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The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

Vol. 16, No. 3  November 17, 2009


IN THIS ISSUE... 

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Engaging Learners: Excellence in Extension Seminar
...KCARE Internal Focus Group - Tuesday, November 24
...Webinar-Understanding Wind Energy Leases
...4-H Updates - Register Now and Submit Pictures for the Going Green Celebration
...New Approaches to Recruitment
...Water Issues Forums Slated for December in Wichita and Hays
...Bioeconomy Conference December 1, 2009
...OMK "Awareness to Action" Community Campaign Continues Through November
...Essentials for Healthy Home Practitioners Course Registration
...Marie's Picks ...
...Rebuilding Green in Greensburg, Kansas - Resources for KSRE Agents
...Faculty Senate Meeting Highlights - November 10, 2009
...Communication Minute: Make PDFs Easy to Find

...KSRE Master Calendar
 
                                                                                        

                                                                                                ...Tuesday Letter Archives


WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
I'm attending the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) annual meeting in Washington DC, and had the distinct pleasure to watch as Dr. Art Barnaby, Professor and Extension Specialist in Agricultural Economics, receive the National Excellence in Extension Award from the Cooperative Extension Section within APLU. Only one individual in all of Extension is recognized annually. Additionally, Dr. Kim Williams, Professor in Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreational Resources, received a regional Excellence in Teaching Award from the Academic Programs Section within APLU. I congratulate both these individuals for their dedication and commitment to excellence in carrying out the mission of teaching and extension here at K-State! Way to go!

Excellence comes through a commitment to being the best you can be both in the subject area and development of the core competencies it takes to most effectively carry out the work as an educator, whether in the classroom or in the field. This Wednesday, November 18, Dr. Shannon Washburn, Associate Professor of Agriculture Education, will be presenting a special Excellence in Extension Seminar. I hope you will participate in this seminar, as it provides opportunity to inspire development of the core competency of information and educational delivery. You can read about the seminar later in this Tuesday Letter. In addition to information and educational delivery, Core competencies of an Extension Professional include such things as educational programming, engagement, community and social action processes, etc. To give yourself a refresher on all 11 competencies that when mastered should move you from being a good extension educator to a great one, click on the above hot link to professional development, and then click the link in the center of that page to core competencies. Think about those individuals within the Extension network who do truly great work, and think about how they have mastered certain core competencies. If you'd like help in finding training or opportunities to grow and develop your mastery of certain core competencies, talk with your administrative supervisor, and we will look for those types of learning opportunities within the Extension network in Kansas and beyond.

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

 

ENGAGING LEARNERS: EXCELLENCE IN EXTENSION SEMINAR
Remember the Excellence in Extension Seminar scheduled for this Wednesday, November 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Flint Hills Room of the K-State Union. If you can't attend in person, the presentation can be viewed during or after the seminar at www.ksre.ksu.edu/seminars .

Dr. Shannon Washburn, Associate Professor of Agricultural Education in the K-State Department of Communications, will present the seminar on "Engaging Learners with Effective Instructional Strategies." This interactive session will introduce you to educator-tested, research-based techniques that will help you more effectively deliver educational programming in a way that engages your audience. Participants should attend with an idea for an upcoming educational program that they can develop during the session.

Dr. Washburn enjoys assisting educators in refining their educational approaches to maximize learning. A Kansas native, he was at the University of Florida for six years before returning to Kansas. During that time he facilitated numerous workshops on effective teaching with domestic and international Extension audiences. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu



KCARE INTERNAL FOCUS GROUP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
The following message went out to the system yesterday. If you are not able to participate next Tuesday, and would like to respond the the questions below, please feel free to do so at
https://surveys.ksu.edu/TS?offeringId=152527 . We would prefer you sign your responses to the questions so that if we wanted to come back for further understanding or clarification you can provide it.

As you know, Dr. William Hargrove left us in August for a position with the University of Texas at El Paso. Bill Hargrove had led the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment (KCARE) for a total of 12 years. Over that time, the influence and impact of KCARE grew, expanded, and eventually encompassed many research and extension activities on campus and across the state.

As Bill was leaving, Steven Graham was asked to serve as the Interim Director of KCARE. Also at that time, Dean and Director Fred Cholick charged us with conducting internal and external focus groups. The purpose of the focus groups is to engage with those who have somehow been involved with KCARE and to discuss the Center's past, present, and future. We will take your input to help guide decisions about the future directions and leadership of KCARE.

We would like to invite you to attend our internal focus group on Tuesday, November 24, to be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Room 137 Waters Hall. We will hold an external focus group, with agency and other partners, in mid-December.

