Extension News: December 2010 Archives

We started the NH Outside writers' collaborative in 2004, recruiting natural-resources volunteers who love to write from among our Master Gardeners, Wildlife Coverts, Community Tree Stewards, Marine Docents and others.

The project's only purpose: to produce essays that would connect readers to the natural world in some meaningful way. Every week, we send out a new essay to print media statewide.

Because the classical Japanese poetic form called haiku works so well to help writers improve their writing, we encourage NH Outside writers to write haiku as often as possible. (Some of our Cooperative Extension staff have also taken up the practice.) In 2009, we began introducing each month in our award-winning NH Outside calendar with a haiku.

To welcome 2011, we offer 12 of our favorites from over the years:

January
ice-storm surgery
leaves trees with splintered scars and
amputated limbs

Alice Mullen

February
snow whirls around leaf
dancing across empty field
dreaming of spring

Juli Brussell

March
winter melt warm day
droplets off roof and trees
cold music soothes me

Stephania Pearce

April
writing, gardening
one on your butt, one on knees
both require good seeds

Helen Downing

May
running through
clouds of lilacs
spring in every step

Gini Cornila

June
jumble unfolding,
an otter
slips into the water

Susan Poirier

July
one last strawberry
hides in mulch, small, misshapen--
no less delicious

Peg Boyles

August
glossy bronze beetles
feast on plants, then drop like bombs
leaving leaves of lace

Arlene Laurenitis

September
chipmunks' constant chirps
upset by the looming cat
the woodpile is home

Charlene Andersen

October
bobbing, gobbling birds
turkeys prancing through fall fields
dinner on the go

Peeps Bogaert

November
a cat convention
patiently waiting, tails twitch
mouse safe under stove

Terry Handel

December
chilled bare fingertips
soft powder snow wraps around
breath puffs float on air

Lisa Jackson

Etching by J. Ann Eldridge. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

As the most recent winter storm winds down, you may need storm-recovery information on food safety after a power outage, safe use of emergency generators, thawing frozen pipes, pruning downed trees and branches safely and more. We've got it here:

Winter storm emergencies

Assessing and Cleaning Up Storm-Damaged Trees: Stay Safe!

Photo credit: fiat luxe Some rights reserved

To help farmers learn new production and business management strategies that will ensure the long-term viability of current and future family farms, UNH Cooperative Extension continues its tradition of winter risk-management workshops.

The series begins Jan. 6 with the New Hampshire Small Family Farm Conference, Equipping Yourself for Farm Ownership at the Holiday Inn in Concord. This workshop will answer questions such as How do you make the transition to being a farmer? What's the best way to acquire land? How do you protect your business investment?

Next up: Organic High Tunnel Production on Jan. 21 in Concord, followed by the N.H. Women in Agriculture Conference on Feb. 19 in Charlestown, and the Northern New England Nursery Conference on Mar. 8 in Concord.

Over the course of these workshops, UNH Cooperative Extension, partnering with the USDA Risk Management Agency, the N.H. Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food, the USDA Farm Service Agency, and NH NOFA, will provide tools and techniques for managing business risks. Financial support from the USDA Risk Management Agency has enabled UNH Cooperative Extension to offer these programs at minimal cost to participants.

For more specific information visit our Risk Management page or call 603-862-3234.

Hot off the presses, They Sawed Up a Storm captures a fascinating moment in New Hampshire history that will engage anyone with an interest in meteorology and weather disasters, the New Hampshire's forest and its industries, or the dramatic shift in gender roles that took place during World War II.

The author, UNH Cooperative Extension's Forest Industry Specialist Sarah Smith, describes her book this way:

"They Sawed Up a Storm is about an extraordinary group of women who operated a sawmill during World War II at Turkey Pond in Concord. The sawmill, one of two on the pond, was built to saw up what remained of logs still floating in the water from the 1938 hurricane.

"The book begins with the hurricane and its path of destruction from Long Island to northern New England. As a result, The Northeast Timber Salvage Administration (a federal, Roosevelt-Era program) was established to recover the felled timber.

"Four years later, when the U.S. had entered WWII, the salvage program was still operating and struggled to find laborers. In 1942, copying other wartime industries that recruited women, the U.S. Forest Service built a sawmill and hired women to run it. The October 26, 1942, Concord Daily Monitor headline read, Women-Operated Sawmill, First Of Kind in Country, Will Start Work Soon At Turkey Pond. Interviews, family stories, and historic photographs bring the women of Turkey Pond to life."

