The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

Vol. 14, No. 42  September 2, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE... 

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Still Time to Submit Proposals for Annual Conference
...Time to Change eID Password
...Thank You from Karen Matson
...Volunteers Requested to Help in Our Booths at the Kansas State Fair
...State Fair Booth Visitors Will be Asked to Complete Marketing Survey
...Last Call for 4-H SpaceTech Educators' Workshop
...Farewell Reception for Trudy Rice, Douglas County
...Are You Interested in Emergency Planning and Disaster Recovery? Then Kansas EDEN is Interested in You!
...Growing Older....But Not Old
...Master Schedule

                                                                                                           ...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
This summer I had the pleasure of making special visits with faculty, staff, and Board members in 8 local extension units, and a total of 13 counties. Those visits are for me to hear about the important issues and needs facing the local citizens, and how K-State Research and Extension is responding to those issues and needs.

I believe it to be of critical importance to align the educational programs of K-State Research and Extension with the priority issues and needs of the citizens, whether it be on the national, state, region, or local level. When you can make that alignment, it adds credibility, integrity, and value to the work you are doing. That approach plays to the theme that it isn't about US, but rather our work is about THEM!

So what were some of the priority issues and needs facing those local communities? Some of the issues discussed included: energy costs, crop and livestock input costs, land lease agreements with the changing cost and price structures, support infrastructure for an aging population, attracting young adults into the community, economic development needs, opportunities for youth involvement in community, recycling and turning waste into energy, growth of immigrant population, transition of family farm ownership, lack of health services, concerns for health and wellness (cancer, diabetes, weight loss), transition of agriculture economy from irrigated to dryland farming, increasing opportunities for local foods, travel distance for goods and services, improving community facilities. These are just some of the priority issues discussed among faculty, staff, and Board members in those visits.

So, how do your educational programs align with local issues? How are your programs responding to energy costs, agriculture input costs, and decision processes in agriculture? How are your programs helping individuals and families respond to health and wellness issues, the desire for more local foods, for more local goods and services? How are you helping the community as its demographics change with an influx of immigrants? How are you involved in exploring greater opportunities for recycling or moving waste into energy streams?

How are your 4-H programs and clubs involved in these issues? What are you doing to organize agricultural leadership around these vital issues? How have you organized your FCS programs to address those vital needs? How might you and your community development PDC engage in addressing these community issues with other leadership across the community or county?

If you haven't thought about how your programs align with the priority issues and needs of the people you serve, I encourage you to do so, and involve your program development committees in those discussions. Communicating to stakeholders and leaders in those terms will more clearly show the value of the local K-State Research and Extension programs on addressing the issues THEY see as vital to the future of THEIR communities.

Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

STILL TIME TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The 2008 K-State Research and Extension Annual Conference Committee is accepting proposals for posters and concurrent sessions until Friday, September 5.

Take a few minutes to submit a proposal for an interesting project overview, results, experiences, or educational materials to share with your colleagues. You do not have to fit within the conference theme, (Healthy People, Healthy Earth), but that would be helpful for your proposal.

Go to http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=96  for instructions on how to submit your proposals for Posters and/or Concurrent Sessions and a link to the proposal form.

The Poster Session will be Monday evening, October 20. Concurrent sessions will run on Wednesday morning, October 22. You may propose your idea for either or both poster and concurrent sessions.

Authors will be notified by September 24 regarding acceptance. --Gary Clark gac@ksu.edu

TIME TO CHANGE eID PASSWORD 
August 1 to September 10 is the timeframe during which K-State eID passwords must be changed. Before September 10, go to the eid.k-state.edu website and sign in to change your password. If you've forgotten it, call K-State's IT Help Desk at 785-532-7722 and verify your identity, and you will be given a temporary password to use. For more information about passwords, read the Password FAQ page . For additional password help, call IET Tech Support at 785-532-6270. --Larry Jackson ljackson@ksu.edu

THANK YOU FROM KAREN MATSON
"Thank you to everyone who expressed kind and caring thoughts to me and my family following my father's death. I appreciate all the cards, e-mails, and other expressions of sympathy during this difficult time." --Karen Matson kmatson@oznet.ksu.edu

VOLUNTEERS REQUESTED TO HELP IN OUR BOOTHS AT THE KANSAS STATE FAIR
The College of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension will once again have booths in the Pride of Kansas building at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, KS. The Kansas State Fair runs from Friday, September 5, through Sunday, September 14, 2008.

