The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 11, No. 15   February 22, 2005

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Status of Faculty Positions
...Citizenship in Action Event
...Community Environmental Decision-Making Workshop
...Safety Training Materials Available
...KEAFCS Awards Applications
...Meet David Henderson, Vice President for Strategic Communications, National 4-H Council
...Roy Robinson Named K-State College of Agriculture Alumni Fellow
...Black History Month
...Spring Action Conference, April 5 and 6
...IET's Technology Learning Resources Expanded and Relocated
...Basic 4-H Operations I Training
...Moving Ahead: Preparing the Youth Development Professional Training
...Kansas 4-H Represented in National Healthy Lifestyles Work
...Kansas 4-H NCP (New Communities Project) Team to Present at National Meetings and Sponsors CATCH Physical Activities Training
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

You had that day-long workshop on diet and healthy eating that was very well attended with lots of interest. What changes in eating habits do you expect from those who attended the workshop?

You had that successful no-till conference with a large crowd. Now how many of those farmers in attendance do you think will change their farming practices?

So often those questions come and I would really have no good answer for them. Indeed, there may be individuals who will make some change, but was it really due to their attending the workshop or conference, or were there some other factors affecting the decisions?

I believe Extension educational programs to be longitudinal. The best evidence for impact we have is when we recognize those individuals who have been a part of the Extension educational programs for several years. Those individuals will cite the positive influence of "Extension" in helping them with all the decisions they made to improve their life, their economic well being, and what they have been able to do to contribute back into their communities. Real impact for the individual most often comes through participating in a series of planned educational experiences. To change food buying habits and eating habits in a household likely came through a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and how to fit it into the daily routine. Changing to no-till happened when the individual became convinced of the improvements that come with using that system and confidence in knowing how to implement and eventually perfect that system within the farm operation. Those are not changes that occur after a one-day workshop.

As you communicate the impacts of your programs, step back and think about what it really takes for individuals to change a way of doing things. Tie together all the educational events you have had and those you are planning. Then ask the question, "will this series of Extension experiences, along with support of all the public and private partners who have vested interests, cause a person to make sound decisions and positive changes?" In doing so, you will help yourself and others to understand the complexities and the comprehensive approaches used through Extension education to improve quality of life and economic well- being of Kansans. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu

STATUS OF FACULTY POSITIONS
To check the status of faculty positions that are currently in the search process, see the K-State Research and Extension Job Opportunities website at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/main/jobs.asp . Click on "Employment Status of KSRE Faculty Positions."

Search committee chairs - contact Dorothy Ireland in the Extension Operations Office at direland@oznet.ksu.edu  or 532-5787 to keep the information updated. --Stacey M. Warner swarner@oznet.ksu.edu

CITIZENSHIP IN ACTION EVENT
One hundred twenty-five 4-H Youth from roughly 30 counties participated in the first ever Citizenship in Action event at the Capitol in Topeka this week. Included in the event were opportunities for these youth to learn about ways in which young people can engage in governance, learning how to make a difference in decisions of government, and how the governmental process works. This was also a great experience for these young people to develop their leadership and communication skills, as they met and talked with legislators and other public officials. Hats off to the Kansas 4-H Youth Council who provided the leadership in pulling this event together, and to the 4-H Youth Development faculty working behind the scenes to make it all happen. It is truly inspiring and awesome to see these young people step up to the leadership challenge and take on the opportunity to advocate on our behalf for the importance of the K-State Research & Extension network to provide the 4-H opportunity within their local communities. Our special thanks to Representative Joshua Svaty for his presentation to the delegation and hosting of Capitol tours on Sunday evening.  Thanks also to Senator Steve Morris for his addressing the delegation.