Learn more about They Sawed Up a Storm

Order a copy

Extension's Nutrition Connections program makes a difference for recipients

UNH's Carsey Institute published a studythis month that documents a 52 percent increase in the number of American households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called the Food Stamp Program) benefits since 2007. One in 10 American households currently receives SNAP benefits.

Surprisingly, so do one in 10 New Hampshire residents.

New Hampshire SNAP recipients: a 76 percent increase since 2006

"Many people may be shocked to learn that, despite being the state with the highest median household income, 10 percent of our population receives SNAP benefits," says Debbie Luppold, an Extension specialist with UNH Cooperative Extension's Nutrition Connections program. Nutrition Connections has provided nutrition education to SNAP recipients since 1989.

"A just-published USDA data sheet shows that 104,375 New Hampshire individuals received SNAP benefits in 2010. That's a 24 percent increase since 2009 and an increase of more than 76 percent since 2006," says Luppold.

"And many people probably don't realize that many low-income New Hampshire residents also rely on a network of more than 400 emergency food providers--pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior centers and day-care facilities for low-income children--to feed themselves and their families."

Nutrition Connections: a lot more than teaching the basics of a healthy diet

"UNH Cooperative Extension received our first grant from USDA Food and Nutrition Service to provide nutrition education to food-stamp recipients in 1989, and we've continued that work in New Hampshire ever since," says Luppold.

She continues, "Our outreach involves a lot more than teaching the basics of a healthy diet. We also help people improve their skills in budgeting, food shopping, cooking, and food safety. We help them identify and access emergency food resources in their communities. In recent years, we've begun emphasizing the importance of regular exercise for all members of the family.

Referrals, word of mouth

"Our participants learn about us through referrals by schools, faith organizations, and agencies such as Head Start and the WIC program. Some refer themselves after learning about us by word of mouth," says Luppold. "We conduct our educational work through one-on-one home visits, with groups at agencies, schools and after-school programs, through community youth groups, and through a learn-at-home series.

"In 2010, we engaged directly with more than 1,000 adults (who influence 2,800 family members) and 3,600 youth in schools and after-school programs. We also publish two newsletters, Smart Choices and Senior Smart Choices three times a year and mail them to all SNAP recipients in the state."

Healthy Schools initiative aims to improve schools' nutrition environment

"In 2003, we started our Healthy Schools NH initiative, which works with nurses, teachers, and others in schools with high populations of low-income children," says Luppold. "Teams in participating schools improve their schools' nutrition environment and find ways to increase physical activity levels during the school day and in after-school programs."

Many changes since 1989

"A lot has changed since I arrived in 1989," says Luppold. "We've gone from paper food stamps to Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, which can be used in stores and also at some farmers' markets and farm stands. These days, we're seeing more and more working families who can't make ends meet, as well as people who've lost their jobs and never had to ask for any kind of assistance before."

"Interestingly, our survey data suggest that people may not need the supplemental assistance as long as they once did. In 2002, our survey found that people had been on food stamps an average of 18.5 months; in 2003 it was 14 months, and in 2008, the last time we asked, more than half of recipients surveyed said they'd received food stamps for less than one year.

Nutrition Connections makes a real difference

Hard data from Nutrition Connections' participant surveys shows:

• 81 percent improvement in one or more food resource-management practices: they now use grocery lists, plan meals, compare prices, and/or don't run out of food.


• 90 percent showed improvement in one or more nutrition practices: they make healthy food choices, prepare foods without adding salt, read nutrition labels and/or make sure children eat breakfast.


• 55 percent showed improvement in one or more of the food-safety practices: thawing and storing foods properly.

Equally telling: the feedback we receive from our participants

"I have more confidence in the nutrition decisions I make for my family. We compare unit size and price. I'm bringing home more new kinds of [fruits and vegetables]. I have noticed my food stamps seem to go a little further. It's fun to see how I can get the most nutrition from the most affordable ingredients available."

"My daughter is into reading labels on all the foods we buy. I'm finding it easier to get her to eat healthier because she's involved in the grocery shopping. She likes to look at all the ingredients. We have fun with it."

"Now I know what to buy. Before I didn't. I just went down the aisles and was confused."

"Since doing my goals; I've lost 12 pounds. I have completely stopped drinking Mt. Dew and replaced it with water. More physical activity for me and my son means we are more energetic than we were before."