We would appreciate faculty and staff from campus, area offices, counties/districts, Agronomy Fields, and Research-Extension Centers coming to the fair and working a few hours in one or both of the booths. Also, we would really appreciate agents and/or faculty, who are coming to the fair anyway, signing up to work a couple of hours in the booth before or after your activities.

Days and times that our KSRE/COA fair booths need volunteers:

Sunday, September 7 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Monday, September 8 -  Noon - 9 p.m.

Thursday, September 11 - 9 a.m. - Noon; 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Friday, September 12 - Noon - 9 p.m.

Saturday, September 13 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Sunday, September 14 - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

If you would like to work in the K-State Research and Extension booth, please contact Steven Graham, sgraham@k-state.edu , by August 27.

If you would like to work in the College of Agriculture booth, please contact Sharon Thielen, sthielen@k-state.edu , by August 27.

We will be in touch in late August to finalize days, times, entrance tickets, etc. Thank you. --Sharon Thielen and Steven Graham

STATE FAIR BOOTH VISITORS WILL BE ASKED TO COMPLETE MARKETING SURVEY
The Department of Communications marketing staff will be asking visitors to K-State Research and Extension's State Fair booth to complete a short marketing survey.

The survey will focus on further understanding visitors' information needs and the ways they receive information.

At the booth, visitors will receive a card asking them to take the online survey. Those who complete the survey will be eligible to win one of 3 K-State canvas chairs.

Other survey questions ask if visitors have previously used or participated in K-State Research and Extension programs or activities, and if they'd like to receive information from their local office. The marketing staff will forward names and contact information of those requesting information.

For more information about this survey, interested persons may contact Pat Melgares, 785-532-1160, or melgares@ksu.edu . --Pat Melgares

Registration is will be hard copy only from forms downloaded from the Kansas 4-H website. Visit http://www.kansas4h.org/Events/SpaceTech/NW2008/Default.htm . Registration is due by September 10, 2008. Payment of $20 made payable to KSU, and a current copy of your Kansas 4-H Participation Form, must be sent in with your registration. The registration fee includes lunch, breaks, choice of two workshops from basic astronomy, basic robotics and basic rocketry, workshop materials and training team costs. A late registration fee of $30 will be accepted from September 11-14, 2008. No registration will be accepted beginning on September 15, 2008. Registration fees are non-refundable. The registration form requires a local Extension Office signature. Return the registration form, Kansas 4-H Participation form and payment to Deryl Waldren, Northwest Area Extension Office, P. O. Box 786, Colby, KS, 67701. Telephone: 785-462-6281, or e-mail: dwaldren@ksu.edu . --Deryl Waldren

FAREWELL RECEPTION FOR TRUDY RICE, DOUGLAS COUNTY
Trudy Rice, County Extension Director, Douglas County, will be leaving her position to accept a position with the University of Kansas Department of Continuing Education. There will be a farewell reception for her on Friday, September 19, from 4 - 6 p.m. at the Lawrence Union Pacific Depot Visitors Center, 402 N. 2nd Street in Lawrence. For those unable to attend from 4 - 6, please join us at Johnny’s across the street following the reception. If you have questions, please contact Emily at 785-843-7058. --Emily Morehouse morehous@ksu.edu

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN EMERGENCY PLANNING AND DISASTER RECOVERY? THEN KANSAS EDEN IS INTERESTED IN YOU!

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

To view the complete Master Schedule online or as a pdf, go to http://129.130.72.154/MasterSchAdd/

DATES TAKEN FROM THE MASTER SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER 10 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 16, 2008:

Sunday, September 14 through Thursday, September 18, 2008, National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals, Indianapolis, IN, Robert Wilson rmwilson@ksu.edu

Monday, September 15, 2008, through Friday, September 19, 2008, Galaxy III Conference, Indianapolis, IN, Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu