The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
(Vol. 20 No. 25)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack salutes Cooperative Extension in the following video. You may have seen this at the bottom of our KSRE Home Page, but if not, I want you to take a moment and listen to his message, and to think about the challenges ahead and how best Kansas Extension will bring knowledge and resources to helping the citizens of Kansas address the challenges now and in our future around global food systems, water, health, community vitality, and developing tomorrow's leaders.
National Centennial Convocation Live Video 5.8.14 – The Smith-Lever
Act creating Cooperative Extension nationwide was signed on May 8, 1914. One
hundred years later, you have opportunity to join the centennial celebration
via live streaming video from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. central daylight time on May 8,
2014. Connect at http://www.windrosemedia.com/windstream/ext100years/. Hear
USDA Secretary Vilsack address participants at the Centennial Convocation at
the Reagan Building in Washington, DC. See the impressive parade of states.
Gain insights from keynote speakers about where Cooperative Extension is headed
for the next 100 years. The event also will be recorded and available at
http://www.windrosemedia.com/windstream/ext100years/ for 3 months and then on
Extension100years.net.
Proclamation Signing at Kansas State University. Also on May 8, we will have a ceremonial signing of a Proclamation on behalf of Kansas State University honoring the Centennial legacy of Cooperative Extension in Kansas. That ceremony will take place at 9:15 a.m. in Room 201 Anderson Hall. Provost April Mason will be present to do the signing. Anyone wishing to attend as a witness to this event is welcome to come to Anderson Hall that morning.
A plan is also underway for the Governor's office to issue a Proclamation with a ceremonial signing time and place yet to be determined.
County Fair Centennial Display. The Centennial Planning Committee, chaired by Chuck Otte, is pleased to announce that there will be a display available for use at County Fairs consisting of 3 pull-up type displays that would fit within an 8 foot booth space. Should be an ideal backdrop to cake, ice cream, or whatever you may wish to do to celebrate 100 years of Cooperative Extension at your County Fairs. The committee is also working on a poster and informational cards for use with Centennial Celebrations. Watch for further information.
Have a great week! - Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
REQUEST FROM DR. SONNY RAMASWAMY, USDA NIFA DIRECTOR
Dr. Ramaswamy, Director of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture at USDA, is wanting DIRECT responses from any of you regarding any questions or help sought on using insects as a food source. Please respond with any information you may have directly to Sonny. Thanks in advance for any response you make to him. I know he sincerely wants to hear from you! Note the deadline of tomorrow, April 30, at close of business. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
Following is the message from Dr. Ramaswamy:
Colleagues:
I
am scheduled to give a keynote address at a Food and Agricultural
Organization
sponsored conference on the potential for insects and relatives being a
part of the answer to achieving food security with the burgeoning
population expected to hit over 9 billion by the year 2050.
In light of the above I want to ask a couple of questions, and would appreciate
your responses to the same.
- During the last one to two years has anyone contacted you in your role as
an Extension specialist/faculty/educator/agent for information about insects as food?
- If the answer to the question above is yes, was it from a homeowner, a restauranteur,
farmers market seller, or entrepreneur?
- What sources of information did you use to respond to the query? Or did you
point them in the direction of an expert such as Dr. Florence Dunkel at Montana State University?
Thanks for your responses to the questions. Please send them to me directly
at sonny@nifa.usda.gov
Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
305-A, Jamie L. Whitten Building
1400 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20250-2201
T:  202-720-4423
DIVERSITY PROGRAMS OFFICE UPDATE
The College of Agriculture’s Diversity Programs Office (DPO)
would like to share some of the successful events that have taken place as the
month of April ends:
- The 2014 Minorities in Agriculture, Natural
Resources and Related Sciences, (MANRRS)
week took place April 21-25 with the theme "K-State MANRRS + Partnership =
Success." The week was dedicated to focusing on forming partnerships with
multicultural student organizations on campus as well as observing Earth Day
activities. The week's activities included:
•Monday through Wednesday, a membership
drive was held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the K-State Student Union.
•The installation of the new executive
board and the recognition of the past executive board was Wednesday, April 23.
The meeting’s special guest was Mr. Robert Taylor, Assistant Vice President of
Operations, Cargill AgHorizons.
•The K-State MANRRS chapter presented to
the College of Agriculture Dean's Advisory Board on Friday, April 25 at the
Holiday Inn. Presentations included highlights of the 2014 MANRRS National
Conference, MANRRS academic leadership roles, and the positive impact of being a
MANRRS member at Kansas State University.
- The 15th annual meeting of the Kansas Black
Farmers Association was held April 17 from 9:30 a.m. to noon in 137 Waters
Hall. The meeting was hosted by the College of Agriculture's DPO and special
guests included Sydney Carlin, Kansas State Representative; and Forrest Buhler,
Attorney with Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services. The association was founded
in 1999 by farmers in Nicodemus for mutual support and cooperative agricultural
market development. The mission of the Kansas Black Farmers Association is to
preserve the Kansas minority farmer legacy through education, promotion of the
agricultural lifestyle and collective niche product development.
- Congratulations to Taneysha Howard, MANRRS
Parliamentarian Chair, for her coordinating efforts during the 1st Wildcat Step
Show April 12 at the KSU Student, Forum Hall. In addition to collaborating with Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. at the
step show, she also won a scholarship during the awards ceremony. Howard is an
Agriculture Communications & Journalism major.
Please continue to look for more diversity events as we
continue to advertise. We appreciate your support. For more information about
upcoming events or to collaborate with the DPO, please call 785-532-5793 or
contact Dr. Zelia Wiley, Assistant Dean of Diversity, zwiley@ksu.edu. --Zelia
Wiley
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