The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
(Vol. 16 No. 24)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to talk with each of the Kansas Extension Agent Associations members, including FCS, 4-H, and Ag. A common question emerged at each meeting. 'What is the outlook for the State Budget for next year?'
Our response: At this time we simply are aware that the State budget deficit for the next fiscal year, according to media releases over this past weekend, is now predicted to be as much as $510 million. That is up from the previous prediction of a $450 million deficit. Additionally, revenues for this current fiscal year are also being predicted to be short by some $70 million. Legislature will be wrestling with the budget as they come back into session at the end of April. At this time, we have no clear indication of the outcome for our next fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010.
We also recognize that our local County Extension Councils are headed into their budget planning and discussions with County Commissioners. We hope the outcome will be positive, and urge you to keep your message aimed towards the relevance, value, and importance of the educational programs for the people of your county. You might develop stories from any evidence you've collected that conveys relevance, value, and importance to clients and program participants. Shape your message in such a way that it conveys how your K-State Research and Extension programs and the work of the local Extension Council support the needs, issues, and goals of the county commission. We know those discussions with your commission may be difficult, and we hope for the best possible outcome!
As a follow-up message to everyone, know that we greatly appreciate the on-going work that you are all engaged in that results in educational programs that are making a difference for the people of Kansas. Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
APRIL IS KANSAS HEALTHY YARDS AND COMMUNITIES MONTH
Last week, Governor Mark Parkinson
signed a proclamation declaring April to be Kansas
Healthy Yards and Communities Month
across the state. The new KSRE program is designed to educate the public on
environmentally conscious lawn-and garden-care techniques. Several other states
have similar programs to market proper lawn and garden care techniques to
homeowners. We are not alone in our desire to package and market sound
horticultural principles to a homeowner audience.
Kansas
Healthy Yards and Communities (KHYC) allows us to tailor years of
horticulture research and training from across the U.S. to address
environmental issues unique to the varied climates in Kansas. The following 9
strategies are contained in the KHYC self-assessment, which is the hallmark of
the program:
Build & Maintain a Healthy Soil;
Right Plant, Right Place;
Water
Wise;
Mulch;
Grasscycle & Compost;
Fertilizing;
Managing Yard Pests;
Stormwater
Runoff & Pollution/Water Quality;
and Songbirds & Butterflies.
While KSRE has been promoting these
principles for years, the KHYC program packages them in such a way as to be
engaging to homeowners and accessible through a variety of means. Participants
can pick up paper copies of the assessment at their local extension office, an
event, or by clicking through the website. Homeowners
earn a score from 0-112 points with results indicating that they are 'Waiting
to Sprout,' a 'Green Seedling,' 'Actively Growing,' or 'Blooming with Green.'
Participants can request certification as a 'Kansas Healthy Yard' through their
local extension office.
Some counties have secured funding for yard signs while
others may offer a certificate. It is up to each county to determine their
level and type of participation.
The website also has
about 50 short videos on topics pertaining to the KHYC assessment and
horticultural/gardening information in general. These videos are professionally
filmed and edited and feature our state specialists and county horticulture
agents in their areas of interest. A photo gallery with images of sample yards,
and links to horticulture extension publications are also available. We
encourage you to check out the website and see how your extension office can
tap into the desires of the Kansas homeowner to have a 'Healthy Yard.'
Members of the 'Green Ribbon Team,'
a subcommittee of the Horticulture Program Focus Team, include co-chairs
Jennifer Smith (Douglas County) and Holly Dickman (Ellis County); and team members
Gregg Eyestone (Riley County), Amy Jordan (Lyon County), Scott Eckert (Harvey County),
Drs. Alan Stevens (Floriculture), Rodney St. John (Turfgrass) and Cheryl Boyer
(Nursery Crops). --Cheryl Boyer
CELLULOSIC BIOFUELS WEB SEMINAR SERIES--SEMINAR 2
Friday, April 30, 2010
11 a.m. ' 12 noon Central Daylight Time
'Economics of Ethanol and the New Cellulosic Industry'
Presented by Dr. Robert Wisner - Iowa State University (retired)
Robert Wisner is recently retired from Iowa State University where he was a professor and extension economist focused on grain marketing and outlook. In recent years his interest in biofuels has led to a number of presentations on the ethanol industry in Iowa and nationwide.
