The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 9, No. 36   July 22, 2003

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Replacement for Penalty Mail
...Mahbub Alam Named Fulbright Scholar
...Jardine to Assist ANR Program
...Upcoming Horticultural Events
...4-H Youth Development Kansas State Fair Packet
...Kansas State Fair Exhibitors Handbook
...Shawnee County Crops Tour
...Mar-Tec Blue Ribbon Software Update
...Susan Bale and Richard Wear Leaving IET
...2003 Director's Report of Research now Available Online
...2004 National 4-H Event Chaperones Needed
...4-H Afterschool Conference Set for October 29 and 30
...Master Schedule

REPLACEMENT FOR PENALTY MAIL
As you know from past communications, the federal government is ending KSRE’s use of penalty mail on September 30. We, like all land grant universities, are still waiting on more definitive information from Washington, D.C., but we have been provided with an estimate of the replacement funds that will be allocated to Kansas.

We have learned that the formula the federal government is using to allocate replacement dollars among states has changed and will be based, in part, on the 2000 census. This change is expected to reduce the total penalty mail replacement funding that Kansas receives. As in the past, county and farm management operations will continue to receive the bulk of these funds. Counties will receive their allotment at six-month intervals and we estimate that their total allocation will be about 90% of historical levels. About 25 counties still need to return the federal Employer Identification Number form that was distributed on July 11 through Stacey Warner’s Extension Operations office. Completing that form is necessary for us to issue counties their first penalty mail replacement fund check by late October. 

Past and expected (FY2003 projected) use of penalty mail and discussions with departmental personnel involved with penalty mail use guided the 2004 on-campus and area office penalty mail replacement allocation process. Because most on-campus units have decreased their use of penalty mail in recent years through the expansion of e-mail and web-based communications, the adjustment should be manageable. –Randy Higgins rhiggins@oznet.ksu.edu

MAHBUB ALAM NAMED FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR
Mahbub Alam has been named and received a Fulbright Scholar award for the academic year of 2003-2004 from the U.S. State Department. This program is to build mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and other countries and scholars are selected on the basis of academic or professional
achievements and demonstrated extra-ordinary leadership potential in their field according to the U.S. Department of State. Mahbub will join approximately 800 faculty and professionals who will travel abroad to some 140 countries. Beginning sometime in August, Mahbub will be with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council and will serve in Dahka and work in research management and coordination, advise and explore closer coordination with national Extension organization and will teach an Irrigation Engineering course at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology.

This is quite an honor for Mahbub to be nationally recognized as Fulbright Scholar and he will be a U.S. ambassador to foster mutual understanding and bring about international cooperation. --Paul Hartman phartman@oznet.ksu.edu 

JARDINE TO ASSIST ANR PROGRAM
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Doug Jardine, Extension Plant Pathology, will be providing part-time administrative support to the Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Program through June 2004. Doug will provide roughly 20% time commitment to administrative leadership working with Daryl Buchholz. His duties will include liaison responsibilities to Kansas Crop Improvement Association, Kansas Grazinglands Coalition, Kansas State Emergency Board, Pesticide Applicator Training Programs, Integrated Pest Management, and the Sustainable Agriculture Programs. Additionally, Doug will support the coordination of various interdisciplinary teams in program development and implementation.

Doug will continue his subject matter responsibility in Plant Pathology, with adjustment to the overall program to make room for these administrative responsibilities. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu 

UPCOMING HORTICULTURAL EVENTS
The 2003 Annual Open House and Field Day is set for August 2, at the K-State Research and Extension Center, Olathe (35125 W. 135th Street). Cost is $5 per person. For more information, call 913-764-6300, or visit www.oznet.ksu.edu/johnson .

The 2003 Turf and Ornamentals Field Day is Thursday, August 7, at the John C. Pair Horticultural Research Center, 1901 E. 95th Street S., Wichita. Cost is $20 per person, which includes lunch. For more information, contact Christy Dipman at 785-532-6173. --Christy Dipman cdipman@oznet.ksu.edu 

4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT KANSAS STATE FAIR PACKET
Please be alerted that two pieces of information have been added to the KSF Packet on the 4-H Intranet Site: 4-H Astronomy Exhibit Information and 4-H Robotics Exhibit Information. If you have 4-H members exhibiting in either of these classes, they will need to fill these exhibit forms out in full as noted in the 2003 Exhibitor Handbook on pages 184 and 185. The Rocketry Exhibit Information Form is also on the Intranet web site in  the same file. --Jim Adams jadams@oznet.ksu.edu 

KANSAS STATE FAIR EXHIBITORS HANDBOOK
The information on page 199 of the KSF handbook should read as follows.

