Extension News: January 2007 Archives

Psst...want some free money? There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there’s a lot of “free money” available to New Hampshire residents for sustainable-energy installations. New Hampshire energy utilities, the federal government, and some local governments have created these incentives to create more consumer demand for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

This article is aimed at Granite State homeowners and car owners, though incentives are also available for commercial building owners. As a residential customer you’ll need to know what activities qualify, how the programs work, and how to fill out the paperwork in order to receive these rebates, tax breaks, and other incentives.

In the end, you’ll benefit from improved energy performance at a lower cost and you’ll feel good about helping protect the environment.

The resources listed below include both New Hampshire–specific incentives and federal tax incentives that apply throughout the United States. It’s worth noting that most of the utility-based incentives are funded through the NH legislature-mandated System Benefits Charge on electric bills.

An interdisciplinary team of UNH Cooperative Extension staff has teamed with outside experts to offer a 13-week Natural Resource Business Institute (NRBI) this spring. This first-of-its-kind course will provide individuals and families who want to start or expand a natural resource-based business with the essential information and preparation they need to be successful.

“Sustainably profitable farms and forestry enterprises - “working landscapes”- are essential for preserving New Hampshire’s natural resources for future generations,” says Extension agricultural business management specialist Mike Sciabarrasi. “Extension educators believe outreach education is the best way to strengthen the economic viability of the state’s natural resource businesses.”

Comprehensive course will cover all aspects of starting a natural resource business
Sciabarrasi says NRBI participants will develop an operating plan for a farming or forestry business as they learn about biological systems, product and service marketing, enterprise profitability and legal matters particular to natural resource businesses. They’ll learn to take inventory of a site’s natural resources and explore the human dynamics of running a family business (e.g., defining roles and responsibilities, handling conflict, managing time, and hiring outside labor).

What can a child learn down a garden path? Just about everything they need to know, it turns out.

Child care providers, teachers, parents, and others who work with young children will gather for the 3rd annual Growing a Green Generation conference on gardening with children, Saturday, March 17, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Child Study and Development Center at the University of New Hampshire campus in Durham, New Hampshire.

The day will be packed with hands-on workshops led by early childhood teachers and plant science educators. Participants will learn ways to help young children to learn and grow through year-round gardening activities.

Participants will learn from the experts during hands-on sessions in the UNH horticulture research greenhouses. Specialists in Permaculture will share how these techniques might support gardening with young children. UNH Extension educator Margaret Hagen will explain the use of charts and tables from the Growing a Green Generation curriculum, and UNH Extension program coordinator Dot Perkins will focus on integrated pest management.

Afternoon workshops by early childhood teachers and extension educators include: Gardening in an Urban Environment; Gardening with Infants and Toddlers and Creating a Community Garden, One School’s Story.

People registering by March 1 will receive the early-bird discount rate of $75.00; after March 1, the fee rises to $85.00, which includes breakfast, lunch, and all sessions. For more information or to register, download this brochure, or call 862-3200.

Not knowing whether to send snow or rain, Mother Nature has covered much of the state in a glaze of ice that reminds us of the ice storm of 1998. We learned many lessons from that storm, the most important- trees and forests recover from damage, so don’t panic, be safe and seek professional help.

The best advice is a word of caution: Removing large trees or limbs is dangerous. Don’t climb a ladder with a chain saw. Don’t climb into a damaged tree. Never touch any tree near electrical wires. Assess your particular tree situation carefully and watch for safety hazards. Most tree work needs to be done by professional arborists, especially when the work requires climbing or the tree is leaning against another tree or structure.

Assess immediate hazards first: Remove dead trees; trees or branches that are leaning; trees with broken or cracked stems; trees with extensive broken roots; and any large, dead, or broken limbs that are still attached to the tree.

Hire an arborist: For homeowners, hire a qualified arborist to get the work done properly and safely. Trained arborists are aware of proper pruning and removal procedures and can reduce the chance of further damage to the tree. Check to see that they are certified and ask for certificates of insurance, including proof of liability for personal and property damage and worker’s compensation. Also, request local references and get more than one estimate.

Prevent additional damage: Later, you may want to prune the damaged trees to improve appearance and reduce additional hazards. If the top has been broken, the tree should be pruned back to a strong lateral branch. Damaged branches should be pruned back to the branch collar.

Don’t forget to look at your trees in the spring and summer: Some damage may not be immediately apparent. Hidden cracks may cause branches to droop when leaves come out in the spring. Stem decay, as well as cracks, may lead to structural loss, causing the tree or large branches to become hazardous. Root damage may not be evident until twigs or branches in the upper crown begin dying after two or three growing seasons.

