The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 7, No. 4  November 28,  2000

IN THIS ISSUE...
...SARE Farmers and Ranchers Highlighted in New Smithsonian Exhibit
...The Hills Project
...Access to Impact Reports and Program Accomplishment Reports
...National 4-H Centennial Update
...Medicinal Herb Growers Update
...2001 Feeding the Hungry Grants
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

SARE FARMERS AND RANCHERS HIGHLIGHTED IN NEW SMITHSONIAN EXHIBIT
A multi-panel exhibition about the North American prairie - from its unique mix of flora and fauna to its huge agricultural output - opened November 18 at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 'Listening to the Prairie: Farming in Nature's Image' describes the evolution of the vast grasslands region as well as the progressive prairie farmers and ranchers who have found innovative new ways to earn profits in sync with their sensitive environment and in tune with the needs of their communities.

The farmers are:
* Tom Larson, a diversifed crop and livestock farmer from St. Edward, Nebraska;
* Joel Rissman, an organic crop and livestock farmer from Waterman, Illinois;
* Jeff Mortenson, a beef cattle rancher and prairie restorer from Pierre, South Dakota; and
* Annie Wilson, a beef cattle rancher from Chase County, Kansas

Annie Wilson, one of the farmers highlighted in the exhibit, has collaborated with KSU extension specialists in assessing the quality of grass-fed beef, and developing a market for it locally and nationally. She is also a member of the Kansas Rural Center Heartland Network.

'Listening to the Prairie,' supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, will run from November through March 2001 at the Smithsonian. Beginning in May, the exhibition will travel to 20 libraries throughout the U.S. as part of a tour sponsored by the American Library Association. For more information, contact ALA at 800-545-2433, Extension 5054. For more information about USDA's sustainable agriculture program, which awarded grants to the farmers featured in the exhibition, contact 301-504-5230 or go to http://www.sare.org  .

See also the USDA press release at  http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2000/11/0399.htm for more information.

The SARE website will maintain information at http://www.sare.org , including more information about the farmers featured in the exhibit. --Rhonda Janke rjanke@oznet.ksu.edu 

THE HILLS PROJECT
Kansas State University, together with Iowa State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and South Dakota State University, have joined forces to draft a proposal for Congressional funding through the EPA sponsored "Great Plains Initiative," (an ISU initiative), a project similar to the Chesapeake Bay Initiative. The new proposal is "The Hills Project." It will use the Flint Hills, Sand Hills, Black Hills, and Loess Hills as focal points to work on the following issues and major environmental risks in the Hills:

1)  The grasslands and ecosystems, (Native grasslands are rare and are the most threatened ecosystem);

2)  Water quality and water supply, (Local and regional water quality and supplies are threatened);

3)  Biodiversity, (The Hills are ecological repositories of geographical diversity and represent much of what is left of the biodiversity in the Great Plains);

4) Soils, (Soils are fragile and highly eroded by wind and water);

5) Cultural patterns of land use, (There is a critical cultural interface and contrasting land use between modern users and the Native American population);

6) The economy, (Changing economic conditions require a new focus and perspective of economic activities if populations of the Hills are to keep pace economically with the rest of the U.S. population); and

7) Urbanization and new demands of urban residents, (The dramatic change in the rural and urban dynamic of the Hills and Great Plains create new ecological and cultural demands and settlement patterns in growing population centers).

The current status of the proposal development allows for individuals or teams to contribute descriptions of current or possible programs or projects that would fit the above "risks." A core team is in place representing the Colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Architecture, Planning and Design. It is made up of Paul Ohlenbusch and Bill Eberle (Agriculture), John Harrington and Jim Sherow (Arts and Sciences), Stephenie Rolley (Architecture, Planning and Design) and Jim Koelliker (Engineering). You may contact the core team or contribute to the proposal by sending an email to thehills@oznet.ksu.edu  or by contacting the team members individually.

This is a unique opportunity since the proposal will be requesting $10 million to be divided among the states. A key part of the first year or so will be the developing of a database consisting of currently available sources and development of others that will lead to a better understanding of the issues and environmental risks facing "The Hills." --Paul Ohlenbusch pohlenbu@oznet.ksu.edu 

ACCESS TO IMPACT REPORTS AND PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORTS
Impact Reports from Research faculty and Extension specialists can be accessed from the Planning, Reporting, and Evaluation home page, http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/prev/ , or directly at the Impact Report database home page, http://129.130.72.154:80/Impact_00/ , and the Program Accomplishment Report database home page, http://129.130.72.154:80/Accomplishment_rpt/ .

The database home page includes a link to Instructions which explains the process for printing hard copies of the reports. Once reports are submitted to the database, from the Impact Report home page, select Search Database. Enter information in one field (i.e., Lastname: enter “Jones”) then select Start Search and the search will bring up all reports submitted by faculty members whose last name is Jones. At this point no reports have been submitted into the Impact 2000 database.

Although the fields differ, the process is the same for the Program Accomplishment Report. From the home page, select Search Database then enter information in one field (i.e., Agent: enter “Jones” or use the drop box to select Extension area: “SC”) then select Start Search. 

The search will take you to the Search Results page which also shows the number of records found. A click anywhere on the underlined text will take you to the Record Detail page which can be printed for performance evaluation or other purposes. For additional help, call Martha or Joann at 785-532-6775. --Marie Blythe mblythe@oznet.ksu.edu 

NATIONAL 4-H CENTENNIAL UPDATE
Congratulations to Cody Jackson, who submitted the winning centennial poster design from Kansas for the 9  - 12 age group. Cody is a Kingman County 4-H'er. Runner up was Katie Marks from Coffey County. Cody's design has been forwarded to National 4-H Council for the next round of judging. 4-H Through the Decades - A Centennial Celebration - Second Decade Survey is now online. Please vote on what you feel are the top 10 most important events that shaped 4-H in its second decade.

