The central theme of this article is how to increase the laboratory's focus on the customer. According to results from a series of focus groups, Iowa middle school students often think of an old man, dressed in overalls, smelling dirty, and chewing on a straw. Though farmers were considered important by urban and rural participants, urban youth had little interest in agricultural careers. In fact, all participants equated agriculture with farming rather than the wider industry. These results, though not statistically representative, indicate that those who wish to communicate with Iowa youth should not assume a wide base of awareness about or interest in agriculture.
Methodology is discussed as well as implications for the findings.
The research was conducted to help Cooperative Extension professionals that work with local schools. The juvenile justice system, which requires the state to function as a parent in meeting the needs of youth, has more obscure goals than its criminal justice counterpart. Several national-level panels have made recommendations on improving of the juvenile justice system and minimizing inequities. This synthesis combines individual panel recommendations on the topic of juvenile justice with recent empirical research that supports the recommendations. The data should be useful to national, state, and local elected officials and policy makers.