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Dr. Tony E. Windham |
Arkansas Extension's Strength Rests on County Programming
At a recent meeting of extension directors, several reported the sluggish economy is forcing them to freeze or reduce salaries, impose furloughs, offer early retirement and even cut staff and programs.
Though we have had to freeze salaries and hold vacancies open, we are working our way through the economic downturn in a manner which is allowing us to continue serving Arkansans, while leaving us well positioned to continue strengthening our county-based programming as our economy recovers.
It is the strong collaboration among our state and county faculty and support personnel in creating and delivering programming at the county level that keeps us engaged with local leaders, municipalities, county governments, producers, families and youth. And it is our commitment to the county-based programs that gives us relevance.
What also gives us strength is the wisdom of Arkansas' budgetary process which identifies the must-fund projects or programs and then allows for expansion or enrichment only when revenue is at a level which will support enrichment or expansion.
As I sat in the meeting of extension directors, I reflected on how fortunate we are and how committed we must remain to continue delivering the same robust programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences and community and economic development.
I am proud of what each of you is accomplishing no matter what your role at the county or state level. I feel certain, because of our shared commitment, that we will come through these challenging times and emerge as a vibrant educational institution for decades to come.
- Tony E. Windham
Congratulations to AACES Award Winners
We would like to extend our congratulations to the winners of the AACES awards for their outstanding performances in 2009. The winners were recognized at the Galaxy Conference in March.
Our winners:
- Terry Griffin
Preparing for Flooding
The National Weather Service says parts of eastern and southern Arkansas are facing an above-average risk for flooding between April and June.
A map released early this month by NOAA shows the risk for flooding along the Mississippi, as well as the lower Red River in southwest Arkansas and the southeastern corner of the state where the lower reaches of Bayou Bartholomew and the Saline and Ouachita Rivers run.
"Arkansans need to be ready in the next few weeks as higher-than-normal levels of rain and snow melt swell the Mississippi and other rivers," said Dr. Deborah Tootle, associate professor - community and economic development and an Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) delegate.
"North Dakota and Iowa are already flooding, and the abundant snow pack in the north is just beginning to melt. Waters from the Northern Plains and the Ohio River are expected to push the Mississippi above flood stage. Many of the Arkansas counties most at risk for flooding are still recovering from last year's constant rain."
However, she also cautions that Arkansans need to bear in mind that most of the counties in Arkansas are not at higher-than- average risk of flooding this spring and that risk does not imply certainty.
"In the South and East, where an El Niño-driven winter was very wet and white, spring flooding is more of a possibility than a certainty and will largely be dependent upon the severity and duration of additional precipitation and how fast existing snow cover melts," said Jack Hayes, Ph.D., director of the National Weather Service. "Though El Niño is forecast to continue at least through spring, its influence on day-to-day weather should lessen considerably."
Without a strong El Niño influence, climate forecasting for spring (April through June) is more challenging, but NOAA's Climate Prediction Center says odds currently favor wetter-than-average conditions in coastal sections of the Southeast and below-average temperatures in the extreme north-central and south-central U.S.
Tootle said that it is important to be aware of this situation and that there are solid online resources available to agents to help prepare their clients for the possibility of rising water and steps they can take to reduce flood and water damage at http://www.aragriculture.org/disaster/ and EDEN. She will continue to watch for information on flooding and provide educational resources to counties as they become available.
4-H Foundation Celebration of Excellence
On April 6, the Arkansas 4-H Foundation will present its inaugural Celebration of Excellence Award to former Sen. David Pryor and his son, current Sen. Mark Pryor, for their decades of dedicated public service to the state.
The award recognizes those who epitomize distinguished leadership or public service to the Natural State. Recipients need not be a political figure to be honored.
"We plan to make this an annual award to recognize outstanding leaders in Arkansas," said Dr. Brad Davis, executive director of the Arkansas 4-H Foundation.
The Celebration of Excellence event will be held Tuesday, April 6, at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock beginning at 6 p.m. Dress is semi-formal or business attire.
Dinner is $200 per plate, or $2,000 for a table of 10. Checks may be made payable to the Arkansas 4-H Foundation.
The foundation's goal is to gross $250,000, with proceeds benefiting Arkansas 4-H.
For questions or to request a table or sponsorship, contact Dr. Brad Davis at (501) 671-2079.
The Marriage Garden Book
Are you interested in building and maintaining a strong marriage?
Cultivating a good marriage is like two people growing a healthy garden. To achieve a full and satisfying harvest, the gardeners must work in harmony with one another, using the right tools, gardening wisdom and a willing spirit. The gardening process teaches us vital - and sometimes painful - lessons about life. The struggle is worth it: both good marriages and healthy gardens can enrich and delight us. But neither happens by chance.
