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Micaceous Iron Oxide (MIO) coatings have a well established record for long‐term protection of steelwork against corrosion. Structures protected with MIO paint systems include road and railway bridges, electricity towers, radio masts, gantries, cranes, building frames, gas holders, chemical plant, offshore platforms, storage tanks and pipework.

Micaceous iron oxide (MIO) paints are employed throughout the world to provide long‐life corrosion protection for structural steelwork.

The need for environmentally acceptable anti‐corrosive pigments to replace those based on lead and chromates in priming paints has stimulated the emergence of phosphate, molybdate and borate types and many others. However there are widespread doubts about the ability of these “non‐toxic” alternatives to provide the same degree of corrosion‐resistance as the lead and chrome pigments. This has encouraged a search for ways and means of boosting the inhibitive action of the newer pigments, for instance by mixing with other ingredients that might promote a synergistic effect. There has been a growing interest in utilising inert “barrier” pigments for this purpose and the development of synthetic iron oxide with a flake‐like crystalline structure is a significant step forward in this context.

Ferro Corporation has announced two senior appointments, including a new managing director at its UK operation, Ferro (Great Britain) Ltd, which has factories at Wombourne in the West Midlands, Burslem in North Staffordshire and Chirk on the Clwyd/Shropshire border.

Previous articles in this series have considered techniques of paint analysis, as well as methods of studying surfaces and interfaces and ways of following the various physico‐chemical reactions which occur within coatings, particularly those concerned with film curing. Many of the techniques described in these articles required sophisticated analytical equipment and certainly in larger organisations the care and operation of this would be in the hands of specially trained personnel. There are however, a wide range of tests which paint chemists more or less routinely use in their day to day work on formulation control and development. These are the types of test which charactertise liquid or paint film properties such as viscosity (which has been considered in a previous article), colour and gloss, drying time, hardness, durability etc. The equipment used in these tests tends to be less complicated than required for many of the techniques described in the previous articles though as much care and attention to detail is required in operation and interpreting the data obtained. The last two parts in this series will be concerned with a review of some of the recent literature concerned with certain aspects of paint film testing. This article will consider test panel preparation and some of the literature concerned with measuring gloss level and film mechanical properties. Recent advances in the field of durability and corrosion testing will form the basis of a subsequent article.

The Akzo Chemicals stand will display its full range of chemicals for coatings applications.

Various companies, including Dow Chemical, Dow Corning, PMC Specialities, Vanderbilt Corporation and Kusumoto Chemicals, with a long history of service to the paint, printing ink and allied industries, are represented. Products featured include antimicrobials, cellulose ethers, resins, propylene glycol ethers, silicones and a variety of speciality additives designed to meet the demand within surface coatings for improved properties.

Agricultural leadership programs have been widely supported by both the public and private sector and have been praised for the “networking” they provide. However, is there any community benefit? Could these programs be doing more? This paper provides some insight into these issues by looking at contributions of the related research. First, a connection is made between social capital theory and the value of networking. Then, agricultural leadership programs are discussed in terms of benefits they provide to participants and the communities that they serve. Finally, an application component is proposed for use in agricultural leadership programs as a way of improving the effectiveness for the communities that support them.

One method to develop leaders is through leadership development programs designed specifically for an intended context. The International Leadership Association (ILA) provides questions for designing programs such programs. This article reflects data collected during the process of developing a leadership program serving the broader agricultural community in Virginia. The International Association of Programs for Agricultural Leadership (IAPAL) reports that programs for leadership development in agricultural contexts typically include 12 seminars over two years, with less than one-third of the seminars agriculturally related. The profile includes sources of financial support and allocation of administrative duties. A survey of agricultural leaders reveals a strong desire for such programming. The stakeholders sought a program including emerging and experienced leaders with travel for on-site experiential learning. The findings have implications for the state and broad leadership development. Those who develop leadership programs for other contexts may benefit from the guiding questions and data.