Growing Greener Pastures: 4th New Hampshire Grazing Conference March 6

"Grass farming"--the practice of raising livestock on pasture and hay with less or no grain-feeding--has attracted much interest among small farmers in the Northeast in the past 15 years. Advocates point to research showing that animals raised on grass can improve animal health, minimize costs to farmers, increase farm profits, improve soil health and fertility, and improve the nutritional quality of the meat, eggs, and dairy products they provide," says Dorothy Perkins, UNH Cooperative Extension agricultural program coordinator.

"However, grass farming requires a wide variety of specialized skills and knowledge best learned from experienced graziers."

On Saturday, March 6, the 4th N.H. Statewide Grazing conference will be held at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester.

"This year's theme, 'Growing Greener Pastures' will focus on using leased land for grazing and building soils to increase herd health," says Perkins, the conference coordinator. "New Hampshire doesn't have a lot of big tracts of agricultural land that lend themselves easily to grazing," That makes grass farming more difficult than it is out West. As a result, people trying to raise animals on pasture must learn how to adapt grazing principles developed for Western livestock production to Granite State farmland."

Greg Judy, author of "No Risk Ranching" and "Comeback Farm", will discuss his success with high-density grazing, and custom grazing on leased land, while Doug Gunnick, author of "Sustainable Farming Guide book", will guide folks through the fundamentals of growing pastures with animal nutrition and health in mind.

Throughout the day, New Hampshire speakers will lend insight into grazing fundamentals: developing grazing plans, parasites as they relate to grazing practices, fundamentals of balanced rationing, benefits of converting your dairy to a pasture based operation and fencing fundamentals.

Register online

For more information: Mary West, UNH Cooperative Extension, Merrimack County, 603-796-2151.

Sponsored by the Granite State Graziers, the USDA-NRCS, UNH Cooperative Extension, and the North Country RC&D Council.

Understanding Bullying: New Information For Parents and Parent Educators

Brochure & comprehensive training package available for parents, parent-educators, community groups

"Many years of research have shown that bullying in our schools and in our society is a much more damaging and dangerous experience for children than we ever suspected. Unfortunately, it's also much more widespread and is occurring at an earlier age than ever before," says Malcolm Smith, UNH Cooperative Extension family life and family policy specialist.

"We've also learned that bullying has many serious consequences for the children who are bullied, for the bullies themselves, and for the bystanders who witness it."

Debunking common myths about bullying

To debunk common myths about bullying and offer parents, schools, and communities concrete, practical advice about what to do, Smith has summarized the latest research findings in two publications (order online)

• Understanding Bullying, a 16-page booklet for parents or for schools, agencies and community groups that would like to have a good discussion-starter for parent groups.
• Understanding Bullying: an expanded training package for professionals who work with parents. "This is a comprehensive 'take-and-go' curriculum for parent educators, school personnel, social service, court and other professionals who want to provide parents with the latest research on bullying," Smith says. "The package includes a CD with handouts and resources, a PowerPoint presentation with narrative, links to Web sites and recommended reading on bullying, as well as teaching recommendations and evaluation materials."

The publications address the consequences of bullying for bullies, their victims and bystanders, distinguishes between the ways boys and girls engage in bullying behavior, and debunks such myths as Bullying is a normal part of growing up, Bullies are just kids who lack self-esteem, and Victims of bullies need to toughen up and learn to fight back.

"We've included concrete steps parents of victims and parents of bullies can use if they learn their child is being bullied, or has bullied others. We've also included information about the increasing problem of cyberbullying, since today's kids spend so much time online and on cell phones."

Bullying a top priority for agencies and nonprofits

"Bullying is an important priority for several state and federal agencies," says Smith. "The issue is so important that the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire has made bullying its top educational priority for 2010."

House Bill 1523, currently wending its way through the legislative process, would update the state's current bullying law," Smith says.

"It defines both bullying and cyber-bullying and emphasizes that bullying isn't just peer conflict, but always involves an imbalance of power. It will require schools to have clear bullying policies and to use only evidenced-based information to educate teachers about bullying.

"The bill also requires schools to develop policies for reporting incidents of bullying, and procedures for notifying parents of both the victim and the bully." Smith says.

"Cooperative Extension will be offering a series of parent educational forums this spring--at least one in each county, as well as through our 4-H Youth Development program. We will also be offering train-the-trainer workshops for professionals who work with parents.

"These forums will cover evidence-based information on bullying and give them specific information about what to do if their child is bullied, is a bully, or becomes a bystander to acts of bullying."

Contact your county Extension office to learn when the forums and trainings will take place in your area, or email Malcolm Smith for more information.

Download

Understanding Bullying, a 16-page brochure that summarizes the latest research on bullying and provides parents and professionals who work with youth a variety of concrete tips on how to identify and help victims, bullies, and witnesses to acts of bullying.

Order online

Understanding Bullying A 16-page booklet for parents, or for schools, agencies and community groups that would like to have a good discussion-starter for parent groups.

Understanding Bullying: A comprehensive, research-grounded curriculum for professionals who work with youth, parents, and families. includes a CD with handouts and resources, a PowerPoint presentation with narrative, links to Web sites and recommended reading on bullying, as well as teaching recommendations and evaluation materials.

Commercial Growers: Late Blight Listening Sessions

Vegetable growers: Here's your opportunity to voice your concerns, opinions, and frustrations about the 2009 Late Blight outbreak.