Dr. Wally Goddard and Dr. James Marshall of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service have written a new book entitled The Marriage Garden that helps couples prepare for and improve the quality of their marriage relationships.
The Marriage Garden will be released this month and is published by Jossey-Bass. The Marriage Garden is available at http://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Garden-Cultivating-Relationship-Flourishes/dp/0470547618/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268746510&sr=1-1.
Bryles and Jones Inducted Into Arkansas Ag Hall of Fame
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Mark Bryles |
Two men with connections to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture are among the 2010 inductees to the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame. Mark Bryles is a former Mississippi County extension staff chair, and Jack Jones was a strong supporter of the LeadAR professional and leadership development program of the Cooperative Extension Service.
While an agent, Bryles initiated on-farm demonstrations during the 1980s and promoted supplemental irrigation to stabilize crop yields at a higher level. Cotton acreage increased from 34,500 acres in 1983 to more than 200,000 acres in 1997. Yields nearly tripled during the period.
His career with Extension spanned 35 years, with the last 22 in Mississippi County. Following retirement from the Division of Agriculture in 1990, he became a consultant for Adams Land Company. Bryles has been an active member of Mississippi County Farm Bureau for many years and is a past president of the organization.
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Jack Jones |
Jack Jones served on the committee that created LeadAR, the leadership and professional development program of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. He continued to serve on the LeadAR advisory council and, after years of service, was granted emeritus status. LeadAR marked the 25th anniversary of its founding in 2009.
"He is always there," said Tom Riley, interim assistant director of Community and Economic Development for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Riley was involved in LeadAR's early years and served with Jones as an advisory council member. "It is unusual for him not to be at a LeadAR function.
"Jones saw the marked changes in people and their willingness to put themselves on the line for their communities," Riley said. "He saw it in the way they grew. He saw it in their civic engagement and how they continued to be part of the alumni organization and their communities beyond the initial LeadAR experience."
The induction was held March 12.
(Photos courtesy Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation)
Field Day Schedule
Here's a look at upcoming field days for 2010:
• April 20 - Managing Resources for Profit. Livestock and Forestry Research Station. Batesville
• April 29 - Beef and Forage Field Day. Southeast Research and Extension Center, Monticello
• June 15 - Vocational Agriculture Teacher Training. Livestock and Forestry Research Station, Batesville
• June 24 - Horticulture Field Day. Southwest Research and Extension Center, Hope
• August 4 - Turfgrass Field Day. Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Fayetteville
• August 5 - Biomass/Bioenergy Field Day. Pine Tree Research Station, Colt
• August 11 - Rice Field Day. Rice Research and Extension Center, Stuttgart
• August 12 - Commercial Grape Workshop. Fruit Research Station, Clarksville
• October 14 - Pine Regeneration/Reforestation Workshop and Forestry Field Day. Southwest Research and Extension Center, Hope
AG Kicks Off ‘Monitor, Secure, Dispose' Campaign
Education is the most potent weapon in the fight against teen abuse of prescription drugs, according to law enforcers and others supporting the Monitor, Secure and Dispose campaign.
State drug director Fran Flener and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel launched the campaign at a March 12 news conference at the Capitol rotunda, flanked by health professionals, educators, law enforcers and government agencies.
"The campaign is simple: ‘Monitor, secure and dispose' are the keys to helping get this problem under control," said Margaret Harris, Ph.D., assistant professor - health for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
"Know what prescription drugs you have in the house. Secure them as if they were valuables like jewelry," she said. "Dispose of them properly by mixing the drugs you no longer need or have expired with an undesirable substance such as coffee grounds, sawdust or cat litter, and throw away in the trash in a locked zip-top bag."
Among the institutions involved in educating the public about prescription drug abuse is the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
"We're able to use the strength of our Cooperative Extension Service outreach in all 75 counties to help others understand the size of the problem and how to control it," Harris said.
4-H Youth and Family 5K on April 17
Need an excuse to get outside and play? The 4-H Youth and Family 5K Trail Run/Walk is coming up on Saturday, April 17, at the 4-H Center.
Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the run/walk begins at 9 a.m.
Registration in advance is $5 for youth or $15 for adults. On the day of the race, registration is $10 or $20 for adults. Proceeds from the run/walk support 4-H activities in Arkansas.
A registration form is available online at http://www.kidsarus.org/go4it/Activities_Events/5KRun/.
For more information, contact Tony Baker at (501) 821-4444 or tbaker@uaex.edu.
First Statewide Commercial Tree, Fruit Workshop Successful
The first workshop for commercial tree and fruit growers had a healthy attendance, boding well for future editions of the education event hosted by the Faulkner County Extension Service.
"We were pleasantly surprised to have 59 participants at the meeting," said Kami Marsh, Faulkner County extension agent.
The producers in attendance had a wide range of experience in terms of years and crops grown.
