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Dr. Tony E. Windham |
The Division of Agriculture has added a new layer to its educational outreach, thanks to a unique partnership with the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board: podcasting.
Using a combination of video and Constant Contact’s e-mail marketing product, the Division of Agriculture is creating weekly soybean production podcasts. Producers, agents, specialists, researchers and the media receive HTML e-mail or text notification when a new podcast is posted.
The podcasts feature updates from plant pathologist Rick Cartwright and extension weed scientist Ken Smith. The podcast team includes extension plant pathologist Scott Monfort, soybean agronomist Jeremy Ross, plant pathology program associate Amy Carroll and pest management program associate Ronnie Bateman. On the production side are videographer Kevin Quinn, project manager Debby Monfort, program associate Julie Robinson, and agents and administrative office supervisors in 46 soybean- producing counties.
Soy podcasts can be found at http://www.aragriculture.org/crops/soybeans/podcasts/.
So far, the soybean podcasts have garnered 2,370 hits from 386 visitors.
This latest move into electronic communications builds on efforts at both the county and state levels. Woodruff County agent Eugene Terhune has found text messaging to be an efficient way to gather information.
Earlier this year “our Farm Service Agency director was in a meeting, a storm went through the county, and he was wondering if we had any crop damage,” Terhune said. “I texted all the consultants out in the fields, and they responded.”
“I was able to e-mail the FSA director that evening with reports collected from around the county during the day,” he said.
The Extension Communications Department is using Facebook and Twitter to push news releases and pitch news stories to media outlets and webmasters.
Social media, podcasts and text messaging are just the latest salvos in the Division’s electronic communications efforts, which date back to 1996, when the Division of Agriculture went online with a web presence. The latest figures on the Extension web site from July 1, 2008, to June 15, 2009, show more than 42.3 million hits. Nearly half of those hits, 19.9 million, were to the general uaex.edu address, which includes news and county sites. Homeandgarden.org was the next big hit magnet with 9.4 million, followed by aragriculture.org with 7.8 million hits.
In 2006, Extension Communications added podcasting and in 2008 began using YouTube to post podcasts.
As the field of electronic communications continues to evolve on a minute-by-minute basis, the Division of Agriculture will work to integrate the best methods into our educational outreach.
- Tony E. Windham
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 May 1-31, 2009.
In memory of Bobby Perry
Carolyn Diane Perry
In memory of Jane Holland
Martha and Mark May
In memory of Lynn Russell
Martha and Mark May
Honorary or memorial donations may be forwarded to the Development Office, Cooperative Extension Service, P.O. Box 391, Little Rock, Arkansas 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
Monthly Gift Summary - May 2009
The following chart summarizes gifts and noncash gifts deposited in May 2009 to advance the programs of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.
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Cumulative Giving |
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May 1 - 31, 2009 |
Fiscal Year 2009 |
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Monthly Gift Count |
Monthly Gift Total |
Fiscal |
Fiscal |
| CES Administration | 2 | $200.00 | 54 | $131,738.35 |
| Delta District | 2 | $800.00 | 9 | $6,370.00 |
| Ouachita District | 1 | $1,187.50 | 6 | $8,350.00 |
| Ozark District | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | $2,500.00 |
| 4-H Youth Development | 1 | $2,500.00 | 4 | $30,500.00 |
| Agriculture and Natural Resources | 7 | $57,800.00 | 146 | $1,016,140.95 |
| Community and Economic Development | 16 | $4,465.00 | 88 | $26,837.40 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | $500.00 |
| Arkansas 4-H Foundation |
43 |
$27,390.00 |
479 |
$225,935.83 |
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TOTALS |
72 |
$94,342.50 |
788 |
$1,448,872.53 |
*Footnote: April Y-T-D contributions for the Arkansas 4-H Foundation, Inc., were understated by $3,000 due to keying error. Contributions reported were $195,645.83; however, actual contributions were $198,645.83.
First Recipient of Lynn R. Russell Endowed Award for Professional Excellence Named
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| Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult (left) and Bill Russell (right) present Laura Connerly with Lynn R. Russell Endowed Award for Professional Excellence. |
Laura Connerly was named the first recipient of the Lynn R. Russell Endowed Award for Professional Excellence during the State Faculty Conference held in June. Connerly is pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The scholarship award, funded through the earnings generated by the endowment, can be used to cover tuition, books and travel.
