7-Day Field Visit Plan for Extension Agents

Extension agents and coop field staff cover a lot of ground each week. Without a plan, it is easy to spend too much time on farms that are doing fine and miss the ones that need help. This guide gives you a simple structure for planning your week, running each visit, and keeping useful records.

Step 1 — Plan your week

At the start of each week, sort your farms into three groups based on how urgently they need a visit.

High priority

• Farms with active pest or disease reports
• Fields approaching harvest that need quality checks
• Farmers who requested help or reported a problem
• New farmers in the program who need extra support

Medium priority

• Farms in areas with recent weather stress (heavy rain, dry spell)
• Routine follow-ups from previous visits
• Farms you have not seen in two or more weeks

Low priority

• Farms with no current issues and recent visits
• Experienced farmers who rarely need support

Check the weather forecast for the week. Avoid planning long travel on days with heavy rain. If you know about pest outbreaks in nearby areas, add those farms to your high priority list even if they have not reported problems yet.

Step 2 — Pattern for each farm visit

Keep each visit focused. A visit does not need to be long to be useful. Follow this pattern:

1. Short check-in (2–3 minutes). Greet the farmer. Ask how things are going and if there is anything specific they want to discuss. Listen before you walk the field.
2. Field walk (10–15 minutes). Walk through the main areas of the farm. Look at crop colour, pest damage, soil moisture, and livestock condition. Let the farmer point things out to you.
3. Quick checks. Depending on the crop and season, do one or two specific checks:
   • Count pest damage on a sample of plants
   • Check soil moisture by feel
   • Look at a few animals for signs of illness
   • Inspect stored produce for pests or mould
4. Agree on 1–3 actions. Before you leave, agree with the farmer on what they will do before your next visit. Keep it simple: "Spray this week," "Move the animals to the upper paddock," or "Send me a photo if the yellowing spreads." Write these down so you both remember.
5. Record a short note. In your notebook or app, capture: date, farm name, main observations, and agreed actions. This takes one minute and saves you time later.

Step 3 — End of week summary

At the end of the week, spend 15 minutes reviewing your notes. This keeps things from falling through the cracks.

• Mark follow-ups. Which farms need a return visit next week? Add them to your high or medium priority list.
• Spot patterns. Are several farms reporting the same pest? Is one area showing more drought stress? Note this for your team or coop.
• Share a short summary. Send your supervisor or coop coordinator a few bullet points: farms visited, main issues seen, any urgent situations. This keeps everyone informed without long reports.

Simple weekly checklist

Use this at the end of each week:

• ✓High priority farms visited
• ✓Key issues and actions captured in notes
• ✓Follow-ups marked for next week
• ✓Summary shared with team or coop
• ✓Next week's priority list drafted