The county agent

October's first day set a gorgeous, autumn backdrop - perfect conditions for Drew Harris to follow behind Jonathan Snow's combine and get showered in corn husk debris.

During harvest season, Harris, the agriculture agent for the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension in Kent County, changes hats and becomes the Delaware supervisor for the National Corn Growers Association's Yield Contest. The association designates Extension agents to provide unbiased verification that the harvest samples meet the requirements for the yield contest.

Snow appreciates Harris's many hats.

"Extension is a good resource, and they help us stay ahead of the curve," said Snow, who grows corn, wheat, soybeans and lima beans on 3,000 acres on his family farm in northern Kent County.

For Snow, his relationship with Harris is a matter of trust. He values the unbiased, research-based information Extension delivers.

"Extension will give you a heads up when they're seeing things in your area that you may not be seeing yet," Snow said. "If I have a problem in one of my fields, you've built that relationship; they know who you are."

As an example, Snow cites southern rust, a new wind-borne disease that is migrating north.

"If I wasn't sure what it looked like, or what the threshold was, Extension is a source you can call," Snow said. "I can call the companies that I am buying products from, but at the end of the day, industry is there to support you because they are making money off of you, where the Extension agent is not."

Norman Rockwell immortalized the special relationship between farmer and agent in his 1948 painting "The County Agent." The entire family was present to hear what the county agent had to say. That concept of the venerated agriculture agent continues to endure today.