The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
(Vol. 16 No. 38)
IN THIS ISSUE...
MIKE CHRISTIAN HONORED WITH NACAA HALL OF FAME AWARD
Congratulations are due to Mike Christian, who was recently named the 2010 North Central Region Hall of Fame Awardee by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents at their national meeting in Tulsa, OK.
The Hall of Fame Award recognizes one member from each NACAA region. Each state can nominate one individual. The state nominees are evaluated on their Extension programming, state and national association activities, and humanitarian efforts beyond the normal call of duty.
Mike started his career as a 4-H agent in Dickinson County. After three years, Mike took the position of County Agricultural Agent in Riley County, where he served for 21 years. For the past nine years, Mike has worked as a Watershed Specialist. His role has been to assist animal feeding operators in assessing the pollution potential of their feeding facility and recommend the best management practices needed to achieve the necessary pollution abatement.
Mike has been active in the Kansas and National Associations of County Agricultural Agents, serving in numerous leadership roles. Mike received the NACAA Distinguised Service Award in 1994.
Mike serves in leadership roles in his church. With the nearby Ft. Riley Army Base, Mike has had numerous opportunities to help military spouses and families while the husbands were deployed.
Mike is truly deserving of the 2010 NACAA Hall of Fame Award. Please help me congratulate him. --Steven Graham, Interim Director of the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment (KCARE) sgraham@k-state.edu
K-STATE RECEIVES ONE OF EIGHT CYFAR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY PROJECT GRANTS
Washington,
July 15, 2010 –
NIFA awarded eight grants through the Children, Youth and Families at
Risk (CYFAR)
Sustainable Communities Project to strengthen outreach programs aimed
at giving at-risk children, youth, and families the skills and
knowledge they need to lead healthy and successful lives. "Many
American children are at risk for problems, such as infant mortality,
poor health, abuse, crime, teen pregnancy and poor performance in
school," said Roger Beachy,
NIFA director. "CYFAR promotes positive youth and family development
by supporting healthy environments and providing opportunities for
learning and leadership by youth and adults in their communities." Visit
the NIFA Newsroom to read the full release NIFA Awards CYFAR Sustainable Community Project Grants to Help At-Risk Communities.
Each of the eight grant
recipients receives $660,000 over the course of five years. Kansas
State University, Linking Food
and the Environment: An Inquiry-Based Science and Nutrition Program
merges science and nutrition education content with social cognitive
learning and self-determination process skills to reduce consumption
of unhealthy foods and sedentary habits in diverse racial, ethnic,
gender and socio-economic strata youth. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
ANNUAL CONFERENCE AWARDS NOMINATIONS
K-State faculty and staff are doing great work for which we would like to recognize them. Each of you can be a part of that recognition by nominating your peers for awards that will be presented at the KSRE Annual Conference Awards lunch on Tuesday, October 19.
Monday, August 2, is the deadline for nominations for the Builder, Diversity, Team, Mentor, County/District Office Professional and Unclassified Employee recognition. Nominations should include the name, title, address, e-mail and phone numbers of both the nominee and nominator along with a maximum of a two page justification for the award. Nominations can be sent via e-mail to Dorothy Doan at ddoan@ksu.edu or hard copy nominations can be mailed to Dean and Director Gary Pierzynski at 114 Waters Hall, Manhattan KS 66506.
Additional information about the awards as well as a list of former recipients can be found on the Employee Resources website at www.ksre.ksu.edu/employee_resources. Click on Nominations for Awards. --Gary Pierzynski
DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR KYLF WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
The workshop proposal deadline for the Kansas Youth Leadership Forum has been extended to Thursday, August 5. The
Kansas State 4-H Youth Council members hope that you will be
interested in sharing your expertise through this opportunity.
The 11th
Annual Kansas Youth Leadership Forum will be held in November at Rock
Springs 4-H Center. This conference, designed for youth, ages 14-18,
will include speakers, workshops, consulting groups and the election of
the 2011 Kansas State 4-H Youth Leadership Council.
We are
recruiting
proposals for workshop session instructors/presenters for Saturday,
November 20. Topics should
center on some aspect of leadership. Some ideas might include, but are not limited to,
community service, leadership in an industry or career, citizenship,
communications, conflict management,
ethics, motivation, decision making, leading by example, time
management, international citizenship, multi-cultural studies,
diversity, business etiquette and getting involved after high school.
The letter and proposal form are both on the
State 4-H Website, on the KYLF page. Proposals
are due by August 5. Questions can be directed to Beth
Hinshaw, bhinshaw@ksu.edu. --Beth Hinshaw
TAKE A DAY FOR LEADERSHIP - ATTEND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION WORKSHOP
Environmental Conflict Resolution Workshop coming on August 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Great Plains Consensus Council - Kauffman House
2515 College Avenue; Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas
Find out how to turn conflicts into agreeable solutions. Learn the principles behind the tools used by professional mediators to reach resolution. This workshop will help you deal with conflicts at work, home, and school.