The endowment was first established in the Agricultural Development Council of the University of Arkansas Foundation, Inc., in June 2007. Named in memory of the retired assistant director of family and consumer sciences, the Lynn R. Russell Endowed Award for Professional Excellence honors Russell’s commitment to higher education and professionalism.
– Merritt Royal
Employees of the Quarter for the Quarter Ending June 30, 2009
Little Rock State Office
Elena Garcia, Assistant Professor - Fruit, Horticulture
Elena is an honest and hardworking professional who makes herself available to help anyone. She spends many of her evenings and Saturdays working with growers at organized meetings and visiting their farms. She has established an outstanding extension program dealing with fruit crops and with sustainable and organic production. She has obtained research grant funding to develop educational programming for agents and growers. Elena is a true team player who is highly respected by her peers, growers and professionals nationwide.
Lynda Lee, Benefits Manager, Human Resources
Lynda’s responsibilities are unusually challenging because of the sensitive and personal nature of the employee issues she handles and all the various clientele she serves. Of particular note this quarter has been her administration of the Voluntary Early Retirement Authorization (VERA) for employees with federal and UA retirement benefits, including providing extensive counseling to employees and their families, calculating incentive amounts, preparing materials and reports, completing contractual agreements, preparing and finalizing federal retirement packets and closing out and sending in the official federal employee personnel files. These intense VERA responsibilities have been in addition to her usual responsibilities. Throughout the VERA process, Lynda has continued to demonstrate professionalism, reliability, a strong work ethic and a positive attitude.
Sterling Boston, Custodial Worker II, Physical Plant
Sterling is a very dependable employee who performs his assigned responsibilities with diligence and great attention to detail. Although the professional quality of his work is acknowledged, it is his cheerful and joyful demeanor that is so highly appreciated by his clientele – the employees with whom he comes in contact and interacts with as he goes about performing his duties at the Little Rock State Office. Sterling is a great asset to Extension.
Delta District
Mary Ann Kizer, County Extension Agent - Family and Consumer Sciences, Jefferson County
Mary Ann has excelled in teaching Strong Women as well as teaching/co-teaching several classes on Navigating the Financial Journey and is expanding that offering to multi-county efforts and team teaching. She provides leadership to the EHC clubs and Council in Jefferson County and is highly respected as a teacher. She has a heart for teaching and a desire for excellence in teaching. If presented a committee assignment, she is quick to dig in and work to achieve the goals of the committee. She has great ambitions and initiative. Mary Ann is a team player and always ready to help when needed.
JoAnn Faulkner, Secretary II, Crittenden County
JoAnn’s smile welcomes everyone into the office. She is a community service oriented person, which makes her a great fit for Extension. She is a true team player who attends all our programs and offers feedback on what could be improved and what is working well. She is currently creating a new, more user-friendly file system for the office. She is also a 4-H volunteer, helping and coaching our performing arts teams. JoAnn is a wonderful person to work with and is truly an asset to Crittenden County.
Ouachita District
Kaye Shrout, County Extension Agent - Staff Chair, Montgomery County
Kaye is a great team player and has a love for all aspects of extension programs. She is highly motivated and very concerned about the needs of her county. She has an outstanding EHC program. The EHC program in Montgomery County, which has one of the smallest populations among Arkansas counties, continues to have success that surpasses that of counties with larger populations. She is a leader in her professional organization and is very devoted to the entire Extension program.
Whitney Gordon, 4-H Program Assistant, Little River County
Whitney has very good work habits, is always on time and is willing to go the extra mile. She is always willing to help other agents and PAs in the county and across county lines. Whitney has enrolled all the third grade classes in Little River County in 4-H; conducted STEM for fifth grade in Ashdown and Foreman (156 students); conducted a program on Shifting Financial Attitudes; organized two new 4-H clubs; developed a 4-H e-letter; conducted a photography workshop; and had 4-H’ers enter the Ross Photography Contest for the first time.
Glenda McDonnell, Secretary I, Garland County
Glenda has created excellent web sites for both the County Fair and the EHC Arts and Crafts Fair. She is always willing to go the extra mile to make a task more professional and productive. She is truly a team player who does not care who gets the credit but believes that it is more important that she is a part of a successful team. Glenda is truly a self-starter who will see a task done to completion and is always looking for ways for the office to be more functional and productive.