Hire a forester: If you own large acreage, contact your County Extension Forester or a licensed forester to assess the damage, then salvage the trees if needed. Over time, damaged trees may develop decay and discoloration. As long as it is safe, there is no need to rush. You have more than a year to act before you lose wood to discoloration and decay.

By Karen Bennett, UNH Cooperative Extension forest resources specialist

For additional information and assistance:

• Certified Arborists
• County Extension Forester
• Directory of Licensed Foresters
• Hiring an Arborist
• Ice Resistant Trees
• Ice Storm of ‘98
• Large Tree Care and Pruning
• Pruning Storm Damaged Trees

Does the commercialism of this time of year get you down? Are you concerned that members of your family may be caught up in the “what are you going to do for me mode” instead of the “what can I do for others mode?”  Well, this might be the perfect time of year to turn things around.  Opportunities abound for individuals and families who want to make a difference in the lives of others.

Just in case you have totally lost faith in those around you, read a few of these findings recently reported by the Corporation for National and Community Service:

• Volunteerism in this country has rebounded and we are at a 30 year high.  In New Hampshire, roughly 30 percent of those 16 and older volunteer.
• Older teenagers (16-19) have more than doubled their time spent volunteering since 1989.  About 55 percent of youth participate in volunteer activities each year.
• College students increased their volunteering by 20 percent between 2002 and 2005.
• Baby Boomers volunteer at a much higher rate in mid-life than the previous generation.
• The 65 and older age group increased their volunteering rate 64 percent since 1974.
• Since 1989 there has been a 63 percent increase in volunteering with educational and youth serving organizations.

All of this volunteerism is cause for celebration! Young people volunteer because they feel compassion for others in need, or they want to do something for a cause they believe in … not unlike the reasons many adults volunteer. 

So if this holiday season has put you in a giving mood, consider giving something of yourself and encourage others to do a few good deeds as well. You might be the inspiration needed to motivate your family, friends or coworkers to make a difference in someone else’s life.  And guess what?  Everyone will benefit from those great feelings of satisfaction one gets from helping others.  It is a win-win situation.

What can you volunteer to do this month?  You don’t need to have money to give of yourself, but if you have the means, donations of food, clothing, and gifts are always welcomed.  Following are a few suggestions to get you started:

• “Adopt” a child, family or elderly person in need this season
• Donate food to a local food pantry for distribution
• Cook something for someone you know who needs a lift
• Visit seniors in your neighborhood
• Play a game or cards with someone in a nursing home
• Assist in serving meals at a shelter
• Donate a gift card or certificate
• Buy presents for someone you don’t know
• Volunteer at an organization needing help sorting donations
• Provide comfort to someone in need
• Get your coworkers involved in a volunteer effort or donation drive
• Invite people who are alone to enjoy a meal with your family
• Donate items you not longer use
• Give to your favorite charity
• Share a special skill you have with others
• Assist with a home or car repair
• Call someone that needs a good listener
• Give a phone calling card
• Help prepare food baskets
• Buy a gas card to contribute to a worthy organization to share with someone in need
• Donate personal care items to a shelter

Hopefully you will find time in your busy schedule to do something nice for someone else this holiday season. Maybe you will inspire others to volunteer to make a difference throughout the whole year. Maybe, you will even stimulate someone to do a whole lifetime of giving! 

To learn more about what’s needed and how you can help, contact your nearby United Way office, a local community service organization or your town office.  If you are looking for a few specific ideas, the internet is a good place to look as well.  Check out these websites:

• Volunteer Match
• United Way
• Energize
• Give Spot

Charlotte W. Cross, Extension Professor/Specialist, 4-H Youth Development

We’ve all heard the radio and TV ads that go something like this:

“Reduce your mortgage payment by up to 45 percent. Save hundreds of dollars a month.”

Even the most cynical listener would want to know how to save so much money each month. The ad usually goes on to talk about refinancing, and what you needed to do. Finally the punch line arrives: “Once you’ve refinanced, you only make interest payments on the family mortgage.”

What the ad doesn’t mention is that your mortgage principal balance never goes down. You could be making interest payments for the rest of your life and never reduce the balance of your mortgage. Years later you would still owe the same amount.
           
Predatory tactics
More and more vulnerable borrowers: folks with poor credit, elders, low-income families, and recent immigrants fall prey to a variety of lending practices collectively known as “predatory lending.” The term refers to practices that may include deception, outright fraud, and manipulation that mortgage brokers or other lenders may use to make a loan with terms disadvantageous to the borrower.

Predatory practices may include offers for refinanced mortgages, payday loans, cash advances on credit cards, debt consolidation loans, tax refund anticipation loans, and overdraft loans, among others.

