The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
(Vol. 21 No. 3)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Research and Extension Tour. This past week I had opportunity to help organize
a tour that would provide a snapshot of the breadth and depth of Research and
Extension beyond the bounds of the Manhattan campus. We were privileged to have President Kirk
Schulz and Vice President for Research Karen Burg gave us 2 days of their time
to visit a few selected locations to gain some sense of the work, the scholarship, the outcomes, and impacts that happen
across the state on behalf of Kansas State University and K-State Research and
Extension. The visit included stops at
the Sedgwick County Extension office in Wichita, Shawnee County Extension
Office in Topeka, Western Kansas Ag Research Center at Hays, Southwest Research
and Extension Center at Garden City, John C. Pair Horticulture Center near
Haysville, KSRE Horticulture Center near Olathe, Kansas River Valley Agronomy
Field near Topeka, and K-State Olathe campus.
Hats off to the faculty at each of those locations for their focused
presentations and opportunity for questions and dialog. I also greatly appreciated Extension executive board
members attending these meetings at Sedgwick and Shawnee County offices. Thanks to all for providing an outstanding
experience in learning about the great work going on through our Research and
Extension faculty and staff at these and all our other locations across Kansas. It is absolutely necessary that everyone seize any opportunities to keep our stakeholders and leaders informed of the work we do in helping Kansans to advance on finding solutions to the grand challenges we face in this state.
Master Farmer/Homemaker Nominations. Take advantage of this great opportunity to honor those outstanding farm families who have been successful in their farming operation and in service to their community, region, and state. Applications are due by Friday, November 28, and should be delivered to this office. Each of our local Extension offices should have received notice of the call for nominations, including instructions back in late August. If you have any questions, please call or email Sue Robinson, srobinso@ksu.edu, or 785-532-5820, for further information.
Have a wonderful week! Keep warm. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS TO STATE ADVISORY COUNCIL (SEAC)
State Extension Advisory Council (SEAC) members will be elected for the 2015-2018 term at the January 2015 Partnership Meetings. We will need to receive nominations for Area SEAC representatives before the meetings. Counties and Districts will be able to attend any of the four Partnership Meetings. We will have a ballot prepared so that 2015 Board Chairs or a representative can vote at the meeting they attend to elect SEAC members from their area.
Those who have served as Board Chairs in 2013, 2014, or have been elected for 2015, are eligible to be nominated for SEAC representative. We would like for you to have your nominations to your area office no later than Friday, December 5, 2014. Make sure the candidate is willing to actively participate if elected.
With your nomination, please submit a digital picture of the candidate, and in less than 500 words, information the candidate chooses to share about the following:
• family/occupation/interests
• community involvement
• involvement in Extension programs
• Extension Board leadership experience
• goals envisioned for K-State Research and Extension
This information will be shared with Boards prior to the Partnership Meetings, and will be posted on the SEAC website by January 1, 2015.
SEAC members serve as a consultative group to the Extension Director regarding Kansas Extension programs. They meet twice a year, in February in Topeka and in August at locations that rotate around the state. Members also have the opportunity to participate once during their SEAC term in the Public Issues Leadership Development conference in Washington D.C., which includes a visit to our representatives on Capitol Hill.
Partnership meeting dates and locations are:
• January 20, 2015 Lawrence
• January 21, 2015 Wichita
• January 28, 2015 Scott City
• January 29, 2015 Russell
Thank you for giving serious consideration to SEAC nominations. The document, “Opportunities, Roles, and Expectations for the State Extension Advisory Council as well as more information about the SEAC can be found on the Extension Board Leadership website: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/boardleadership/p.aspx?tabid=557. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
K-STATE CMS TRAININGS TO BE OFFERED ACROSS THE STATE
K-State CMS training will be available for KSRE agents and staff. Training is required for individuals involved in migrating local unit website content to the new system.
Scheduled training options include:
Olathe 9 a.m. to noon Friday, November 21 LL205 Computer Training Room (Conference & Training Center) Johnson County Administration Building 111 South Cherry Street, Olathe, Kansas 66061
Computers are provided, but space is limited to 12. Please RSVP to Julie Fosberg, jfosberg@k-state.edu, with subject line Olathe CMS training.
Manhattan 9:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday December 10 407 Hale Library, Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 66506
Computers are provided. Maximum room capacity is 25. Please RSVP to Julie Fosberg, jfosberg@k-state.edu, with subject line Manhattan CMS training.
Wichita 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday, December 16 Sunflower Room / 4H Hall Sedgwick County Extension Center 7001 W. 21st St. N., Wichita, Kansas
Individuals need to bring laptops, computers are not provided. Please RSVP to Julie Fosberg, jfosberg@k-state.edu, with subject line Wichita CMS training.
Sessions will include system training as well as a work session to get started on individual sites.
Reservations are required and should be made at least 24 hours before the session. Sessions may be rescheduled because of insufficient enrollment or inclement weather.
Additional sessions are planned for Parsons, Garden City, Emporia, Colby (tentative) and Salina. Dates and times will be released as soon as they are available. --Jule Fosberg jfosberg@k-state.edu
CMS TRAINING AND QUICKBOOKS TRAINING TO BE OFFERED AT SEDGWICK COUNTY OFFICE IN WICHITA
CMS Training for Local Extension Units Offered in Wichita
Julie
Fosberg of the KSU Division of Communications and
Marketing will be offering CMS Training for KSRE Agents and Staff. This
will be
an important training for those who will be involved in transitioning
local
unit websites to the new CMS system. Training will be offered on
Tuesday, December 16,
9 to 11 a.m. for training and 11 to Noon for a hands-on work session.
There is a maximum room capacity of 25. The training will be
held in the Sunflower Room / 4H Hall, Sedgwick County Extension Center,
7001 W.
21st St. N., Wichita. Individuals need to bring their laptops; Reservations are required and need to
be made by emailing Julie Fosberg at jfosberg@k-state.edu.
QuickBooks Training for Local Unit Extension Financial Accounting
Laura Rosenbaum, Sedgwick County Extension Bookkeeper, will
be offering a QuickBooks for Local Extension Unit Financial Accounting training
that afternoon. Some may elect to stay from the morning CMS session, or may
choose to just attend the QuickBooks training in the afternoon.
This training will be held the afternoon of Tuesday,
December 16, 1 to 4 p.m. in the Sunflower Room / 4H Hall, Sedgwick County Extension Center, 7001 W. 21st
St. N., Wichita. Individuals should be prepared to bring laptops if they are
loaded with QuickBooks. Reservations are required and need to be made by
emailing Laura Rosenbaum at lrosenba@ksu.edu. Participation will be limited so register as soon as possible. Laura will be in touch with those who have made
reservations to discuss their individual software and knowledge-level prior to
the 16th.
Thank you
Sedgwick County for providing these training opportunities to local extension
units. --Jim Lindquist jlindqui@ksu.edu
DECEMBER 5, 2014 EMPLOYEE BONUS
The Legislature approved a one-time $250 bonus for eligible employees to be included with the December 5, 2014 paycheck. To receive the bonus, the employee must have a hire date as of, or prior to November 25, 2013 and have a 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) from Monday, November 25, 2013 through Friday, November 21, 2014 within the same company (State of KS or K-State Student Union or Student Publications). Employees in multiple positions within the same company, that when combined is 1.0 FTE, are eligible. Employees on extended military or medical leave are eligible for the bonus. Employees hired effective November 26, 2013 or later and employees working less than full-time are not eligible to receive the bonus.
Questions may be directed to the Division of Human Capital Services at 785-532-6277. If the position is funded through a grant, refer to the Grant Funding and the one-time $250 bonus for eligible employees (pdf). --Department of Human Capital Services
ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING EXTENSION SPECIALIST POSITION
The School of Family Studies and Human Services in the College of Human Ecology at Kansas State University, is seeking an
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Adult Development and
Aging. This 12-month, tenure- track position is 90% Cooperative
Extension, 10% Service with a spring 2015 start date. This position
requires a Doctorate in human development, family studies, or a closely
related field. Primary responsibilities include planning, preparing,
implementing, and evaluating research-based educational strategies,
resources, programs, products, and endeavors and disseminating results
of Extension scholarship.
