District Trainings for County Judges and Commissioners Critical Component of Program Interpretation Initiative

One of the components of the 2010 County Programs Interpretation Initiative are District Judges and Commissioners Conferences that will be conducted in eleven of our twelve Extension Districts in 2010. The following is a list of these events;

• District 1- September 9, 2010- Amarillo, Texas
• District 3- November 4, 2010-Vernon, Texas
• District 2- November 5, 2009- Lubbock, Texas
• District 8- November 10, 2010- Waco, Texas
• District 5- December 1, 2010- Nacogodoches, Texas
• District 4- December 2, 2010- Mt. Pleasant, Texas
• District 12-December 3, 2010- Kingsville, Texas
  
• District 6 -December 7, 2010- Fort Stockton, Texas
• District 10-December 8, 2010- Uvalde, Texas
• District 7- December9, 2010- San Angelo
• District 11-December 14, 2010- Edna
  

These conferences provide a tremendous benefit for both our County Commissioner Court members and Texas AgriLife Extension Service. The following are some of the reasons that this component of our interpretation plan is critical;

• Enables District Extension Administrators to solidify partnerships with County Commissioners Court members in their District.
• Demonstrates Texas AgriLife Extension Service's commitment to county government.
  
• Provides an opportunity for Texas AgriLife Extension Service to showcase effective educational programs conducted in the District.
• Provides customized professional development for County Commissioners within a District.
• Provides a venue for quality interpretation.

All District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors should be reminded that he 2010 County Programs Interpretation Initiative includes the following;

• District Judges and Commissioners Conferences hosted by District Extension Administrators.
• Utilization of the Extension Making a Difference Newsletters that communicates Texas AgriLife Extension's public value. This newsletter will be published on an annual basis.
  
• Utilization of an Urban County Capacity Report for County Commissioners and key stakeholders.
• All Counties conduct formal interpretation events with County Commissioners Courts annually that communicates Texas AgriLife Extension's public value.
• All Counties involve elected officials in Extension "showcase" events.
• All Districts will have a Marketing and Interpretation Committee.
  

In addition to interpretation efforts that District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors provide leadership to, it is imperative that every county has an interpretation plan that is systematic and comprehensive in nature.

Steer Validation Video Excellent Resource for Agents

Texas 4-H Steer Validation Demonstration is available in live streaming media at http://agrilife.tamu.edu/livestock101/

The Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program in cooperation with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Animal Science Extension Unit has worked together to offer online resources to support the Texas 4-H Youth Livestock Project. The Steer Validation video is designed to assist agents to become proficient in the procedures for validating show steer projects through the Texas Steer Validation Program. This video are no substitute for reading the validation guidelines, but they should add visual references to the techniques used in the validation process. These videos would also serve as a great resource for training County Steer Validation Committees.

Please ensure that County Extension Agents are aware of this resource.

4-H Outdoor Education and Leadership Development Series in San Jacinto County

In support of the Administrative Priority to Target Outreach and Expansion the 4-H Outdoor Education and Leadership Development Series was planned and implemented in San Jacinto County.

Youth development and leadership development are focal points for AgriLife Extension in San Jacinto County. With this in mind, program area committees explored avenues to address this issue without introducing a financial requirement for families. The tool identified to accomplish this task was through outdoor education and awareness. Outdoor education is a great avenue to build leaders through hands-on educational opportunities.

In order to implement a quality program, key topics were identified and implemented. The program topics included hunter safety education, outdoor ethics, wildlife population dynamics, population modeling, outdoor safety, farm pond management, and marine fisheries. The Extension Office provided facilities, off-site locations, speakers, and necessary supplies to present a safe and effective learning environment. The educational activities were presented as field days, tours, camp trips, lectures, hands-on learning and newsletters. There were over 125 youth participating in this series of activities.

This series allowed youth to obtain and exhibit leadership qualities through outdoor opportunities. The youth experienced a tremendous gain in knowledge and skills as indicated in survey results. Also, outstanding strides were indicated in a better understanding of the out-of-doors environment. The greatest stride, however, observed within the participating youth was that of the impact human activity places on the environment and the opportunity to alter that impact.

Outdoor education and youth leadership development activities will continue in San Jacinto County during 2010.

Content for this article was provided by Dale A. Fritz, Ph.D., District Extension Administrator-Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Library LITE and WAT in Montgomery County

In support of the Administrative Priority to Target Outreach and Expansion the Library LITE & Walk Across Texas Program was planned and implemented in Montgomery County.

Chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, place a significant burden on the entire state of Texas. Many of these diseases could be prevented by regular physical activities, such as walking, along with an improved daily diet and routine health screening.
As a result of this growing concern, the Montgomery County Library System Outreach Director Devery Johnson and Marketing Director Melissa Baker created the concept of a Library LITE wellness program which emphasized a theme to help participants Lose weight, Increase confidence, Tone your body, and Exercise & energize.

The Linda Mock, CEA-FCS, along with Lilly Dorney, BLT Program Assistant, were asked to be major partners in the educational focus of Library LITE. Mock and Dorney planned thirty-two educational presentations using eleven different curricula offered by Texas AgriLife Extension specialists. In addition, Marilyn Kasmiersky, FCS Committee members, was recruited to teach several “Financial Fitness” classes.

Each of the branch library coordinators selected their own educational presentations from a curriculum list. The Extension presentations served as single one-shot programs by Mock and Dorney from January to March and were an avenue to market the importance of participating in WAT as well. Topics of the presentations included:

• Dinner Time Dilemma
• Portion Distortion
• Myths & Realities About Maintaining Healthy Weight
• Getting the Skinny on Fad Diets
• Watching the Waistline When Eating Out
• BLT Better Health with Better Choices
• Cooking with Herbs and Spices
• Heart Smart Series (Heart Health, Bone Health, Cancer Health, and Food Safety)
• Coloring Our Children’s Plates With Fruits and Vegetables
• Eating Behaviors of the Young Child
• Growing Healthy, Happy Babies: Infant and Toddler Nutrition
• Let’s Get Moving!
• Promoting Healthy Weight In Young Children: Best Practices for Encouraging Physical Activity
• Get Moving: One Step at a Time
  

A total of about 225 adults and children participated in one or more of the presentations held at the various branches and reported positive comments on their written evaluations. There were a total of 425 registered participants for the Walk Across Texas programs but only 296 (253 females and 43 males) of those actually reported their weekly mileage to their specific branches. Compiling all of the data from each branch, the Montgomery County Memorial Library System logged in 27,246 miles from 40 different registered teams.

The potential economic impact of Library LITE/Walk Across Texas in Montgomery County during 2009 was most significant. According to the post survey, 84% (248 of 296) of the participants reported that along with their families, Library LITE/Walk Across Texas had helped them to form several new positive health habits. 24% (64 of 296) of the participants reported being able to avoid or delay developing diabetes. All in all, the total potential impact for Montgomery County Memorial Library System employees and their patrons was $4,461,809.

Health education, wellness education, and promoting physical activity will continue to be strong programs with outreach audiences in Montgomery County.

Content for this article was provided by Dale A. Fritz, Ph.D., District Extension Administrator-Texas AgriLife Extension Service

4-H Livestock Ambassador Program in Madison County

In support of the Administrative Priority to Increase Capacity to Allocate Resources to Maximize County Program Effectiveness the 4-H Livestock Ambassador Program was implemented in Madison and surrounding counties. The program is designed to teach senior age 4-H youth advanced animal science while expanding their leadership capabilities to assist other 4-H members with the management of their livestock projects.

The program includes a 3-day 4-H Livestock Ambassador Short Course to teach livestock production and management principles and a commitment by the participant to return at least 20 hours of service in helping 4-H members with their livestock projects and teaching animal science at 4-H Club Meetings. The Short Course provides the participants with the necessary tools to educate new 4-H members on the fundamentals of livestock project management and showing.

During 2009, 26 4-H members completed the 4-H Livestock Ambassador Short Course in College Station and have begun to return their 20 hours of service. The participants were from Madison, Grimes, Liberty, Brazoria, Harris, and Walker Counties. The students completed 45 hours of instruction in livestock nutrition, reproduction, management, anatomy and physiology, health, selection, fitting and showing. Additionally, the students completed a training concerning youth leadership and identifying critical livestock issues.

The participants were asked questions about the effectiveness of the short course, his/her perceptions of the 4-H livestock experience and what he/she hoped to accomplish as a Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador. From the data, it was determined that five separate themes emerged. The themes in the highest frequency order to lowest were: a) newfound ability or qualification, b) importance of teen/peer leaders, c) better understanding of career aspirations, d) teaching providing leadership e) and understanding of higher education.

This program has been very successful in Southeast Texas. In 2010, the program will again be offered at College Station and will be expanded to Lubbock.

