Governor Mark Parkinson delivered his State of the State Address a week ago. With that, he also presented his budget to the legislature. In general that represents the first opportunity to see what plans the state administrative branch is proposing for our next fiscal year beginning July 2010. The Governor's address clearly highlighted the importance of Higher Education to the future economic engine of Kansas. That plan calls for increasing revenues to largely overcome the predicted budget shortfall of approximately $381M. No further reductions are proposed for Higher Education in that budget. Should there be no increase in revenues through changes in tax policy, the estimated budget shortfall could result in a predicted 2% reduction for the higher education budget. With these proposed budgets come no recommendations for salary increases. We are aware that employer contributions to benefits including health insurance, KPERS retirement, and death and disability are increasing and will result in a projected $600,000 cost across K-State Research and Extension.

While one could hope for better news, given the slow progress in economic recovery in Kansas, this budget plan is good for Higher Education and K-State Research and Extension. And, keep in mind that the legislature has its work to do to actually pass a budget for the Governor to sign before closing out its session. Much more news is likely to come.

And, this week we begin Partnership Meetings. Partnership Meetings are an annual day long dialog and training for local Extension Board Chairs and new members of the elected Executive Boards in our counties and districts. This week we will be in Yates Center and Manhattan on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. The theme for this year's meetings is "A Focus on Relevance." Now, more than ever, stakeholders and taxpayers look critically at all publicly funded programs and organizations to be assured of its being a good investment of public funds. K-State Research and Extension must continually provide the evidence of the great educational programs and conveyance of vital research to our constituents in such a way to show value for the public investment. We look forward to our meetings this week, and next week when we will be in Hoxie and Cimarron.

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

TIPS FOR VIEWING PAYCHECK

As we phase out of hard copies of the pay voucher here are some tips for viewing the data via the web:

Go to:  HRIS/Employee Self Service: https://www.as.ksu.edu/psp/HRIS/ 

1) Internet Explorer is the preferred browser when accessing HRIS/Employee Self Service.

2) Pop-Up Blocker needs to be OFF to view a PDF file. To turn OFF Pop-Up Blocker within Internet Explorer, follow these steps: Tools > Popup Blocker > Turn Off Pop-Up Blocker.

3) The workstation needs Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Reader to access the file. To download Adobe Acrobat Reader, access the following web page: http://get.adobe.com/reader/ 

4) Cache files/Temporary files may need to be cleared to increase the size of your temporary internet file folder.

Instructions: http://www.k-state.edu/hr/hris/browser_cache.htm

If you experience any difficulties, please contact the IT Help Desk at 785-532-7722 or Helpdesk@ksu.edu . --Division of Human Resources

SOCIAL MEDIA AND AGRICULTURE

As communicators, you may want to attend this web conference, Social Media and Agriculture, on January 21, 3:30 (EASTERN), to learn how social networks are being used in the ag industry.

The purpose of this conference is to provide examples of how social media is being used in agriculture. Ag Extension agents, specialists and others who attend will become familiar and begin to understand how social media is being used in agriculture and begin to use the tools themselves.

Arlan Suderman, Market Analyst, will discuss the use of Twitter and mobile applications in sharing information that affects commodity markets. Will Gilmer, Alabama dairy farmer, will discuss his use of blogging, Twitter, and video to educate others and serve as an ag advocate, by using contests, videos, blogging and Twitter. Carrie Oliver, Oliver Ranch Company, will discuss her use of Twitter and blogging in support of her business and in educating others about the specialty meat industry, Artisan Meat. She will also discuss an open Twitter forum called #meatcamp that focuses on issues pertaining to producing and consumer use of meat. This forum is a collaborative effort among Carrie, (cattle producer and livestock processor), and Penn State meat scientist, Chris Raines. Dan Toland, Ohio Farm Bureau, will discuss how Farm Bureau's success in using social media as way to educate and communicate about issues of agriculture. He will also discuss briefly Ohio Farm Bureau's social media policies. Andy Kleinschmidt, Ohio State Ag Extension educator, will describe his success in blogging and Twitter as an Extension educator.

This web conference will probably last an hour or an hour and a half. About five minutes before 3:30 Eastern, go to http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/learn , type in your name and you are in!  --Anne Mims Adrian, Alabama Cooperative Extension System & College of Agriculture Auburn University mimsann@auburn.edu

NOMINATIONS EXTENDED TO JANUARY 25TH FOR THE 2010 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AWARDS

Is there an outstanding information technology employee or technology team that has been especially helpful to you and your unit? Do you want to recognize that person for his/her contributions to technology advancement at K-State? Nominate them for a 2010 Information Technology Award! Nominations extended until January 25, so get that nomination in before midnight on the 25th. Nomination form links can be found at www.k-state.edu/infotech/itawards/nominations.htm .

You are encouraged to submit nominations for IT employees who represent an activity, service, or contribution considered "above and beyond the call of duty." Eligible nominees include technology employees from K-State's Information Technology Services units (CTS, ECC, ISO, iTAC, OME, and VP-ITS) and Kansas State Research and Extension Information Technology Support. There is an additional Meritorious Achievement category for non-IT people who have supported the use of technology in some way.

So if you want to recognize your KSRE technology support personnel, please submit the nomination by January 25th.

More information can be found at http://www.k-state.edu/infotech/itawards/ . --Gary Kepka gkepka@ksu.edu

NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS EXPERIMENT FIELDS WINTER UPDATE AND FAREWELL TO BARNEY GORDON

The winter update meeting for the North Central Kansas Experiment fields at Scandia and Belleville will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the 4-H building at the Republic County Fairgrounds in Belleville on February 4. Topics to be covered include an overview of ongoing research at the experiment field, biofuels research, soybean production issues, and weed control.