Lt. Governor John Moore presented a Governor's Proclamation declaring 2005 the centennial year for Kansas 4-H! A fitting first step in our year-long celebration of 100 years of Kansas 4-H which will kick off with a public celebration at the Kansas State Fair in September. Watch for numerous ways in which we will recognize the history and traditions through 4-H alumni and volunteers, celebrating where we have been, and looking forward to the next 100 years. Fitting is its logo, "Forever 4-H: Kansas 4-H 100 Years and Growing." --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu

COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING WORKSHOP
Application deadline: Friday, February 25.

Is your county/community struggling with environmental issues related to wind energy development, water quality protection, or land use management? Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn more about tools, processes, and resources to help your community make better, more informed decisions that involve/impact the environment.

The Office of Local Government and Kansas PRIDE Program, in partnership with the Kansas Association for Conservation & Environmental Education, will offer an environmental decision-making workshop for community leaders, May 5 – 7, at Rock Springs 4-H Center.

Topics covered at the workshop will include:

* Types of environmental decisions;
* Identifying stakeholders;
* Characterizing the environmental, social, political and economic setting for a decision;
* Challenges in environmental decision-making;
* Criteria for making good environmental decisions;
* Public participation and collaborative decision-making; and
* Tools for identifying issues and problems, developing and evaluating alternatives, reaching a decision, and evaluating decisions.

The workshop is designed for 5-6 community-based teams (3-5 people per team) who are involved in local level decision-making. Space is limited to 25 participants total. “Community” is defined broadly to include teams from cities/towns, counties, and regions as well as those defined by watersheds and other natural boundaries.

Teams should consist of a mix of the following:

* Local Elected/Appointed Officials (city/county commissioners, planning board members, etc.)
* City/County Government Staff (managers/administrators, planning staff, Extension staff, etc.)
* Business Community Members (business owners, consulting firms, etc.)
* Active Citizens/Civic Organizations (Extension Councils, Lions Club, Audubon, PRIDE, etc.)

Workshop brochures and application forms are available from Robert Wilson at 785-532-7823 or rmwilson@k-state.edu ; and Dan Kahl at 785-532-5840 or dkahl@oznet.ksu.edu . --Robert Wilson

SAFETY TRAINING MATERIALS AVAILABLE
We have a new website that contains free downloadable agricultural safety training materials that are being developed as part of a grant from OSHA. The materials are "pilot-test" versions of training manuals for the landscaping and horticultural services industry. The materials have been reviewed by OSHA and are accurate and suitable for current use, although minor revisions are still being made based on user input.

 The pdf files can be downloaded at: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/agsafe/training/OSHA_training.htm . Manuals that are currently available include: Mowing and Trimming Safety, Tractor Safety, Skid Steer Loader Safety, Motor Vehicle Safety, Chipper/Shredder Safety, and Tree Trimming Safety. Additional materials are being added on a regular basis. Spanish versions will also be available in the near future.

Since the materials are being pilot tested, the website will ask for your name and other identifying information so that an evaluation form can be sent to you. Of course, you do not have to submit an evaluation if you choose not to. The final versions of the materials will eventually be available free on the web, but these versions are close enough to completion that we thought some of you might be interested in trying them out or making them available to your clients. --Mitch Ricketts mrickett@oznet.ksu.edu

KEAFCS AWARDS APPLICATIONS
Attention all KEAFCS members: Applications for Distinguished Service, New Professional, Greenwood Fellowship, Grace Frysinger Fellowship, and Florence Hall Awards are due March 1.

Applications must be submitted online and a hard copy sent to Jenell Smith, Sedgwick County. Award descriptions and application forms are on the NEAFCS website, www.neafcs.org . --Jenell Smith JMSmith@oznet.ksu.edu

MEET DAVID HENDERSON, VICE PRESIDENT FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, NATIONAL 4-H COUNCIL
David is the force behind the new 4-H Umbrella Statement and the push for the new national 4-H website, www.4H-USA.ORG .