Content for this article was provided by Dale A. Fritz, Ph.D., District Extension Administrator-Texas AgriLife Extension Service

New Volunteer Management Resources Announced

On behalf of the Extension Volunteer Steering Committee, Courtney Dodd, Extension Program Specialist announced some new volunteer management resources that are available to agents. These resources are as follows;

• Economic Impact Brief for Volunteerism in the Texas AgriLife Extension Service-This one-page document provides an overview of volunteerism in Extension, highlighting the economic value of our volunteers' contributions in 2009. The 104,000+ volunteers contributed more than four million hours throughout 2009, which is valued at $84 million (using the current rate of $20.85/hour). The direct link to this and other economic impact briefs is located at: http://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/about/strategyimpact/economicimpact/index.php. County volunteer reports for 2009 are still accessible at volunteerreport.tamu.edu.
• New Volunteer Resource Website- With the transition of Extension's web sites, the volunteer resources site has also been updated and changed! We are still working on it, but invite you to take a look! The address is: http://od.tamu.edu. Click on the Volunteerism link on the right-hand side of the page for resources that have been developed and are specific to the role of the volunteer manager. Additional resources, such as those for National Volunteer Week and the "Making a Difference Through Volunteers" interpretation piece are available on this site as well. As new resources become available, they will be posted on this site!
• "Empowering Volunteers" Publication Released- A new publication, Volunteer Administration in the 21st Century: Empowering Volunteers, has been developed and is now available as a resource to you. This resource is attached, available online via the AgriLife Bookstore and will be posted on the Volunteer Resource web site (referenced above) very soon. While there is no clear cut formula for empowering volunteers, as all volunteers have their own unique traits and personalities (as we do), we hope that the publication will provide you with tools and ideas to help with empowerment.
  

District Extension Administrators and County Extension Director should ensure that all agents are aware and are utilizing these resources.

Content for this article was provided by Courtney F. Dodd, Extension Program Specialist-Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Health is Rock'n in Grimes County

In support of the Administrative Priority to Target Outreach and Expansion the Health Rocks! curriculum was implemented in Grimes County. Health Rocks! brought youth, families and communities throughout Grimes County together with the aim to reduce tobacco, alcohol and drug use by youth. Health Rocks! facilitated youth’s development of life skills in the area of critical thinking, decision-making, communication, managing feelings, stress management, and goal setting to encourage resistance of risky behaviors through interactive games and activities.

The 81 participants from Navasota Jr. High and Stoneham Elementary were provided with accurate health information regarding statistics and consequences of youth tobacco, alcohol, and drug usage. The Day Camp format’s success was attributed to being taught by the Grimes County Youth Board members who were the participants’ peers. Texas AgriLife Extension provided the training of the instructors, partnered with Twin City Mission who provided school supplies and workshop materials, Navasota ISD allowed facility usage, and Lee Tabernacle United Methodist Church supplied meals and snacks.

The participants demonstrated knowledge of the difference between legal and illegal drugs, the effects of tobacco and smoking on the body, the need for considering options before making decisions and evaluating decisions, and noted the advantages of setting goals. Each participant completed a retrospective evaluation. Personal testimonies included “I will never smoke in my life.” , “I’ve learned which drugs are legal and illegal and how much they harm our bodies.” , “The experience changed my life in so many ways.” , and “I have learned that stress is good and bad depending on the situation.”

Health education and youth development will continue to be strong programs with outreach audiences in Grimes County.

Content for this article was provided by Dale A. Fritz, Ph.D., District Extension Administrator-Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Program Planning Task Force to Provide Training During Mid-Management Centra On May 11, 2010

Program Planning Conferences are one of the most important meetings conducted by a District Extension Administrator/County Extension Director and Regional Program Directors. This process provides an excellent venue to coach, motivate and encourage County Extension Agents.

As District Extension Administrators/County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors begin thinking about establishing a Program Planning process that is part of a performance management system it is important remember that a program planning continuum is a series of related activities which includes the following;

• Distribution of Program Planning documents that provides expectations for programming, outlines key elements of plan (planning tasks with committees and task forces, marketing tasks, a series of sequential educational events, outlines evaluation methodologies, and outlines interpretation of results to elected officials and stakeholders, etc).
• Program Development Trainings and Workshops.
• Specialist Scheduling.
• Program Planning Conference.
• Plan review and feedback.
• Plan approval.
• Coaching and Feedback by District Extension Administrators and Regional Program Directors during the implementation of programs.
• Program Appraisal- this is where accomplishments are reviewed and goals for improvement in the future are established.
  

In an effort to improve processes related to program planning a program planning conference task force has been appointed. This task force has conducted a comprehensive review our program planning conference process and will be providing middle managers with recommendations during the Mid-Management Centra on May 11, 2010. The task force members include the following;

• Dr. Elaine Fries- Chairperson
  
• Hurley Miller
• Miles Dabovich
• Vincent Manniino
• Marvin Ensor
• Dr. Ruben Saldana
• Dr. Galen Chandler
• Dr. Susan Ballabina
  

This task force has been asked to accomplish the following;

1. Establish agency goals and objectives for program planning. These goals needs to be clear and concise and aimed to move our agency to the next level not just "we are going to plan good programs".
2. Review all current pre-conference documents developed to assist agents in preparation for program planning and establish consistent documents or templates to assist agents.
   
