Extension Update: August 2005 Archives
The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources, including articles on Extension's Response to an Un-Natural Disaster: Enlisting Your Support for Military Youth and Families. The author shares her experiences as a 4-H Military Liaison and encourages readers to become involved with Operation: Military Kids. Research articles include stories on Preparing Extension Educators for a Global Community to Consumer Knowledge and Perceptions About Organic Food.
JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!
It is sometimes difficult to read your computer monitor. After a long day, fatigue sets in or you may be experiencing vision issues that make the default settings difficult to read.
The ITDE Blog has a new section on accessibility. It contains several useful entries describing how to adjust fonts, sizes, screen colors, and themes in Windows as well as in applications (such as Word or Eudora) and browsers.
Listings that describe the most frequently used options also contain links to UNHCE tutorials. The tutorials demonstrate the step-by-step process of changing settings.
To access this new section of the ITDE Blog, go to Accessibility options on the left navigation bar of the ITDE Blog. There also is an archive of all accessibility listings.
Over 75 people headed to UNH's Woodman Farm Aug. 16 to see first-hand some examples of the agricultural research taking place there. The horticultural research farm is part of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station.
The program began with introductions of UNH and UNH Cooperative Extension faculty and staff who conduct research at the farm. A walking tour of the farm followed, covering research highlights. Cathy Neal, Extension Professor/Specialist, Ornamentals, showed New Hampshire growers several plantings of new varieties of cut flowers. She also demonstrated new varieties of fall garden mums that don't need to be hand-pinched. This laborious process is normally done one or more times to produce an attractive bushy plant.
In the apple orchard Alan Eaton, Extension Professor/Specialist, Entomology, and George Hamilton, Extension Tree Fruit Specialist, talked about the apple research done at Woodman Farm and how it measurably reduced the amount of pesticides applied by New Hampshire apple growers. In addition to future research plans, Alan also discussed a new and promising method of controlling apple maggot suitable for organic and conventional growers that should be commercially available on a limited basis next year.
Brent Loy, Professor of Plant Biology and plant breeder, displayed several of his new plants. Among them are a spineless summer squash, disease-resistant squashes, pumpkins and gourds, and yellow tomatoes. Brent also talked about his melon breeding work.
Becky Grube, Sustainable Horticulture Specialist and Extension Professor, grew and evaluated several varieties of edamame (also known as vegetable soybean). It is currently grown by a few New Hampshire farmers, but may become a more popular crop. Steamed in the pods and lightly salted, these beans make a tasty and nutritious snack food. Visitors were able to taste test the varieties side-by-side and choose their favorites.
Several other research projects were presented, including colored bell peppers, living mulches in tomatoes from UNH Dept. of Natural Resources graduate student Bill Errickson and strawberry genetic studies with Tom Davis, Professor of Plant Biology.
John McLean, Woodman Farm manager, wrapped up the evening’s program by dedicating the newly remodeled classroom at the Farm to Otho Wells, retired UNH Cooperative Extension Vegetable Specialist.
A new resource tool to help educate staff about working with decision makers is now available on our web site.
The National Association of County Agricultural Agents developed the resource following a national meeting that focused on "Working with Decision Makers." As a result, the organization received funding to develop this tool from the Joint Council of Extension Professionals.
This "no frills" information is a simple collection of documents that provide the reader with strategies when working with decision makers.
Thirty UNH Cooperative Extension County Advisory Council members and guests from nine counties took the University of New Hampshire Isles of Shoals Discovery Cruise aboard the UNH research vessel Gulf Challenger on Monday, Aug. 22.
The informal educational cruise highlighed both the natural and cultural history as well as the aesthetics of Appledore Island and the New Hampshire seacoast. While on board, they participated in hands-on activities conducted by volunteer Marine Docents, using simple oceanographic equipment. The day included a walking tour of Appledore Island, home to the Shoals Marine Laboratory and Celia Thaxter’s garden.
This trip was sponsored by Extension's State Advisory Council so participants could learn more about UNH and Cooperative Extension.
Over 100 youth from across New England, children of military deployed parents, made new friends last week at UNH Cooperative Extension's 4-H Camp at Bear Hill State Park.
These children, who find themselves “Suddenly Military” when a member of their family leaves for military deployment, got the opportunity to attend “Camp Purple” free through the efforts of Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program, and support from the National Military Family Association and Sears, American Dream Campaign.