Rule 10 - Class 3031 will be open for those who have completed the KS 4-H Horse Standard of Excellence Achievement Level IV only.

Rule 11 - Class 3039 will be open for those who have completed the KS 4-H horse Standard of Excellence Achievement Level III only. --Ann Domsch adomsch@oznet.ksu.edu 

SHAWNEE COUNTY CROPS TOUR
The Annual Shawnee County Crops Tour will be Wednesday, August 6, starting at 4:30 p.m. with dryland soybeans at Doug Queen's located on 62nd Street, one mile north and 4 miles east of Rossville. Other stops will include irrigated corn at Kelsey’s Northwood Farm, grain sorghum at Everette Thomas’ and dryland corn at Robbie and Roger Sage’s. 

To see the test plot varieties, go to www.oznet.ksu.edu/shawnee/demonstr.htm .

Ravenwood Hunting Lodge will sponsor the meal. For more information, call the Shawnee County Extension Office at 785-232-0062. --Dean Davis dldavis@oznet.ksu.edu 

MAR-TEC BLUE RIBBON SOFTWARE UPDATE
Nearly 100% of the local Extension Councils have ordered the upgraded Mar-Tec Blue Ribbon Youth Enrollment Software. This great response accomplishes bringing the cost of the software to the absolute minimum ($47/copy). Additionally, we will kick in funds centrally to bring the final cost to local Extension Councils to $40 per copy.

We will be sending out the software and invoice for $40 soon. Remember, this is a two year commitment. You will receive an invoice for $40 in July 2004 which guarantees receipt of upgrades and technical support each year. If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Thomas, cthomas@oznet.ksu.edu , or me. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu 

SUSAN BALE AND RICHARD WEAR LEAVING IET
Susan Bale, KSRE Webmaster; and Richard Wear, Systems Engineer; are leaving to take on new challenges in new places.

Susan is leaving July 25 to move to Bergin, Norway where her husband, Tom Clarke, has accepted a position with the Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology. Tom is finishing his Ph.D. this summer. Susan hopes to follow her career path and find a position in Bergin similar to the post she’s held here for the last four years.

Among her accomplishments during her time at K-State, Susan was part of a team that won the Gold Award from the Agricultural Communicators in Education/National Extension Technology Conference (ACE-NETC) for work on the Kids A Cookin’ Web site. Susan also oversaw the restructuring of the K-State Research and Extension Web site, which went “live” this past spring. She’s also done training and presentations on a topic near and dear to her heart: good Web design, focusing on usability and accessibility.

A search is on for Susan’s successor. However, in the interim, Amy Hartman, IET, will be the point of contact for web issues. Many Webmaster responsibilities will be shared by others in the Department of Communications.

Richard Wear is leaving August 1 to move to Plano, Texas to be nearer family. Richard cites automating and engineering the server tape backups to meet our demand and to provide reliable recovery of files in case of emergency as one of his most important accomplishments at K-State Research and Extension. Another important accomplishment has been the engineering and implementation of the new network connections to the Area Extension Offices, Research Centers, and some of the larger counties, allowing the implementation of Quality of Service which enables us to use Video Conferencing effectively.

Richard has been routinely involved in tape backup monitoring/maintenance; northeast area county support; monitoring services provided to employees and constituents to minimize downtime; monitoring/maintenance of DirXML interaction between eDirectory and active directory; and providing support and assistance to area technology support specialists Steve Spencer and David Dunn, and to tech support students, as well as other duties.

Richard’s position will also be filled. In the interim, Richard’s responsibilities will be distributed among several IET staff. Gary Kepka will assume technology support responsibilities for the same area Richard covered. Larry Havenstein will assume server backup responsibilities and be a primary contact for WAN issues. As always, call IET, 532-6270, for assistance.

“We are very sorry to see Susan and Richard leave – they’ve been an integral part of the IET team and a big asset to K-State Research and Extension. We wish them great success as they follow their career paths.” --Roger Terry rterry@oznet.ksu.edu 

2003 DIRECTOR'S REPORT OF RESEARCH NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
The 2003 Director's Report of Research is now available online at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/misc2/DRR02.pdf . It is also listed for a limited time under "New Publications" on the KSRE publications page at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library .

The Director's Report of Research contains a listing of journal articles, books and book chapters, proceedings and abstracts and other publications produced by researchers with Agricultural Experiment Station appointments. A more comprehensive report of KSRE activities can be found in the KSRE Informal Report to the Kansas Legislature (2002 Annual Report), located on the Web at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/misc2/KSRE2002.pdf .

