Food Protection Trends - May/June 2022 - 214

positions; each individual was appointed a specific food safety
niche with one agent focused on food safety programming and
food entrepreneurship, another on food preservation, the third
agent with on-farm food safety initiatives.
Moreover, the shift of CES toward a regional structure
has affected the day-to-day roles and responsibilities of CES
educators. On-site stakeholder visits (e.g., meeting a dairy
farmer at their farm) and program offerings for individual
counties or townships have been reduced or eliminated to
focus on regional programming. To minimize costs, fewer
numbers of CES personnel are responsible for covering large
swathes or geographic regions. Although there are advantages
to having a centralized regional structure, such a structure
minimizes direct interactions between individual stakeholders
and CES personnel, which further impacts programming
distribution.
Becoming more inclusive
As communities diversify, CES faces challenges in
developing multilingual resources and recruiting educators
to deliver programs and training in various languages and
contexts. Within the United States, Spanish-speaking
individuals constitute a large portion of those handling,
growing, preparing, harvesting, and packing food; there is a
growing need for food safety materials and programs to be
developed for Hispanic/Latinx populations. To address the
need for accessible and culturally relevant resources, panelists
described increased recruitment of Spanish-speaking CES
educators to coordinate resource development and training for
Spanish-speaking communities. Spanish-language materials
are offered for different CES programs. For example, Penn
State constructed a full complement of Spanish produce
safety topics used for training including articles, fact sheets,
and videos (11). In addition, in 2019, PSA launched " PSA
en Español, " the Spanish-language sibling webpage that
includes the Spanish grower training manual in print and
online, resources, and contact information (30). In 2018, PSA
prioritized hiring a Spanish Language Extension Associate, and
because of increased need, hired a second Spanish Language
Extension Associate in 2020. PSA currently has 183 registered
Spanish-speaking PSA trainers (27 are Lead Trainers and 9
are Trainer of Trainers) in the United States, allowing for fully
immersed Spanish grower training courses to occur (31).
Translations of the PSA curriculum and supporting resources
also are being developed in other languages as need arises.
Culturally relevant adaptations take time, dedication, and
specialized personnel.
Effective evaluation in documenting and measuring
success
Measuring the success of CES and its programs has changed
over time. Although the use of quantitative measurements (e.g.,
financial measurements, number of program participants, preand
post-tests) is valuable, participants discussed alternative
214 Food Protection Trends May/June
measurements of " success. " Evaluation of programming, a form
of measurement, has become a universal precursor to receiving
funding for many national programs. CES personnel are
increasingly expected to provide evidence of program success
through short-term, intermediate, and long-term evaluation
(e.g., USDA NIFA grants). However, there are obstacles
and barriers to measuring success and evaluating programs
(9). Because CES programs are unique in themselves, it is
imperative to gather accurate, specific, measurable, and feasible
data to complement and meet objectives.
CES educators must also " tap into [their] network[s] for
participant feedback, " whereas developing programs to " get
meaningful data " and document a positive impact. Dr. Fisk
highlighted a standardized, program-specific evaluation tool
PSA trainers are required to use for the PSA grower training
course. Panelists also noted that informal evaluation measures
can often preempt and contribute to formal results; informal
measurements included participant feedback through quotes,
kudos, and thank-you notes. Documentation of personal
feedback can qualitatively document client satisfaction, impact
and can be used for program adaptation in the future.
Increasing interest in CES
Panelists described the importance of student involvement
and university personnel cross-collaborations to facilitate
interest in CES programs. Interest can later be converted into
a recruitment tool for future CES educators. Although these
networks may be difficult to cultivate, because CES faculty
often have teaching or research appointments coupled with
their Extension appointments, Dr. Chase encouraged research
faculty to include and collaborate with nonresearch Extension
faculty on their projects. Using herself as an example, Dr.
Chase (who does not have a research appointment) stated
that she serves on multiple graduate research committees with
students conducting Extension-serving projects.
Land-grant universities also must demonstrate the value
of CES to students. Because graduate students are often
evaluated solely on their research productivity, students'
teaching and CES efforts may not contribute to fulfilling
degree requirements. Academic departments can show their
commitment to Extension by having an Extension/outreach
expectation for all graduate students (students learn how
to effectively communicate their research to be understood
by public audiences). Dr. Chase served on a dissertation
committee with a published research output in the Journal of
Extension. In this publication, authors highlighted how CES
educators can use Extension publications to discuss food
processing technologies with clientele (2). This Extensionbased
project provided the student with experience and
support when deciding how CES would be a part of their
future career.
Inclusion of undergraduate students in Extension-related
activities can further cultivate interest in CES. Students can
become more involved through paid apprenticeship programs
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