farm’s community supported agriculture program.
• Compost food scraps and yard waste, rather than sending them to the landfill. Before long a compost bin will provide rich, nutritious soil amendment for your garden.
• Follow the 3 Rs to keep as much as possible out of the landfill. They are:
• Reduce: Avoid using single-use, disposable items like paper plates, cups, napkins and utensils. “This is easier when eating most meals at home,” Gumbert said, “but try to create a new habit to avoid disposable items in the future. Also, avoid purchasing items with lots of packaging, which is usually wasted.”
• Reuse: Find new uses for household items or share them with a friend.
• Recycle: Look for opportunities to recycle items that can’t be reused or composted.
• Take care of water resources. Planting along a backyard stream or neighborhood pond or lake will help reduce erosion, protect water quality and improve the beauty of the landscape.
• Conserve water at home by taking shorter showers and turning off the faucet while brushing teeth.
• Conduct a family litter cleanup. Grab some trash bags, sturdy gloves and boots and pick up litter along nearby streets and roads. Litter can create hazards for livestock, wildlife and waterways.
• Save energy by turning out lights when leaving a room, unplug electronics when not in use, and switch to energy-efficient appliances when it’s time to replace old ones.
• Check out nonprofit organizations with eco-friendly missions and support them if possible.

“This Earth Day may be different than previous ones, but if we all take little steps, we can still make a big impact in improving our environment,” Gumbert said.

Wednesday webinar will discuss ideas for farmers and ranchers to make more money with agritourism

On March 19, the Texas AgrAbility program will present a free webinar called "Ideas for Starting Rural Agriculture Businesses" at 2 p.m. CT. The presentation will last about an hour; you will need to download (free) Zoom software to access it on your computer or phone.

The presenter will be Greg Clary, a business consultant with the Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship and a retired Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist with more than 30 years of experience in helping people start and expand agriculture- and natural resource-based businesses. During the webinar, he will discuss ideas for helping farmers and ranchers add new revenue streams to their agricultural operations via agritourism and other ventures.

Cooperative Extension Service has website that's all about safety and health on farms and ranches

Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations, but many injuries and deaths could be prevented with relatively simple measures, as the Minneapolis Star Tribune showed in its recent series, "Tragic Harvest." Much more information about agricultural health and safety is available on a Cooperative Extension Service website.

Most information on the site comes from the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health and the land-grant universities that are part of the extension service. It is assembled by the Farm & Ranch eXtension in Safety and Health Community of Practice, comprising extension agents and faculty who collaborate with industries and governments. "FReSH also works with smaller organizations such as Farm Safety for Just Kids and AgriSafe Network to disseminate their resources as well," an extension service news release said.

National Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Week is Sept. 16-22, 2016.

CDC gives Extension at 6 universities $4.2 million to fight obesity in counties where it's very high

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded the Cooperative Extension Service at six land-grant universities $4.2 million to combat obesity in counties with obesity rates of 40 percent or more. This is the first time the CDC has funded an Extension program.

The work will focus on reducing chronic disease rates, advocating healthier lifestyles, reducing of health disparities and supervising health-care spending. "These strategies will improve physical activity and nutrition, reduce obesity and prevent and control diabetes, heart disease and stroke," according to the CDC website.

For the current fiscal year Auburn University received $791,222, the University of Kentucky received $629,004, South Dakota State University received $588,456, the University of Tennessee received $987,774, Texas A&M University received $783,000 and West Virginia University received $427,419. (Read more) Here is the CDC's list of counties with over 40 percent obese adults.

The universities will intervene through extension and outreach services at the county level. For example, at Kentucky, "Researchers and extension personnel in UK's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and College of Public Health will work in six Kentucky counties that have obesity rates higher than 40 percent ... Logan, Clinton, Lewis, Martin, Letcher and Elliott," Katie Pratt reports for UKAgNews.

Obesity is a major problem, especially among young people, African Americans, Hispanics and Alaskan Native and Native Americans. Rates of youth obesity are higher in low-income and rural communities. (Read more)

Cooperative Extension Service turns 100 this week

Thursday is the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Smith-Lever Act, which created the Cooperative Extension Service. This week is a great time to highlight the accomplishments of local extension offices. The national organization has already created a series of sites on social media to help get people involved, including on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Other resources are available on the agency's website. 

