Month: October 2019

Challenging youth through AgOvation

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John Lawrence’s message from Oct. 28, 2019

There’s nothing quite like a “Shark Tank” experience to test innovation. Like the popular TV program, AgOvation provides an opportunity for innovators to present their work to industry professionals. However, in this 4-H version, youth pitch their science-based solutions for local agricultural problems. Did you know?

  • AgOvation is a new, research-based competition for youth in grades 7-12. They work in teams of two to five members to identify an ag-based issue in their community and develop a project to address it.
  • Youth work with a team coach and mentor from the agricultural field that most closely relates to their project. They also are encouraged to connect with representatives from Iowa State and the agribusiness community.
  • Topics youth are addressing this year include technology for timed feeding of individual swine and easier snow removal on the farm. The teams have been developing prototypes and designs.
  • Youth participated in regional events in September. Teams from Cherokee, Dallas, Linn, and Sac counties will be participating in the final competition, Nov. 16 at the Field Extension Education Laboratory. There they will present their solutions to industry professionals and receive feedback. The top three teams will receive scholarships for post-secondary education. Support for the program this year has been provided by Cargill and Channel Seed.

Iowa 4-H already is planning for next year’s competition, because AgOvation helps develop our future workforce of agricultural scientists, engineers and technologists. County youth coordinators and other staff are encouraged to help recruit participants, adult mentors and supporters. The more counties and teams that get involved, the greater the learning opportunity and program impact. For more information, contact Maya Hayslett, crop sciences youth education specialist, hayslett@iastate.edu.

In other 4-H news, the numbers are in for the 2018-2019 4-H program year. Here are a few highlights.

  • More than 160,000 youth participated in 4-H last year, an 18.7 percent increase from 2017-2018. This includes youth who were enrolled in Clover Kids (for K-3 youth) or as 4-H members (grades 4-12), as well as youth who participated in either six or more hours of 4-H programming, and those who participated in six or fewer hours of programming.
  • The number of enrolled youth was slightly lower than the previous year. However, over 28,000 additional youth participated in six or fewer hours of programming, compared with the previous year. Our 4-H program continues to focus on moving these youth to longer-term involvement.
  • Community club membership is down, but after-school club enrollment is growing.
  • 4-H also has seen an increase in the number of youth participating in school enrichment programs for more than 6 hours: 38,370 youth, which is 781 more than in 2017-2018. This may be our best area for recruitment and growth, reaching families who might have other barriers to participation in community clubs, such as transportation.

More notes

  • Congratulations to David Brown, ISU Extension and Outreach colleagues, and partners in seven north central states working on Farm and Ranch Wellness: The Next Steps. The regional project has received a $480,000 grant from USDA NIFA as part of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. It is one of four regional projects funded by the FRSAN program, which was authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill. For more information, contact David at dnbrown@iastate.edu.
  • Learn about the Iowa Agricultural Extension Association during a Zoom informational meeting at 9 a.m., Oct. 30, or noon, Oct. 31. You’ll get a quick, general overview of IAEA and answers to questions you may have about the organization. The Zoom URL is https://iastate.zoom.us/j/2720995534; to join the meeting from a dial-in phone line, call +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833, with meeting ID 272 099 5534. If you are unable to join LIVE, you can watch a recorded version afterward. You also are invited to attend the fall meeting Nov. 14 at the Boone County Extension Office. For more information, contact Alan Ladd, aladd@iastate.edu.

— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Vice President for Extension and Outreach

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National awards for Human Sciences

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John Lawrence’s message from Oct. 22, 2019

Congratulations to Kim Greder and the ISU Extension and Outreach work teams who provide the “Juntos Para Una Mejor Educación” and “Abriendo Caminos” programs in Iowa. They will receive the 2019 National Extension Diversity Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Cooperative Extension, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The award recognizes significant contributions and accomplishments in achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism and will be presented Nov. 10 during APLU’s 132nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Did you know? Kim is a professor in human development and family studies and a family life extension state specialist. She was a principal investigator for the grants supporting both programs and brought extension staff together with their community partners for planning and implementation. She’s quick to note that collaboration of extension staff, faculty, students and community partners was key to both programs’ success. Read the news release to learn more about the program and everyone involved in this award-winning work to meet the needs of Latino families in Iowa.