Organizing 4-H - the Second Decade 1913-1925

1. Passage of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, which established the Cooperative Extension Service of which 4-H is a part. The act provides public financial support for Extension programs.

2. In 1921, the National Committee on Boy's and Girls' Club Work was formed, which coordinated private support on behalf of 4-H type programs.

3. This decade also included World War I and its impact on the lives of all Americans. Young people in club work contributed to the war effort through food production and conservation, canning demonstrations and other efforts. Wartime incentives probably introduced club work to more youth and adults than did anything else up to that time.

4. The first opportunity to explore the future of club work came in 1919 at a meeting of Northern and Western 4-H Leaders in Kansas City. This meeting was one of the most important in the history of the 4-H movement. The meeting impacted the general structure of local clubs, expansion of projects, relationships between club work and vocational education, and other elements.

Visit http://www.4hcentennial.org  to read about more events in the second decade and to vote. Results will be posted January 1 and the third decade survey will go live then as well. If you have any questions please contact Nancy Richman at richman@fourhcouncil.edu . Results from the first decade will be posted December 1. Be sure to visit the web site to see what won! --Steve Fisher sfisher@oznet.ksu.edu  

MEDICINAL HERB GROWERS UPDATE
 As a follow-up to the Herb Grower's Update Meeting last month, a mailing has gone out to the nearly 700 people on the mailing list, offering them an opportunity to purchase a packet of information from the meeting, purchase a video, or both. They were also offered the opportunity to borrow these items from their County Horticultural or Agricultural Agent, free of charge. If you get a request from someone in your county for these items, please contact me at rjanke@oznet.ksu.edu ; or Christy Nagel, cnagel@oznet.ksu.edu , and we'll ship them out to you asap. Also, if you'd like to just have one around the office for future requests, we can get one to you.

If you get requests for information from new herb growers, encourage them to attend one of our twice-annual meetings, request a copy of the "intro packet" from Christy Nagel, or both. They can get on the mailing list for free, and keep up on what is going on that way. The latest development is the formation of an herb marketing co-op for the Great Plains. We've also begun two field trials on possible herb crops for Kansas, and initiated an on-farm research network. --Rhonda Janke rjanke@oznet.ksu.edu 

2001 FEEDING THE HUNGRY GRANTS 
Hunger haunts all types of American communities, not just the poorest. But in many communities, residents are largely unaware of the problem. By increasing awareness and involvement, these communities can significantly boost the food supply for the hungry.

Young people represent an enormous and generally untapped source of energy, ingenuity and empathy that can be channeled to address local hunger problems, with great results. To help communities mobilize this important resource, National 4-H Council in partnership with Kraft Foods, Inc., offers local grants of $500 to $3,000 to teams promoting youth/adult involvement in local food banking, outreach and public awareness efforts. To engage interest and action on a statewide or multi-county level, grant requests may range from $1,500 to $5,000. These funds must be a 100% match by local resources. Grant award funds are not to be used to establish or fund new 4-H food and nutrition programs.

Grant proposals should meet the following program goals: 
* foster community-based, collaborative action by youth, working in partnership with adults, to address local food supply issues;
* to increase the food supply available to those in need;
* to help youth gain a working understanding of a food bank operation and develop workplace competencies outlined in the U.S. Secretary of Labor's Commission on Achieving necessary Skills (the SCANS) Report; 
* and to educate the public about hunger and food supply issues.

Grant Schedule:

February 5, 2001 - Application Deadline
March 2001 - Grant Proposal Review/Awards Made
March 2001-November 2001 - Grant project implemented
July 30, 2001 -  Mid-term Report Due
November 1, 2001 - Final Report Due

(unused grant monies MUST be returned by this date. No exceptions can be granted).

The full application can be found at www.fourhcouncil.edu/ycc/grantinfo.htm . If you wish to receive a hard copy, please mail a self-addressed envelope including 55 cents postage to : Doris Parent, National 4-H Council, Feeding the Hungry Grant Program, 7100 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. --Steve Fisher sfisher@oznet.ksu.edu 

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS . Submit corrections to previously submitted items to jzarger@oznet.ksu.edu .

Wednesday, December 6
.... KSU Bull Test Sale, Beloit/MC, Statewide, 11:00 a.m., (Twig Marston)

Thursday, December 7
.... NE FACS Program Enhancement, Manhattan, NE Area, (Emily Mark)

Thursday, December 7, through Friday, December 8
.... River Friendly Farm Assessment Training, Hutchinson, Statewide, 1:00 p.m., (William Hargrove)
.... KSUPROF Professional Growth Planning Workshop (Class VIII), Grand Island, NE, Multi-state, 5:00 p.m., (Steve Scheneman)

Friday, December 8
.... SW Program Enhancement, Garden City, SW Area, (Carol Young)
.... SC Program Enhancement/FACS Workday, Wichita, KS, SC Area, 10:00 a.m., (Margaret Phillips)
.... KSU-SE Agricultural Research Center Advisory Committee Meeting, Parsons/LB, SE Area, 9:30 a.m., (Lyle Lomas)
.... NW FACS Update, Norton, NW Area, 9:30 a.m., (Libby Curry)

Friday, December 8, through Saturday, December 9
.... KSU Commencement

Tuesday, December 12
.... SPA Training for Agents, WaKeeney/TR, Statewide, 9:30 a.m., (Sandy Johnson)
.... Farm Management Association, Dodge City, SW KFMA, 10:30 a.m., (Fred DeLano)

Tuesday, December 12, through Thursday, December 14
.... Wheat Quality Short Course, Manhattan, Multi-state, 8:00 a.m., (Tim Herrman)

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