The agricultural and extension education profession has changed and developed over time. As a future worker in this career, I need to know more about the agricultural and extension education profession and how it developed with time. In order to fully understand that, I interviewed the retired extension worker in Mississippi State. He is known as one of the top soybean specialists in the US. This interview took place on Monday, March 21, 2016 at Starbucks on Highway 12 in Starkville, Mississippi. My interviewee was Dr. Alan Blaine, who co-founded the Southern Ag Consulting with two of his graduate students in 2008. Furthermore, he co-founded the Alliance Ag Risk Management in 2009. Besides the two companies, he manages his own timber, hay, and cattle farm. Dr. Blaine has a doctorate in Agronomy with a minor in Plant Pathology from Mississippi State University. He earned his master’s in Agronomy with a minor in Plant Pathology, and a bachelor’s in Animal Science from Mississippi State University. In the agricultural and extension education career Dr. Blaine spent nearly 27 years from his entire life. He started his profession in 1982, and he retired in 2008. During Dr. Blaine’s career at MSU …show more content…
Blaine noticed many changes in extension work. The major change he has seen within the profession was using the new technology, such as cell phones, computers, and internet. Using the technology was a benefit to the extension work. It helped farmers to communicate faster with their extension agents in their counties and ask them about any problem in their fields. Also, extension agents have used the new technology to provide new information from the researchers to the farmers. The technology helped to reduce the time that was taken in the past. Also, it contributed to serve many farmers at the same time. Dr. had the opportunity to experience that major changing and feeling its benefits for the