The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
(Vol. 18 No. 14)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
On December 7, 2011, thirteen District Board chairs/members and thirteen District Directors/Agents met in Salina to discuss and respond to a series of questions centered on becoming an Extension District. With them were three additional State Extension Advisory Council members, two facilitators, two scribes, and three additional listeners (including myself as a listener). A sample of the questions discussed were as follows:
1) Prior to becoming a district, what was the greatest concern you and others related had in forming a multi-county district?
2) What was the greatest hope or motivation for joining a district?
3) Has becoming an Extension District gone well? Successes and challenges.
4) What has changed in programming as a result of becoming a district?
5) Do you believe you are serving clients better with the multi-county district?
6) What do you think still needs to happen to realize the vision and improve your district?
7) What advice would you offer to county councils interested in becoming a district?
8) What advice would you offer to other districts in how they currently operate?
To learn from that facilitated group process and discussion, you will find 3 documents posted on the State Extension Advisory Council Website near the bottom middle of that website. The first document is an Executive Summary that I wrote based upon the notes from the discussions. The Board Chair/members and the District Director/Agents were divided into their respective groups, and each processed through the questions independently. Enough difference existed in responses that the notes from each independent discussion are posted. I trust you will find the reading insightful, educational, and interesting. I assure that you can draw almost any conclusion you wish. Unanimous agreement did occur when asked if they believed they were better off having organized into a district or if they believed they would have been better served to remain in a county structure. The unanimous response was that no one wished to return to the county structure.
We will be discussing this information with the State Extension Advisory Council next week at our meeting with them in Topeka. We also have plans to do further roll out of the information drawn from these discussions. I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts after you have taken the time to read and digest the discussions and summary. Let me know if the summary misses in capturing any vital notes you read in either the Board member or employee discussions.
Thanks and have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
CONTRIBUTIONS TO A RETIREMENT ACCOUNT CAN REDUCE TAX
As you are completing your 2011 taxes, consider if you would benefit from increasing your contributions to a retirement program in 2012. Low- and moderate-income workers may qualify for the Saver's Credit on their tax return when they make voluntary contributions to a retirement plan. Eligible contributions include those to a traditional or Roth IRA, salary reduction contributions (also called elective deferrals) to a 401(k) plan, a 403 (b) annuity, governmental 457 plan, a SIMPLE IRA plan and others. (KPERS does NOT qualify because contributions are not voluntary.)
The taxpayer does not need to itemized expenses on their tax return to claim the Saver's Credit. The credit is “nonrefundable” meaning it can reduce tax owed. The adjusted gross income limit for 2012 will be $57,500 for married couples filing jointly, $43,125 for heads of household and $28,750 for singles.
For more information about the tax benefits of contributing to a retirement account, visit www.irs.gov. This information is provided by the Financial Resource Management Program Focus Team. Source: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4703.pdf. --Cindy Evans
ESTATE TAX SET FOR HUGE ADJUSTMENT
Without Congressional action, the current estate tax law will undergo a major adjustment on January 1. That’s not good news for rural Kansas.
The equivalent current estate tax exemption is $5,125,000 with a top tax rate of 35 percent. Unless Congress acts, the 2013 equivalent exemption will fall to $1,000,000 and the top tax rate jumps to 55 percent. With the recent run up of land prices, the new numbers could devastate Kansas farm families and land owners, taking away funds that might otherwise benefit local families and rural communities. A combined value of a few hundred acres, a saving account and retirement fund could easily exceed $1,000,000. Planning ahead is the key to limiting estate taxes.
Charitable gifts through the KSU Foundation can help your neighbors create endowments that support Extension programs, scholarships for local students or a wide range of options that both create a legacy and reduce a taxable estate. With your help, we will show your neighbors some of the techniques available.
For more information, contact Gordon Dowell, gift planning officer for Extension and real estate, at the KSU Foundation, 800-432-1578 or gordond@found.ksu.edu. Services are free; conversations are confidential. --Gordon Dowell
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week my picks are the public value statement and outcomes of the 2011 Walk Kansas Nutrition, Food
Safety, and Health PFT.
**Participants in Walk Kansas are challenged to lead a healthier life by being
more physically active, making better nutrition choices, and dealing with
stress more effectively. The public value of this program is realized when
Kansans adopt healthy lifestyle habits which will lead to fewer weight-related
chronic and acute diseases and improved quality of life. Other community
members will benefit from lower public cost of health care and health insurance
and an increased number of productive contributing citizens.
Through program evaluation surveys, the following outcomes were reported:* 90% met the minimum physical activity goals for physical activity during the eight-week program;
* 74% were confident or completely confident they can continue this amount of activity during the next six months;
* 89% increased fruit and vegetable consumption during the eight-week program; and
* 75% were confident/completely confident they could continue this habit over the next six months. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
SWITCHGRASS ESTABLISHMENT FIELD DAY - MARCH 20, 2012
Professional development field day for Extension Educators, State Agencies, NRDs, NRCS, and others.
Focus:
Establishment and production of switchgrass for biomass and bioenergy.
Registration is free : Supported by a multi-state USDA CenUSA bioenergy grant. https://www.cenusa.iastate.edu/
Location:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Research and Development Center (ARDC) near Mead, Nebraska at the August N. Christenson Research and Education Building
Physical Address: 1071 County Road G * Ithaca, NE 68033
Directions: http://ardc.unl.edu/direct.shtml * 402-624-8000
Agenda:
10:00 a.m. Registration and Welcome
10:05 a.m. Biomass Biofuel policy, Switchgrass Genetics and Next Generation Bioenergy Varieties
Ken Vogel, Supervisory Research Geneticist, USDA ARS: Forage Breeding
11:30 a.m. Switchgrass and Bioenergy Crop Logistics - Stuart Birrell, Associate Professor Department of Ag and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University
12:15 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Switchgrass Establishment, Weed Control, Herbicides, Seed Quality - Robert Mitchell, Research Agronomist, USDA ARS, AssociateProfessor UNL Department of Agronomy
1:45 p.m. TBA
2:30 p.m. Drill Calibration Exercise - Robert Mitchell
3:00 p.m. Planting Demo (weather permitting)
3:30 p.m. Safe Travels Home
Registration and Questions:
Register by March 16 to reserve your seat. Contact John Hay , Extension Educator, University of Nebraska– Lincoln, 402-472-0408 or jhay2@unl.edu. --Ed Brokesh ebrokesh@ksu.edu
JANUARY EXTENSION AGENT PERSONNEL CHANGES
Jennifer Carr, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Barton County, began employment on January 9, 2012. Her email address is jlcarr@ksu.edu.
Joan Krumme, 4-H Youth Development Agent in Reno County, began employment on January 9, 2012. Her email address is jkrumme@ksu.edu.
Jan Steen, Community Development and Technology Agent in Reno County, began employment on January 9, 2012. His email address is jmsteen@ksu.edu.
Nichole Burnett, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent in Johnson County, returned from sabbatical leave on January 21, 2012.
Linda Beech, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent in Ellis County, transferred from
Finney County effective January 22, 2012.
Austin Sexten, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Central Kansas District began employment on January 22, 2012. His e-mail address is ajsexten@ksu.edu.
Cody Sloan, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Miami County, began employment on January 22, 2012. His email address is codysloan@ksu.edu.
--Stacey Warner swarner@ksu.edu
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