The Progression of Change in Adult and Continuing Education • The Progression of Change in Adult and Continuing Education
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Penn State Extension’s programs and outreach benefit many
All photos courtesy
Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of farms that sell directly to the consumer. How can a Pennsylvania resident or a visitor to the state locate any of the more than 1,000 farmers markets that offer up the bounty of Pennsylvania’s farms? The Penn State Extension offers the PA Farm Market Finder, an interactive map that allows anyone to search for farmers markets, on-farm retail markets, and public markets—or all three. The markets are color coded to identify what kind of markets they are. People can zoom in on the interactive map to any area of the state, and more information about each farm market, including contact information, is just a click away. The PA Farm Market Finder is just one small illustration of the work that the Penn State Extension does. The Penn State Extension is a modern educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities. That information is sometimes is provided face-to-face through a wide variety of programs that the Penn State Extension plans, and it is sometimes provided online. The goal, according to Carla J. Snyder, is to provide useful information when people want it, where they want it, and how they want it. 20
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“We can help everyone from business owners to farmers to individuals,” said Snyder, an Extension Educator and Associate State Program Leader of the Energy, Business and Community Vitality team. The PA Farm Market Finder helps connect farm markets with customers. The Penn State Extension has a long tradition of bringing unbiased support and education directly to residents in Pennsylvania. That support can come in many different forms. That, and the education is delivered through a variety of different programs and methods. According to the Penn State Extension website, the Extension program teams “consist of a collection of educators, associates, and faculty that come together from various units when their expertise is needed.” Many of the program team members live and work alongside the people they are helping, and these teams form unique partnerships with state and county governments to facilitate collaboration with industry, private organizations, and others. Each program team participates in an ongoing development process to determine what educational programming is needed by citizens, communities and industry sectors across the state. This process includes gathering input from stakeholders and customers to ensure that the Extension Teams are working to find timely, research-based solutions in the areas people care about most. Snyder mentioned just a few programs that the Penn State
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