In addition, the meeting will also serve as an opportunity to say farewell and recognize Barney Gordon for his many contributions at the fields over the years. A meal will be served at the conclusion of the meeting. --Dallas Peterson dpeterso@ksu.edu

MENTOR WORKSHOPS

The next round of Mentor Workshops will be held according to the following schedule:

March 30 in Lawrence
April 27 in Iola
May 4 in Sublette
May 5 in Ellsworth

These workshops are designed for anyone who has a role in the launching of a new extension agent's career - as an assigned mentor agent, a colleague in the local office, a neighboring agent or area or campus faculty member.

The workshops will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. More information including registration details will be available soon.

For questions, contact Stacey Warner, swarner@ksu.edu or Margaret Phillips margaret@ksu.edu . --Stacey Warner

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY
If you work with a community in Southern Kansas* that could benefit from a workshop to help them focus and develop a strategic action plan for community improvement, please encourage them to apply. Details of the academy are listed below.

This year begins a series of community training opportunities for citizens wishing to improve their community. Kansas State University's Center for Engagement and Community Development, with assistance from USDA Rural Development, will host the first Community Development Academy (CDA) February 25, March 3 and 4, March 10 in Independence, Kansas.

The CDA is a participant-centered workshop that engages volunteer teams in the development of community improvement strategies. No prior planning or community development experience is required, just the willingness to invest in community betterment. Interested communities are asked to put together a group of people (a team of five is ideal) who have an active role in housing, community or economic development, community leaders and youth participants to participate in the workshop.

During the training, teams will meet one to two days per week over a three week period. Between sessions, they will be given homework. During this three-week experience, community teams will be guided through a process that asks them to:

• Assess their community assets and devise a public engagement plan
• Make initial contacts for a community-wide effort
• Devise a draft community development process plan
• Identify needed resources and meet resource providers

After the workshop, participants will have a characterization of their community, a community involvement plan and resources to help them in the process of reaching their goals.

COST: Teams of five or more: $125 per person; for teams of four or fewer, $150 per person. This fee covers all materials and meals for the academy. Thanks to the generosity of the SEK Economic Prosperity Foundation, scholarships may be available to teams from communities with a population less than 5000 from southeast Kansas. Community members interested in scholarships should contact Erika Mason-Imbody erika@k-state.edu , or 785-532-6868 for application information.

The CDA is being held in conjunction with a Community Coaching Academy - a training for Extension and economic development professionals. The Coaching Academy will meet with the teams, plus two extra days -  February 24 and March 11.

Applications and registration for the academy session are available online. This is an excellent opportunity for your community to organize for broad community assessment and project planning. For more information, visit www.k-state.edu/cecd/cda .

*This workshop will be replicated in Hays in September 2010, and in Manhattan in February 2011. --Dan Kahl dankahl@ksu.edu

WELLNESS SURVEY
On behalf of the KSRE Wellness Leadership Team, I invite you to participate in a "Needs and Interests" survey related to worksite wellness. The leadership values your ideas and they encourage you to participate by responding to the survey at https://surveys.ksu.edu/TS?offeringId=152650 .

Also, the Personal Health Assessment (PHA) opportunity will be available again for those who were not able to participate in fall of 2009. If you did not complete the PHA, you will be receiving a message offering a second opportunity on Monday, January 25. Look for the e-mail subject line, "Welcome to Wellstream PHA," and follow the instructions to participate. This message will have your identification number which will allow you to complete the PHA.  

The results from these assessments will help guide the team in crafting an operating plan for health and wellness within KSRE.

Thanks for your involvement in this important initiative. --Sharolyn Flaming Jackson sharolyn@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 Amy Jordan and Brian Rees, Lyon County; and Laura Marks, Morris County.

**Ten new vendors learned techniques on early spring gardening and tips for selling at the Farmers’ Market. By implementing these techniques, vendors can be more profitable and successful at the market.

**After the December Forage Management and Utilization meeting (Optimizing 4-Legged Forage Harvesters) one area cattleman, who was on the producer panel and is also on the Ag PDC, remarked that this was the first Extension meeting he had attended in some time. He said he received information that he could take home and put to use the next day. He also shared that so many of the meetings he had attended (and paid hundreds of dollars to attend) were information that he had learned 15 years earlier when he was in school! . . . and times and practices have changed!!!

**Youths learned to safely operate farm equipment on and off the roadways in Hazardous Occupation Training. Several students later reported they acquired farm jobs for the summer.

**Youths learned skills for raising and marketing livestock through the post-fair carcass contest. Afterward they explained what they might have done differently to feed their particular animal to a more ideal finish for market. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu

COMMUNICATION MINUTE: A STRATEGY FOR YOUR WEBSITE

A recent national study continues to show that American adults (ages 18 and older) use the Internet for information, and more than half of them are using wireless connections to do so.

The Pew Research Center reports that 74% of American adults use the Internet. Their research included interviews with 2,258 Americans (including Spanish-speaking Americans). The margin of error for this study was 2 percent.

Fifty-five percent of American adults connect wirelessly through laptops or handheld devices. And, 60% are using broadband connections at home.

Those findings underscore the ongoing need to keep Websites updated, and to maintain content that is brief and well-written.

If you don't already have a Web strategy for your office, consider drafting at least simple guidelines, including:

* Who determines and approves updates?
* Who posts the updates, and how often?
* How do you monitor and use new information from KSRE?
* How do you determine when to link to external information?
* What are the key messages your office communicates, and does the Web page reflect those?

See more communications tips at http://www.communications.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=899 . --Pat Melgares melgares@ksu.edu

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