The problem

Ag Council had not had a meeting of all parties assembled together for several years, and had never fully bought into the need for assisting the agent in program design, development, and implementation. 

The educational program response

Agent removed inactive members from council and invited others that are active in extension programs, developed a brief informative "training" for the meeting, and explained the value of attending.

The participants/target audience

Program Participants and local producers. 

Other partners (if applicable)

I invited local partners that we work with on major programs throughout the year. 

Program impact or participant response.

The council took the informational meeting with great success, which lead to a very productive conversation on programming. They expressed the need for continuing programing in some areas, while the desire to see me phase out other aging programs. They discussed the need for a "premier" or "Major" event/program for farmers in the county in the winter meeting season. It was decided to focus on family farms as a whole and not one specific commodity or group of commodities (Grain, livestock, tobacco, etc.) to bring together the entire ag community. Out of that conversation a working group was formed with 6 members to worked on what was given the working name of the "Family Farm Summit".