The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
(Vol. 17 No. 4)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
My thanks to Tresa Jones, State Extension Advisory Council
member from Meadowlark Extension District. She, along with her District
Director, David Key, Jim Lindquist, and I went to Missouri to visit with Missouri’s
State Extension Advisory Council on our Extension District Law, and the
workings of Extension Districts. We had an engaging discussion for
about 3 hours. I understand in talking with Dr. Michael Ouart, Extension
Director in Missouri, the Missouri
SEAC has decided to move forward in that
state to begin to work a process to ultimately introduce legislation in the
next year or two that would allow their counties to organize into multi-county
districts much like our Kansas
law provides for us. Tresa and David did a great job answering their many
questions on the functioning of a district Extension program.
We also had a panel present at the recent Kansas Association of Counties annual
convention updating the participants on programming priorities that align well
with County Commission
priorities, and on our continued efforts in organizing Extension
Districts. The panel consisted of Trudy Rice, KSRE PRIDE Program and on a
1 year liaison with the National Association of Counties in Washington DC; Allen
Warren, former Extension Board Chair and now County Commissioner from Bourbon
County where they are working towards joining the Southwind District next July;
Tom Claussen, Post Rock District Board Chair and now Mitchell County
Commissioner; Dr. Dale Fjell, NE Area Extension Director; and Dr. Jim
Lindquist, Assistant Director - Extension Field Operations. My thanks to
this group for providing Commissioners with an opportunity to better understand
Extension and organizing into Extension Districts across Kansas!
This is a short work week with Thanksgiving upon us. I would hope for each of you a special time
to spend with family and friends, and to take time to reflect on the many
blessings you have for which to be thankful.
We are so fortunate to live in a free country that offers bountiful
opportunities and gifts. If we can’t be
thankful, then we’ve just not given the time to reflect. Travel safely and have a great Thanksgiving
Holiday. –-Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
2010 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND K-STATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION HOLIDAY PARTY
The College of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension are very pleased to invite you to our 2010 Holiday Party/Open House at the Houston Street Ballroom on Monday, December 13, 2010 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Come straight from work- no need to go home and dress up!
This party is for all faculty, staff, spouses or guests, retirees, and other special guests departments would like to invite. A buffet dinner and beverages will be served. There will be door prizes and an auction. Your cost is nothing- it's a holiday present! Door prizes will be given at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. with live auction to follow.
In the spirit of the season, donations will be collected and given to local community charities.
Please RSVP by December 2nd to either Judy Maberry, judym@ksu.edu, at 785-532-4493; or Sue Robinson, srobinso@ksu.edu, at 785-532-5820. -–Dorothy Doan ddoan@ksu.edu
KANSAS TURFGRASS CONFERENCE
Kansas Turfgrass Conference
December 7, 8 and 9, 2010
Kansas Expocentre, Topeka
This conference is an excellent way to learn about turf and landscape management, visit with old
friends, network with new ones, place orders with and see all the latest and greatest equipment
and supplies from local and national vendors.
Sessions include Basic Turfgrass, Insect Management, Pesticide Applicator Core Hour and Weed Management, Managing Summer Stress, Trees, Flowers and Shrubs, Irrigation, Sports Turf, Water Management and more.
The conference has been approved for commercial recertification credit as follows:
1 Core Hour
3A - 5.5 hours
3B - 9 hours
GCSAA education points and International Society of Arboriculture CEUs can also be earned by
attending this conference.
To download a copy of the brochure and registration information, go to http://www.kansasturfgrassfoundation.org/Conference.html. --Christy Dipman cdipman@ksu.edu
APPLICATIONS FOR RESOURCEFUL KANSAS SEMINAR AND ENERGY ASSESSMENT
Resourceful Kansas, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy, is a new program whose mission is “to engage communities throughout the state of Kansas in making a fundamental shift toward a less energy intensive, more efficient economy.” The application for Resourceful Kansas is now live on our website, www.ResourcefulKansas.org! Eligible organizations can attend a one-day seminar in Riley County to receive a hands-on tour of wind turbines, solar LED lighting, solar radiant floor heating systems, and more.
The first two seminars are scheduled for January 26, 2011, and April 27, 2011, and are open to all eligible organizations, regardless of location. Be sure to read the ‘application info’ tab and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Please forward this information to your members, and continue to visit our website as we add information about Resourceful Kansas, as well as resources for Energy Conservation, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy improvements. --David A. Carter dcarter@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
My picks this week are outcomes (knowledge gain and behavior change) from Shannon Blocker, Anderson County; Laura Marks, Flint Hills District #13; Martha Murphy, Crawford County; and a success story from Ben Allen, Rolling Prairie District #8:
Outcomes (knowledge gain and behavior change) Evidence: *One youth participating in Growin' Gardeners, continued to weed the flower garden outside of class time later in the summer. As a result of his fun horticulture experience, he will enroll in "Plant Science" in 4-H for 2011.
*During the fair, 4-Hers were overheard discussing how to properly
handle and care for their animals, as well as the importance of public
perception for their industry. The need for a livestock welfare
committee for the county fair is in the process of being formed by the
fair board.
*Two hundred thirty-five children (2nd grade - 5th grade)
participated in one of 14 3-day summer cooking "Kids Can Cook" classes
offered in their local communities. Knowledge gain included:
89% knew which foods would be safe to pack in a sack lunch. . . a 15% increase.
89% could identify an example of cross contamination . . . an 8% increase.
Success Story: *We held a pasture tour this summer. Landowners and managers of about 30% of land area in the county were present. These owners/managers learned to identify forbs, legumes, and native grasses. These people are all in the grass business, but it is pretty amazing how little they know about what actually grows on the land. If it is not a "grass" most feel that it is a "weed" and needs to be eliminated. Operators of about 12,000 acres told me that they had plans to spray "weeds" but after attending the tour, they realized that the plants they were trying to reduce were actually beneficial plants. Multiply the cost of $12-15 per acre to spray.....that is quite a few dollars. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
G2G OUTSIDE EXPANSION MEETING
Are you tired of kids spending so much time inside with technology? Are TV, video games, and the computer keeping your local youth from getting outside to play? If so, you might be interested in learning more about the g2g Outside program and how you can replicate it in your own county.
g2g (got to go) Outside, is an outdoor play initiative that encourages increased physical activity, family time, and connection to nature. This project’s goal is to help families gain the benefits of balancing technology with outdoor experiential learning. g2g Outside promotes unstructured playtime outdoors which research shows has positive impacts on children’s physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health. g2g Outside seeks to rejuvenate the excitement that kids feel when they “got to go” outside for discovery and fun!
If you are interested in replicating g2g Outside in your county we would like to help. Please come to the g2g Outside Expansion Meeting on Friday, February 11, 2011 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. We will have a "cookbook for expansion" for you with templates for activities, brochures, events, letters, and more. Ted Cable, K-State Professor of Recreation Resources, will join us to talk about interpretation and the importance of outdoor experiences. Register for the meeting at www.g2goutside.eventbrite.com.
--Tonya Bronleewe tonyab@ksu.edu
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