We also congratulate several human sciences specialists and faculty who recently were recognized by the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

  • Distinguished Service Award: Vera Stokes, nutrition and wellness.
  • Continued Excellence Award: Brenda Schmitt, family finance.
  • Greenwood Frysinger Award (professional growth opportunity): Sara Sprouse, nutrition and wellness.
  • Excellence in Multi State Collaboration Award (national first place winner): Shannon Coleman, assistant professor and food safety state specialist, co-lead of seven-state team.
  • Communications Award, Internet Education Technology (national third place winner, regional first place winner): Lori Hayungs, Mackenzie Johnson, Mackenzie DeJong and Barb Dunn Swanson, family life.
  • Barbara Wollan and Brenda Schmitt, family finance, presented “Finances of Caregiving: Workshop Series for Families” at the NEAFCS national meeting.

Goodbye … and welcome

In September, we said goodbye to the following individuals who left ISU Extension and Outreach:

  • Cindy Brunholtz, Monroe County, AmeriCorps.
  • Andrea Irlbeck, Carroll County youth coordinator.
  • Kelly Phillips, Lucas County youth coordinator.
  • Deborah Coates, manager information technology II, Extension IT.
  • Michael White, field specialist III, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
  • Janet Martin, field specialist III, 4-H Youth Development.

We welcome the following new staff:

  • Sara Gillum, Wayne County youth coordinator.
  • Addi Knapp, Wapello County, AmeriCorps/4-H.
  • Haley Mostaert, Cedar County 4-H program coordinator.
  • Lucy Hough, West Pottawattamie County Ready Set Know program coordinator.
  • Kristen Bieret, Shelby County office assistant.
  • Andy Kraber, Marion County director.
  • Alesha Roll, Woodbury County INN grant director/4-H program assistant.
  • Misty Sanderson, Buena Vista County office assistant.
  • Samuel Genson, Clinton County director.
  • Sarah Debour, Cerro Gordo County director/ANR coordinator.
  • Kendall Fate, Johnson County after school mentoring coordinator.

More notes

  • Agriculture continues to be the deadliest industry in the United States and when harvest is behind schedule, the potential for danger increases. Professor and extension safety specialist Chuck Schwab and our Safe Farm program help make Iowa farms a safer place to work and live, not only during harvest, but all year long. Check the website for research, training materials, publications and other resources you can use to expand farm safety knowledge and awareness.
  • The Natural Resources Team is launching a new internal newsletter for extension educators in all program areas. Natural Resources News will help you learn about and promote resources and programs about soil, water, wildlife, and forest conservation and education. If you’re interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up at this link. For more information, contact Adam Janke (ajanke@iastate.edu) or Jamie Benning (benning@iastate.edu).
  • Internal applicants are invited for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences position of Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach and ISU Extension Program Director for Agriculture and Natural Resources. The announcement has been posted to Iowa State’s jobs for internal applicants site.
  • Dr. Lindsey Shirley, associate director of extension service and associate provost for university outreach and engagement at Oregon State University, is guest speaker for a Human Sciences Extension and Outreach special First Thursday Webinar, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. Join the presentation in person at 2622 Lagomarcino or by Zoom when Shirley speaks of innovative strategies for land grant universities that lead to new connections, partnerships, and career advancement.

— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Vice President for Extension and Outreach

Programs ,

20 Artists, 20 Parks

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John Lawrence’s message from Oct. 14, 2019

Jennifer Drinkwater and Clark Colby are artists, extension specialists and faculty members in art and visual culture in Iowa State’s College of Design. They also are participants in 20 Artists, 20 Parks. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Arts Council and Iowa State developed this project to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Iowa state parks in 2020. Did you know?

  • Twenty Iowa State faculty and graduate students have been matched with 20 state parks. Their assignment is to create artwork that reflects their particular park and share a program about their park experience. Jennifer has created paintings that connect current images of Pine Lake State Park with stories from its past – showing her view of the park’s assets. Clark has used 360-degree and traditional photography to capture the essence of Stephens State Forest.
  • Jennifer is an extension community arts specialist whose background is in painting and anthropology. She brings an artist’s perspective to her extension work, helping communities see possibilities through art for community and economic development.
  • Clark is the first arts, communication and design specialist for our Iowa 4-H program and may be one of the first in the nation. His background is in architecture, photography and ceramics. He helps 4-H youth realize that when they take time to look deeply and observe details, they can see the wonder and beauty of a place or an event, which they can communicate through art and design.