Operation Purple is the designation for all military branches working together. The overall goal is to provide the youth with a normal camp experience, showcasing the different branches of the military.
New Hampshire is one of 15 states participating in Operation: Military Kids (OMK) for National Guard and Reserve youth and families left behind. As the lead organization for the NH OMK program, UNH Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program, with its network of youth development programs throughout the state, works closely with the Army and Air National Guard.
Register now for UNH Cooperative Extension professional development inservice offerings for September 2005-August 2006.
Click here for information and link to the online form.
The training area of the ITDE website has a new section. It contains links to resources listing literally hundreds of free training opportunities, on-line tutorials and handouts, along with some low-cost training alternatives.
You can access this fully-searchable listing of training opportunities.
There are several other sections of the ITDE training website, including:
* The UNHCE Training Resources Guide
* A listing of computer-based training available on loan from our ITDE office
* Links to UNHCE on-line tutorials for many frequent Extension uses
* Information on training discounts available to UNH employees
Community Profiles for the upcoming program year include:
Acworth (Sullivan County) October 21-22,
Danville (Rockingham County) November 4-5, and
Rumney (Grafton County) January 20-21 with snow dates of January 27-28.
Watch in the coming weeks for the Community Profiles Regional Themes report outlining themes resulting from 38 Profiles conducted from 1996-2004, as well as a biannual newsletter for Strengthening New Hampshire Communities activities including the Profiles, workshops/trainings and helpful tools/tips for communities.
For more information, contact Michele Gagne at michele.gagne@unh.edu.
Thank you to all the Extension Educators and supervisors who conducted
a successful pilot of the new performance management process and documents.
The pilot process showed the new forms are working well.
However, the overall performance summary ratings created some confusion so this year's performance management process will use the same forms as the pilot. The performance ratings, however, for this year and in the future have gone back to a five rating instead of four.
Review the ratings
All the online performance management documents are updated
to reflect this change in ratings. Educators should contact their program leader
if they have any questions.
The next application deadline for the UNH Staff Professional Development Grant is September 8. The maximum award is $750. No more than one grant will be awarded per person during a 12-month period. This is calculated from the date of notification of the previous grant.
The Staff Professional Development Grant Program provides the opportunity for Extension Educators (EE), Operating Staff (OS) and Professional, Administrative and Technical (PAT) staff to attain new skills or knowledge in a manner that will enhance a staff member's performance or eligibility for promotion and be of specific benefit to the department, college, university and/or University System.
Opportunities might include:
Conferences, workshops and seminars, both on and off campus
Academic courses not offered within the University System
Travel and accommodations for off campus courses, workshops, and
Special projects, including but not limited to research and publication.
To learn more, review the application.
UNH Cooperative Extension works with four other New England states to implement a project funded by USDA/CSREES to bring Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to home gardeners.
Under the direction of URI Cooperative Extension Specialists, the grant activities include assessing the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of home gardeners, then developing and implementing a GAP train-the-trainer education program to address the needs of this target audience.
This grant builds on the New England Extension Food Safety Consortium's GAP grant for commercial fruit and vegetable growers implemented regionally from 2000-2004.
Good agricultural practices such as compost management, personal hygiene and following recommended handling and storage practices are important steps in maintaining the safety of food grown at home. To determine home gardeners' food safety knowledge and practices, Catherine Violette and Margaret Hagen are coordinating with other state specialists a two-stage needs assessment process.
In 2004, a mail survey went to 5,000 randomly selected home gardeners in five New England states. Of the 762 usable surveys returned, only 23 of 56 knowledge items completed met the 80 percent subject mastery standard. Low scoring topics included use of fresh manure/compost, safety of organically grown produce, cleaning produce, water safety and home canning. Higher knowledge levels were associated with higher income, years of gardening experience, and Master Gardener certification.
To gain greater insight into food safety knowledge and practices of particular concern, follow-up on-site interviews are taking place this summer. Eleven Master Gardeners recruited from six New Hampshire counties are participating in this phase of the project. They were trained in May to implement on-site, structured interviews. This summer, the volunteers successfully completed 15 interviews with home gardeners - well over the half-way mark of completing 20 interviews in New Hampshire.
Interview results will be analyzed this fall. Once results are available, project directors will plan and develop a GAP education curriculum to address the food safety issues identified. Once again, trained Master Gardener volunteers will implement the curriculum throughout the state. Once completed, an assessment of the effectiveness of the educational program in improving the food safety practices of home gardeners will take place before distribution of the program both regionally and nationally.