Here are some examples of what is being written about local agencies and the land-grant universities that oversee them:

Over the years, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension agents and specialists "have implemented countless meaningful, educational programs and grassroots efforts," Katie Pratt reports for UK Ag News. "Such programs and efforts have given young people the self-confidence to speak in front of their peers, provided nutrition advice to young mothers, supplied information to help Kentucky farmers become better stewards of the land and helped in numerous other ways. Each year, extension personnel make over 7 million contacts across the state through their programs, events, initiatives and efforts." (Read more)

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is having an exhibit called "Bringing the University to You: A Century of Service to the Granite State." The exhibit, which will run from May 7 through June 30, "will feature tools and equipment from the extension's early years, projects engineered by 4-H students and photographs of M. Gale Eastman—the extension's first agriculture agent—and astronaut Alan Shepard, a former 4-H member," reports Seacoast Online. "The display will include a pictorial journey through the extension's work." (Read more)

Penn State is sponsoring a film festival. "Silent and black-and-white films and film clips will display early cinematic techniques and demonstrate how humor was incorporated with the content to note the 'new' technology on the farm and in the home," reports the Penn State News. "The films were shown to rural families in the early part of the 20th century and today give a glimpse of life in the early 20th century. (Read more)

Is the Extension Service still useful in the digital age? It seems so, but adjustments may be needed

It's been 100 years since extension services came to rural areas across the country, and in an age of much more advanced technology, with information a few clicks away, some people wonder if it is time to rethink the usefulness of the Cooperative Extension Service, Jonathan Knutson of Agweek reports. North Dakota State University Extension Service director Chris Boerboom says extension skeptics are wrong because extension is vital.  "There's a lot of information available and a lot of places to get is," Boerboom told Knutson. "But [extension is] still the place to go when you want reliable, unbiased information."

But the service's value isn't always an easy sell, Knutson wrote, especially when government budgets are dwindling. South Dakota State University's extension director Barry Dunn told Knutson budget issues forced a restructuring of the service in many states. "We have to prove ourselves every day, that we really are the safe, trusted, unbiased, scientific place to go for information," Dunn said. North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana's services say they don't plan to restructure. Extension officials in at least four states say they are offering more online services for farmers.

Extension services in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana all say they will lose millions in funding if federal sequestration happens at the end of the year. They're also facing staff shortages as baby boomers  begin to retire, with the trend being more pronounced in North Dakota where 32 county positions were filled within two years. (Read more)

Extension agents were first hired to 'see both sides of the question, give wise counsel and leadership'

County extension agents have been helping rural communities across the U.S. with a everything from farming to food preservation to finances to 4-H, for a century or more, and as land-grant institutions mark the 150th anniversary of the law that led to their creation, some are marking the 100th anniversary of extension programs in their states.

Charles Mahan, right, was hired as the University of Kentucky's first full-time county agent in 1912, two years before Congress established the Cooperative Extension Service, Katie Pratt of UK Ag News reports. By the spring of 1913, UK had hired six more agents, and the first home demonstration agents, now known as family and consumer sciences agents, were hired the following year. County 4-H agents have existed since at least 1917, though under a different title and on a part-time basis until the 1960s.

Mahan wrote that one of his top jobs was to "develop sane, safe, local leaders who can be trusted to think things through, see both sides of the question, give wise counsel and leadership." He "helped determine that extension agents' function should be primarily education, offering unbiased, research-based information to their clients," Pratt reports. That continues to be the philosophy of Cooperative Extension, she writes. Though extension's role has evolved since 1912, Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Director Jimmy Henning told Pratt that the agency is still "seeking to find and serve people where they are and in ways they want to receive information." (Read more)

Extension services create drought-help websites

The U.S. drought has become the most severe since the Dust Bowl, in some respects, and experts are now predicting it could get worse, with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack saying earlier this week that food prices will soar because of higher corn and soybean prices. Farmers are struggling, but at least two Midwest universities are attempting to help them deal with the oppressive dryness.

Iowa State University's and Kansas State University's extension services have created drought websites with resource lists to help farmers in those states. On Iowa State's website, farmers and ranchers will find several areas of information to help them deal with drought: crops, livestock, dealing with stress, home and yard, financial concerns and tips for businesses. Visitors to the site will also find disaster preparedness fact sheets about drought from the Extension Disaster Education Network. Visitors will not only find information about dealing with crops and livestock during a drought on Kansas State's website, but they can also access details of both the 2008 and 2012 Farm Bills and a weekly drought update for the state.

University salutes Extension crew working with no office after tornado; newspaper also demolished

Last week's string of violent storms and tornadoes left a path of destruction across rural Kentucky. The most severely hit community was West Liberty, the county seat of Morgan County (Wikipedia map), where the entire downtown was leveled. The University of Kentucky's Cooperative Extension Service office in the county was destroyed in the storm, but that hasn't stopped extension agent Sarah Fannin from helping her community rebuild. On UKnow, a university site, UK President Eli Capilouto saluted Fannin and other agents working without an office.

Fannin her house has become a temporary supply and donation drop-off point: "We are a community. Extension is a community. There’s not much difference between opening up [an office in my home] and opening up an office [somewhere else]. That’s how we operate in extension." She and the other agents are working on several "vital projects," including gathering school supplies, feed and supplies for livestock, barbed wire for temporary fencing and helping rebuild the local school, Capilouto reports, calling Fannin and her colleagues "a beacon of hope amid the darkened depths of despair."