Watch the video and read the news release about Jennifer and Clark’s experience. Their art will be on display with the 20 Artists, 20 Parks exhibit that will travel to at least three Iowa venues in 2020. The yearlong celebration will highlight the impact our state parks have on Iowa’s quality of life.

More notes

  • The Structured for Success Model 3 video overview and white paper are available for review. Council members may access these materials from the Structured for Success feedback page. Extension staff and faculty may access these materials from MyExtension (use your net ID and password to log in). The deadline for feedback on all three models is Nov. 8.
  • “Spend Smart. Eat Smart.” will be featured during today’s Iowa Hunger Summit, part of the annual World Food Prize celebration in Des Moines. All the recipes that will be served at the luncheon are from the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. website. Approximately 400 to 500 people are expected to attend. Christine Hradek, nutrition education program manager with Human Sciences Extension and Outreach, will introduce Spend Smart. Eat Smart. in a 1-minute video that will be shown at the beginning of the luncheon.

— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Vice President for Extension and Outreach

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Addressing rural mental health and the farm economy

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John Lawrence’s message from Oct. 7, 2019

Rural mental health and the farm economy are often intertwined in an agricultural state like Iowa, particularly when farmers are experiencing another year with tight margins and decreasing value of total farm assets and net farm worth. During our 2018 listening sessions, we identified both as critical statewide issues impacting the ability of Iowa communities to thrive over the next five years. We also examined what ISU Extension and Outreach could do to appropriately address how these issues intersect. We knew it was important to positively impact farm families with research-based information and education. Did you know?

  • Since May 1, David Brown has been serving as ISU Extension and Outreach’s behavioral health state specialist. He provides subject matter support and leadership to programs dealing with farm stress, stress management, mental health literacy, disasters and other behavioral health related issues.
  • We are expanding Mental Health First Aid. This evidence-based, 8-hour course can help you learn what to do, what to say, and how to offer support and resources to help Iowans who may be experiencing a mental health related problem or crisis. We will continue to provide the training to our staff (and the next scheduled workshop is Nov. 7), but we also are exploring how to offer the training for university, community and agribusiness organizations.
  • In collaboration with our farm management specialists, our family life team will provide scenario-based suicide prevention training at more than 50 Farm Bill meetings in November, December and January. “Stress on the Farm: Strategies to Help Each Other” reviews risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs of suicide, as well as a strategy for how to intervene.
  • Iowa Concern continues to provide confidential access to stress counselors and an attorney for legal education, as well as information and referral services for a wide variety of topics. Iowa Concern services are available 24 hours a day, seven days per week at no charge.

Iowa farm families are facing challenges and we are committed to this work long-term.

More notes

  • Please review the October program update from the leadership team for current examples of what is happening across our programs.
  • We have read and considered all the questions and comments we have received regarding Structured for Success. The common themes FAQ has been updated to reflect questions and comments submitted during the virtual listening sessions, the area-wide meetings and other face-to-face sessions, and via the virtual suggestion box.
  • It’s National 4-H Week. Iowa 4-H Youth Development reaches nearly 100,000 youth each year, preparing them to be successful, contributing members of society – and that deserves celebrating!

— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Vice President for Extension and Outreach

Partnerships, Programs , ,

October 2019 Program Update

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Updates from the ISU Extension and Outreach leadership team

Agriculture and Natural Resources

  • The 2018 Iowa Farm Costs and Returns analysis shows that despite a slight increase in net farm income, farmers saw another year of tight margins and a decrease in total farm assets and net farm worth. The average accrual net farm income increased by 6% in 2018, while the average value of total farm assets declined 6% and farm net worth fell by 7%. The full report is available in the September issue of Ag Decision Maker.
  • Ever wonder about ANR’s impact on social media? Social media continues to be an influential platform for the agricultural industry as a whole; and that trend continues to hold true here in Iowa. Many Iowans are looking for a fast, easy way to collect and share information with the agriculture and natural resources community and ANR specialists and teams have joined the conversation. Here’s how many people are following the 114 ANR accounts collectively: Twitter – 58,450; Facebook – 18,957; Instagram – 3,685; Youtube/Vimeo – 3,689; Pinterest – 114; and Overall total – 84,812 followers.

