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Dr. Ivory W. Lyles |
Arkansas 4-H State O-Rama is just about on us!
The Arkansas 4-H O-Rama will be July 26-27, 2006, at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The 4-H’ers get to step onto our campus, some for the first time, and see how diverse and well-rounded the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is. Many of the 4-H’ers go on and become students at the University of Arkansas, and through 4-H O-Rama, they build connections that they will develop more fully in their college career. This year our theme is "4-H: A World of Adventure."
Scheduled events include the Awards of Excellence Banquet, State Officer Elections, Activity Awards Program and a night at the Jones Center for Families. The Awards of Excellence Banquet recognizes 57 scholarship winners, 44 state record book winners, as well as three Governor’s Award finalists and the Governor’s Award recipient. State officers will be elected on Thursday. This year we have 12 ambassadors running for state officer positions with three candidates for state 4-H president. Regional vice-presidents were elected in June at the regional O-Ramas.
Community service projects, workshops and tours will be available both days. Community service projects, organized by the Arkansas 4-H Leaders Association, include making ouch babies, comfort bears, comfort kits and turbans for statewide distribution. Workshops this year include the Bumpers College Leadership Workshop, Assets in Heritage, L.I.F.E. Workshop and a Tyson Tour.
To qualify as a participant, 4-H’ers must either place in the top five in one of the 28 regional competitions or enter to compete in one of the 16 state-only competitions. The 4-H’ers compete in areas such as Fashion Revue, Performing Arts, Public Speaking, Technology Showcase, Livestock Skills and Photography. This year we have over 550 participants enrolled for competitions, and more entries are still coming in. We are expecting around 750 total participants, staff and volunteer leaders.
I would like to leave you with a quote from the one who is known as the "Head Clover," Dr. Darlene Baker, assistant director - 4-H youth development. "The main purpose of the event is to teach life skills. This program helps young people develop into productive adults who can hold jobs and have good careers."
- Ivory W. Lyles
Employees of the Quarter for Quarter Ending June 30, 2006
Little Rock State Office
Brian Helms, 4-H Youth Development Instructor, 4-H Youth Development - Brian provides leadership for the state 4-H officers and ambassadors. In fact, the 2006 4-H officers have nominated him for the "Specialist of the Year" award given by the Adult Volunteer Leaders’ Association. He has obtained a $25,000 grant from the National 4-H Council to implement the "Engaging Youth Serving Communities" program. Five counties will benefit ($2,000 per county) from this grant. He is an excellent role model for our youth. Brian is always ready to assist others, and his enthusiasm is contagious.
Delbert Taylor, Program Associate, Community and Economic Development - Delbert works with many people of various backgrounds and will go the extra mile to serve every one of them. He is very successful in helping clients obtain bids. The current number of contracts reflects his dedication to his job. Government contracting presents many complex problems, and Delbert always researches his clients’ problems and uses every resource at his disposal to help them. The entire APAC program benefits from his expertise.
Beth Roberts, Secretary II, Southeast Research and Extension Center - This year marks Beth’s 10-year anniversary with Extension. In April, she was chosen by her peers as president-elect of Chi Epsilon Sigma. She loves her job, and that is reflected in her actions. She greets all visitors, in person and by phone, with a sunny disposition and positive attitude. She is always willing to help anyone in any way she can. Beth is a valuable team member at SEREC.
Delta District
Herb Ginn, County Extension Agent - Agriculture, Lawrence County - Herb has worked for Extension less than 18 months, but he has already developed outstanding technical expertise and knowledge of Extension work. He has gained the respect of his farmers. With no row-crop background, he has made the transition quite well. He conducted regular production meetings this winter and had a significant increase in attendance over previous years. He keeps other staff informed of what he is doing. He plays a very active role in the 4-H program and is a real team player.
Bonnie Wright, Administrative Office Supervisor, Greene County - Bonnie recently took the initiative to develop a form to record participation of 4-H’ers in camps and workshops and to keep up with fees for these events. She maintains a cheerful attitude every day and works very hard in a very busy office, always with a positive outlook. Her work ethic and positive attitude make her a pleasure to be around.
Betty Shipman, EFNEP Program Assistant, Chicot County - Betty has been an EFNEP program assistant in Chicot County for nine years. She has enrolled 100 limited-resource families, four youth groups and eight volunteers, and the year is not over yet! Betty goes above and beyond what is required, both at work and in her community. She currently serves as the Arkansas Farm Bureau Women’s Committee chair. Before Betty became an EFNEP program assistant, she was a 4-H program assistant in Chicot County.
Ouachita District
Les Walz, County Extension Agent - Staff Chair, Cleveland County - Les has worked for Extension for nine years, including two years in Chicot County and seven years in Cleveland County as staff chair. He has a very successful county program that includes IPM Fire Ant Abatement, Horticulture, Cattlemen’s Field Day and Junior Spring Livestock Show, which are yearly events. He works cooperatively with the FCS agent with FCS, 4-H and Food Stamp Nutrition Education. The team conducted a very successful Body Walk program with area schools in Cleveland County. Les also assists other government agencies such as NRCS with County Farm Safety Day.
Roxana Jones, Administrative Office Supervisor, Little River County - Roxie has been employed with Extension since February 1995. She does an excellent job keeping the computers updated, ordering supplies and generally keeping the office running smoothly. She is always willing to stay until the job is done. She is a very dedicated employee and does an excellent job of staying on top of new requirements by participating in in-services and collaborating with the agents in the county. Roxie never complains and always meets people with a smile. She is very supportive of the county program. For example, she has taken on many of the responsibilities formerly handled by the 4-H program assistant. Roxie works with the local Cattlemen’s Association and assists them with the planning of the yearly program.
Vicki Shadell, 4-H Program Assistant, Perry County - Vicki has been with Extension a little over a year. Since joining Extension, Vicki has started four new clubs in Perry County, which has increased the county’s membership dramatically. She recently conducted an etiquette workshop that was featured in the local paper and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She is always willing to help with any project.
Ozark District
Johnny Gunsaulis, County Extension Agent - Agriculture, Washington County - Johnny Gunsaulis is a dedicated team player who is well respected by his co-workers and clientele in the county. Johnny’s outstanding achievements are the consistency of solid planning, development and delivery of youth and adult programs, including various 4-H judging teams, 4-H shooting sports team, 4-H livestock activities and various adult livestock programs including annual beef short course, bull soundness clinics and wildlife habitat workshops. He is very much in tune to the agriculture heartbeat of Washington County. Johnny has provided assistance in replicating Washington County’s Farm Friends in Faulkner County.
LeVeda Tate, Secretary II, Izard County - LeVeda Tate is the secretary in Izard County at Melbourne. She is very detail oriented and does a wonderful job in providing support to the county staff. Since joining the county staff, she has had to deal with a new ag agent, FCS agent and 4-H program assistant. LeVeda goes the extra mile in providing service to the clientele in the county in a courteous and friendly manner.
Jerry Jo Hamm, 4-H Program Assistant, Madison County - Jerry Jo Hamm continues to go above and beyond in her duties as Madison County 4-H program assistant. She has the great ability to rally the 4-H members around different causes and projects. Jerry Jo is involved in many different school enrichment activities and events conducted throughout the school year. She is a great asset to the staff in Madison County.
Cheryl Ann Maxwell Receives NEAFCS National and Regional Communications Award
Cheryl Ann Maxwell, family and consumer sciences agent in Hot Springs County, has received a regional and national communications award from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS). The entry won first place in the southern region competition and third place in the national competition.
The NEAFCS Awards Program provides recognition for members in the areas of professional development, communications, program development and public relations. This year, there were more than 500 award applications submitted for the competition. Being selected as a winner is a very impressive accomplishment.
Official announcement of award winners will be made at the 2006 NEAFCS Annual Session and Exhibits, October 3-6, 2006, in Denver. Congratulations to Cheryl for this prestigious award.
- Lynn Russell
Nutrition Advocate Award Presented to Dora Dinnan
Dora Dinnan, Conway County Extension agent - staff chair, was presented the Nutrition Advocate Award for 2006 on May 10, 2006, at the recent Arkansas Public Health Association (APHA) conference in Hot Springs.
Each year the Nutrition Division of APHA presents the Nutrition Advocate Award to someone who is outstanding in promoting nutrition to the general public. Nominations are taken from across the state, and the selection is made based on that individual’s activities and accomplishments.
Dora is held in high professional esteem by her colleagues and peers and is well known in Conway County for her programs in the schools, 4-H, Extension Homemakers and other clubs, as well as educational outreach on KVOM radio and the Petit Jean Country Headlight. One of her greater accomplishments in the past few years has been heading the Nutrition/Physical Fitness Committee for the Conway County Hometown Health Coalition. The committee identified issues such as the importance of good nutrition and the problems of obesity in our society. Her work within the coalition has led to the Conway County Road Show walking and nutrition program and the recent Healthy Steps in the River Valley program. Hundreds of adults and school-aged children have participated in these programs and have shown great interest in continuing with the exercise and nutrition lifestyle changes. She is also well known for bringing the educational Body Walk, which focuses on nutrition and health, to the first- and second-grade students of the county. The Body Walk is made possible by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
- Sherry Kaufman
2006 Grassland Evaluation Contest
Thirty-one 4-H members gathered at the Camp Robinson Wildlife Demonstration area training headquarters on April 25 to compete in the 2006 Arkansas Grassland Evaluation Contest. The contest site was set up on the Rick Simon farm in Faulkner County near Conway.