Visit http://www.he.k-state.edu/employment/ for full position
description and application procedures. Application deadline is December
1, 2014 or until the position is filled. Please contact Elizabeth Kiss
at dekiss4@ksu.edu or 785-532-1946 with any questions or concerns.
Kansas State University is an EOE of individuals with disabilities
and protected veterans. Background check required. Kansas State
University actively seeks diversity among its employees. --Elizabeth Kiss
WINTER COVER CROP BUS TOUR ON DECEMBER 12
Water + Energy Progress Award winners Lucinda Stuenkel of Palmer, and Dale Strickler of Courtland will be featured on a day-long farm tour Friday, December 12. The tour will focus on water conservation and energy efficiency using cover crops and perennial grasses for forage and soil health. Additional speakers include Water + Energy Progress Award winners Gale Fuller of Emporia and Ted Alexander of Sun City; Rachel Myslivy, Water + Energy Progress Program Coordinator; Kerri Ebert, Kansas SARE Coordinator; Dean Krehbiel, NRCS; and Randy Snider, USDA Rural Development.
The tour will be on a charter bus. The bus will leave Manhattan at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, December 12, and return to Manhattan around 6:30 p.m. Reservations can be made at the Water + Energy Progress website: http://www.waterandenergyprogress.org/. There is no charge for the tour however reservations are required. Lunch along with morning and afternoon snacks will be provided.
The bus tour is sponsored by the Water + Energy Progress Program and the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops through a grant from the Kansas SARE Professional Development Program. In case of snow or other severe weather event, the alternate date is Wednesday, December 17. --Kerri Ebert kebert@ksu.edu
"REACHING UNDER-SERVED AUDIENCES"
Friday, December 5, 2014 from 10 to 2, we will be having a workshop on reaching under-served audiences with messages around building community capacity, nutritional messages, and relationships. This is for anyone working in communities with a wide range of audiences. The location for the workshop will be at the K-State Southwest Research-Extension Center, 4500 E Mary, Garden City, KS. Registration cost is $5.
Please register with Norma Cantu, cantu@ksu.edu, by December 3rd. For questions, please call Debra Bolton at 620-275-9164 or email dbolton@ksu.edu. --Norma Cantu cantu@ksu.edu
STRETCHING YOUR HOLIDAY $$
Are you tired of starting the New Year with a pile of debt that remains from holiday shopping? Here are a few suggestions for stretching your holiday dollars and managing your money and resources throughout the season and into the New Year.
1. Decide how much you can spend. Set a holiday budget and work within it. Set the dollar amount based on what you can afford this holiday season considering your current savings, income and other expenses.
2. Make a list to begin building your holiday budget. Monthly bills should be paid before you spend for the holidays. If you’ve found yourself with a gift list that is too long, suggest your family draw names so that each family member only has to purchase one gift or focus on the kids only this year.
3. Consider cash and credit. Consider a cash-only holiday. When using a debit card, keep accurate records and record all purchases in your check register. When using credit, charge only the amount that you can safely repay in a few months. Remember to keep receipts for all purchases and transactions.
4. Be a smart shopper. Shop early and compare price, quality and warranties while you watch for sales, coupons and special buys. Shopping online can save time and leg work but avoid paying shipping charges and know the rules for returning while allowing ample time for holiday delivery.
5. Create your own gifts! The best gifts don’t always have the biggest price tag. They are fun, useful, and chosen with the recipient in mind. Using your talent and skill to create gifts from your sewing room, craft corner, kitchen, or garden adds a special touch of love. A gift of time is the most precious gift.
6. Look for frugal activities. The season is all about being together. Get your friends and family involved. Plan an outing to see holiday light displays or attend a free holiday concert. The holidays are the perfect time to teach your kids about giving back. Consider volunteering this season. The holiday season should be about joy, good company and lots of time with family and friends. There’s no need to overspend on those things. Focus on what really matters.
Happy holidays! --Diane Burnett, Family Resource Management Program Focus Team Member, dburnett@ksu.edu
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