Past Biennial reports and KSRE Annual reports are available at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/historicpublications/bienreps.htm . --Eric Rhodenbaugh erhodenb@oznet.ksu.edu 

2004 NATIONAL 4-H EVENT CHAPERONES NEEDED
Want to see the cherry blossoms bloom around Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.? Or maybe "HotLanta" (Atlanta, GA) is more your taste over the Thanksgiving break? Or travel by chartered coach to our nation's capital in June and see the sights and sounds of government, past and present? The State 4-H Department is seeking adults (21 years of age +) to serve as chaperones and/or advisors for three of its MAJOR out-of-state educational experiences in 2004.

Of course this isn't just a sit back and relax vacation. Chaperones assume responsibilities for the Kansas delegations attending: National 4-H Congress, 4-H Citizenship Washington Focus, and National 4-H Congress. These delegations vary from four teens to more than 50, and of course the more youth participating the more chaperones are required!

Applications are not due until October 1, 2003, with screening and selection to follow. The various educational programs each require different expectations from the adult sponsor. An information letter, job descriptions, and application have been mailed to each and every county. In addition, you can find the same information at the following web sites:

 http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_4hyp/countyresourcepage.htm 

 http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_4hyp/VolunteersResourcePage.htm 

 http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_4hyp/ParentingResourcePage.htm

Chaperone opportunities are available to Extension Agents, Agent's Assistants, 4-H volunteer leaders and alumni, and any K-State Research and Extension faculty, particularly State and Area Extension Specialists. --Gary Gerhard ggerhard@oznet.ksu.edu 

4-H AFTERSCHOOL CONFERENCE SET FOR OCTOBER 29 AND 30
The 4-H Afterschool Conference is set for October 29 and 30, 2003 at Rock Springs 4-H Center. Specific information was sent to counties in a hard copy letter dated June 24.

This conference focuses on the need for and benefits of structured after-school programs; role 4-H can serve in the after-school market; and resources available from the national 4-H Afterschool initiative to support the work. Most importantly, this conference will prepare active partners in comprehensive after-school development, delivery and evaluation.

There is funding available to help you and a community collaborator attend. We have resources to fund up to 15 teams. Deadline to request funds is Thursday, July 31. If you have questions, please contact Diane Mack at dmack@oznet.ksu.edu . --Diane D. Mack dmack@oznet.ksu.edu 

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS . 

Submit corrections to previously submitted items to jzarger@oznet.ksu.edu .

DATES TAKEN FROM THE MASTER SCHEDULE FOR JULY 30, 2003, THROUGH AUGUST 5, 2003:

Wednesday, July 30, through Saturday, August 2
.... Greeley County Fair, Tribune, SW
.... Pratt County Fair, Pratt, SW
.... Rush County Fair, LaCrosse, NW
.... Washington County Fair, Washington, NE

Thursday, July 31, through Saturday, August 2
.... Lincoln County-Sylvan Grove Fair, Sylvan Grove, NW
.... Wallace County Fair, Sharon Springs, NW

Thursday, July 31, through Sunday, August 3
.... Pottawatomie County Fair, Onaga, NE

Thursday, July 31, through Monday, August 4
.... Cowley County Fair, Winfield, SE
.... Osborne County Fair, Osborne, NW

Thursday, July 31, through Tuesday, August 5
.... Central Kansas Free Fair, Abilene/DK, NE

Friday, August 1, through Sunday, August 3
.... Barber County Fair, Hardtner, SW

Friday, August 1, through Monday, August 4
.... Greenwood County Fair, Eureka, SE

Friday, August 1, through Tuesday, August 5
.... Harvey County Free Fair, Newton, SE

Friday, August 1, through Saturday, August 9
.... Lyon County Free Fair, Emporia, SE

Saturday, August 2, through Sunday, August 3
.... Shawnee County 4-H Open Horse Show, Topeka, Statewide, 9:00 a.m., Leroy Russell lrussell@oznet.ksu.edu

Saturday, August 2, through Saturday, August 9
.... Allen County Fair, Iola, SE
.... Linn County Fair & Rodeo, Mound City, SE

Monday, August 4, through Thursday, August 7
.... Crawford County Fair, Girard, SE

Monday, August 4, through Saturday, August 9
.... Morton County Fair, Elkhart, SW
.... Northwest Kansas District Free Fair, Goodland/SH, NW

Tuesday, August 5, through Thursday, August 7
.... Jefferson County 4-H Fair, Valley Falls, NE

Tuesday, August 5, through Saturday, August 9
.... Decatur County Fair, Oberlin, NW
.... Johnson County Fair, Gardner, Metro
.... North Central Kansas Free Fair, Belleville/RP, NE
.... Stevens County Fair, Hugoton, SW

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