KCARE was established to bring together the interests and opportunities to address water, soil, and air environmental issues related in some way to agriculture. And, to create a portal through which external interests could easily and effectively navigate the University community working within the scope of KCARE.

We want to explore the questions below and others you may raise:

- How would you describe the value of having KCARE?

- Is KCARE's scope appropriate for today and in the future? If not, describe your vision.

- Is the Center worth an investment by K-State Research and Extension?

We look forward to hearing your ideas. If you cannot attend the forum on November 24, please submit your thoughts through the axio survey above.

Thanks. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu and Ernie Minton eminton@ksu.edu

 

WEBINAR--UNDERSTANDING WIND ENERGY LEASES
An in-service webinar for extension educators, agents, and specialists will be presented on November 18, 11:00 a.m., on the topic of Wind Energy leases. This webinar is the second in a series of webinars being presented by the High Plains Extension Energy Team for Community Redevelopment.

Program Summary:
Being approached by a wind energy developer can be a significant opportunity for an additional cash flow to rural landowners. But when those landowners are confronted with a 40-page lease with dense "legalese" the negotiation process can be intimidating. This webinar will help participants understand what both developers and landowners need in a successful agreement and will teach you the "top five questions" landowners need to ask when approached by a developer.

Presenter: Dr. Shannon Ferrell will present this webinar. Dr. Ferrell is currently an assistant professor in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics where he specializes in agricultural law. He has presented more than 30 wind energy leasing seminars with a total attendance in excess of 6,000 as part of the energy education programming provided by OSU's Cooperative Extension Service.

How to Connect: On November 18, start connecting 5 minutes prior to the start time of 11 a.m. CST. You need to have a computer with Internet access with speakers. At the meeting time, copy and paste this URL into your browser to enter the meeting: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/unl/ .

At that URL you will find a login page. Click on "Click to Enter" under the "Enter as a Guest" heading. You will then be prompted for your name. Enter your name and click "Enter" to enter the meeting space. The audio portion of the meeting will be come through your computer speakers. --Ed Brokesh ebrokesh@ksu.edu

 

4-H UPDATES - REGISTER NOW AND SUBMIT PICTURES FOR THE GOING GREEN CELEBRATION
It is now time to register for the 4-H Program Updates which will be held in two locations this year. 

EAST 4-H Update – Emporia - December 8, 2009
Location: Emporia Public Schools Central Offices, 1700 W. 7th, Emporia, KS
Questions – Beth Hinshaw, bhinshaw@ksu.edu or Diane Mack,
dmack@ksu.edu  

WEST 4-H Update - Scott City - December 10, 2009
Location: Carpenter Building, 608 N Fairground Rd, Scott City
Questions – Rod Buchele, rbuchele@ksu.edu or Deryl Waldren,
dwaldren@ksu.edu    

The cost for the update is $15 and will include lunch. Checks should be made to the Kansas 4-H Foundation and are due at the update. Gathering time for both days will be 9:30 a.m. and the wrap up will be at 3:30 p.m. The agenda is available on the State 4-H Web page. Registration is due by December 1 and is available through 4-H online registration, https://4hyp-ts.oznet.ksu.edu/wconnect/ace/home.htm .

As part of the background for 4-H Updates we will be producing a slide show featuring 4-H in action. To produce the slide show, we (the Update Planning Committee and the Photo Action Team) are requesting each Extension Unit send us up to five photos of 4-Hers and/or your 4-H Program in action. Please send the photo files to rbuchele@ksu.edu . Remember, the key word is action, think camp, project work, demonstrations, etc. Please make sure you have participation forms with signed photo releases in your office. We plan to post the slide show to the web for counties/districts to use. Please send the files by December 1. You also may bring them on disk and give to Rod or Beth at the Kansas Leadership Forum this weekend at Rock Springs. --Rod Buchele and Beth Hinshaw

 

NEW APPROACHES TO RECRUITMENT
The new online seminar in Everyone Ready is "New Approaches to Recruitment." I believe this is a very timely topic that will be of great interest to us. Following is an excerpt from the seminar introduction.

"Are you spinning your wheels trying to attract new volunteers by publicizing service opportunities in speeches or on flyers, Internet sites, and bulletin boards -- only to gather a handful of interested candidates who don't really fit your needs? In this seminar, Susan Ellis emphasizes the fundamentals of successful recruiting and offers 7 systematic steps for creating more effective and targeted actions that will generate the right volunteers.

Susan then examines both traditional and much newer recruiting techniques, including how to maximize outreach online: making sure your own Website is a recruitment draw; capitalizing on Internet registries of volunteer opportunities; the options offered by social networking sites; and the potential of technology such as blogs, podcasts, and video.