David is coming to Kansas to present at the State 4-H Ambassadors Workshop March 18 - 19. We have arranged for him to meet with interested folks on Friday March 18. He will be on campus March 18, starting at 11. Please let Diane Mack or Rod Buchele know if you would like to be part of the group meeting with him. Also plan to hear him by attending the Ambassador Workshop. Information is on the web,
http://4-h.k-state.edu/Events/Ambassador/Default.htm .

Check out David's blog, http://www.davidhenderson.com/blog/ . --Rod Buchele rbuchele@oznet.ksu.edu

ROY ROBINSON NAMED K-STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE ALUMNI FELLOW
Faculty are invited to a reception for Roy Robinson, K-State College of Agriculture Alumni Fellow, Monday, February 28, at 4 p.m. in the Hemisphere Room, Hale Library. Roy, a 1970 bachelors degree Milling Science and Management graduate, is Vice President, Communications, Education and Investigations, Office of Compliance and Ethics, Archer Daniels Midland, and works out of Overland Park, Kansas. Roy is a member of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees; College of Agriculture Dean's Advisory Council; KSU Masters in Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board; and KSU Diversity Education Scholarship Council. A presentation will be made at 4:30 p.m. The reception is being sponsored by the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Chapter, the College of Agriculture, and Department of Grain Science and Industry.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The K-State MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences) and the Diversity Programs Office staff would like to remind everyone that February is Black History Month. During the month we encourage you to reflect on the past and focus on the elements of change necessary to shape the future.

The Black Student Union has prepared a calendar of events that we have posted at the Diversity Programs Office, 139 Waters Hall. The events include the Big XII student conference that will be held in Boulder, Colorado as well as a number of lectures designed to address issues important to the African-American community.

These activities present a great opportunity to learn more about the great black leaders that helped to define black history. We must remember that as we honor the historic black leaders of the past, we not forget about the great black leaders of today.

The staff at the College of Agriculture Diversity Programs Office would also like to remind everyone that the Diversity Programs Office serves as resource center for your benefit. If you have any questions or concerns about issues associated with diversity, or if you would like to learn more about Black History Month, stop by the office and we will happily assist you. --Zelia Wiley Holloway zwh@ksu.edu

SPRING ACTION CONFERENCE, APRIL 5 AND 6
The Conference will begin at 10:30 a.m. on April 5, and end by 3 p.m. on April 6. A working copy of the agenda and registration form can be found at: http://intranet.oznet.ksu.edu/springactionconference/ . As details of the agenda become known, the agenda will be updated. Registrations are due by March 15.

A block of rooms has been held at the Salina Holidome, 1616 West Crawford, for the nights of April 4 and 5. Please make your reservations by calling 785-823-1739 and identify the group as: KSU Research and Extension. All reservations must be made by March 3. After March 3, they will release our block of rooms. --Linda Lamb heiens@humec.ksu.edu

• Gerry Snyder continues to offer FrontPage training requests. Just call IET and add your name to the waiting list. He'll give you a ring when he gets four or five requests.

• The campus TechBytes series can be accessed live as streaming video. Visit the main site and scroll to the bottom of the page. Look for the "live video" icon.

            http://www.k-state.edu/techbytes/index.html

• You can join the TechBytes listserv to receive announcements of upcoming topics. You can access archived sessions by clicking "Previous Series."

• The newest addition to our resources is Training Courseware offered by K-State's ITAC. You can download lessons in a variety of formats and work on them at your own pace.

BASIC 4-H OPERATIONS I TRAINING
Basic 4-H Operations I Training will be held April 18 and 19 in Manhattan. We invite you to attend this training where we share critical information for handling 4-H managerial issues that may and often do arise.

The training begins at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 18, and goes through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19. All sessions will be held at Pottorf Hall, CiCo Park, Manhattan. This training is now part of the New Agent Training Cycle, but anyone in the system who would like a refresher course is welcome.

Topics to be addressed include: 4-H Financial Management, VIP, Accountability to the 4-H mission, Learning through Events, Risk Management, Program Planning, Program Management and more.

