Extension Program Field Data Readiness Checklist

A pre-season audit tool for extension directors and department heads to assess whether their data collection infrastructure meets NRCS, grant funder, and peer-reviewed publication standards. Covers 25 checkpoints across six sections: enrollment, field data collection, photo documentation, reporting compliance, staff capacity, and technology stack. Scored out of 25 points with a three-tier readiness guide and mapped next steps.

• Data readiness is a pre-season problem, not a reporting problem. Most extension programs discover infrastructure gaps at the deadline.
• Staff time is the hidden cost of bad data systems. The staff capacity section surfaces a metric most directors have never measured.
• Compliance readiness and publication readiness are not the same thing.