UNH Cooperative Extension will host two listening sessions:

February 8, at Edgewater Farm in Plainfield

February 18, at the N.H. Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF) building in Concord.

Cheryl Smith and Becky Sideman from UNH Cooperative Extension and Tom Durkis from the N.H. Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food will be there to hear your comments and give a brief update. We need your input, so please plan to attend.

Keep Food Safe

I found old cans of soup when I cleaned out my grandmother's cupboard. Are they safe? How long will eggs last in the refrigerator? Can I store a frozen turkey in the freezer indefinitely?

The answers to these and many other questions can be found in The Food Keeper, a publication developed by the Food Marketing Institute. Each food listed includes information about how long it can be safely refrigerated, frozen or stored for optimal quality.

Many of the consumer questions we answer at the UNH Cooperative Extension Info Line relate to food safety and storage. The Food Keeper is a great reference on food storage and how to maintain the freshness and quality of foods. It also provides helpful tips on handling food safely at home and preventing foodborne illness.

Whether you're cleaning out the pantry or loading up the refrigerator for a celebration, make sure the food you serve to friends and family is not only good-tasting, but safe as well.

More food-safety questions? Contact the Info Line at 877-398-4769 or email answers@unh.edu.
Photo credit Robert Banh, some rights reserved.

The 4-H Healthy Living Challenge: Encouraging Healthier Choices

For more than a century, New Hampshire 4-H Youth Development programs have recognized health as one of the four H's of the well-known 4-H clover leaf (joining head, heart, and hands).

With the epidemic of childhood obesity as a backdrop and $50,000 from the Wal-Mart Foundation for Healthy Living and the National 4-H Council, the New Hampshire 4-H program is boosting its statewide commitment to youth wellness with its new 4-H Healthy Living Challenge.

According to Extension 4-H specialist Paula Gregory, "The Healthy Living Challenge will link youth and their families, community wellness groups, 4-H volunteers and after-school staff, and land-grant university experts to mobilize young people and get them excited about healthy living. The program tackles nutrition, physical fitness and safety in three interrelated phases."

• Ready, set, go provides opportunities for youth to learn how to be healthy and fit, discover nutritious foods, and become engaged in physically active games.


• Keep going challenges young people to reach a daily goal of 5-2-1-0: five fruits and vegetables, spending no more than two hours watching TV or using electronic games, one hour or more of exercise, and eliminating sugary drinks and snacks.


• Go public involves young people spreading the word about healthy choices, becoming active locally to foster creative approaches to individual, family, and community wellness. Many 4-H youth will be showcasing their experiences through posters, speeches, demonstrations, and media productions.

"The project will create a statewide 4-H action plan for future healthy-living programs," says Wendy Brock, UNH Extension 4-H program leader. "We hope the plan and the activities that emerge from it will trigger the young people involved to create their own long-term action plans for health."

Project kicks off

The 4-H Healthy Living Challenge was launched in June during the annual four-day 4-H Teen Conference on the UNH campus." Two-thirds of conference workshops featured health and fitness topics. Teen participants received pedometers and a pledge card challenging them to eat nutritious meals, get lots of exercise, and make decisions that help them stay healthy," says Gregory.

"We used the same approach--workshops, pedometers and pledge cards--at the Northeast Regional SET (Science, Engineering and Technology) Forum and a 4-day career tour to New York City.

"During the Career Tour, 42 participating teens and chaperones collectively logged 1,037 miles as they walked city streets learning about careers in the fashion industry. Many 'trained' for the trip by increasing their daily walking during weeks preceding the tour," says Gregory.

More Healthy Living Challenge activities

• In Hillsborough, Grafton and Merrimack counties, gardening programs reached more than 250 children working alongside UNH Cooperative Extension volunteers. For example, at the Massabesic Audubon Center in Auburn, children from inner-city 4-H afterschool and summer programs participated in the 4-H Green Thumb Team initiative. Activities included planning, planting, tending and harvesting theme gardens and individual yardstick-size beds. The Green Thumb teams helped harvest their crops, bringing some to their own tables and donating the remaining 1700 pounds to the New Hampshire Food Bank.


• In August, military youth affected by family member's deployment participated in an Operation: Military Kids (OMK) You're the Chef camp, where they learned about many topics related to food and meal preparation, including nutrition, food purchasing, food safety, meal planning, and cooking techniques. During the weekend, campers prepared four different meals and also enjoyed recreational and social activities such as hiking, nature study, and team-building games.


• 4-H Microwave Magic and Up for the Challenge: Lifetime Fitness, Healthy Decisions are two wellness curricula being rolled out this spring in afterschool programs and 4-H clubs across the state in conjunction with our Nutrition Connections staff.

"The Walmart Foundation is committed to improving the lives of young people and the communities in which they live," says Margaret McKenna, Walmart Foundation president. "The Foundation is proud to support the inventive programs New Hampshire developed for 4-H and the impact those programs will have on the health of both participants and their communities."

Learn more

Stayed tuned to our 4-H events calendar Find upcoming health-and-fitness based events.

If you work with youth and want to get involved in the Healthy Living Challenge, call the 4-H Youth Development educator in your county.

NH HEALthy Schools Initiative Learn more about this UNH Cooperative Extension initiative to improve New Hampshire schools' nutrition and fitness environments.