• Government mandated blending levels to 2022
• History of profitability of corn-starch ethanol
• Current starch-ethanol costs, returns, and profitability
• The blending wall - causes & alternatives for overcoming it
• Potential EPA decision to allow E-15 blends and its implications
• Differences in economics of cellulose vs. starch ethanol
• The future: reasons for optimism, cautions, and areas of uncertain
Webinar Series Purpose
Cellulosic ethanol production is an emerging industry. Production practices, materials and business methods are expected to be different from those currently used in agriculture. This webinar series is intended to provide interested individuals with an overview of the ethanol industry and the anticipated needs, from production, agronomic, and contractual perspectives for supplying cellulosic materials to a biofuel plant. This webinar series is presented by National eXtension and the High Plains Extension Energy Team.
Webinar Series Topics & Dates:
The seminar series will consist of 1 hour long webinars approximately once a month for the next six to eight months. The current list of topics and planned dates are:
1. State of the Industry: Corn and Cellulosic Ethanol - Friday, March 26, 11 a.m. Central.
2. Economics of Cellulosic Biofuels - Friday, April 30, 11 a.m. Central.
3. Cellulosic Biofuel Logistics'TBA (Expected to be late May).
4. Agronomic Impacts of Cellulosic Material Harvest ' perspectives from the eastern and western corn belt TBA. (Expected to be in July).
5. Contracts for Cellulosic Biomass TBA.
6. Rural Community Infrastructure TBA.
How to Connect:
Start connecting 5 minutes prior to the start time. You need a computer with Internet access and speakers. At the meeting time, copy and paste this URL into your browser to enter the meeting: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/agenergy/.
At that URL you will find a login page. 'Enter as a Guest' with your name, and business or institution and click 'Enter Room.' The audio portion of the meeting will be come through your computer speakers.
Anytime before the meeting you can visit this URL to confirm your ability to connect. --Ed Brokesh ebrokesh@ksu.edu
AWARD NOMINATIONS FOR EXCELLENCE AND DIVERSITY DUE JUNE 1
The Cooperative Extension Section
Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) of the Association of
Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) has announced a call for nominations
for the "Award for Excellence in Extension," and for the "National Award for
Diversity." These awards recognize outstanding contributions by Extension
professionals. They are designed to focus national attention on the role of
Extension - one that is fundamental to the lifelong education and development of
residents in communities around the nation. Selections are made for both
regional winners and one national winner. A monetary stipend goes with these
prestigious awards.
You can find information on these and future
opportunities for award nominations through the Employee
Resources website. At this website, simply click on nominations
for awards in the center section of the web page.
Kansas should have at least one nomination for each
of these prestigious awards. If you have someone in mind you would like to see
nominated, please contact me, dbuchhol@ksu.edu and we can work together to
organize the nomination. Deadline for nominations is June 1, 2010. The
competition for these awards is strong, and a creative nomination that truly
captures the outstanding contributions of the nominee is needed to be
competitive.
If you'd like to post additional award nomination
opportunities on this website, send your information to Martha Monihen, mmonihen@ksu.edu , in our office. --Daryl
Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN KANSAS PRESENTED AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE
K-State Research and Extension representatives Dr. Elaine Johannes, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist/Youth Development, School of Family
Studies and Human Services; and Trudy Rice, Extension Associate, PRIDE program, presented at the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) conference in Bloomington, Minnesota on April 13, 2010. The presentation on the GET IT-DO IT! program highlighted KSRE work in PRIDE communities and focused on how this project has allowed extension professionals a way to engage youth and adults in projects to improve health and local quality of life.
Extension community development specialists from across the United States gathered to share research, program models, and implementation strategies at the conference titled,"Building Bridges to Sustainable Communities." --Dan Kahl dankahl@ksu.edu
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