Vol. 15, No. 43  September 1, 2009

IN THIS ISSUE... 

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...KSRE OnLine Available Now
...Action Plan Process
...CSP Public Meetings Being Held Across Kansas
...Legally Secure Your Financial Future (LSYFF) Program Discussion Opportunity
...Management and Alternative Marketing Options Bus Tour Set for October 8
...Attend Regional Conversations About School Dropout in Kansas
...Community Development Foundations of Practice Webinar Series
...State Farm Service-Learning Grant Proposals Due October 2
...JOE Article About BMP Auction
...Communications Minute: Printed Newsletters Still Preferred in Kansas
...August Extension Agent Personnel Changes
...KSRE Master Calendar
                                                                                          

                                                                                                ...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
You will see a couple articles in this issue of the Tuesday Letter about getting our KSRE OnLine portal up and going for easy access to those things that are behind your eID and password, and support available to assist Extension agents in developing local action plans.

I would challenge all Extension professionals to develop action plans that have the detail it takes to truly follow and make an impact each year. Updating the "action steps" or "outputs" annually to achieve long term outcomes seems like a reasonable expectation.

I further challenge all Extension professionals to think big and put together at least one MAJOR action plan! We are reminded of the importance of focusing on the big things in the following from T.J. Talbert:

"Everywhere we see workers neglecting the big things to attend to the little. While they are doing some little detail that should be left to a clerk, a stenographer, or an office boy, they lose sight of some great advantage which they might have solved, had they been free to attend to it. No one is great enough to be a leader and at the same time bury himself in details. Either the big things or the little things must predominate; the one is sure to outweigh the other.

It is a great art to know what to leave undone, to know how to weed out the less important things and to spend one's energies in doing the things which will count.

If we do the things that will count we must have a plan or project and a program of work, either written up carefully and referred to from time to time or so thoroughly impressed in our minds that there is no chance of forgetting it. Once we have formulated a plan and program of work we must stick to it regardless of our tendency to be sidetracked by other pressing duties and obligations. Otherwise, all our good resolutions and work begun will amount to little or nothing." T.J. Talbert. 1922. The Extension Worker's Code .

Don't allow the little things to get in the way of organizing a big project / action plan. And, take the time to plan it out carefully so that you can refer back and note the progress being made and next steps needing to be taken.

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

KSRE ONLINE AVAILABLE NOW
KSRE OnLine debuts today. This is a single sign-on to all the KSRE on-line systems that have been developed in the past several years. This includes the Action Plans, Impact/Outcome Reports, Professional Development System, Agent Performance Review and the Master Schedule. The system can be accessed from the Employee Resources website. Click on the KSRE OnLine link in the middle of the page.

See the message below from Paula Peters about Action Plans. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@k-state.edu 

ACTION PLAN PROCESS
Just another reminder of the deadline (October 1) for your local action plans (2-3 focused proactive plans per agent) to be posted to the Action Plan System!! You can access the system and various other resources that can help you on the Program Development and Reporting website. What you will find there:

Contact: Paula Peters, ppeters@ksu.edu , 785-532-1562; Gamage, gamage@ksu.edu ; or Marie Blythe, mblythe@ksu.edu, 785-532-6775; for technical help with the online system. --Paula Peters

CSP PUBLIC MEETINGS BEING HELD ACROSS KANSAS
Is the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) right for your operation? Here is your chance to find out more at a public meeting. Agricultural and private forestry producers interested in CSP are encouraged to attend a public meeting to get information and ask questions.

The NRCS is holding public meetings across the state. Check the Website - www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov - for an entire listing of meeting locations.

The signup for the CSP began August 10, 2009, and continues through September 30, 2009. Applications received by the September 30 cutoff date that meet the eligibility requirements will be ranked for 2010 funding consideration. Since signup for CSP is continuous, eligible applications received after the cutoff date could be considered in the next funding period.

The CSP is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their operations.

For information about CSP, including eligibility requirements, producers can visit  http://www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp/2009/index.html or go to their local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Service Center and visit with the NRCS field staff. --Steven Graham sgraham@k-state.edu

LEGALLY SECURE YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE (LSYFF) PROGRAM DISCUSSION OPPORTUNITY
Have you provided any component of the LSYFF program in your community? Would you be willing to share your experiences?  Would you like to hear from other agents regarding how they are using or planning to use the materials? Or, are you just interested in learning more about LSYFF?

Then join us on Thursday, September 24, at 9:30 a.m. CT for a conference call. We'll learn who has provided the program in their local communities and who is planning to roll out the program in 2010. We'll discuss possible audiences, pitfalls, accomplishments, and the evaluation process. We invite you to come and learn from each other the strategies and techniques that support successful program implementation.

The call is free, so save the date and connect with other LSYFF leaders!

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN CALL-IN INFORMATION!

Call in: 1-866-620-7326
Conference Code: 3894530157

For more information, contact Deb Sellers at dsellers@ksu.edu or call 785-532-5773. --Deb Sellers

MANAGEMENT AND ALTERNATIVE MARKETING OPTIONS BUS TOUR SET FOR OCTOBER 8
Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 8, 2009 when the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops (KCSAAC) and the Kansas Rural Center will host a "Management and Alternative Marketing Options" bus tour. The tour will visit farms in north central Kansas featuring a variety of alternative cropping and livestock systems including certified organic crop production, grazing management and alternative livestock watering systems, agritourism and alternative crops and an ornamental grass nursery.

The tour is ideal for extension agents, NRCS and economic development personnel, and farmers and ranchers interested in learning about innovative options for crop and livestock production and alternative enterprises for the small to mid-sized farm. 

The tour will begin in Bennington, Kansas, with registration at 8:30 a.m. and the tour starting at 9:00 at Jim and Sue Keating’s certified organic crop farm on the edge of Bennington. The bus will then travel to Minneapolis, Kansas for a tour of Don Koster’s grazing operation including alternative water sites, grazing weaned calves, and alternative forages. On the drive to Lazy S Farm in Glasco, Dan Nagengast, Executive Director for the Kansas Rural Center, will discuss wind energy options for rural communities and the wind farm near Concordia.

During lunch in Glasco, Jana Beckman, Coordinator for the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, will provide information on USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and opportunities for farmers and ranchers.

Afternoon stops include Larry and Madonna Sorrell's Lazy S Farm featuring heritage livestock breeds including Red Waddle pork, greenhouse vegetable production, and agritourism. Grasslands Gardens near Miltonvale will be the last stop on the tour featuring an ornamental grass nursery and a dried flower business.  The bus will return to Bennington around 4 p.m.  

Tour registration is $15 per person and will cover lunch and materials. For registration information, contact Jason Schmidt, Kansas Rural Center - 864-417-0272. Registration deadline is September 24. You can also register online at the KRC website at www.kansasruralcenter.org or at the KSU Division of Continuing Education website at https://outreach.ksu.edu/etrakWebApp/Registration.aspx?MeetingCode=241005 .

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Please Submit Items no later than Noon on Monday to include in the following Tuesday Letter to:
tuesday@ksre.ksu.edu . Put the word "Tuesday" in the subject line.

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.