Presenters: Gary Flory and Ken Grotewiel will lead the workshop. Gary is the Director of KIPCOR and has extensive experience with facilitation and negotiation in many settings. Ken knows much about government, having served as a representative to the Kansas legislature and more recently with the Kansas Water Office. Both are passionate about helping people deal with conflict in a positive way.
Cost is $75.00 (lunch and materials provided).
Register: contact Judy Willingham, KELP Coordinator at 785-532-5831 or e-mail at kelp@ksu.edu. --Judy Willingham
APPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
NetWork Kansas is seeking Kansas communities to participate in its innovative Entrepreneurship (E-Community) Partnership. Applications will be accepted through August 16, 2010. Launched in the fall of 2007, the E-Community Partnership enables a town, cluster of towns, or county-wide collaboration to partner with NetWork Kansas to generate funds that are distributed in the form of matching loans and grants to new and expanding businesses. E-Communities selected in 2009 include: Finney County, Greeley County, Hillsboro, Inman, Osage County, Pottawatomie County, Salina, and Scott County.
Communities selected as E-Communities partners work to achieve the following results: 1) To establish a fund for entrepreneurs and small business owners that is administered at the local level; 2) To map local, regional and state assets available to assist entrepreneurs and businesses; 3) To establish a long-term tracking accountability system to measure business and economic growth; and 4) To develop a long term partnership with nearly 500 partners statewide that assist entrepreneurs and small businesses to provide a positive impact on the Kansas economy.
NetWork Kansas was established as a component of the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 to further entrepreneurship and small business growth as a priority for economic and community development in the State of Kansas.
More information is available at www.networkkansas.com. --Robert Wilson rmwilson@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS
My picks
(outcomes, impact, and success stories) this week are from Joe Harner,
Biological and Agricultural Engineering:
**A
computer model is being used by a nutritionist and veterinarians to model the
impact of dairy facilities on cow behavior. Producers are able to utilize the
results specific for their dairy and explore potential opportunities to change
current housing practices or accept the consequences of current management
strategies.
**Educational
programs and outreach have increased beef producers awareness of environmental
issues and potential water quality problems. As a result of this increased
awareness, they are seeking input on beef facilities prior to making an
economic investment in new or expanding facilities. Advance planning enables
them to make sound economic investments in the enterprise with a priority of
environmental stewardship.
The
success story is an e-mail received from a dairy nutritionist:
Hello Rick and Joe,
I wanted to send a note to both of
you concerning the time budget spreadsheets I have used from both of you. I can
only say that by using both spreadsheets, we have really begun to unlock some
opportunities on farms. I have had the Miner spreadsheet for a couple years.
While it worked great, and I believe in the numbers, it was very hard to
explain to a client or his staff and make them feel like the numbers . . .
really reflected their dairy. The K-State spreadsheet has been very beneficial
in proving the time budget of cows by pen on dairies. Once I work through the
numbers with clients, the numbers become their own. I have then been able to
support the numbers I use in the Miner version to come up with calculations
that the farm can now own as well. The real beauty of the Miner version is that
the answers are in several forms, (i.e., lost milk, energy cost, body weight
change). These really mean something to a dairyman, especially as you relate
the energy cost to a lb. of Megalac. Now we have their attention.
To say that things are working well with a client based approach with these
tools is an understatement. I have seen the full dairy team asking great
questions and coming up with innovative answers to meet the issues they have on
their dairies. This is why we do what we do!
I can’t say thanks enough! --Marie
Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE - REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE
THE 7 HABITS OF
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE WORKSHOP, NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 2,
2010
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for K-State Research and
Extension Professionals Program has a strong emphasis on
effectiveness
in the workplace. Based on the best-selling business book by the
same
name, this three-day workshop experience provides the foundation
to
strengthen the human side of performance at the personal,
managerial,
and organizational levels. The content helps build a stronger
organization by strengthening and exercising the character and
competence of the individual employee.
K-State
Research and Extension
professionals will be equipped with the tools and skills to work
at the
highest levels of effectiveness, both with and through others.
This intensive three day workshop is on
November 30 - December 2, 2010 at Rock Springs 4-H Center near Junction City. It will be led by a
training team from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. The
workshop begins at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and ends at 2 p.m. on
Thursday.
K-State Research and Extension administration will cover the
cost of the
workshop materials. Participant registration costs are $185
which
includes meals and lodging.
Here is what Kent McKinnis, Extension Agent, Reno County, says about his experience at last year's workshop:
" I can’t say enough about the 7 Habits Workshop that I was fortunate enough to participate in last fall. I was able to meet and interact with many amazing people over the course of the workshop.
I have benefited professionally through the scheduling and organizational principles that were presented in the workshop. I have taken on some additional responsibilities in the office and the organizational skills are very useful.
I have benefited personally by putting to use two of the principles: Be Proactive and Begin With The End In Mind. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions."
Registration is due by October 9. Additional information and registration is available on the
Employee Resources Website > Registration. --Daryl Buchholz
dbuchhol@ksu.edu, Margaret
Phillips
margaret@ksu.edu
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