Ozark District
Joyce Whittington, County Extension Agent - Family and Consumer Sciences, Crawford County
Joyce is a caring, honest, trustworthy professional who is an excellent mentor for less experienced agents. Joyce has assisted the county in increasing EHC membership by 38 in the October-July membership campaign. She conducts a well-rounded program in Crawford County, which includes a very successful ReShape Yourself program. Joyce also provides leadership for the cluster for Best Care and conducts a SNAP-Ed program and resource management programming with excellent evaluation results. Joyce is highly respected by her co-workers and clientele in the county.
Holly Berry, Secretary II, Stone County
Holly is a friendly, honest, hardworking professional who exhibits impeccable character at all times. Even though both agents were relatively new when she started in the county, she managed to learn the system and perform her duties promptly and accurately. Holly knows the meaning of teamwork. She is always willing to help with whatever project comes along. Holly helped in the remodeling of the county office that helped to produce a more welcoming and professional atmosphere for both clients and employees. Holly is a great asset to Stone County and the Extension Service.
Newton County Agent Receives Presidential Award
Jack Boles, county Extension agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture in Newton County, was awarded the 2009 President’s Volunteer Service Award. This award is issued by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation on behalf of the President of the United States to recognize the best in the American spirit and encourage all Americans to contribute through volunteer service.
Boles received this award in recognition of his international volunteer work with Winrock International’s John Ogonowski Farmer-to-Farmer Program. Boles served in two consecutive years as a smallholder livestock specialist for projects among the Dayak tribesmen of Indonesian Borneo.
The John Ogonowski Farmer-to-Farmer Program currently operates in 25 countries in four regions: Africa, Asia and the Near East, Central Asia and Latin America. Program funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) covers volunteer travel expenses and makes the program possible.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award is issued by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, a group created by President Bush to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making to our nation. Chaired by two-time Superbowl Champion Darrell Green, with former U.S. Senators Bob Dole and John Glenn as honorary co-chairs, the Council is comprised of leaders in government, media, entertainment, business, education, nonprofits and volunteer service organizations and community volunteering.
– Jack Boles
Shirlye Hopkins Receives Career Achievement Award
Shirlye Hopkins, Columbia County family and consumer sciences agent with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, received the 2009 Career Achievement Award from the South Arkansas Women’s Network.
Hopkins has held the Columbia County position for the past 22 years. Prior to that, she served in a similar capacity in Lafayette and Union counties, for a total of 33 years serving the public through the Cooperative Extension Service.
Her position as a family and consumer sciences agent has enabled Shirlye to fulfill her life’s passion, to help people to better their lives. Very few individuals can say they have had an opportunity to be of service to people every day of their careers, but Shirlye Hopkins is an example of this. She has received joy from the experience, and said, “I love every minute of it.” Her goal is to make changes in the lives of individuals and families in the community by providing information regarding healthy living, diabetic meal planning and preparation, safe food handling, parenting and many other family-oriented topics.
In addition to teaching family living skills, Shirlye is actively involved in the community. She is involved in the Columbia County 4-H program and supervises the educational exhibits at the Columbia County Fair. She is also an active member of the Magnolia Specialized Services board and Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Shirlye’s passion for her job and career is seen through her many accomplishments. She has received the Distinguished Service Award and the Continued Excellence Award. In 2007, she was recognized as Educator of the Year with the National Extension Arkansas Affiliate of Family and Consumer Science. In 2008, she was the winner of the Mary W. Wells Diversity Award, and in 2009, she was selected as the Employee of the Quarter for the Cooperative Extension Service – Ouachita District.
– Alberta James
Arkansas 4-H Teams Place Well in 2009 Mid-America Grassland Evaluation Contest
Grassland Evaluation Contest teams from Madison, Franklin, Van Buren and Randolph counties competed in the 2009 Mid- America Grassland Evaluation Contest held in Springfield, Missouri, on June 10. In the contest, team members had to evaluate a pasture and grazing scenario, identify and evaluate soils, identify 25 pasture plants, including the correct life cycle for each, and evaluate the pasture as wildlife habitat. Students had 25 minutes to complete each section of the contest. Twenty-three teams competed in the contest from Arkansas, Missouri, West Virginia and Ohio. In the 4-H division, Madison County earned fourth place and Randolph County placed fifth in the competition. John Jennings, coordinator for the Arkansas Grassland Contest, says, “Madison County was within 72 points of first place and Randolph County was close behind. Our county agents are doing a great job teaching 4-H members about forages and grasslands.”
