The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
(Vol. 18 No. 36)
IN THIS ISSUE...
4-H ADDRESSES MANY CRITICAL NEEDS
I spent time during the last week of June in Washington DC
doing “agency visits” for the Soil Science Society of America. Over two days we met with representatives
from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Academy of
Sciences, Department of Energy Office of Science, Department of Education,
National Science Foundation, USDA, and, in the Executive Branch, the Office of
Science and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and Budget, and the
President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.
A frequent topic of discussion was STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education efforts,
particularly at the K-12 level. Overall,
a shortage of skilled workers is predicted for the STEM disciplines, which
includes agriculture. We were reminded
of the value of youth participation in events outside of a normal school day
such as Envirothon, Science Olympics, 4-H projects, etc., as these have been
found to be very effective in sparking interest in science, and we were
encouraged to contribute. I took every
opportunity to educate the representatives about the value of 4-H in filling the
STEM pipeline as well as the other proven benefits of participation. Everyone in our organization contributes,
whether we are directly involved with 4-H or not, and it is having a positive
impact. Your efforts make a difference.
Keep up the good work! --Gary Pierzynski gmp@ksu.edu
PROGRAM OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS AND RANCHERS SUFFERING FROM EFFECTS OF DROUGHT
Worsening drought conditions, rising fuel and fertilizer costs, and the increasing costs of doing business are serious challenges facing Kansas farm families. The Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services (KAMS) is available to assist callers understand options available through federal disaster programs as well as offering resources to assist family farmers and ranchers with planning as they face continuing challenges exacerbated by drought conditions. KAMS' toll-free hotline, 1-800-321-FARM (3276), provides the agricultural community with immediate, confidential, and free access to a professional staff.
KAMS, in conjunction with the K-State Farm Analyst Program, offers at very low costs, the services of a farm financial analyst to work with the producer. Analysts help develop realistic and feasible plans for producers contemplating charges to their operation or assessing how the drought affects their cash flow and ability to meet their loan obligations.
Direct legal representation to Kansas farmers and ranchers is available through KAMS' agreement with Kansas Legal Services. These experienced agricultural attorneys assist producers and borrowers, negotiate with creditors and loan officers, explain legal implications of changes with their business plan, and clarify their rights and responsibilities in connection with USDA programs or loan agreements.
If the situation is not resolved through our service, KAMS coordinates farmer-creditor mediation for the Kansas agricultural community. Mediation is a confidential voluntary process that helps parties to resolve credit disputes by mutual agreement. Mediation may be requested by either the producer or a creditor. Ag credit mediations are handled at no cost to the participants. If mediation is needed, KAMS staff sets up the mediation meeting and assigns an independent third party mediator to handle the case. The mediator has no decision making authority, but is there to guide the participants through the negotiation process in an effort to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
Also available, KAMS offers mediations for producers with non-credit issues concerning USDA agencies (FSA, NRCS and Rural Development). Mediation may be requested through KAMS when USDA sends written notice to a producer that an "adverse decision" has been made with respect to the producer’s participation in a USDA program. For non-credit mediations involving USDA adverse decisions, a modest fee is charged.
All calls are free and confidential. All of these services may be accessed by calling 1-800-321-FARM (3276). Check out our new website at http://ksre.ksu.edu/kams. --Becky O'Donnell bodonnel@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week my picks are outcomes and success stories from Robin Eubank, Barber County; Kathy Bloom, Seward County; Kurt Werth,
Gray County; and Ethel Schneweis, Ford County.
**One
participant shared that after seeing and tasting the cakes baked with the non-nutritive
sweeteners, she would be making cakes only with sugar. She
liked the quality better; however, she recognized that she and her husband did
not need the additional calories. So she planned to only make cakes for special
occasions.
**As a result
of nutrition education in one intermediate school, a child stopped one of our
nutrition assistants (NA) in the grocery store because she wanted to introduce the
NA, Jane, to her mother. The mother then told Jane that her daughter has asked
her to purchase and prepare more fruits and vegetables. The mother now attempts
to serve more fruits and vegetables at each family meal.
**Producers
have stopped burning crop residue on circles to help save soil and moisture for
next years crop.
**An unintended
outcome was reported by Ethel from her programming
toward an easier lifestyle with assistive technology. Participants enjoyed the
assistive technology kit so much, it was noticed that several items were now
missing from the kit! --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
UPDATE FROM THE DIVERSITY PROGRAMS OFFICE
Greetings from the Diversity Programs
Office! We are sad to say that some of our summer camps have come to a close
and the rest of them will finish by the end of this month. The Transfer Student
BRIDGE program and classes will finish at the
end of July. Currently, there are two students participating in the BRIDGE
program and they are both from Seward
County Community
College. Roberto Sanchez, who worked with his faculty mentor Dr. Hikaru Peterson,
and Socorro Martinez, who was paired with Dr. Teresa Douthit, will finish up
their classes and conclude their research. We hope that you had a successful
summer!
The Kansas
State Research and Extension (KSRE) Multicultural Fellowship Program began
on Saturday, June 2, 2012 and is expected to conclude their sessions July
27, 2012. It will be hard to bid
farewell to the students who have joined us from surrounding universities to
conduct research and engage in their ongoing studies here at Kansas State
University. This KSRE program
is designed to expose students to research within agricultural related
fields. Adrian Craft, Victoria King, Briony
Miller and Bradley Nzinga have all worked exceptionally hard this summer and we
wish them success in their future studies.
This year's American Royal joins us on July 13, 2012 with Al Davis. The
Diversity Programs Office is pleased to provide them with hospitality and
ice cream while they are on their visit to the Kansas State
University campus!
Project IMPACTS’ Multicultural Academic Program Success
(MAPS) is in full swing and well into their third week here
at Kansas State University. MAPS is in its fourth year here at Kansas State
University and will be hosted by the College of Agriculture,
College of Business
and College of Engineering. MAPS is a six week structured academic and
residential summer program in which students participate to earn five or six
college credits in courses that apply to their respective major. The students
have adjusted well to college life and will begin their midterms within the
next week in their respective classes. There are 43 students attending the MAPS
program this year. In July, they are scheduled to tour the Flint Hills Discovery
Center, the K-State Dairy farms, attend the Fiesta Mexicana festival and
carnival on July 13, and the newly instated Cargill Innovation Center in
Wichita on July 20. All the students
have enjoyed the previous trips so far with their return just this past weekend
from the Cargill facility plant in Blair,
Nebraska and their trip to the
Omaha Zoo. They will continue to
participate in a collaborative Biofuels research project that integrates all three
colleges in their research and present their posters and research on July 25. Their graduation and closing
ceremony from the MAPS program is at 6 p.m.
on July 26.
If you need anything from the
Diversity Programs Office please do not hesitate to contact us. In the office
this summer you can find Daja Menefee, Graduate Student Assistant; Lizbeth
Alcantara, Graduate Student Assistant; and Jeremy Scott, Undergraduate Student
Assistant. Give us a call at 785-532-5793 or email Dr. Zelia Wiley at zwiley@ksu.edu. --Zelia Wiley
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