In the Grassland Evaluation Contest, team members have 25 minutes per section to evaluate four aspects of a pasture including pasture conditions, livestock grazing system, suitability of the site for wildlife habitat, and soils, and identify 25 pasture plants.
Teams and individuals entered in the junior and senior divisions were from Baxter, Franklin, Hot Spring, Randolph, Van Buren and Yell counties. The top-scoring senior team was Randolph County followed by Franklin, Hot Spring, Baxter and Van Buren counties. The top three senior individuals were Dane D. - first (Randolph County), Daniel K. - second (Franklin County) and Molly D. - third (Randolph County). In the junior division, Franklin County placed at the top followed by Baxter and Yell counties. Top junior individuals were Levi H. - first (Franklin County), Christina S. - second (Hot Spring County) and Jarrett T. - third (Franklin County).
Four of the senior teams competed in the Mid-America Grassland Evaluation Contest in Springfield, Missouri, on June 7. Teams from Arkansas, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia competed in both 4-H and FFA divisions. Contestants were provided a practice day to prepare for the conditions and plant species of the area. The contest was held in a pasture of eastern gamagrass on a farm near Republic, Missouri.
At the awards banquet held at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri, Arkansas received the second-, third- and fourth place 4-H team awards and had the third, fourth and fifth high 4-H individuals. Franklin County placed second with individual awards going to members John G. (third place) and James M. (fourth). Randolph County placed third, and Hot Spring County placed fourth with individual honors going to Alan N. (fifth place).
The Grassland Evaluation Contest is sponsored by Farm Credit Services of Western Arkansas, with additional support from the Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Arkansas Forage and Grassland Council.
- Amy Hedges
Breakthrough Solutions Program Receives Grant From Arkansas Community Foundation
The Arkansas Community Foundation recently announced the inaugural grant awards from its Giving Tree Fund. The Foundation requested proposals for innovative community and economic development programs. Criteria for the grant included the following: Is it innovative and creative, cutting edge? Can this be replicated in other communities? What is its potential to impact policy?
"We call this the Giving Tree Fund because it expresses the importance of philanthropy," stated Pat Lile, President/CEO of the Arkansas Community Foundation.
The ARCF Giving Tree selection committee chose four recipients from 24 proposals received from organizations throughout the state. These included a "SAFE Team Community Partnership" from the Argenta Community Development Corporation in North Little Rock; an "Arkansas Technology Integration Initiative," a project of the Technology Task Force of the AR Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Coalition; a "Citizenship Radio Training Project" from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; and "Creating Knowledge Worker Friendly Communities."
With the $10,000 grant, Extension’s Breakthrough Solutions will select one community to participate in a one-year process to develop a community culture that fosters and attracts knowledge workers and companies. Participants will develop and implement a strategic blueprint for a knowledge worker friendly community – one that accesses information technologies, the Internet and broadband connectivity. Following the pilot, the community will receive two years of follow-up support. The curriculum will then be offered along with other Breakthrough Solutions Programs throughout the state.
– Mark Peterson
Registered Foresters Find Continuing Education Credits in Prescott
The Nevada, Clark and Pike County Extension offices, along with Natural Resources Program Associate Caroll Guffey, came together to plan and conduct the second annual Registered Foresters Training in Prescott on Tuesday, June 13. The 2006 training doubled attendance from last year with 135 registered foresters completing six hours of continuing forestry education hours.
A registered forester is required to annually complete six hours of continuing education to maintain his or her license. In the past, many foresters annually traveled many hours and miles at different times of the year to accumulate the minimum required continuing education hours. The three participating Extension offices polled several foresters as to whether or not they would be interested in a one day/one location training at which they could fulfill all of their CFE requirements.
With positive feedback, the Nevada, Clark and Pike County Extension offices and Caroll Guffey proceeded to plan and conduct the first training in June of 2005. Working from the 2005 training evaluations, the planning committee assembled a Registered Foresters Training for June 2006. Topics included native and naturalized wildlife forage, TMDL updates, fertilization and SMZs, log grading, pine seedling genetics and GIS. Speakers came from the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, forest industry and the Arkansas Forestry Commission.
