Jason Henderson. Photo by Christopher Gannon.
Jason Henderson, vice president for ISU Extension and Outreach, has been in his position for nearly two years and has extension's impact on Iowans. During the last fiscal year, extension delivered more than 10,000 educational programs reaching more than 950,000 participants. It had 3,920 partnerships statewide and saw 6,950 volunteers support extension learning opportunities. The hundreds of thousands of hours provided an estimated $7.4 million benefit to Iowans.
Henderson talked with Inside about extension's positive impact in Iowa and its future.
Extension recently released its 2024 Impact Report. What are some programs you are proud of?
We are helping farmers adopt the latest technology through the Planter University program, working with [agricultural and biosystems engineering professor] Matt Darr's Digital Innovation Lab to make agriculture more productive, efficient and profitable. Talking with farmers -- some who have been doing it for 50 years -- they told me that implementing these ideas it can help them save thousands of dollars in their operation.
The Farm, Food and Enterprise Development program is helping businesses grow, build profits and create jobs. This past year, more than 100 farms and businesses have received technical assistance through the program that has led to new investments, more jobs and larger profits.
Housing is another major issue in our state with homes, especially in rural areas, aging. We have issues with availability and affordability, too. The Rural Housing Readiness Assessment program helps communities self-assess their housing needs and guides them in the decision-making process when addressing those needs. This program allowed some communities to implement multimillion dollar housing investments.
What are some key areas where ISU Extension and Outreach can make a difference for Iowans?
One area we are focusing on is economic development and how we can help grow Iowa's economy. Iowa is known as an ag state, but how do we become a food state? We are blessed to be surrounded by states with large populations who all want to eat. How do we turn Iowa's ag commodities into food products for them? How do we add jobs and income on Iowa's main streets while creating healthy food for the Midwest?
Second, extension can contribute to a healthy and productive workforce for Iowa by creating a pipeline that begins with 4-H when they are kids, working with them through high school and at the university and then making them lifelong learners, ready to make an difference in Iowa.
We also are helping communities engage with disaster preparation and recovery with the changing weather patterns. We are working to help farmers, families and communities deal with those impacts.
What's the challenge to remaining impactful for Iowans?
Funding. With all the questions about funding at the state and federal levels, extension must step back and strengthen our foundation and position ourselves for future opportunities. We have to find ways to diversify our funding to support our mission. That might include more fee-based activities because the public subsidy is shrinking, more donor-funded activities or more partnerships with philanthropic entities. Regardless, our mission is the same because we impact lives and livelihoods to make a strong Iowa.
What role do extension faculty and staff play in that reset process?
They can consider what core impact they want from their extension program and work back from that: Identify the tangible differences they want to make in our communities, families and farms, and then identify what we need to get that done. For example, who are the partners we need to have at the table? Finally, what level of financial support do we need to make it happen?
What do you focus on to measure the success of extension programming?
It's about measuring the impact in Iowa communities. We want to show:
- The knowledge gain people experience by attending our programs and how they change their behaviors as a result.
- How we are changing conditions for people -- whether it's increased profitability, improved water quality, better soil health or new housing developments. How has extension made life better for Iowans?
