ARDMORE, Okla. — When agricultural specialists at the Noble Foundation started work on a strategic plan to focus their impact into the next decade and beyond, one area they closely studied was how their time was being spent, and how it could be better utilized.

"What we found is that our ag specialists spend a considerable amount of time on the phone or with people who stop by wanting different kinds of general information," said Wadell Altom, administrative coordinator and support manager. "These aren't necessarily cooperators, but people who figure we have the answers to what they need to know."

And quite often, the specialists do have that information. So to better accommodate the general public, the Agricultural Division has implemented a new helpline, manned by Amy Faulkenberry, a newcomer to the Foundation but not to the agricultural world. She holds an associate's degree in farm and ranch management, and is working on a bachelor's degree in animal science. Altom said the helpline is already freeing up time that ag specialists can use elsewhere, including on research projects and with consultative services to area farmers and ranchers who are Noble cooperators.

Although the ag helpline concept itself is simple and enables more information to be dispensed to the public, it actually is a fairly complicated procedure from the operator's standpoint.

The operator first obtains basic information from the caller: who is calling, basic background about the person, and the type of information being sought. Faulkenberry then determines how best to handle the information request: transfer the caller to an available Noble Foundation agricultural specialist, provide information the operator has at hand, recommend checking out information on the Foundation Web site, or refer the caller to another agency or resource.

Walk-ins seeking general agricultural information also will be referred to the helpline operator in the Agricultural Building, Altom said.

Once calls are routed to Foundation ag specialists, they can display the helpline screen on their office computer and see at a glance who is calling, the type of information wanted, if the person has contacted the Foundation before, and if so, who he/she spoke with and what information was received.

"This is how we've determined we can get the most and best information out to the general public in a timely manner," Altom said. "This only refers to non-cooperators, though. Cooperators should continue to directly call the specialist on their consulting team most likely to have the information they need."

To assist in delivering information, Faulkenberry will also have seminar, class and workshop calendars for various other agriculture-related organizations and groups.

Faulkenberry started the new post in February and logged almost 200 non-cooperator calls and walk-ins in her first month.

"There are certain times of the year when there are definitely more calls than at other times," Altom said. Currently, many of the callers are seeking gardening, lawn and landscaping information. However, specialists at the Foundation are also trained in the areas of soil fertility and crops, forage, wildlife, economics and livestock.

The Foundation's agricultural helpline is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and can be reached by calling (580) 224-6500.

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Photo: 400k JPEG

Cutline information: Amy Faulkenberry, Noble Foundation agricultural helpline operator, fields calls from people seeking help in a variety of agricultural, homeowner and landscaping areas. Photo/Courtesy the Noble Foundation

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The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a non-profit organization conducting agricultural, forage biotechnological, and plant biology research; providing grants to numerous non-profit charitable, educational and health organizations; and assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs.

To learn more, visit the Noble Foundation Web site at http://www.noble.org.

More news releases available at www.noble.org/Press_Release