The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
(Vol. 18 No. 18)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
I remain hopeful that 2012 and 2013 will be active years for County Extension boards to pursue developing Extension Districts with adjacent counties or districts. At the Extension District Summit held on December 7, 2011 in Salina, attendees identified outcomes resulting from organizing into an Extension District. Best thing about these outcomes is that they come from a group of board chairs and agents who are living within the District structure every day! I've listed those outcomes.
- Unanimous
agreement (both board members and employees of districts) that the district
structure is an improvement over what they had previously in the individual
county council structure. When asked if
they believed they were better off in this structure, the unanimous response
was “yes.” When asked if they wanted to
return to a county council structure, the unanimous response was “no.”
- New
programming - Extension agents have been able to expand offerings of
educational programs over what the capacity had been in a county structure
previously and audience participation has improved.
- Specialization
- Extension agents have reduced duplication of responsibilities which has
allowed for specialization and greater focus and depth of expertise in
responding to the interests and educational needs of clientele.
- Expanding
audience - With specialization and new programming, Extension agents are
experiencing a growth in audiences served as compared to their county-based
capacity. In some examples, these
audiences are totally new to Extension educational programming within the
district because of the new focus and expertise of an agent in the district.
- Financial
stabilization - The Extension district board has an improved ability to
stabilize the financial resources resulting in a more efficient, effective use
of resources and the resulting programming. Long-term planning can now occur and that results in greater savings,
more responsiveness of emerging educational opportunities, and financial
efficiencies.
- Workforce
stabilization - Through long-term planning and resource stabilization, a
greater ability to reduce uncertainties occurs such that a high performing
workforce is being achieved. Some believe
that the district structure in the long run will reduce workforce
turnover. Some expressed pleasure in how
collegial the district team of agents and staff have become.
- Hiring
to Needs - New staffing has offered opportunity to hire for needed
specialization. Opportunities are now
achievable in hiring for ethnic, culture, or language diversity. New agents seem to assimilate quickly and
with seemingly less effort into the district structure.
- Improved
community relations - Improved communication and relations were noted with
the county commission as compared to when in a county structure. Additionally, specialized agents are able to
be more responsive to community-based issues and needs.
- Youth
experiences - Districts have increased the opportunities for positive youth
experiences through increased project opportunities, district-wide events for
youth in meeting others outside their local community, and improved
participation in regional/statewide events.
When left to the youth, the district model is working very effectively
in increasing opportunity for positive growth and learning.
All this information, and more is contained within the summary documents on the State Extension Advisory Council Website. If you have questions, please let me know. And, thanks for all you do every day to provide the best educational programs built on the wants and needs of people living in Kansas! Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
SWITCHGRASS ESTABLISHMENT FIELD DAY - MARCH 20
Switchgrass Establishment Field Day is 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
NORTH CENTRAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE REGISTRATION REMINDER
North
Central Leadership Conference, April 30 - May 2, will be at The Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook,
IL. All conference registrations
and hotel reservations must be made by Friday, April 6, 2012.
North Central Extension professionals have the opportunity to refine
their leadership skills, share best practices and build networks with
their colleagues.
Four keynote speakers will challenge
our thinking and question the changes Extension leaders need to make today to
be relevant tomorrow: Navigating
Emotions through Organization Change - Dionardo Pizana, Ph.D., Michigan State
University; Generational Differences - Tim Moore, Generational Insights,
Alabama; Social Entrepreneurship - Alfred Osborn, Jr. Ph.D., UCLA Anderson
Graduate School of Management; and The Land-Grant Mission: Is it a bridge too
far? - Sam Cordes, Ph.D., Purdue University, Indiana.
This is the link to the conference schedule and registration
information: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/nclc/ . --Marie
Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week my picks are outcomes and success stories from the 2011-12 KSRE State Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK) Report. This report was compiled and submitted on behalf of the team by Sarah Taylor, Sedgwick County; and Carol Young, Financial Management Specialist.
**In 2011, KSRE SHICK Counselors saved Medicare beneficiaries the highest amount to date. Many beneficiaries saved thousands of dollars by comparing plans and switching.
**One Medicare beneficiary was having a difficult time paying for medications and daily living expenses. Her husband had health issues which required a large amount of out of pocket expenses. Her current 2011 Part D plan was not going to continue to cover three of her brand name drugs in their formulary for 2012. The KSRE agent helped her enroll in another Part D Plan which covered her drugs and saved her $6,102 in out-of-pocket costs for 2012. (River Valley Extension District)
**A client excitedly reported to the KSRE agent that she saved lots more money than anticipated. During counseling, the beneficiary was told to check whether her doctor would write a 90 day prescription for one of her medications, and ask if she could take generic because it looked like it would be a much better deal for her. She reported that she was saving more than $100 a month plus she didn't have to pay a deductible that she had to pay last year. (Meade County)
**One client saved $86,667.09 a year even though paying a 67% penalty on top of premium, deductible, and drug costs. Ten people were helped to apply for Extra Help-LIS/MSP (Low Income Subsidy/Medicare Savings Program. (Marshall County)
**One man qualified for the low income subsidy provided through Social Security and Medicaid. The plan he was automatically enrolled in was not recognized at the pharmacy he needed to use. He switched to a different plan and saved $9,000 annually. (Sedgwick County). --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
FEBRUARY EXTENSION AGENT PERSONNEL CHANGES
James Hartshorn, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Leavenworth County, resigned effective February 3, 2012.
Lisa Friesen, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent in Sedgwick County, is on sabbatical leave effective February 6, 2012.
Glenn Brunkow, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Pottawatomie County, resigned effective February 10, 2012
Melissa Schlegel, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Edwards County, resigned effective February 18, 2012.
-–Stacey Warner swarner@ksu.edu
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