Community and Economic Development

  • The 2018 Community Visioning Program is transitioning to the implementation planning stage during which design teams are presenting feasibility reports and steering committees are meeting to plan project implementation. In October, design teams are presenting feasibility reports to Durant, Coggon and Sumner, and implementation planning meetings will be conducted in Sumner and Coggon.
  • The Introduction to Planning and Zoning for Local Officials workshop is a three-hour session designed to introduce the basic principles of land use planning and development management to elected officials, planning and zoning officials, and board of adjustment members without formal training in the subjects. During October CED specialist Eric Christianson will be conducting workshops in Waterloo, Iowa City and Storm Lake.
  • During October CED staff will be facilitating Navigating Difference cultural competency training in Cedar Rapids and Mount Pleasant.

Human Sciences

  • Human Sciences Extension and Outreach is transitioning to Raising School Ready Readers for early literacy efforts. It is a contemporary educational offering based in modern-day research with a variety of families. Literacy development starts at home with parents and caregivers serving as a child’s first teacher. Raising School Ready Readers offers parents fun ways to engage their 3- to 6-year-old children in literacy play. It is a five-week series of 90-minute workshops grounded in the Engaging Families in Children’s Literacy Development Workshop Series created by Scholastic. Sessions focus on developing six core literacy areas that give children a head start on school readiness. Facilitator training for educators was held in June and September. Some participants had facilitated the previous Family Storyteller program, but others were newly engaged in literacy work. Several series have been completed with others in the planning stages.
  • Four human sciences staff members received university awards at the ceremony in September: Malisa Rader, human sciences specialist in family life, Regents Award for Staff Excellence; Barbara Woods, special projects manager, Award for Inclusive Excellence; Mackenzie Johnson, human sciences specialist in family life, Professional and Scientific Outstanding New Professional Award; and Kim Brantner, human sciences specialist in family life, Award for Distinguished Service in Extension and Outreach.
  • David Brown and Anthony Santiago presented at the Annual National Association for Rural Mental Health Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico in August. Their presentations included “Responding to Behavioral and Mental Needs among Rural Iowans and Farming Communities” and “Cohesive Promotion and Implementation of Healthy Relationship Education in Rural Iowa to Promote Overall Health and Wellness.” This presentation provided an overview of the Healthy Relationship Education Training program and featured work completed by Mackenzie Johnson, human sciences specialist in family life, and Brenda Schmitt, human sciences specialist in family finance.

4-H Youth Development

  • Iowa hosted the Regional Youth Crop Scouting Competition at the Field Extension Education Lab, in Boone, Iowa. This year’s competition featured nine youth teams representing Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and Kentucky. The competition is designed to educate students through hands-on interaction in crop fields, through scouting for plant injury and identifying pest and situational problems, culminating in designing their own effective solutions and management strategies. When surveyed, students responded that the competition was fun, and they enjoyed engaging with friendly staff. Team coaches reported that the competition helped students learn concepts of IPM, teamwork skills, and communication skills, and prepare for a future career in agriculture.
  • This year 4-H State Council members can sign up to serve on the Finance, Youth Voice, or Service and Outreach committee. Through these committees, the council members will get to share their voice, come up with county and statewide service projects, or learn about the financial process of the 4-H’ers for 4-H Campaign and budgeting for Youth Conference and other initiatives. State Council members will also continue to serve on one of six Youth Conference committees. At their October retreat they will begin planning for this annual event.
  • 4-H youth who participated in regional chili cook-off competitions this summer were invited to participate in ICS Chili Inc.’s World Championships event Sept. 7-8 in Ankeny. Several youth participated and Clara Damman from Story County 4-H placed 5th in the homestyle division. Iowa 4-H was also able to showcase our program and highlight Healthy Living and making healthy choices count.
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