The techniques of recruitment change (especially since the Web introduced new ways to communicate), but the principles do not. So, once you understand Susan's approach, you'll be ready for all sorts of recruitment tools that none of us can yet imagine. If you're a new volunteer program coordinator, you'll appreciate this extremely practical, step-by-step advice. If you are an experienced leader of volunteers, you'll benefit from evaluating your current recruiting techniques and finding ways to improve on or add to what you are doing."

To sign up, go to http://nextgeneration.4-h.org/volunteerism/ . Click on and complete the registration form. You will be sent your log in information. Then log in and start the seminar. Go to: http://4-h.org/b/Assets/pd/ER-WelcomeGuide-4H-brief_091409.pdf  for general information on Everyone Ready. If you have questions or problems, please contact me at rbuchele@ksu.edu . --Rod Buchele

 

WATER ISSUES FORUMS SLATED FOR DECEMBER IN WICHITA AND HAYS
"Climate and Water: Planning for Change" is the theme of the third annual Kansas Water Issues Forum scheduled for December. The dates and locations for the forums are Wednesday, December 9, at the Sedgwick County Extension Center, 7001 West 21st Street North, Wichita; and Thursday, December 10, at the Kansas State University Agriculture Research Center, 1232 240th Avenue, Hays.

The meetings are open to the first 150 members of the public to pre-register for each location. A nominal charge of $10 will be made. Registrations and payment must be received by November 25. A copy of the program and the registration form are posted on the Kansas Water Office's website, www.kwo.org . Click on the "Water and Energy Forum" hot button. If you have questions, please call (888) KAN-WATER (526-9283). 

"Our objective is to raise the awareness of the possible effects a changing climate might have on water resources and the related economic impacts on cities, industry and agriculture," says Tracy Streeter, Director of the Kansas Water Office. Program co-hosts are Kansas State University's Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment (KCARE), the state's 12 river basin advisory committees and the Kansas Water Office. --Steven Graham sgraham@k-state.edu

 

BIOECONOMY CONFERENCE DECEMBER 1, 2009
Twelve Midwest Universities are collaborating with Iowa State University to host a one day, VIRTUAL conference - Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability - on December 1, 2009. Conference topics include biochar, greenhouse gases from biofuels, biofuel feedstocks, advances in biofuels and economic and policy issues related to biofuels.

Anyone interested in this conference has the option of attending a remote participation site at KSU Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department or can view the conference on your own personal computer for $50. Specific information about this conference is available at http://www.bioeconomyconference.org/registration .

The conference will follow a typical “in person” format. It will begin at 9 a.m., break for an hour lunch at 12, and end at 5 p.m.. Two separate afternoon session topic tracks are available. Faculty, agents and specialists wishing to view the conference on their personal computer can register through the web link above. Individuals wishing to participate more fully are invited to join a viewing group in Manhattan.

Attendees to the Manhattan site will have the opportunity to submit questions to conference presenters via a moderated internet connection. There is no charge for viewing at the Manhattan site, but space may be limited. This conference appears to be the best one day conference on this subject in the US for any price. To register by November 20, to attend at the Manhattan site, or if you have questions, contact Cindy Casper, 785-532-5813, or ccasper@ksu.edu . --Ed Brokesh ebrokesh@ksu.edu

 

OMK "AWARENESS TO ACTION" COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN CONTINUES THROUGH NOVEMBER Kansas OMK's "Awareness to Action" community engagement campaign continues to support civic organizations as they plan and conduct projects during November, national Month of the Military Family.

"Awareness to Action" campaign materials can be downloaded, free-of-charge from www.KansasOMK.org . The web-resources are to be used for activities that result in support and actions on behalf of military youth and families.

For more information about Kansas Operation Military Kids' "Awareness to Action," contact Ann Domsch, adomsch@ksu.edu ; Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu ; or Diane Mack, dmack@ksu.edu . --Elaine Johannes

 

ESSENTIALS FOR HEALTHY HOME PRACTITIONERS COURSE REGISTRATION
Course Date: Wednesday and Thursday, December 16 and 17, 2009
8-5:30 on Wednesday and 8-5 on Thursday
Course Location: Salina/ Saline County Health Department Building - 125 West Elm, Salina, Kansas 67401

Course Description:
If you visit homes to provide health or inspection services of any type, you will benefit from the Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners Course. The training will help you understand the connection between health and housing and how to take a holistic approach to identify and resolve problems, which threaten the health and wellbeing of residents.

For more information go to http://www.healthyhomestraining.org/Mercy.htm . Cost of this two day course is $75 and includes the course manual. The price also includes continental breakfast and lunch on both days, and refreshments.

