Two-thirds of the 33,000 residents of Shawano County, Wisconsin, live in rural areas; agricultural interests comprise 30% of the employment economy. Inventories of Extension programs from 1960 to 1975 and telephone interviews with county and community leaders and a random sample of 1192 county residents yielded data for this survey. Most adults (76%) had contact with Extension, and a large majority of citizens and leaders judged it positively. Of the various approaches to implementing major programs, the mass media was the most effective at reaching more people. Individuals, groups and communities all benefitted from Extension's informational resources, facility development, and resource data on community concerns. Other conclusions were that Extension lacked sufficient identity in the county and the community leaders wanted to be more involved in program determination and evaluation. Specific findings indicated ten general implications for Extension programming, including that Extension must: (1) determine the optimum balance between "some" contact with most people and "intensive" contact with fewer people; (2) decide on the extent of responsibility for assisting people who do not usually seek help; and (3) use strategic combinations of meetings, mass media, committee and individual contacts in sequential, continuous programming. (DS)