Nutrition Connections Learn more about what we do and how to participate.
Healthy Schools NH Learn more about our work to improve the school nutrition environment.
More Than One in Ten American Households Relies on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance December, 2010 paper from the Carsey Institute.

Extension research aims to help local food producers extend the season, expand markets

Driven both by aggressive campaigns to promote New Hampshire's farm products and by consumer demand for safer, healthier food, New Hampshire's vibrant eat-local movement has expanded into the winter months.

This year, more than 30 winter farmers' markets [partial listing] have sprung up throughout the Granite State, offering locally grown winter squash, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, beets, and salad greens, which join the local apples, eggs, honey, and maple syrup that have always been available year-'round. Some community supported agriculture enterprises (CSAs) offered storage crops and many farm stands have stayed open into the winter months.

Seed companies report that backyard gardeners have expanded production, too, adding winter storage crops to their summer gardens, and installing plastic-covered low or high tunnels that allow them to extend the summer harvest into late fall and begin harvesting spring salad crops a month or two earlier.

Interest strong among both consumers and producers
"We know there's a strong winter demand for locally produced food, but interest is also strong among the state and region's producers," says Becky Sideman, Extension's sustainable horticulture specialist. "Growers are scrambling to expand the technical knowledge, production systems, and farm infrastructure they need to meet this growing consumer demand."

"We held three workshops in November for organic greenhouse growers that drew nearly 70 participants." Sideman says. She adds that an early December farmer-to-farmer gathering attracted 40 experienced Maine and New Hampshire growers to share working knowledge about winter greenhouse production, season-extending devices, and growing storage crops such as potatoes and root vegetables for sale in winter markets.

"Over the years, growers have been really innovative with storage and season-extending strategies, she says. "We have a lot of individual case studies, but there's been no systematic attempt to compile the knowledge they already have or to assess their needs for research that plugs the gaps in their information base."

Winter-crops research projects underway
Sideman has partnered with UNH Extension Greenhouse Specialist Brian Krug on a three-year project that will explore the feasibility of using existing greenhouse structures to increase production of winter vegetables and herbs. The project is funded by a $73,000 USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant through the N.H. Dept. of Agriculture, Markets, and Food.

"Many operations that produce bedding plants have under-utilized greenhouse space from October through February," Sideman says. "We'll be looking to find the best crops and most effective cropping systems for producing winter food crops, along with ways to maximize yields while minimizing energy costs."

Sideman also is a partner on a $194,00 USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grant-funded project, Expanding Winter Harvest and Sales for New England Vegetable Crops. "The central goal of this three-year, multi-state project is to help farmers expand their vegetable harvest and sales from December-April, thereby increasing their winter income. It will build on successful innovations in cold-season growing and will focus on aspects of production, crop storage, and marketing that need further development to strengthen this aspect of the regional food system.

Other partners in the project include UMass Extension, Seacoast Eat Local, and Communities Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA).

"The partnership includes people with expertise in post-harvest physiology, growing and production, storage, and marketing." says Sideman. "The project also has a farmer advisory team and a big hands-on, on-farm component," she says. "A big part of what we're planning to do is connect growers to each other so they can exchange information and share expertise."

Fundamental questions
Key elements of the project include low tunnels to protect cold-hardy crops through the winter for early spring harvest at a fraction of the cost of high tunnels. Growers and researchers will explore low-tunnel growing methods for onions, spinach, and Brassicas (cabbage-family greens) in six locations over three winters.

"We'll employ a whole variety of strategies that help growers expand their winter food production, but first we need to answer some fundamental questions," Sideman says. "What are the best crops? The best varieties? What are the best designs for winter storage facilities: How much heat? How much moisture? How far can you deviate from ideal conditions and still bring a quality product to market during the winter?"

Photo credits: Top,Brisk business at the Exeter winter farmers' market, by Eleanor Baron. Used with permission.
Center, :*clairity* Some rights reserved.

Cooperative Extension's money-management educational outreach plays a role

The nation's first state-to-state survey measuring Americans' financial savvy found New Hampshire residents among the most financially astute in the nation. Granite State participants scored in the top five states in four out of five topic areas.

Developed in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation Financial Capability Survey collected information from more than 28,000 respondents--about 500 in each state--from June through October, 2009.

Cooperative Extension financial-management education reaches all age and income groups

"While we can't demonstrate a direct connection between our educational outreach and the heightened financial awareness of New Hampshire citizens, we'd like to think our years of family financial-management education has made a difference," says Suzann Enzian Knight, Extension family resource management specialist.

