The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 12, No. 10  January 17, 2006

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Employee of the Year Recognition and Awards Nominations Due
...Kansas Saves January Campaign
...First Aid and CPR Training
...National Extension Diversity Center January Newsletter
...Value-Added Producer Grant Program Details Announced
...Registration Deadline for Agent Update Coming Soon!
...2006 Camp Theme Contest Ends January 31
...Out-of-State 4-H Competitions
...Update on Up-Coming SpaceTech Educators'/Project Leaders' Workshop
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
This week the Extension administrative team for K-State Research and Extension will be headed out to meet with the newly elected chairpersons and members of our local Extension Boards for the County or District. As a background for those who may not understand the organizational structure of Cooperative Extension at the local level in Kansas, I will give a little overview. Each local Extension unit (county or district) in Kansas has an elected governing body. Each local Extension Unit has Program Development Committees to advise agents on program needs and focus. They also have an Executive Governing Board which has responsibility for administrative oversight of the budget, personnel, and programs for that local unit of Cooperative Extension in cooperation with K-State Research and Extension. It is with the leadership of these local Boards that we will be meeting in a series of meetings across the state beginning this week and finishing up next. These day-long meetings are held in Manhattan, El Dorado, Garden City, and WaKeeney.

The primary message and dialog with the Board leadership will be on such issues as budget outlook for FY07, program priorities and impacts, progress towards more effective models of local program delivery and making a difference, progress with Districting, moving agents towards greater program focus/specialization, and enhancing our partnership with the broader Kansas State University and others to increase our capacity and delivery towards community and economic development opportunities across Kansas. We will also be unveiling a new website under development that is expressly designed to provide Board leadership training, increased communication, and informational resources for Extension Board members across the state. We look forward to time spent listening to Board members and Extension Agents in attendance on issues and opportunities for increasing the effectiveness and value of K-State Research and Extension to the people of Kansas. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR RECOGNITION AND AWARDS NOMINATIONS DUE
With this e-mail, I am notifying all K-State Research and Extension employees about the fifth year of our program for Employee of the Year Recognition and Awards.

We are continuing with four awards:

1) One County/District/Area Extension classified employee or office professional award
2) One classified employee award for Agricultural Research Centers
3) One classified employee award for the College of Agriculture/K-State Research and Extension employees on-campus*
4) One unclassified employee (non-faculty person) award for the College of Agriculture and all divisions of K-State Research and Extension on- and off-campus from all five colleges in which we work.

Nominations are due to your department head, extension or center director, very soon and are due on campus by January 31. Nominations may be submitted by anyone in the various offices. We do not want to limit who nominates -- anyone can nominate anyone, including themselves.

If you did not receive a nomination form, go to the oznet website, click on Staff Corner, look under Staff Resources and click on an Employee of the Year form in either Word or Acrobat.

* (K-State Research and Extension classified employees in other colleges besides Agriculture are nominated and recognized through those colleges.)

We have a great organization made up of wonderful, hard working people. Please take the time to nominate a deserving candidate. If you have questions, please contact my assistant, Steven Graham, sgraham@oznet.ksu.edu . --Fred A. Cholick

KANSAS SAVES JANUARY CAMPAIGN
The January 3 Buchholz 'Action Plan' article cited changing credit card usage as a simple example of planned actions to reach a specific goal. Twenty seven county and three district Extension offices, have elected to organize a first-time local Kansas Saves Campaign during the month of January. The goal is to commit Kansans to increasing savings (via payroll deductions or other tools) or reducing debt, particularly credit card debt.

Kansas Saves, aimed at youth and adults, is part of a national financial security social marketing effort sponsored by the Consumer Federation of America, CSREES, and numerous partners. Kansas Savers can choose to sign up via the Kansas Saves brochure available from participating Extension offices, or online at www.kansassaves.org , courtesy of the AmericaSaves.com site for savers. A list of participating Kansas communities can be found at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/financialmanagement/ . This site also provides local organizers access to campaign guidelines, goals and marketing materials such as brochures, posters, credit card sleeves and more. --Carol Young cyoung@oznet.ksu.edu

NATIONAL EXTENSION DIVERSITY CENTER JANUARY NEWSLETTER
"Creating Beloved Community - A Reflection in Honor of Martin Luther King" is the feature article in the January edition of the National Extension Diversity Center website. Also of note is the article about Marilyn Corbin, the recipient of the 2005 National Diversity Award. Marilyn is currently the Associate Director and State Program Leader for Children, Youth and Families at Penn State University, but previously served in Kansas as an agent in Saline County and in several administrative positions on campus. To view the newsletter, go to www.ediversitycenter.net . --Stacey M. Warner swarner@ksu.edu

VALUE-ADDED PRODUCER GRANT PROGRAM DETAILS ANNOUNCED
USDA Rural Development State Director Chuck Banks has announced the availability of more than $19 million in grants to support the development of renewable energy and value-added agricultural business ventures.