3. Review all current agendas and areas of emphasis for program planning and establish a consistent set of agendas and points of emphasis.
4. Review all processes associated with program planning and establish some best practices that are designed to ensure quality control.
   

As District Extension Administrators /County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors work with agents in developing programs in the future it is important to ensure that we are...

1. Focusing our efforts.
2. Developing our agents.
3. Optimizing our results.
4. Communicating our results to decision makers.
   

Remember, success in Extension is by design--it just does not happen! Extension Program Planning Conferences are the venue that District Extension Administrators/County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors utilize to establish plans that will result in success.

Hurricane Ike: Landscape Recovery and Renovation Project in Galveston County

In support of the Administrative Priority to Increase Capacity to Allocate Resources to Maximize County Program Effectiveness the Hurricane Ike: Landscape Recovery and Renovation Project was initiated. Soon after the storm, Dr. Johnson, CEA-Horticulture, and the Galveston County Master Gardeners were asked to partner with the Texas Forest Service (TFS) to conduct a survey of damaged trees on Galveston Island. Over 40 Master Gardeners responded to the call for assistance. A day-long training session was conducted by TFS to prepare these master volunteers on the data collection process. Over the next two days teams conducted the survey, covering 9.47 miles, or roughly 5 percent of the 204 miles of streets in the study area.

Results from the study indicated that approximately 11,000 public right-of-way trees were dead or likely to die and another 31,000 trees on private property were in the same condition. Dr. Johnson and the Galveston County Master Gardeners also participated in a series of videos detailing the situation.

Throughout much of the recovery process, Dr. Johnson served as a liaison between Galveston County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). At the County Commissioners' request, he conducted the initial tree assessment on Bolivar Peninsula. He then prepared documentation to support requests for tree/debris removal for the City of Galveston. These requests totaled in the millions of dollars and FEMA looked to him for the definitive word on the appropriateness of the applications. Dr. Johnson, working with Extension colleagues, has prepared numerous articles documenting the ecological disaster following Hurricane Ike. His collaboration with the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association has been instrumental in drawing the attention of industry professionals to the task of rebuilding the landscapes of Galveston County.

Replacing much of the landscape throughout the Texas Upper Gulf Coast represents a significant challenge. To address this critical issue, Dr. Johnson and the Galveston County Master Gardeners launched an initiative to rate more than 800 plant materials on their ability to withstand storm damage. These ratings were added to the Earth Kind Plant Selector Database - providing a comprehensive listing of adapted plant materials for the area. This tool will play an important role in ongoing efforts to rebuild Galveston County.

On September 26, 2009, the Galveston County Master Gardeners Association conducted an Extension Educational Seminar focusing on Landscape Recovery and Renovation. The program, held at the Galveston Convention Center, was attended by over 284 participants. This Landscape Revival focused on a wide range of adapted plants, soil preparation and installation techniques. With an overall satisfaction rating of 80% and increase in knowledge/intent to adopt practice values well over 50%, the program was considered highly successful at meeting strategic educational goals and objectives.

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service continues to serve the residents of Galveston County as they rebuild from the devastating effects of Hurricane Ike. Our Extension Office and the Galveston County Master Gardeners are committed to providing relevant, high quality Extension educational information to support the rebuilding process.

Content for this article was provided by Dale A. Fritz, Ph.D., District Extension Administrator-Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Monofilament Line Recycling Program in Chambers and Jefferson Counties

In support of the Administrative Priority to Target Outreach and Expansion the Monofilament Line Recycling Program was planned implemented in Chambers and Jefferson Counties. The target audience was local fishermen.

Fishing is popular in the coastal counties of Chambers and Jefferson and from time to time the fishing line will break and need to be discarded. Improperly discarded fishing line can remain in the environment for hundreds of years. Even though fishing line has been discarded in the garbage, it can still end up in the environment due to the coastal wind and birds use of the line as nesting material. Fishing line is both a pollutant and a potential hazard for fish, birds, and wildlife. Therefore, a monofilament line recycling program was established in Chambers and Jefferson Counties.

Such a recycling program has been successful in other coastal counties. Therefore, the project was initiated in the fall of 2009 in Chambers and Jefferson Counties. Collection containers have been constructed by volunteers and included branding for the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Sea Grant Program in Texas. News releases and signs have been created to notify the fishing public about the recycling project. Containers will be emptied by the Coastal and Marine Sciences Agent and/or volunteers and contents sent to a local recycling center. Final results will be a cleaner fishing area and reduced entanglement problems for fish, birds, and wildlife.