"For more than 20 years, UNH Cooperative Extension in every county has placed a priority on helping increase people's knowledge and skills of personal finance so they can make informed decisions regarding their income and expenses."

"In the past five years, our face-to-face money-management presentations have reached more than 20,000 people of all ages and income levels," Knight says. "We also provide information through mainstream news media, websites, brochures, and pamphlets."

Many programs, many partners

"Some of our money-management programs stay the same regardless of economic situation," Knight says. "We develop others around special topics based on changing economic circumstances, for example, our series entitled, Managing Money in Tough Times. In recent years we've targeted family farmers with help in debt reduction, estate planning, and other topics."

"We conduct our work in conjunction with many state and local partners and coalitions, including the NH Jumpstart Coalition, the NH Community Loan Fund, the Statewide Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Alliance and the New Hampshire Departments of Agriculture and Banking," Knight says.

Demonstrable outcomes

"Our program evaluations find that more than 85 percent of Extension program participants document an increase in their financial capability and improved money-management practices, " Knight says. "These improved practices include putting together a debt repayment calendar, requesting their credit report, developing a spending/savings plan, paying more than the minimum on a credit card, establishing or adding to an emergency fund, and reviewing their insurance policies."

N.H. #1 in "financial literacy"

In the FINRA study, New Hampshire survey participants scored first in the nation in the area of financial knowledge and decision making--what the report calls "financial literacy," understanding the concepts of economics and finance as they apply to everyday life.

The other categories involved:

• Sound borrowing practices: New Hampshire placed second, after New Jersey.
• Comparison shopping (for credit cards): New Hampshire placed 4th.
• Planning ahead by salting away a rainy day fund: New Hampshire placed 4th.
• Making ends meet (able to spend less than they earn): New Hampshire only hit the national average in this category; 20 percent of Granite Staters spent more than they earned.

Even though New Hampshire adults rank high in "financial capability" among other states, we still have a lot of room for improvement. The state FINRA survey found:

• 20 percent of individuals reported that their household spent more than their income in the previous year.
• More than half lack a rainy-day fund to cover expenses for three months, in case of emergencies such as sickness, job loss or economic downturn.
• 15 percent reported using one or more non-bank borrowing methods (such as payday loans) in the past five years.
• 58 percent of individuals said that they didn't collect and compare information about cards from more than one company when they got their last credit card.

More information

FINRA Investor Education Foundation US Financial Capability Study Get information about various aspects of the nationwide survey; take a financial literacy quiz.
Managing Money UNH Cooperative Extension resources for family resource management.
Money-management workshop calendar Cooperative Extension financial-education workshops in your area.

Questions about household money management? Call the Extension Family & Consumer Resources educator in your county

They appear seemingly from nowhere, massing on walls or windows, buzzing around the room, landing on furniture, your arm, your computer monitor.

Several species of insects invade homes in the fall and remain through the winter, often hidden inside walls. When temperatures rise in the spring, they appear again, this time trying to get out. During the winter they just hang out, waiting for spring.

Don't worry! None of these six-legged invaders causes disease, bites, stings, or attacks stored foods, the home's structure, or its furnishings.

To learn more, check out our new fact sheet, Seasonal Insect Invaders in New Hampshire Homes, by Extension entomologist Alan Eaton. It profiles five seasonal insect invaders: cluster flies, boxelder bugs, multi-colored Asian ladybugs, western conifer seed bugs, and a newcomer on the scene, the brown marmorated stinkbug.

You'll be hearing more about the brown marmorated stinkbug as its numbers increase and it spreads beyond the Seacoast towns where it first showed up last summer. While it won't cause indoor problems, the new stinkbug has caused significant damage to fruit and vegetable crops in parts of the nation where it has become better established.

Seasonal Insect Invaders in New Hampshire Homes

Photo of Western conifer seed bug by Alan Eaton

Interested in the fate and fortunes of New Hampshire's fishing fleet?

Wondering how to buy into in the region's first community-supported fishery (CSF)? (Shrimp CSF now signing up members)

Curious about what's going on with aquaculture (fish farming) in the region?

New blog covers these topics and more
The Sea Grant Extension team of Ken LaValley, Erik Chapman, and Mike Chambers has launched a weblog, NH Sustainable Marine Fisheries, to bring you updates related to the region's sustainable marine fisheries.

"We'll blog interesting news, ideas, events, and serious issues as they arise in the flow of our work," says Chapman. "Come on in for a visit. We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover."