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Dr. Ivory W. Lyles |
Market volatility. Drought. Pests. Petroleum prices. As any producer knows, farming is risky business, with many factors out of the growers’ control. This month, Extension will be sponsoring five farm management workshops, one each in Dumas, Stuttgart, Newport, Forrest City and Keiser, aimed at providing research-based expertise to aid producers in making better decisions, both about the conditions they can control and in response to external factors beyond their control.
The half-day workshops will feature discussions by agricultural industry and university specialists on topics including machinery economics, agriculture financial management, crop budgeting and production costs, grain basis and commodity marketing.
The meetings will be especially important for producers eager to learn what form farm policy is taking and how federal subsidies will be affected.
Speakers will also address the economics of new cotton harvesting and precision agriculture equipment, crop budgeting and the outlook for 2008 production costs and farm financial issues. Other key topics include a discussion on grain basis and 2008 commodity prices.
There is no cost to attend. For more information, contact Farm Risk Management Specialist Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481.
The dates and locations are:
- Ivory W. Lyles
Honorary and Memorial Gifts
The following honorary and memorial gifts were recently received in support of programs and funds within the Cooperative Extension Service. This list covers gifts deposited October 1-31, 2007.
Extension Service Retiree Scholarship
In honor of LaVerne Feaster
Merritt Royal
In memory of W. H. Freyaldenhoven
Margaret Alexander
Family of Leamon L. Looney
Fann Woodward
In memory of Lynn Russell
Susan and Earlton Sanders
In memory of Ken Scott
Susan and Earlton Sanders
In memory of E. A. Wilson
Fann Woodward
Honorary or memorial donations may be forwarded to the Development Office, Cooperative Extension Service, P.O. Box 391, Little Rock, AR 72203. To ensure that proper notification is sent, please also include in whose honor or memory the gift is made and the mailing address of the person to receive the notification.
– Merritt Royal
Changes New for 2008 Galaxy Conference
The annual Galaxy Conference is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for TLC: Teaching, Learning and Connecting, February 20-22, 2008, at the Wyndham Hotel in North Little Rock.
The planning committee revamped the conference and made some exciting updates to the conference agenda.
The conference will feature paid, professional speakers. Sign up early for a grant-writing workshop with Paulette Mabry of Mabry Ventures, Inc. Mabry has 18 years of experience teaching grant-writing to nonprofit organizations, public schools and colleges. This is a great opportunity to learn techniques that improve your chances of receiving funding. Extension teams are encouraged to sign up and work on grants during the class. Thanks in part to a mini-grant from Epsilon Sigma Phi, the workshop is free to registered conference participants, but seating is limited.
Dr. Mark Taylor (www.taylorprograms.com) will speak about Generation NeXt and how Extension can connect to teens and young adults. His concurrent sessions will focus on identifying ways of teaching, learning and connecting with this younger audience.
Finally, nationally renowned speaker Jones Loflin (www.jonesloflin.com) will present concurrent sessions from his book Juggling Elephants as well as helping our struggles with Herding Cats. His sessions will provide Extension employees with tips on how to “get it all done” and work with diverse groups.
The Galaxy Conference this year is jam-packed with opportunities for professional growth. The program begins Wednesday with an opening luncheon and conference sessions featuring presentations and posters on Extension programs. Thursday features sessions with professional speakers. Friday wraps up with the grant-writing workshop and educational tours to the Flower and Garden Show or the Clinton Presidential Library.
Galaxy Conference is an annual professional development activity for Extension employees. The conference is a joint effort between the Arkansas Association of Extension 4-H Agents, Arkansas Iota Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi, Arkansas Association of Cooperative Extension Specialists and the Arkansas Chapter of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Agents. You do not have to be a member of these professional associations to attend Galaxy. The conference features professional improvement seminars, presentations and posters from your Extension peers and awards recognition and presentation. Galaxy is a great opportunity to network with your Extension peers from across the state.
For registration information, contact Jackie Yarbrough, jyarbrough@uaex.edu. If you would like to present at Galaxy, contact Caroll Guffey, guffey@uamont.edu.
– Becky McPeake
4-H Day with the Razorbacks a Success
4-H’ers and 4-H supporters from across the state cheered the Razorbacks to victory over the Florida International University Panthers during 4-H Day with the Razorbacks in October. “We had a great turnout for the game, selling more than 1,100 tickets,” said Sarah Harrison, 4-H centennial coordinator. “The 4-H section was a sea of Arkansas red and 4-H green.”
Prior to the game, 4-H hosted a tailgate party on the patio of the Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences building on the UA campus. The event was open to the public as well as 4-H’ers and 4-H supporters.
Harrison said the day was special for some underprivileged youth from 16 counties. “An anonymous donor purchased tickets so these youth could enjoy seeing a Razorback football game,” said Harrison. “The counties that took advantage of this donor’s generosity were Benton, Carroll, Conway, Hot Spring, Jefferson, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Pike, Pulaski, Saline, Searcy, Sevier, Stone and Washington.”
– Elizabeth Fortune
Faulkner County 4-H’ers Uncover the Road Map to “Discovering the Character of 4-H”
For 100 years, the 4-H program has provided opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, develop life skills, form attitudes and practice behaviors that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society. In short, 4-H helps youth develop positive character attributes that will serve as a guide for their future.
Fifty participants, including 4-H members, leaders, parents and alumni, attended the “Character of 4-H Interview Workshop” conducted on October 30, 2007, at the Faulkner County Natural Resources Center. The workshop was organized by the Faulkner County 4-H Centennial Committee and 4-H Leader Jill Nulsen as a way to educate 4-H’ers, their families and the general public about how 4-H has positively impacted the lives of adults in all walks of life. The organizers are hopeful that youth will use their interview skills to locate, interview and share the results with others throughout the county and state as a means to teach character education and to promote the 4-H program.
The workshop began with Womens’ Inc. Editor Sonja Keith teaching participants the general steps in conducting an interview. Information was provided on the interview purpose, making the initial appointment, interview dress and how to handle the interview closing. Bob Connell, Arkansas Broadcasting Association president, gave helpful hints to the youth on what to say and eye contact. Liz Massey, KTHV Channel 11 news anchor, spoke on the importance of turning the interview into a great story, and Rachel Parker Dickerson, Log Cabin Democrat business reporter, wrapped up the event with a brief review.
In addition to the information taught, participants were given the opportunity to practice their new skills by conducting a mock interview and discovering what character attributes their interview subject had gained through their 4-H experience.
The Faulkner County 4-H Centennial Committee and 4-H staff used the class as an introduction to a year-long county program called “Discovering the Character of 4-H.” Future planned activities include a county internet safety program and etiquette workshop.
– Leigh Helms
Outstanding Leader Award
Dr. Joe Waldrum, director of the LeadAR program, was honored as the outstanding leader of the year during the annual meeting of the International Association of Programs for Agricultural Leadership held in October in Miami, Florida.
– Tony Windham
Peterson Appointed to Connect Arkansas Board
Dr. Mark Peterson was recently appointed to the Connect Arkansas Board of Directors by Sam Walls, III, CEO of the Arkansas Capital Corporation Group. Act 604 from the last legislative session authorized the Arkansas Capital Corporation to create Connect Arkansas, a statewide initiative to bring broadband connectivity to the entire state, and encouraged its use for e-commerce, e-government, e-health, e- tourism, e-agriculture and other applications. Connect Arkansas is patterned after Connect Kentucky and other statewide broadband initiatives in the nation.
– Tony Windham
ArcGIS Training Provided to Specialists and County Agents
A total of 17 extension specialists and county extension agents were provided introductory training on using Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) developed ArcGIS software. This training was organized during September and October, 2007, respectively. The exercises exposed participants to practical applications of GIS using publicly available GIS datasets for Arkansas. Each participant was provided an instructional manual along with a CD-ROM containing all of the data used in the training.