As of November 2009, six outdoor recycling bins have been placed in Jefferson County and six outdoor recycling bins have been placed in Chambers County at public boat ramps. Inside collection bins are also located at the County Extension Offices in these two counties. A total of 3 news releases and 1 television spot have been used to promote the program. Also, announcement of this program was made at other Extension educational activities. Over 2 pounds of line and a 600 foot gill net have been collected in late 2009.

This program will continue into 2010. More bins will be placed throughout the counties as volunteers and locations become available. Local sporting goods stores will be recruited to participate in the program as well.

This program will continue to address key environmental and recycling issues and reach out to the fishermen audience.

Women's Forum in Burleson County

In support of the Administrative Priority to Target Outreach and Expansion the annual Women's Forum in Burleson County addresses key topic areas specifically for women. The Women’s Forum is an educational event filled with a variety of educational topics from which participants choose to attend. The day of learning and fun includes a luncheon and a fashion show, and is topped off with a keynote speaker. A committee, of 12-15 people, meets during the first few months of the year to plan and organize the event and identify topics and potential speakers.

The keynote speaker for the 2009 Forum was Michelle Bright, Director of Education, St. Joseph Health System. Concurrent sessions included the following:

• Dealing with Diabetes
• Gold Medallion Club (Opportunities for Seniors)
• Home Care for the 21st Century
• Operating a Bed and Breakfast
• Ms. Do-it-Yourself
• Preparing Your Family for Pandemic Events
• Self Sufficiency and Saving Money at Home
• Super Scrapbooking
• Looking Your Best for Less
• Toss It Up
• You Should Be On Stage
• Livin’ Simple, Livin’ Green
• Landscaping
  

The 2009 Women’s forum was well received with over 100 attending. Participants were very complementary of the topic areas and overall program. The overall rating of the forum was 3.6 on a 4.0 scale.

This program will continue to address key issues and concerns of women and reach out to audience.

Content for this article was provided by Dale A. Fritz, Ph.D., District Extension Administrator-Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Networking Conference Addresses Basics of Seeking External Funding

In support of the Administrative Priority to Increase and Diversify funding the Tarrant County Leadership Advisory Board (LAB) planned a networking conference for County Extension Agents in surrounding counties. The topic of the conference was “External Funding”. The LAB was instrumental in recruiting an excellent panel of speakers that provided an overview of external funding opportunities. The panel included Mr. John H. Robinson, Amon G. Carter Foundation, Ms. Linda McMillan, Funding Information Center, and Ms. Ellen Ray, Private Consultant.

Mr. Robinson provided information from the standpoint of the funder, what he is looking for in a grant proposal and steps one should take prior to and during the proposal process in order to be successful. A couple of specific things he mentioned that are quite important in the grant seeking arena are to do the research on the funder and to develop a relationship with the funder. You should know who and what the funder has supported in the past. It is also important to make the phone call and seek their suggestions for proposals.

Ms. McMillan provided information on the services that are provided to the non-profit sector by the Funding Information Center. They provide non-profit agencies access to a data base which includes donors across the U.S. who support a wide range of programs, projects and activities.
Ms. Ray is a consultant in the field of fundraising and has extensive background in working with non-profit agencies. She provided information to the group related to seeking local donors and sponsors who will support our efforts. In her message to the group two points which she emphasized, ask for support and build a relationship with potential donors.

Following lunch, Mr. Clint Wolfe, Grant and Program Coordinator of Texas AgriLife – Urban Solutions Center provided an overview of seeking grant funding opportunities, tips for success in the proposal process and guidelines for working with Texas AgriLife Contracts and Grants. Mr. Wolfe pointed out that “the best proposals we can submit are those that build on or expand the programming that we have in place” and don’t think that obtaining funding is the biggest challenge – successful management of funding is a challenge and how you manage and report to the funder will impact future success in seeking grant funds.

As the conference concluded some things were worth repeating

• Build relationships with potential donors.
• Grants are one source of funding but seek other opportunities through local partnerships, donors and sponsors.
• Build on the successful programming that is already in place – could funding help expand the program and reach more people.
• Last but not least – ask!
  

Helpful websites shared by Mr. Wolfe:

• Grants.gov http://grants.gov
• Texas Register http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/index.shtml
• AgriLife Contracts and Grants http://agcg.tamu.edu

Content for this article was provided by Dana Tarter, County Extension Director-Texas AgriLife Extension Service.