Tag: county centennials

Extension signs of summer

sternweis

John Lawrence’s message from June 3, 2019

For some people, the end of the K-12 school year and turning the calendar to June are the true signs that summer is finally here. But in ISU Extension and Outreach, we have our own signs of summer: field days, summer camps, college students working in county offices, and fairs. Did you know?

  • Many field days and workshops are already scheduled at ISU Research and Demonstration Farms. Topics include crops and soils, cover crops, nitrogen and water, Forecast and Assessment of Cropping sysTemS (FACTS) and demonstration gardens. Iowa Learning Farms also hosts a variety of field days. Most events are free and open to the public.
  • Young entrepreneurs will be camping in Woodbury County, and crime spy scientists will be at work in Van Buren County. Chickasaw County youth will experience outdoor survival camping, but youth in Guthrie County will be wandering the watershed. On any summer day, any number of ISU Extension and Outreach summer camps are engaging young Iowans across the state. To learn more about the camps near you, check the county websites for details.
  • Last year, 164 college students (from Iowa State as well as other colleges and universities) served as summer assistants in our county offices, and additional students served as extension assistants on campus. This year’s count isn’t completed yet, but I’ll wager that a similar number of students will be serving ISU Extension and Outreach in summer 2019. These student assistants play a vital extension role as they help with 4-H programs, county fairs, farmers markets, and other educational programs and events. We appreciate their hard work and we are glad to mentor them along their career path.
  • Fair season is just around the corner. The earliest county fairs are Butler and Worth beginning June 19 and the latest one is Clay, finishing Sept. 15. The third week of July is the peak of fair season, with 40 county fairs sharing July 20. They would not be as successful without the partnership of county fair boards, extension councils and FFA chapters. Fairs are an important celebration of our rural heritage, a culmination of a lot of work for 4-H and FFA youth, and a lot of fun. Enjoy!

These extension signs of summer help us engage Iowans with university research and resources as we work to build a strong Iowa.

More notes

  • Presentation recordings and feedback surveys are available from the 4-H Youth Development program leader interviews. If you want to provide feedback on any or all of the candidates, complete the appropriate surveys by close of business, June 4.
  • Our final three counties will celebrate their 100-year anniversaries this summer: Jefferson County, June 13; Page County, July 23; and Dallas County, Aug. 10. Since 2012, these 100-year anniversaries have brought Iowans together to celebrate our 99 county campus and land-grant mission. We all can be proud of our heritage as we look toward our shared future, working together with the people of our state to build a strong Iowa.

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

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45 down, 6 to go

sternweis

John Lawrence’s message from Oct. 8, 2018

From a February morning in Cherokee County to a September afternoon at the Audubon Rec Center, ISU Extension and Outreach has celebrated 45 county centennials so far in 2018. Six more counties will reach their 100-year milestone yet this year. I have been privileged to attend 28 of these events and I’ve traveled over 6,300 miles. If my schedule permits, I hope to get to a few more. These celebrations have offered some one-of-a-kind experiences. Did you know?

  • I shared the spotlight with a juggler in Calhoun County, the Iowa History 101 RV in Decatur County, and my guy Cy on several occasions.
  • I rode in a mule-drawn covered wagon during Monroe County’s parade, whereas in Shelby County, I flashed back to my youth by riding on a hay rack with temperatures in the 90s and high humidity (thankfully, no bales this time). I saw, but did not ride, the Budweiser Clydesdales in Delaware County.
  • When I wasn’t able to attend a county’s celebration, someone else from our leadership team was happy to step in and represent ISU Extension and Outreach.

For example, Bob Dodds took part in the 100-year plaque presentation during the opening flag ceremony of the Crawford County Fair. He even was included in the group photo taken with Denison’s Big Bull.

Whether held at county fairs, nature centers, a dance pavilion or other unique location, these 100-year events have brought Iowans together to celebrate our 99 county campus and land-grant mission. We’ll wrap up in 2019 with our final three anniversaries — in Page, Dallas and Jefferson counties. We all can be proud of our heritage as we look toward our shared future. We will continue engaging citizens with university resources in partnership with federal, state and county governments as we work together for a strong Iowa.