The evaluation process told us that 77 percent of those in attendance turned in an evaluation, and 94 percent indicated the information presented at the meeting was relevant to their job, while 99 percent said the training was as good as or better than last year’s training. Judging by the attendance and evaluations, this particular training will continue to be an annual event.
– Rex Dollar
Arkansas SRDC Roundtable Workshop on Rural Development
On Wednesday, June 14, the Community and Economic Development unit held a Roundtable Workshop on Rural Development. The workshop was organized by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, in partnership with the Southern Rural Development Center. Partial funding for this event was provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to promote dialogue, planning and action among individuals and organizations committed to rural development efforts in the South.
The five-hour session involved 50 key individuals who have had an active involvement and interest in advancing rural development within the state of Arkansas. Workshop participants were asked to identify positive features associated with rural Arkansas and then prioritize programs that would strengthen the future of Arkansas’ rural areas. They were then asked to refine strategies and initiatives that would offer unique opportunities for rural areas and share ideas on the role of the land-grant university in terms of research and education related to rural development.
The three broad areas session participants agreed upon as the highest priority for the future of rural counties within Arkansas were education and workforce development, economic development and leadership and citizen participation, which also included a strong emphasis on youth participation.
The insights gathered at this roundtable session will be added to 13 other states’ data in order to help guide the rural development work of the southern region’s land-grant universities. At the same time, the inputs captured at the various roundtables in the southern region will shape the work of the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC). Taken together, all of the roundtables will improve the chances that the research and Extension programs we conduct in our state, in collaboration with our rural development partners, will be "on the mark."
- Tammy Seefeld
Centra Puts More "Power" Into PowerPoint
A new PowerPoint Level I class was recently announced for June 27. If you missed it, be sure to sign up for the repeat performance on July 25. As with past IT training, this class is being taught via Centra, our web conferencing solution. Take the one-hour class from your desktop or from any quiet corner that has a Windows-based computer with Internet access, speakers and a microphone or a headset.
What will you learn? Patricia Doss has planned a slate of tips and tools to get you started with PowerPoint. Included in the short course will be instruction on
If you need to brush up your PowerPoint skills, this class makes the most of your time. Go to In-Service and sign up today.
Tip of the Month:
We’re building a library of Centra recordings for IT training classes. If you miss a class, you can to go http://it.uaex.edu and look under the How To section for the Using Centra Symposium link.
- Nina R. Boston
Grants and Contracts
| Project Title | Award Amount | Principal Investigator | Granting Agency |
| Family and Community Connections | $134,000.00 | James Marshall | Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Services |
| Southern Plant Diagnostic Clinic | $17,980.00 | Richard Cartwright | Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Services |
| USDA/Air Force Partnerships for 4-H Opportunities | $138,911.00 | Connie Phelps | USDA, ARS MSA |
| An Alternative Planting Strategy for Establishing Clover in Pastures | $14,992.00 | John Jennings | University of Georgia |
| Risks of Old Abandoned Pesticides and Disposal of Those Pesticides Stored on Farms | $200,000 | Suzanne Hirrel | AR Natural Resources Commission |
| Soybean Weed Control | $38,407.00 | Bob Scott | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean Verification | $121,729.00 | Chris Tingle | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean Diseases | $58,735.00 | Richard Cartwright | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Technology Transfer - Ashlock | $39,873.00 | Chris Tingle | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean-Soil/Nutrition Management | $8,000.00 | Leo Espinoza | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean - Irrigation | $24,555.00 | Phil Tacker | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Investigating Emerging Production Recommendations for Sustainable Soybean Production | $19,478.00 | Gus Lorenz | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Investigating Emerging Production Recommendations for Sustainable Soybean Production | $2,638.00 | Phil Tacker | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Rice Verification | $150,267.00 | Chuck Wilson | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Weed Management in Rice | $105,501.00 | Bob Scott | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Rice Diseases | $111,496.00 | Richard Cartwright | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Rice Water Management | $30,000.00 | Phil Tacker | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Rice/Panicle Blight | $35,405.00 | Richard Cartwright | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Clark County 4-H and Aquatics Youth Leadership Program | $15,000.00 | Amy Simpson | Ross Foundation |
| 4-H Shooting Sports Program Equipment | $2,000.00 | Rex Dollar | The NRA Foundation |
| Evaluation of Sampling Procedures for Detecting Tarnished Plant Bug Populations in Cotton: LA II | $18,333.00 | Gus Lorenz | Cotton Incorporated |
| A Comparison of Conventional and Precision Agriculture in Arkansas | $21,476.00 | Rob Hogan | Cotton Incorporated |
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Total |
$1,308,776.00 |
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© 2006 |
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University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture |
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