The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
(Vol. 20 No. 38)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
I've previously talked about understanding the "why," not just the "what" or "how." I was reminded again as I was working with the national Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) this past week. If you've never watched Simon Sinek's presentation on the importance of understanding the "Why," I'd encourage you to do so. You can find that video by following this link.
I
believe that we, as Extension professionals, sometimes expect others to
understand the “why,” of our work when in fact those listening or
reading may
not know, or may have the wrong idea. Do you explain to your board,
commissioners, business leaders, and civic groups why you conduct the
educational programs that you do? Why should they be priority programs
for you? I'd urge you to work on beginning by telling why your
educational programs are important. Maybe it's because this pest is
known to cause extensive damage, or maybe it's because of increased
incidence of a chronic illness among our children, or maybe it's because
certain research points to the value of this change in the social or
economic strength of a community. After explaining why this work is
important to the community or clientele with whom you are working, then
you can tell them what you did, how you got the program delivered, and
be sure to finish with the impact that the program has on the target
audience and why that impact has public value. Takes practice, but I
believe it will pay dividends for your work.
Thanks for all you do. I hope county fairs, where 4-H achievements are publicly recognized, are going well throughout the state. No better place to remind of the importance of why.
Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
4-H UPDATE AND OPEN FORUM SCHEDULED AUGUST 6 AND 13
Two 4-H Update/Open Forums are scheduled
for Wednesday, August 6, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., or Wednesday, August 13, 10:30 –
11:30 a.m. The Update/Open Forum format will be a webinar and conference call. The agenda will be the same both days and focus primarily on the
transition from ACCESS 4-H to 4-H Online. No registration is required. The calls
will be recorded. Connect information is the same for both Wednesday, August 6, and Wednesday, August 13.
Adobe Connect:
http://connect.ksre.ksu.edu/ks4h/
Sign In as a Guest
Conference Call Line: 866-620-7326 
Passcode: 479-963-8009
--Barbara Stone bjstone@ksu.edu
2015 NATIONAL EXTENSION LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT-NORTH CENTRAL (NELD-NC) PROGRAM
The purpose of NELD-NC is to provide current and future Extension leaders with
the vision, courage, and tools to lead in a changing world. Our continued
participation is an opportunity to make a strategic investment in emerging
leaders for KSRE.
The NELD-NC program consists of four sessions and is sponsored by Cooperative
Extension in the 12 North Central States. The 2015 program will be delivered by
University of Minnesota Extension.
Session themes, dates, and locations:
Session One: Understanding My Role as Leader - January 21-24; Chicago, IL area
Session Two: Entering the Realm of the Other - April 10-18; International: site
TBD
Session Three: Leading in a Shared Power World - July 12-16; Washington, D.C.
Session Four: Integrating Leadership for Change - September 16-19; St. Paul, MN
area
Information about the current program is available at http://www.neld.extension.umn.edu/.
If you have questions or desire additional information, call Marie Blythe at
785-532-6775.
Participation costs for county/district faculty will be fully funded through
the Leadership budget. Tuition for specialists will be covered through the
Leadership budget and all travel-related expenses will be the responsibility of
their departmental or area unit. Applicants must be able to fully participate
in all four sessions.
If you would like to submit an application for the 2015 program, the form is
available on our Website, http://ksre.ksu.edu/programming/.
Under Professional Development, select NELD-NC Application. Completed
application forms should be returned to Dr. Marie Blythe, 104 Umberger Hall, by
August 26, 2014. Selected agents/faculty members will be notified by September
2.
Current class members would be happy to visit with you about their recent experiences.
Contact Jamie Hancock, 785-232-0062x104, jamiehan@ksu.edu;
and Elizabeth Kiss, 785-532-1946, dekiss4@ksu.edu. You can also view
a list of previous participants by clicking on Leadership Programs Participant
Directory under Other Resources on our Website. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
USDA NASS CENSUS OF AG COUNTY PROFILES NOW AVAILABLE
The USDA’s National Ag
Statistics Service recently released 2012 Census of Ag profiles for all 50
states, Puerto Rico, and more than 3,000 counties across the nation. The Kansas
profile, along with all Kansas county profiles, can be found online. Here is the link to the County Profiles for
Kansas…
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/Kansas/
“The Kansas and county profiles
provide a snapshot of agriculture in each county by highlighting key data from
the recently released 2012 Census of Ag,” said Kansas State Statistician, Jason
Lamprecht. “At the local level, Census information is relied on heavily and is
an excellent resource for anyone searching for data on farmers and ag production
in their community.”
Among the information included in
the profiles are…
1. Number of farms, land in farms, average farm
size
2. Market value of ag products sold, average per
farm
3. Crop sales, livestock sales
4. Value of sales by commodity
5. Top crop and livestock items
6. Economic and operator characteristics.
See www.agcensus.usda.gov for all the
details, or call Jason at his office in Topeka at 785-233-2230. --Steven Graham sgraham@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week
my picks are outcomes and success stories from Barbara Roths, Butler County:
**Eleven
participants in the Spend Smart Eat Well
program learned ways to identify ingredients on food labels, to consider
and compare health vs. cost vs. convenience when selecting food ingredients. SNAP-Ed
monies (FNP “food stamp”) fund these classes.
**Twelve
mothers of preschoolers reviewed ways to make family meals fast, affordable,
healthy and tasty. After the presentation in Skillet Meals in Minutes -- MOPS, I received this email comment: “…when I was looking through the handouts, I
realized how useful the daily nutrition guide will be for me. I am constantly
trying to figure out if my son is getting enough nutrients from each food
group, so I hung that on my refrigerator right away :)”
**The
week of February 24-March 1, 2014 was designated as America Saves Week. The
purpose of this national awareness campaign is to encourage and motivate
Americans to save money in order to build wealth and reduce debt. Research
indicates most Americans are not saving adequately for retirement, and many
households do not have adequate emergency savings for unexpected expenses. But
with more societal encouragement, more Americans may be persuaded to start or
add to a savings plan.
**To promote America Saves Week, I participated in a national Extension social
media marketing campaign during the month of February. America Saves daily reminders
were posted to Facebook during February. According to the reporting on our
website, during the month each daily message was seen by 35 to 95 people.
-–Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
K-STATE DONORS SHATTER GIFT RECORD
Alumni, friends,
parents, faculty, students and corporate partners of Kansas State University
made philanthropic gifts and commitments totaling $211 million in the fiscal
year that ended June 30, 2014. Gift designations represent the entire
university, ranging from academic colleges, departments and programs, to
athletics and Extension.
This figure sets a
record in charitable giving in the 70-year history of the Kansas State University
Foundation, surpassing the $200 million mark for the first time. The
previous record of $152 million was set last year.
One of the most
important aspects of this year's results was the $89 million in endowed funds,
which is also a record. Endowed funds established this year were primarily for
student scholarships, faculty chairs and professorships. Endowed funds provide
long-term funding for the purpose they support, and create a legacy for the
donor.
Of the $211 million
total, 63 percent is available for the university's use immediately, while
donors committed 37 percent through pledges and deferred gifts, which will be
realized by the university at some point in the future.
Philanthropic
contributions to Kansas State University are coordinated by the KSU Foundation. The foundation staff works with university partners to build lifelong
relationships with alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students through
involvement and investment in the university. --Gordon Dowell gordond@found.ksu.edu
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