– John Jennings
Extension Credit Union Members Honored for Generosity
To say members of the Cooperative Extension Service Federal Credit Union are generous is an understatement, says Kim Wiedower, credit union manager.
At the recent Credit Union for Kids Day, hosted by Arkansas Children’s Hospital, “our credit union was very privileged to receive two awards” for our donations, she said.
The first award was the “We Met the Challenge - Gold Award” for member donations.
The second was the traveling trophy, awarded to the credit union raising the most money per member in a particular asset size class.
“The Cooperative Extension Service FCU went above and beyond,” said Kim DuPas, Credit Union for Kids coordinator.
CESFCU members went so far with their donations that “we raised more money per member than any other credit union in Arkansas,” said Wiedower.
“A special thank you is extended to our members for their generous support,” she said.
– Mary Hightower
Search Committee Appointed for the Position of Associate Vice President for Agriculture and Director of Extension
A search committee for the position of Associate Vice President for Agriculture and Director of Extension has been appointed and will begin work immediately. This position is a critical component of our Administrative team, and we intend to engage in a national search to fill the vacancy.
I am pleased that Dr. Keith Lusby has agreed to serve as chair of the search committee. Each person was selected based on their knowledge of the Cooperative Extension Service within the Division of Agriculture and the University System. Together they represent a cross section of the organization. I am appreciative to each one of these individuals for agreeing to serve on this important committee.
The members of the committee include:
Dr. Karen Ballard
Charlie Conklin
Debbie DeRossitte
Dr. Vic Ford
Blair Griffin
Bruce Hankins
Dr. John Jennings
Dr. Keith Lusby, Chair
Dr. Ron Rainey
Sharon Reynolds
Dr. Rosemary Rodibaugh
Dr. Bob Scott
Dr. Nathan Slaton
Dr. Nathan Stone
As I indicated above, this is a very important position for the Division of Agriculture. We will be keeping you updated on the search process as we proceed. I value all of your opinions in determining ways to ensure we have the best person possible serving in that role.
If you have any input you would like to share with the committee, please contact me or one of these individuals. If you have nominations or suggested applicants, please contact Christina Miller in my office at 501-686-2541 or clmiller@uasys.edu.
– Milo J. Shult
Division of Agriculture Awards Luncheon
Keep Friday, January 8, 2010, open on your calendar for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture annual awards. The luncheon, held for the last two years in northwest Arkansas, will move to Little Rock for 2010. The luncheon includes presentation of the John White awards. Details, including times and venue information, are forthcoming.
– Christina Miller
MarketMaker Resource Available
The University recently signed a contract to make MarketMaker (MM), an online marketing resource, available in Arkansas. MM is an interactive web resource developed by the University of Illinois aimed at promoting the products and businesses of agricultural producers. It is designed to connect food producers, distributors, buyers and sellers to their specific consumer markets. Using a web-based search engine of databases in a GIS (global information system) environment, MM links food producers with economically viable markets, while aiding in food security and enhanced quality in food supply chains. Farmers, restaurant owners and specialty food stores, particularly those that are small to medium sized, all benefit from being connected. The site allows growers to register/post their business information for free.
If you are interested in learning more about this new marketing and education resource, visit http://national.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/. Although the Arkansas portal will not go live for a few months, a grower/business registration weblink will be launched in July to allow businesses to start signing up. Again, the site is free to growers and allows promotion of a business throughout the country. Training opportunities and resources for faculty will be launched and promoted through a Spot group called Market-Maker. If you have questions or comments, contact Ron Rainey at 501-671-2175 or rrainey@uaex.edu.
– Ron Rainey
New Online Course Site Launches
Are you ready to Moodle? Our new online course site is now officially open at http://courses.uaex.edu. Powered by the Moodle software, this site offers courses for Extension employees and our public. This new site replaced the previous Educator online course platform that closed at the end of May.
Several of the core curriculum courses for county agents have been completely rebuilt with added interactivity, visuals and self-evaluation. Most of these courses are open to anyone who is interested. More courses will be added by the fall.
Currently available:
Under development:
It is easy for employees to enroll. Just find the course in the In-Service Training system and enroll. Then go to http://courses.uaex.edu and create your own account following the instructions on the left side of the home page. You will receive an e-mail confirmation with a link to follow. Then find the course in the course catalog, click on the title and answer “Yes” when it asks if you want to enroll. Our public can enroll in the open courses by skipping the In-Service Training step and going straight to http://courses.uaex.edu.