"We viewed the meeting as a success due to the great interaction and discussions between not only specialists and growers but also grower-to- grower," Marsh said. "This was a great start to an annual event for the Arkansas fruit growers, and due to this meeting, we also plan to host a vegetable producers meeting in 2011."
The event was held February 16 at the Natural Resource Center in Faulkner County. The following topics were presented by speakers from the University of Arkansas and Louisiana State University:
From the University of Arkansas:
• Dr. Terry Kirkpatrick - Update on new fungicides and rotation of products
• Dr. Curt Rom - Apples and brambles - production practices
• Dr. Elena Garcia - Overview of Arkansas fruit and U of A services available and sustainability
• Dr. Jon Zawislak - Bees in the process
• Ron Rainey - Market Maker
• Dr. Nathan Slaton - Cultural practices - soil fertility
• Dr. Donn Johnson - Update on new insecticides and rotation of products
• Sherri Smith - Information and resources available
• Dan Chapman - Real world applications
From LSU:
• Dr. Charles Graham - Strawberries and pecans
For more information about this meeting, contact Kami Marsh or Hank Chaney at the Faulkner County office.
RES-Q Retooled: Arkansas Outdoor School Makes Debut
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| The Arkansas Outdoor School in action |
The RES-Q outdoor education program based at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center has officially changed its name to the "Arkansas Outdoor School."
For the past 16 years, the RES-Q (Responsible Environmental Stewardship-Quest) program has been a leader in environmental and outdoor education in Arkansas. Over those years RES-Q has partnered with agents and educators to provide meaningful outdoor experiences for thousands of youth. As a result of those partnerships, strong relationships have been created between RES-Q and those it serves.
In order to deliver a greater variety of programs and appeal to a broader audience, program staff recently considered a program name change. In the fall of 2009, a survey was conducted to gather input about this important decision. Thank you to those of you that participated in the survey.
Although our program name has changed, we intend to continue to be a leader in environmental and outdoor education in Arkansas. We hope to continue to work with agents and educators to provide meaningful outdoor experiences for youth. It is our intention to continue to develop strong relationships with those we serve as we look to expand our programs.
If you are unfamiliar with our programs or just need to become reacquainted with what we can offer your group or class, please do not hesitate to contact us or visit us online at www.kidsarus.org/arkoutdoorschool.htm.
Downloadable brochures are available at:
• Adult Brochure http://www.kidsarus.org/go4it/Opportunities/
ArkOutdoorSchool/adult_brochure.pdf• Kids' Brochure http://www.kidsarus.org/go4it/Opportunities/
ArkOutdoorSchool/kids_brochure.pdf
- Joel Gill
Employees of the Quarter for the Period Ending March 31, 2010
State Office
Tom Barber, Cotton Agronomist: Tom stays busy - and not just during the growing season. He has been conducting ten professional development training sessions a year for agents, supervising the Arkansas Cotton Verification Program and Variety Trials and editing the Arkansas Cotton Update. Over the last five years, he has conducted more than 350 producer meetings and contributed more than 125 articles to popular and industry press. In addition, Barber conducts applied research on cotton variety performance, seeding rates, row spacing, planting dates, growth regulators and defoliation. In addition, he was honored as the Cotton Researcher of the Year during the Cotton and Rice Conservation Tillage Conference in 2009.
Aly Signorelli, Administrative Specialist, C E D: Aly has shown tremendous organizational skills and demonstrates outstanding professionalism in all that she does. In this quarter, she has been instrumental in helping to coordinate four in-service trainings in addition to her regular/routine responsibilities. Aly directly supports a staff of seven professionals and cooperates with three other administrative support staff members to ensure that the C E D unit functions effectively. Her peers indicate that she is a pleasure to work with and is willing to help out on whatever needs to be done. Aly is highly creative and often offers suggestions to improve effectiveness and efficiency in our work environment.
Brad M. Davis, Weed Science Program Tech: Brad has helped implement over 100 trials per year since first joining the program in 2007. He will finish his master's degree in weed science in May, doing so while also fulfilling his technician responsibilities. Brad has participated in numerous soybean and rice training events, provided herbicide symptomology training to the State Plant Board inspectors and has been the invited speaker at two meetings in Mississippi to talk about Liberty Link soybeans, which is part of his graduate degreework. Brad has placed or won in both talk and poster presentation contests at the S W S S and A C P A meetings.
Delta District
Amy Heck, County Extension Agent - 4-H, White County: Amy is a very hard worker with good character and a very strong work ethic. She started summer day camps and an after-school 4-H club - both have been very successful and continue to grow. Amy has been instrumental in promoting A T V safety and worked with 4-H Teen Leaders on a successful "Engaging Youth Serving Communities" project. She is dedicated to the 4-H program and seeks to make it the best it can be. Amy is a team player and very well liked and respected by her peers and the families in White County.
