1 Introduction Study efforts on renewable sources of energy have pri- marily focused on investigating new technologies for the production of biofuels [1-5]; the economic potential of biofuel resources [6-7]; market development decisions of bioenergy processors and biomass producers [8]; as well as farmers’ behavior, attitudes, and information needs towards potential adoption of feedstocks for biofuel pro- duction [9-13]. However, little effort has gone into study- ing the ability of extension educators and other outreach agents to provide technical assistance and guidance for farmers and agribusiness seeking to enter into biofuel feedstock production. Outreach and education programs are critical for the dissemination of information to key stakeholders. Extension and outreach provides a myriad of services including: (i) research and information on critical and emerging issues relevant to stakeholders; (ii) establish- ment of partnerships and collaborations between stake- holders to solve local problems; (iii) engagement with stakeholders to develop, implement and evaluate pro- grams and strategies to solve local problems; (iv) promote adoption of best management practices; and (v) educa- tional programs that help to improve economic, social and environmental conditions [14]. Stakeholders include farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, industry, civic orga- nizations, consumers and government. In the context of biofuel feedstock production, these services may include dissemination of research about viable feedstocks that can be used to produce biofuels in different geographic locations (e.g. [15]); educational programs to provide interactive learning about agronomic and economic aspects of biofuel feedstock production and start-up (e.g. https://cenusa.iastate.edu); and technical assistance with the development and planning of a biofuel feedstock enterprise. Despite the availability of other information sources, farmers and landowners still prefer one-on-one © 2016 Jason S. Bergtold et al published by De Gruyter Open This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. DOI: 10.1515/opag-2016-0004 received January 26, 2016; accepted April 25, 2016 Abstract: A growing biofuels industry requires the devel- opment of effective methods to educate farmers, govern- ment, and agribusiness about biofuel feedstock produc- tion if the market is going to significantly expand beyond first generation biofuels. Extension and outreach educa- tion provides a conduit for important research, knowledge and information to be disseminated to producers and agri- business that can utilize the information to help establish biofuel feedstock enterprises and markets. This paper presents the results of a survey administered to extension and outreach agents in 10 western states in the United States to assess the current state of knowledge of exten- sion and outreach agents, their needs regarding feedstock production, and mechanisms used for outreach to their clientele. Results indicate that extension and outreach agents require additional training on biofuel feedstock production, especially economic and logistical aspects. In addition, extension and outreach agents showed a pref- erence for learning using alternative methods, including field days, seminars, face-to-face, community education events, and the internet. Results differ by region and type of extension and outreach agent. Keywords: Biofuel feedstocks, bioenergy, Extension, outreach, learning tools Open Agriculture. 2016; 1: 29-36 *Corresponding author: Jason S. Bergtold, Department of Agricultu- ral Economics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, Email: bergtold@ku.edu Graciela C. Andrango, Department of Agricultural Economics, Kan- sas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA David Archer, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Agricultu- ral Research Service, USDA, Mandan, ND, USA Cornelia Flora, Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA Research Article Open Access Graciela C. Andrango, Jason S. Bergtold*, David Archer, Cornelia Flora Assessing extension and outreach education levels for biofuel feedstock production in the Western United States Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/28/18 9:50 AM