Questions about taking a course or developing one? Contact Lisa Ferris, Program and Staff Development at the LRSO, lferris@uaex.edu, 501-671-2340.
– Lisa Ferris
Grants and Contracts
| Project Title | Award Amount | Principal Investigator | Granting Agency |
| Field Assessment of the Emergency Preparedness Demonstration Program in Disadvantaged Households and Communities |
$35,340.00 |
Deborah Tootle | Mississippi State University |
| Building Resilient Communities $30,000.00 Deborah Tootle Mississippi State University Healthy Homes Project | $4,000.00 | Anne Sortor | Auburn University |
| 2008 Farm Bill Training | $1,000.00 | Bobby Coats | Texas Agri. Extension Service |
| Soybean Weed Control | $71,280.00 | Bob Scott | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean Verification | $77,267.00 | Jeremy Ross | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean Diseases | $58,053.00 | Richard Cartwright | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Technology Transfer-Ashlock | $28,635.00 | Jeremy Ross | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean-Soil/Nutrition Management | $28,527.00 | Leo Espinoza | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Investigating Emerging Production Recommendations for Sustainable Soybean Production | $27,099.00 | Gus Lorenz | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Investigating Emerging Production Recommendations for Sustainable Soybean Production | $60,493.00 | Jeremy Ross | Soybean Promotion Board |
| State-Wide Monitoring of Soybean Rust and Other Diseases | $60,828.00 | Scott Monfort | Soybean Promotion Board |
| State-Wide Monitoring of Soybean Rust and Other Diseases | $12,490.00 | Jeremy Ross | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Assessment of Soybean Varieties for Reaction to Salt Toxicity and Aerial Blight Disease, and Evaluation of Fungicides to Control Aerial Blight | $34,876.00 | Richard Cartwright | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Evaluation to Determine Three-cornered Alfalfa Hopper Recommendations for Full Season and Double-Crop Soybean Production in Arkansas | $17,057.00 | Gus Lorenz | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Charcoal Rot Study | $500.00 | Richard Cartwright | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Assessing Soybeans for Chloride Toxicity | $8,792.00 | Richard Cartwright | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean Real-Time Weed and Disease Alerts | $9,994.00 | Bob Reynolds | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Integrated Management of Nematodes | $21,954.00 | Scott Monfort | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Rust Fungicides Timing and Rates | $2,700.00 | Scott Monfort | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Soybean Maximum Yield | $2,000.00 | Jeremy Ross | Soybean Promotion Board |
| Rice Verification | $150,313.00 | Chuck Wilson | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Weed Management in Rice | $111,445.00 | Bob Scott | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Rice Diseases | $115,110.00 | Richard Cartwright | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Rice Insect Management Technology | $38,910.00 | Gus Lorenz | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Arkansas Rice Performance Trials | $88,787.00 | Chuck Wilson | Rice Research Promotion Board |
| Hands-on Experience in Integrated Pest Management for Farmers' Market Growers in Arkansas and Oklahoma | $30,790.00 | Elena Garcia | Kerr Center |
| Corn: Evaluate 1-MCP Combinations With A15909A Fungicide for Disease Control | $18,200.00 | Scott Monfort | Sygenta Crop Protection, Inc. |
| Corn Verification | $108,930.00 | Jason Kelley | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Soil Fertility Requirements for Corn | $25,112.00 | Leo Espinoza | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Economic Analysis of Corn and Grain Sorghum | $4,184.00 | Rob Hogan | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Remote Sensing of Stress Areas in Corn Fields to Prevent Aflatoxin | $23,566.00 | Scott Monfort | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Management of Grain Sorghum Diseases in Arkansas | $35,000.00 | Richard Cartwright | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Practicality Evaluation of Grain Storage Techniques | $27,568.00 | Dennis Gardisser | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Developing Planting Date Guidelines for Arkansas Corn | $38,800.00 | Jason Kelley | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Improving Technology Transfer for Profitable Corn and Grain Sorghum Production in Arkansas | $27,229.00 | Jason Kelley | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Assessment of the Importance of Nematodes and Foliar Disease in Corn in Arkansas |
$41,200.00 |
Scott Monfort | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
| Site-Specific Determination of In-Season Corn Nutrient and Nutrient and pH Variability Under Arkansas Growing Conditions | $34,223.00 | Dharmendra Saraswat | Corn & Grain Promotion Board |
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Total |
$1,512,252.00 |
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