Under this year's program, the amount that can be awarded to a producer in the form of a working capital grant has been doubled to $300,000, and $1.5 million is also being allocated to provide grants of $25,000 or less to eligible producers. Again this year, priority consideration will be given to those applicants who have at least 51% of project costs dedicated to activities for a bioenergy project. Renewable energy projects include biodiesel, ethanol or wind energy production, or the use of biomass to generate energy.

The grants may be used for planning activities, such as feasibility studies, marketing and business plans needed to establish a viable value-added marketing opportunity for an agricultural product, or to provide working capital for operating a value-added business venture, marketing value-added agricultural products, and for farm-based renewable energy projects. Eligible applicants are independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures.

Informational meetings covering the Agency's Value-Added Producer Grant Program will be held in February.

Awards will be made on a competitive basis and applications must be received no later than March 31, 2006. Detailed information, program requirements and the application process can be found on the Kansas USDA Rural Development website at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ks , or by calling the Agency in Topeka at 785-271-2744. --Steven Graham sgraham@oznet.ksu.edu

REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR AGENT UPDATE COMING SOON!
The deadline to register for Agent Update (February 6-9, 2006) is Friday, January 20. Information is located on the web at http://intranet.oznet.ksu.edu/fcs/agentupdate.htm . --Margaret Phillips margaret@ksu.edu , Gayle Price gprice@oznet.ksu.edu , Linda Lamb heiens@humec.ksu.edu

2006 CAMP THEME CONTEST ENDS JANUARY 31
The 2006 Camp Theme Contest will end on Tuesday, January 31. Please send all entries to Lisa Long, 125 N. Spruce, Kingman, KS 67068. No late entries will be accepted. We should have a camp theme sometime during the first few weeks of February. --Lisa Long llong@ksu.edu

OUT-OF-STATE 4-H COMPETITIONS
The consensus reached by a special task force to the State 4-H Advisory and is now the current policy, is that county/district teams are preferred as they offer a richer experience for the youth in preparing for the trip through local fundraising and workouts which enhances the youth development aspect of the experience. However, some contests may need to modify the selection process to encourage more participation in smaller contests or to enable the state to actually field a team for national competition.

Modifications or changes in team selections by a state contest should be publicized well in advance of the state contest. --Jim Adams jadams@oznet.ksu.edu

What's Covered: 

Aviation
K-State Salina Aviation Maintenance with the  "inside scoop" on the world record setting Global Flyer mission from Evan Beckman, one of the Global Flyer’s Maintenance Team members, and this aircraft’s importance to the future of aviation. Discover a variety of aviation resources and hands-on activities that are available through the KSU-Salina Aviation Maintenance and Professional Pilot Training Program.

Astronomy Workshop
Discover the world of outer space through hands-on activities on telescopes, space exploration and our solar system.
● Astronomy – How does Astronomy relate to the K-12 Science and Math Standards?
● Telescopes – Learn how telescopes work and why they are so important to outer space exploration…then build YOUR OWN telescope!
● Solar studies…centrifuge…constellations…space travel – discover the numerous activities and facilities available to educators and their students at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center Planetarium and Museum.
● N.A.S.A. activity packets – K-12 lesson plan ideas and educational posters.
● Meteors and Asteroids – Brett Whitenack, McPherson County Museum, will introduce you to the world of meteors and asteroids. Did you know that Kansas is one of the best locations in the world for discovering meteors?
● Learn how to manage rockets and launch them safely

COSTS
Registration includes four meals, a complete education packet, a t-shirt with printed logo, and the chance to meet fellow educators from across the state. Early bird registrations that are in by January 14 will only be $100. Regular registration fees in by January 31 will be $125, and late fees by February 15 will be $150. Walk-ins are welcomed, but the fee will be $175. These prices do not include the CEU credit cost NOR the cost of lodging.

For additional benefits and other information, you can contact the K-State Research and Extension Center at 785-462-6281 or e-mail: rdarling@oznet.ksu.edu . You may also go to the website: www.kansas4-H.org/spacetech/welcome.asp . --Walter Barker wbarker@oznet.ksu.edu

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