Capilouto said he's not surprised by Fannin's quick action and service to her community: "In a sense, I knew Sarah Fannin before I ever spoke with her. Several months ago, I was moved by a national story in The New York Times that recounted the efforts of Sarah and her co-workers in UK’s Morgan County Extension Office. They are working with people throughout Eastern Kentucky, teaching them how create gardens of their own." (Read more)

The office of the local newspaper, the weekly Licking Valley Courier, "was demolished," and Publisher Earl Kinner's home across the street, left, "was leveled" as Kinner took refuge in the basement, Kentucky Press Association Executive Director David Thompson reports. Janet Patton of the Lexington Herald-Leader has a story about the paper's struggle to recover. (Photo by Keith Kappes, The Morehead News)

KPA's Kentucky Journalism Foundation has created a fund to assist the paper and any others in Eastern Kentucky that suffered damage. "If you wish to make a donation, please make the check payable to Kentucky Journalism Foundation and mail to 101 Consumer Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601," Thompson writes. "I'm pleased to report that contributions are on their way to the foundation from newspapers in other states as well as state press associations. And I’ve been in touch with Xerox Corporation to request the donation of a printer or two." The paper is printing a day late, in a truncated format, and has started a Facebook page. 

Extension services increase beginning-farmer classes in urban areas to meet demand

Over the years, many university agricultural extension programs have adapted to changing times, sometimes overshadowing farming with classes about sciences and humanities, but now continuing education extension classes are returning to farming because people living in cities, towns and suburbs are increasingly interested in small-scale farming, reports Phyllis Korkki of The New York Times. Extension agents have been offering beginning-farmer classes in response to demand, which require a different lesson plan than classes for seasoned farmers. (NYT photo by Jim Craven: Oregon small-scale urban farmer Aluna Michelle)

Students in urban agriculture range from seasoned gardeners to people seeking to make a career of it. They learn how to maximize time and space, how to farm organically and the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and marketing, including "the ins and outs" of farmers markets.

Dennis Lukaszewski, University of Wisconsin Extension urban agriculture program coordinator in Milwaukee, told Korkki that small-scale gardening on at least one acre of land can provide a significant boost in income. He said it's possible to make $7,000 to $8,000 a year in the area if a gardener puts in 20 hours a week. University of Florida agent Robert Kluson helped set up "Annie's Project," which is for women who want to be "agri-preneurs." He also helps students deal with zoning laws, and has started to network of small farmers "because he found that many of them fell prey to isolation," Korkki reports. (Read more)

Kentucky joins ranks of states losing money needed to fill extension office positions

Add Kentucky to the list of states, like South Dakota and Oregon, suffering budget cuts to their cooperative extension services. Funding for the service in Kentucky has decreased about 9 percent, from $13.5 million in 2008 to $12.3 million in 2011.

The shortfall has left 31 vacancies among 411 county agent jobs. Two years ago, there were 20 vacancies, Jimmy Henning told Bruce Schreiner of The Associated Press. Henning is the associate dean for extension in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. The peak number of vacancies, 60, came in 1994, Henning said.

Some vacancies may not be filled for two years, causing counties to chose whether or not to leave positions empty or temporarily pick up the state's share of the payroll. So far, 14 counties have taken the latter route, expediting hiring of 15 agents. Those counties, whick previously contributed $5.5 million to these salaries, will be contributing $7.3 million in 2011. (Read more)

Budget cuts force another university to cut extension; more are probably on the way

South Dakota is the latest victim of budget cuts to land-grant universities, which are being proposed or considered all over the nation. South Dakota State University recently announced elimination of 90.8 positions, including 20 extension jobs and closures of two research experiment stations and two campus testing laboratories, Andrea J. Cook of the Rapid City Journal reports. These cuts are part of a $1.2 million loss in in state and federal funds to the university.

Counties now provide office space, equipment and other administrative services for extension offices, and the university pays the salary of the extension specialists, once called agents. “The impact to counties will be determined, to a large degree, by county commissions,” said Barry Dunn, dean of the university's College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. (Read more)

In Oregon, Gov. John Kitzhaber has proposed an 18 percent cut in funding for statewide extension services. "The money would have to be gathered by charging more for research, or 4-H membership or by somehow finding a lot of donations," and Oregon State University "would have to close research facilities," the East Oregonian of Pendleton says in an editorial.

Future of land-grant university system to be topic of Farm Foundation Forum in D.C. Tuesday

The future of the land-grant university system, a key sponsor of public service for rural America, will be the topic of the next Farm Foundation Forum on Tuesday morning, April 12, at the National Press Club in Washington.

The panel of presenters will include Daniel Dooley, vice president of the University of California; George Norton of Virginia Tech, co-author of "Investing in a Better Future through Public Agricultural Research," and Nicole Ballenger, associate vice president of academic affairs at the University of Wyoming and study director for the National Research Council's Board on Agriculture report, "Future of the Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture." The discussion will be moderated by former U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm of Texas.

The forum will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Coffee will be available at 8:30 a.m. The press club is at 529 14th St. NW. There is no charge to participate, but advance registration is requested. Click here to register.