Onita Watson, Administrative Support Supervisor, Arkansas County: Onita has been a familiar face in the DeWitt office for more than 30 years. She is a dedicated, loyal and conscientious member of the Arkansas County staff. When various agent positions have been vacant, Onita has taken on additional responsibilities to ensure that Extension programs in Arkansas County do not suffer. She is willing to go above and beyond her normal duties to assure the office is running smoothly and efficiently. Extension is most fortunate to have Onita in the Arkansas County office.
Ouachita District
Lameria Colclough, County Extension Agent - Family and Consumer Sciences, Saline County: Lameria has worked with a very successful district F C S cluster team (Ouachita Mountain Mavens) in the area of financial management. The team set a very high standard on both quantity and quality of work for cluster teams. She has attended and presented at numerous national conferences across the United States in the area of financial management and consumer education and teaches many workshops each year in nutrition, wellness and community development through the Extension Homemakers program. She constantly offers her assistance and volunteers to teach 4-H workshops in many areas. She is always prepared and relates well to the youth. She comes up with innovative ideas to present her programming and offers classes to accommodate as many of her clients as possible. She is extremely professional and takes her Extension career very seriously and is very deserving of this award.
Ozark District
Brad Runsick, County Extension Agent - Interim Staff Chair, Searcy County: Brad has built a reputation for being team-oriented, self-motivated and a good communicator. In his first six months of work, Brad trained a new 4-H grassland evaluation team that placed sixth at the state contest. He strives to be innovative and to find the best solutions for his Searcy County clientele.
Monthly Gift Total Summary - November and December 2009
The following chart summarizes gifts and noncash gifts deposited in November and December 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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November 1 - December 31, 2009 |
Fiscal Year 2010 |
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Monthly Gift Count |
Monthly Gift Total |
Fiscal |
Fiscal |
| C E S Administration | 5 | $370.00 | 15 | $639.00 |
| Delta District | 7 | $1,429.26 | 25 | $4,320.91 |
| Ouachita District | 2 | $2,045.00 | 14 | $10,343.82 |
| Ozark District | 1 | $600.00 | 6 | $1,609.00 |
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Agriculture and Natural Resources |
34 | $225,875.00 | 108 | $767,284.00 |
| Community and Economic Development | 34 | $4,698.74 | 75 | $22,047.62 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences | 7 | $500.00 | 7 | $500.00 |
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Arkansas 4-H Foundation |
71 |
$25,701.65 |
189 |
$131,307.74 |
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TOTALS |
161 |
$261,219.65 |
441 |
$943,648.44 |
Childs Endows Professional Development Award
Elizabeth "Liz" Childs, development specialist, recently donated a gift to fully endow a professional development award to honor the memory of her mother, Mildred Childs. "I am forever appreciative of the encouragement Mom provided to always improve my skills and knowledge. Mom not only believed it, but she also modeled the value she placed on advancing her career and service to the people of Arkansas through her involvement with many professional organizations," remarked Childs.
The Mildred and Liz Childs C E S Professional Development Fund was established in The University of Arkansas Foundation, Inc., in July 2004. Memorial donations from friends and annual contributions Childs has made since the fund was established have allowed the fund to build over time.
Awards from this endowment will support professional development opportunities for county agents and faculty of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, with preference given to family and consumer science professionals.
To read the complete announcement of this endowment, go to the Development Office's "News and Events" page at http://www.uaex.edu/giving/news_events.htm.
- Merritt Royal
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 February 1 - 28, 2010.
In honor of Tony Windham Cooperative Extension Service Federal Credit Union
Honorary or memorial donations may be forwarded to the Development Office, Cooperative Extension Service, 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, AR 72204. 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
Grants and Contracts (as of February 28, 2010)
| Project Title | Award Amount | Principal Investigator | Granting Agency |
| Management of Virus Complexes in Rubus | $76,043.00 | Dr. Elena Garcia | Agriculture Experiment Station |
| Using Alternatives to Enhance Adoption of Organic Apple Production Through Integrated Research and Extension | $64,642.00 | Dr. Elena Garcia | The University of Vermont |
| Healthy Relationship and Marriage Education Training Project (HRMET) Year 2 | $16,327.28 | Dr. Wally Goddard | University of Missouri |
| The Southern Region Water Resource Project | $22,500.00 | Dr. Michael Daniels | Texas Agri. Extension Service |
| Enhancing the Food Safety of Direct Marketed Specialty Crops in Arkansas | $26,076.00 | Dr. Elena Garcia | Arkansas Agriculture Department |
| Wildlife Habitat Management | $24,339.00 | Dr. Tamara Walkingstick | Arkansas Game and Fish Commission |
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TOTAL |
$229,927.28 |
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