– Dharmendra Saraswat
Grants and Contracts
| Project Title |
Award Amount |
Principal Investigator |
Granting |
| Procurement Technical Assistance for Small Business Firms | $300,000.00 | Sue Coates | Department of Defense |
| The Southern Region Water Quality Coordination Project | $48,535.00 | Michael Daniels | Texas A & M University |
| 1890 Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program | $47,586.32 | Easter Tucker | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff |
| Continued Development of the IPM Pest Information Platform for Extension (PIPE) Risk Management Tool | $13,000.00 | Richard Cartwright | University of Florida |
| Southern Region Plant Diagnostic Network | $39,000.00 | Richard Cartwright | University of Florida |
| Building Organic Agriculture Extension Training Capacity in the Southeast | $195,000.00 | Elena Garcia | University of Georgia |
| St. Vincent Health System | $10,000.00 | Wayne Miller | St. Vincent Health System |
|
Total Awards |
$653,121.32 |
2008 Calendar of Events
The 2008 Calendar of Events has been finalized, and some key dates everyone should be aware of are listed below. For details of these events, please go to the online Calendar of Events on our web site at http://calendar.uaex.edu/main/CALENDAR.ASP.
January 1 – New Year’s Day Holiday
January 14 – Leadership Team Meeting
January 18 – Division of Agriculture Awards Luncheon
January 21 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday
January 28 – Executive Team Meeting
February 11 – Leadership Team Meeting
February 20-22 – Galaxy Conference
February 25 – Executive Team Meeting
March 10 – Leadership Team Meeting
March 10 – State Faculty Conference
March 11 – Division of Agriculture Unit Heads Meeting
March 14 – Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon
March 24 – Executive Team Meeting
April 14 – Leadership Team Meeting
April 19 – 4-H 5K Run/Walk
April 24 – Extension Retirees Annual Luncheon
April 28 – Executive Team Meeting
May 6 – Supervisor Training – Delta District
May 8 – Supervisor Training – Ouachita District
May 12 – Leadership Team Meeting
May 13 – Supervisor Training – Ozark District
May 15 – New Employee Orientation
May 26 – Memorial Day Holiday
June 9 – Leadership Team Meeting
June 9 – State Faculty Conference
June 10 – Division of Agriculture Unit Heads Meeting
June 10-12 – Arkansas Extension Homemakers Annual State Meeting
June 17 – Southwest Regional 4-H O-Rama
June 18 – Northwest Regional 4-H O-Rama
June 19 – Northeast Regional 4-H O-Rama
June 20 – Southeast Regional 4-H O-Rama
June 23 – Executive Team Meeting
June 23-24 – Ouachita District Administrative Conference
June 24-25 – Delta District Administrative Conference
June 26-27 – Ozark District Administrative Conference
July 4 – Independence Day Holiday
July 9-11 – FCS Statewide Professional Development Conference
July 14 – Leadership Team Meeting
July 23-25 – State 4-H O-Rama
July 28 – Executive Team Meeting
August 11 – Leadership Team Meeting
August 13 – Rice Field Day
August 25 – Executive Team Meeting
September 1 – Labor Day Holiday
September 8 – Leadership Team Meeting
September 8 – State Faculty Conference
September 9 – Division of Agriculture Unit Heads Meeting
September 22 – Executive Team Meeting
October 13 – Leadership Team Meeting
October 13 – New Employee Orientation
October 18 – 4-H Day at the Arkansas State Fair
October 21 – AEHC Ozark District President’s Day
October 23 – AEHC Delta District President’s Day
October 27 – Executive Team Meeting
October 28 – AEHC Ouachita District President’s Day
November 10 – Leadership Team Meeting
November 24 – Executive Team Meeting
November 27 – Thanksgiving Day Holiday
November 28 – Day after Thanksgiving Holiday (IF the Governor declares)
December 8 – Leadership Team Meeting
December 8 – State Faculty Conference
December 8 – Christmas Luncheon at Little Rock State Office
December 9 – Division of Agriculture Unit Heads Meeting
December 22 – Executive Team Meeting
December 24 – Christmas Eve Holiday
December 25 – Christmas Day Holiday
December 26 – In lieu of Presidents’ Day/Daisy Gatson Bates Day Holiday
December 29 – In lieu of Veteran’s Day Holiday
December 30 – In lieu of Employee’s Birthday Holiday
December 31 – Annual Leave must be taken
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