Many residents are surprised to learn that New Hampshire has no specific statutory limits on how much interest can be charged on credit card balances or any other type of debt. Interest rates are not regulated by federal law either. New Hampshire retailers and lending institutions may charge interest rates as high as 400 percent on a consumer debt. All that is required by federal and state laws is that information about the interest rate be provided to the borrower.

“Flipping”
One common predatory lending practices is known as “flipping” , or “repeated financing.” The carrot for the consumer: a reduction in monthly payments, similar to the ad described above. What the lenders don’t tell you is that you will end up paying more over a longer period of time The lender gets all the benefits and the consumer often ends up owing more money
           
Up-front credit insurance
Another predatory lending practice involves bundling a loan with additional products. One that has proved very costly for consumers is the practice of bundling up-front, lump-sum credit insurance with a loan. If you ever chose to refinance the loan, you in essence will also refinance the insurance, and if your next lender also bundles up-front insurance, you end up financing and paying the new lump-sum insurance coverage. This can add thousands of dollars to each loan. It makes more sense to purchase a separate "credit life" policy, paid in installments throughout the life of your loan, which will pay the balance on your loan to your lender if you should die.

Car title loans
Similar to payday loans, car title loans are marketed as small emergency loans. A typical car title loan has a triple-digit annual interest rate, requires repayment within one month, and is made for much less than the value of the car. Title loans are typically made without regard to borrowers' ability to repay. Because the loans are structured to be repaid as a single balloon payment after a very short term, borrowers frequently can’t pay the full amount due on the maturity date and instead find themselves extending or “rolling over” the loan repeatedly. In this way, many borrowers pay fees well in excess of the amount they originally borrowed.

If you fail to keep up with these recurring payments, the lender may repossess your car—an essential asset to most working families, and often a family’s only means of transportation.

 In NH, where the interest rates for car title loans range as high as 366 percent, the original term is one month or less, and the car title is used to secure the loan. This means if the loan is not repaid, the lender may take the car and sell it to get the loan money back. You risk losing a valuable family asset and perhaps your only means of transportation.

Empower yourself!
As a consumer you need to be aware of high-pressure sales tactics, high interest rates, balloon payments (low monthly payments with a big payment due at the end of the loan), and promises to refinance the loan at a lower interest rate in the future.

To avoid falling prey to predatory lending practices, the American Banking Institute suggests asking yourself these questions before you borrow:

• Do I feel pressured?
• Have I shopped around for the best deal?
• Is it too good to be true?
• Can I trust the lender?
• Do I understand the loan terms?

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes a fact sheet of tips to help you avoid predatory lenders. Among them:

• Before you buy a home, attend a homeownership education program. Non-profit housing agencies such as the Concord Area Trust for Community Housing (CATCH) in Concord, and Affordable Housing, Education, And Development (AHEAD) in Littleton offer classes throughout their service areas.
• Hire a properly licensed inspector who will not over-estimate the value of your home, thereby making you eligible for a loan for more than your house is worth.
• Don’t make false statements on your loan application.
• Don’t let anyone convince you to `borrow more money than you can afford to repay. If you get behind on your payments you could lose your home.

           
Don’t get crushed by debt: Cooperative Extension offers money management programs
The best way to avoid getting into trouble with debt: empower yourself. UNH Cooperative Extension offers several money management programs and workshops designed to increase consumer financial skills and confidence, including a new one-hour workshop, Don’t Get Crushed By Debt.

We also offer Credit Check Up, Making Money Work For You and Taking Charge of Your Finances, among others. For more information, go to our Managing Money web page Check for upcoming classes on our Family and Consumer Resources Event Calendar.

Extension Family Resource Management specialist Suzann Enzian Knight and program assistant Katherine Fredette provided information for this article. Family and Consumer Resources educator Deb Maes developed the article’s original structure.

For more information

• Don’t Borrow Trouble® New Hampshire New Hampshire Housing authority’s Program to help prevent predatory lending across the state.

• Predatory Lending in New Hampshire Learn More, file complaints.

• Center for Responsible Lending A wealth of online resources to help you protect yourself from predatory lending practices.

• HUD-Approved Nonprofit Consumer Counseling Services in New Hampshire When you need help with consumer debt.

• Subprime and Predatory Lending in Rural America: Mortgage lending practices that can trap low-income rural people Recent report from the UNH Carsey Institute.
  
  
• US Department of Housing and Urban Development: Don’t be a Victim of Loan Fraud

• Credit: Truth-in-Lending US Department of Justice fact sheet provides a brief summary of the federal Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), information on relevant state and federal statutes. Discusses balloon payments, payday lending, credit card scams and more.