More notes

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

Announcements , , ,

Fairs, festivals, events and a plan

sternweis

John Lawrence’s message from July 9, 2018

They really know how to make pancakes in Johnson County. I had a few samples Sunday morning during Johnson County’s 100-year anniversary event. Today I’m in the office for a teleconference and a one-on-one meeting. On Tuesday I’m back on the road for centennials in Winneshiek and Delaware counties. My July includes 17 county centennials, at last count, and I hope to visit a few additional fairs along the way. (I also want to thank my leadership team colleagues who are covering other centennials that I can’t get to.) Luckily, I have an online schedule and excellent staff to help me keep track of where I’m supposed to be at any given time.

However, it takes a lot more than luck to carry out all these county extension centennials, as well as county fairs, festivals and community events across the state. “We’ve always done it this way” had to start somewhere. Call it art or call it science, managing fairs, festivals and events can be a huge task for local organizers. Fortunately, ISU Extension and Outreach has a resource that can help. Did you know?

  • You can share our “Event Management Training Toolkit for Managers of Rural Iowa Fairs, Festivals, and Events” with your clients. The 15-page toolkit is available for free download from the Extension Store. It provides resources for solving some of the more challenging aspects of managing events, such as crises and controversies, security, cross-promotional activities, media relations and regulations.
  • Eric Olson and Lakshman Rajagopal, from Iowa State’s Department of Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management, created the toolkit supported by the Heddelson Junior Faculty Grant. This fund was established to ensure that new human sciences faculty are exposed to and incorporated into ISU Extension and Outreach projects in Iowa counties.
  • The toolkit is based on results from a survey of 212 Iowa managers examining the challenges in planning and managing events. Read about the research behind the toolkit in the Journal of Extension.

Festivals, fairs and events have a great economic impact in Iowa communities. In addition, when people work together to carry out these events, they are developing their community identity and increasing social capital, which helps to build a strong Iowa.

More notes

  • Make sure to review the July program update from the leadership team.
  • Our Disaster Recovery website includes information on dealing with flooding, as well as severe weather, fire and drought.
  • The Internal Communications Task Force met again July 2 and the executive summary from the meeting is posted on Cybox.

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

Partnerships , ,

51 county centennials

sternweis 1 Comment

John Lawrence’s message from April 9, 2018

ISU Extension and Outreach will be celebrating 100 years of organized extension work in 51 counties this year. Last time I checked, I was scheduled to attend at least half of them. (Some counties are still getting their plans together and haven’t scheduled their celebrations yet.) The events started in February with Cherokee County, and West Pottawattamie in March, and continue throughout the spring, summer and fall, to early December. Did you know?

  • On April 10, 1906, the Iowa Agricultural Extension Act became law, making Iowa the first state in the nation to formalize extension at a land-grant university. The appropriation the first year was $15,000. (Yes, I’ve been reading my R.K. Bliss extension history book again.)
  • Clinton County was the first to organize for extension work, raise money locally and hire a county agent. M.L. Mosher signed a contract July 6, 1912, to become the county agent Sept. 1.
  • Over the next few years, the rest of our counties began organizing for extension work.
  • The rest of the nation caught up in 1914, when the Smith-Lever Act formally established the Cooperative Extension Service and the partnership between the Federal government and the states. Iowa State became the first land-grant institution to accept the terms.
  • We began celebrating our county 100-year anniversaries in 2012. We’ll have our final three county centennials in 2019 – Page, Dallas, and Jefferson counties.

We all can be proud of our heritage as we engage citizens with university resources in partnership with federal, state and county governments. However, as we celebrate our history, we are focused on Iowa’s future.

More notes

  • Make sure to review the April program update from the leadership team.
  • Extension Information Technology says April 30 is the LAST day to order new computers and have them billed for the 2018 fiscal year. Current computer quotes and an order form are online. Any computers ordered on or after May 1 may not arrive in time to be setup and billed by the end of the fiscal year. If you have questions, please email Michael Mauton, systems analyst, mmauton@iastate.edu.
  • Take a moment to watch this short video of “20,000 Meals from the Heartland,” our meal-packaging experience during Annual Conference. You might even see yours truly, sporting a hairnet and beardnet.

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

Announcements, Land Grant Legacy , , ,
1 Comment on 51 county centennials

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