The value of skills audits as an effective evaluation tool of agricultural extension programs

Summary

MLA’s flagship extension and adoption programs of the past seven years, Making More from Sheep and More Beef from Pastures were scheduled for completion at the end of 2016. Coinciding with this was a desire from MLA to achieve a measureable impact on red meat business profitability via delivery of extension and adoption programs in a landscape of limited public extension provision.

MLA’s 2014 situation analyses of the profitability of the northern beef, southern beef and sheep industries identified increased business profitability can be achieved through capability development targeting key profit drivers and financial literacy and management.

The purpose of this Extension and Adoption (E&A) pilot project was to enable an informed and evidence based redesign of the delivery methodology and platform for MLA’s principal extension and adoption program to achieve MLA’s objectives of skill development, practice change and adoption, and improved business performance, linked with a measure to manage, whole farm systems approach and linkages with value chain.

The vision for a future extension and adoption program is: A financially sustainable extension and adoption program aligned to MISP 2020 and MLA 2020 targets that extends MLA R&D outputs and achieves increased producer skills and capability, practice change and whole farm business improvement through increasing producer understanding of: Business profit = management capability + evidence + value chain approach

L.ADP.1608