New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service
Template and instructions found at www.cahe.nmsu.edu/employee/reporting.
Narratives are required monthly from all County Extension Agents. An electronic copy should be sent to your District Director, the Dept. Head for Program
Development and Accountability and any other faculty (such as state specialists in charge of major programs reported on in the narrative). Failure to submit narrative reports by the 10 th of the following month may result in a reduced annual merit rating.
Completion Instructions:
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PART I - report on any progress you’ve made that month with your major program plan(s). Respond to your major program objectives. Report the number of educational services provided ( outputs ), learner achievements
( outcomes such as new skill learned), types of audience contacts (seniors,
Hispanic single parents, etc.), additional future plans, agency collaborations , evaluation results, and/or resources used (time, money, people).
Example: POW No./ Title: 3200 Food Stamp Nutrition Program
Objective: Limited resource persons from Valencia County (including those with or at risk for diabetes) will optimize health by improving food choices and physical activity habits.
Audience contacts: Two nutrition Cloverbuds Camps were conducted. Lola presented two classes at the Los Lunas Regional Early Care & Education Conference. One was “Mantener
Los Ninos a Salvo” in Spanish which is the Food Safety Novela developed by NMSU. Lola is also continuing her Diabetes and CACFP classes. Ritha started her ERIB classes at the Los
Lunas and Belen WIC offices.
Outputs: Ten nutrition educators received diabetes training and in turn taught thirty participants the first lesson.
Outcomes: These limited resource audiences are learning nutrition education and are now asking me more difficult questions demonstrating an increased knowledge of how diabetes can be handled through good nutrition practices.
Evaluation: At the end of camp children attending the nutrition Clover Buds Camp could respond as a group to several questions asked to them about good nutrition practices.
Example: POW No./ Title: 1580 Profitable Livestock Production
Objective: Agent is working with producers to teach them recommended management practices which could result in increased profits.
Collaborations : The Farm Bureau and Beef Producers’ Association helped coordinate a regional training this month and donated the training lunch.
Evaluation: Five cattle producers are tracking their profits over a five year period and their production management changes to see if improved practices do result in increased profits.
Outputs: Thirty attended the regional training and five farm visits were made to check on production practices.
Outcomes: One producer is already able to predict a 10% profit increase due to changed practices taught by this agent. (Attached is a complimentary letter written by this producer about the importance of the Extension Service to his business.) revised September 13, 2001

New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service
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PART II - report on any success stories that are out-of-the-ordinary and appropriate to include as “Good News to the NMSU Board of Regents”.
Example: Curry County’s 4-H Environmental Education group was the national winner of the National Extension Association Family and Consumer Science Environmental Education contest. The winning entry will be displayed in November at the annual NEAFCS conference in Greensboro, NC. ( This examples shares how Extension is helping youth explore career opportunities .)
Example: Northern NM Community College, El Rito Campus asked their local Extension
Agriculture Agent to organize a farm tour for campus instructors. The purpose of the tour was to develop a specialty crop production system that could be used at the El Rito Campus to teach vocational agricultural skills. The campus is searching for ideas on how to utilize the resources they have available in their communities. ( This is a great illustration to the Regents on how Extension collaborates within their neighbors .)
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PART III - report on any other information you feel is important to communicate to your District Director and/or appropriate to accomplishing your job.
Examples:
The agent attended the Soil & Water Conservation District's monthly committee meeting.
New 4-H Program Assistant began work this month.
A staff meeting was held.
Clientele Contacts: ( Other than meetings, events and educational programs)
69 Baby's First Wish newsletter 86 Family Health Fair Contacts
40 Child Care Connections newsletters 8 Head Start issues discussed
3 Media contacts
9 Food safety calls
35 Family Community Ed. contacts
3 County Fair questions
5 Meal preparation calls
2 SYETP questions
2 Diet and nutrition questions
Approximately 80 calls were received requesting information on food preservation, high altitude cooking, food safety, food storage, county fair and food nutritional values.
Attended the following meetings:
March of Dimes; Paso del Norte Health Foundation; Maternal and Child Health
Council; Parenting Resource Center Task Force.
Questions Frequently Asked About Narratives:
 How do I report on county and state 4-H activities?
Activities are just that – activities, unless they are part of a planned educational program, project or effort. If the activity is tied to an educational objective in a major program plan, then write about the activity under Part I and explain what was gained by participants in attendance. If the activity was routine and not part of a major program plan, place it under
Part III.
 How do I report on programs that I help with and don’t teach at? revised September 13, 2001

New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service
 Are phone conversations regarding 4-H project work reported under major program plans? Generally speaking, phone conversations are information contacts. They are counted as EMIS contacts and not written up in a monthly narrative unless you place them under Part III.
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If you are providing a support role, that goes under Part III. If you are actually working with participants in some educational roll, fit it under one of your major program objectives and state what participants gained from the experience. Count clientele contacts on EMIS.
Can success stories in Part II reflect programs that were mentioned in Part I?
Yes! Some of the most interesting success stories will come from county major program events and activities. For example, if you have been working with your 4-H clubs on expanding their leadership activities, and a club in recognized by their city mayor for outstanding contributions to city beautification, that makes a great success story.
Information compiled by Dr. Wendy V. Hamilton, Dept. Head, Program Development and
Accountability. revised September 13, 2001