For more information on the course, contact: Erica Forrest, CMH Environmental Health Program, 816-983-6806, or e-mail eforrest@cmh.edu . --Bruce Snead bsnead@ksu.edu

 

MARIE’S PICKS . . .
This week my picks (outcomes and impact (what the clientele have done [NOT the agent—i.e., NOT "I offered / I provided / I taught . . . "], success stories, and public value [benefit to non-participants]) were reported by Shannon Blocker, Anderson County; Jake Weber, Cherokee/ Crawford/Montgomery Counties; and Scott Eckert, Harvey County.

**Fifteen farmers and landowners increased their decision-making skills related to the 2008 Farm Bill, specifically Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE). The training, in cooperation with the Farm Service Agency, provided participants an opportunity to work through a sample farm decision tool.

**An estimated fifty Kansas citizens in Cherokee, Crawford, and Montgomery counties are better able to produce homegrown fruit due to their increased knowledge about proper care and pest management of food producing garden crops.

**On Earth Day, 80 youths learned about Vermicomposting and how it benefits plants and the environment. They learned how to use rain barrels to catch water from rooftops and use the water to irrigate vegetable gardens and landscape plants.

**38 Walton Rural Life Center students learned about Worm Composting, Compost Tea, and Composting in the Back Yard. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu

 

REBUILDING GREEN IN GREENSBURG, KANSAS -- RESOURCES FOR KSRE AGENTS
The following web page has Department of Energy publications which incorporate lessons learned from communities such as Greensburg, Kansas, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and provide information and resources for federal, state, and local agencies, and community leaders facing long-term disaster recovery - http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/greensburg/publications.html .

  • Rebuilding After Disaster—Going Green From the Ground Up
  • From Tragedy to Triumph—Fact Sheet Series – four documents to help community leaders reach out to and educate various community constituents to engage them in the rebuilding green process
  • Greensburg, Kansas—A Better, Greener Place to Live
  • Rebuilding It Better—BTI-Greensburg John Deere Dealership
  • How Would You Rebuild a Town Green?

--Bruce Snead bsnead@ksu.edu

 

FACULTY SENATE MEETING HIGHLIGHTS - NOVEMBER 10, 2009
1. President Schulz met with the Senate and provided updates of improved fiscal tracking and management procedures in K-State central administration and athletic offices. These improvements are related to the university's transition audit findings. He also confirmed that the university's new provost will soon be named and that the new chief information officer search will soon be underway. Additionally, two scheduled forums (November 13 in Manhattan and November 23 in Salina) offer additional opportunities for discussion on the ideas submitted for budget reduction and budget expansion. Current information about the university budgeting process is available at: www.k-state.edu/budget/initiative.html .

2. Committee Reports were given/action taken:
a) Academic Affairs - passed new minor in Conflict Analysis and Trauma Studies

b) Faculty Affairs - passed changes in University Handbook related to evaluation of department heads/chairs and deans; a thorough review and revision of the University Handbook is underway.

c) Faculty Senate Committee on University Planning - synthesis of more than 1,300 submitted ideas was challenging, results of that synthesis are available on the budget initiative Website; Chair Tom Vontz outlined current status of university budget process and encouraged input from personnel and students at the forums in Manhattan and Salina; additional forums for input will be scheduled during January, February; update was provided on the Energy Ed., Inc. energy reduction proposal for the university and it seems that most of the energy conservation measures can be undertaken without the services of the external consulting firm.

3. Announcements:
a) Senate representative sought for membership to the Manhattan/K-State Joint Project Committee

Next Faculty Senate Meeting: December 8, 3:30 p.m.
--Elaine Johannes ejohanne@ksu.edu

 

COMMUNICATION MINUTE: MAKE PDFS EASY TO FIND
Newsletters and other online PDF documents work better with Web browsers, search engines, and slow connections if you remember a few tips.

Use real text. A scanned document turns text into a picture of text. Search engines need real text. If you're not sure whether a file has real text, try to copy-paste the PDF text into a word-processing document. If it works, you have real text.

Keep it under 1MB: Smaller is better. Try Acrobat's "Document/Reduce File Size" feature, or split the document into sections. Google will not find files greater than 10MB.

Eliminate spaces in file names. The Firefox Web browser stops reading the file name when it hits a space. If someone downloads the file with a partial name, it may be difficult for the user to recognize. Use the document’s most memorable or important words: ScenicCntyNws, 4HEnrllmnt, WheatVarieties2009.

Add titles to Document Properties. Search engines display the title in results. Use Control D in the full Acrobat application to add a title to a PDF document. --Amy Hartman ahartman@ksu.edu

 

KSRE MASTER CALENDAR
Go to: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/MasterCalendar

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