A brochure is on the state 4-H website under "What's Hot." Cost to attend is $20, payable to the Kansas 4-H Foundation. Please contact Diane Mack at: dmack@oznet.ksu.edu  by April 1 if you plan to attend.  --Diane Mack

MOVING AHEAD: PREPARING THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS TRAINING
We invite you to attend the "Moving Ahead: Preparing the Youth Development Professional" training set for April 26 - 28, 2005 at Rock Spring 4-H Center.

Moving Ahead is designed to provide the basic principles and practices of youth development as well as the language needed to advocate for youth and their families, and for programs you offer that support them. It is structured to take advantage of the opportunity to network with one another; to gain from the commonality, as well as diversity of your experiences; and to strategize an integrated approach to working with youth in your community.

The course will start at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26, and end at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 28. Registration cost is $275 and will include all materials, meals, breaks and lodging. Deadline to register is April 1.

Registration brochure is on the state 4-H website under "What's Hot." Contact Diane Mack at  dmack@oznet.ksu.edu  for more information. --Diane Mack, Beth Hinshaw, Rod Buchele

KANSAS 4-H REPRESENTED IN NATIONAL HEALTHY LIFESTYLES WORK
National 4-H Council has announced that four local Extension offices were among the 23 Healthy Lifestyles grants awarded for 2005. Competing in the national pool of 113 proposals, Atchison, Ford, Stevens and Gove counties were selected to receive funds to further their work with local partners to address growing rates of childhood overweight/obesity. Cathy Musick, Gove County, was among the grants selected and will receive $6,900 to expand her physical activity efforts with school-age youth and their families in the Wheatland, Grainfield and Quinter communities.

Kansas was also represented in the Healthy Lifestyles grant competition, funded by Kraft Foods and Cargill, by a grant review team of Andrea Schmidt, Riley County 4-H; Amy Nichols, Riley County 4-Her;  and Elaine Johannes, State 4-H. The Kansas team reviewed and scored 36 proposals of the 126 pool.

For those wanting to know more about the Healthy Lifestyles work of Gove County Extension, Musick is coordinating the community-wide "Walk through the (healthy eating and physical activity) Pyramids"  March 15 and April 19. For more information about those events, contact Cathy Musick.

For more information about 4-H Healthy Lifestyles, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu . --Elaine Johannes

KANSAS 4-H NCP (NEW COMMUNITIES PROJECT) TEAM TO PRESENT AT NATIONAL MEETINGS AND SPONSORS CATCH PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES TRAINING
Elaine Johannes, Carol Fink and C.R. Macchi will be presenting the work of Kansas' 4-H NCP (New Communities Project) at the up-coming Priester Extension National Health Conference, April 12-15, in Lexington, KY; and also at the USDA/CYFAR Conference, May 25-17, Boston, MA. The USDA-supported 4-H NCP initiative targets physical activity levels of Kansas teens through community-based efforts currently being piloted in Morris, Ellsworth and Meade counties.

Kansas 4-H NCP, with support from the Kansas 4-H Afterschool Team, will also host training in the nationally recognized healthy eating and physical activity program, CATCH - coordinated actions to child health. CATCH, currently used in all Texas schools and being implemented in out-of-school time through YMCA organizations, will be implemented in Kansas afterschool programs by the 4-H NCP team. Anne Sparke and Gail Daugherty, Morris County; Michelle Brokes and Brent Goss, Ellsworth County; and Craig Gross and Christine McPheter, Meade County; will receive training to implement the afterschool curriculum from the University of Texas, February 24-25.

Partners from the Kansas Department of Education - Child Nutrition and Wellness, Coordinated School Health will participate in the training as guests of 4-H NCP.

For more information about the CATCH training or Extension's 4-H NCP initiative, contact co-directors Carol Fink, cfink@oznet.ksu.edu ; or Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu . --Elaine Johannes

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS. 

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