The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutU.W. Extension Committee - Minutes - 1/21/2015Agriculture & Extension Education Committee January 21, 2015 4:00 pm - County Board Room MINUTES 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 4 pm by Chairman Kittleson. Committee members present included Fred Strand, Jim Crandall, John Bennett, Marco Bichanich and Dee Kittleson. Also present were Tim Kane, Liz Lexau, Ian Meeker, Tessah Wickus, Matt Cogger, Donna Ganson, Jason Fischbach, Kathy Beeksma, Stephanie LaPointe and Karen Bade. 2. Approval of Minutes of October 22, 2014 Meeting (action item) Motion made/seconded by Bichanich/Crandall to approve the minutes of the October 22, 2014 meeting. Motion carried. 3. Public Comment There was no public comment. 4. Out-of-State Overnight Travel Requests (action item) No out-of-state overnight travel requests. 5. 2014 UW-Extension Office Budget Update Report Tim reviewed 2014 budget. Not all 2014 expenses and revenue have been posted, but current statement indicates UW Extension expenses will come within budget. 6. Educator/Agent Program Sharing Kathy Beeksma – NEP Coordinator Kathy Beeksma introduced Stephanie LaPointe, new Nutrition Educator hired in October and working mainly out of the Ashland County office. Stephanie has been teaching at the Drummond School and Lake Superior Primary. She will also be teaching in Bayfield, Ashland, Butternut, Glidden and Mellen. Jason Fischbach – Agriculture Agent  Promoting and presenting at Lake Superior Farming Conference – Feb. 6-7, WITC  Heart of the Farm: Women in Agriculture Conference – Feb. 14, Lakewoods  Number of one-on-one discussions on farm succession  Nutrient Management Plans continue – done about 32 plans – 20% of land in two counties  Shared end of year reports on fruit trials/program  Farm to School – High Tunnels are all up and some harvesting has already taken place o Student growers “Agripreneur) project. Will grow crops (tomatoes this next year) expose students to world of commercial agriculture and all it entails.  Wood Energy Team website – grant supported  Fruit Growers Summit  Finding sufficient labor force during harvest seasons has been a challenge for many area farms. Developing a website that will help connect those looking to hire with those looking for a job (bayfieldfarmjobs.weebly.com) Donna Ganson – 4H & Nutrition Ed 4H  4H reenrollments are pretty much in. Total numbers are down. Will be checking into where and why.  Held a Record Book Workshop with Drummond Explorers.  Sewing Camp is scheduled for Feb. 7 in Iron River. NEP  Bayfield K-2 series completed  Drummond 3-4 series completed  Ann Christensen is retiring the end of May and they will need to hire a replacement.  Kathy Beeksma added that plans for next year are already underway and that with the loss of Dan Corning they are hoping to develop middle school curriculum to expand beyond Ashland & Bayfield County. o Kathy currently is acting as a 25% regional program associate involved mainly in human resources work and is focusing on building trust between Extension offices and outside entities. Matt Cogger – Horticulture Agent  Lake Superior Farming Conference  Master Gardeners – starts next Wednesday – 27 people registered  Master Composter Training coming up March 24.  Farming for Profit series will be focusing on the dairy industry this year. Five sessions – February 2 – March 2. Tessah Wickus – AmeriCorps/VISTA Volunteer  Seed Savers education and planning  Seed Libraries inventories/organization  Seed Savers Alliance – packages  Updating Seed Savers Website  Helped write City of Washburn’s bee ordinance  Helped with 4H Winter Camp Ian Meeker – 4H Youth Development Educator  Winter Camp – 48 youth attended at Crosswoods o Cardboard sleds designed, built and raced o STEM hands-on experiences o Ice safety session o Quinzhee built and slept in overnight  Five more adults certified as leaders  Working with Leaders Association on how to add vibrancy to 4H.  CANSKI off and running, two gear check-outs (120-140 people have checked equipment out)  Kiting Club established – sailing the bay on skis  An Americorps/VISTA will be hired to work mainly with high tunnels.  Preparing for Superior Days – lobbying a telecommuting issue  Teen Court – six new panelists o Simulated crash while texting will be used for Law Day mock trial Liz Lexau – Family Living Educator Of the four areas that Liz does most of her programming in (Parenting, Relationship Education, Financial Education and Food Safety) she focused on reporting on her Relationships Matter program. The class is not just for couples because relationships affect:  Outcomes for kids  Community  Financial stability  Productivity  Confidence  Basic relationship skills Liz will be offering a parenting class, “Chequamegon Parents Connect,” beginning February 5. The class will be held every other Thursday from 5-6:30 pm at the Washburn Elementary School. It is targeted at parents of kids age 3-10. It’s free and refreshments and childcare are included. However, space is limited so registration is required. Tim Kane – Community Resource Development Educator  Leadership Program (deadline for applications Monday, Jan 26). Need minimum of 10. Will hold classes from 1-5 pm this year.  Business On Stage – Delta Diner presentation on Jan 27 – 6 pm  Superior Days – Feb. 24 & 25 in Madison, 5 legislative issues  Visions Northwest Board Strategic Planning Meeting – facilitated at meeting  MLK Day Lunch Program facilitation 7. Educator/Agent Involvement at County Fair  Dee expressed wish to see more involvement by Ag agent.  Matt and Jason are looking for ideas about how best to provide educational opportunities. Perhaps a block of time set up for back-to-back mini presentations that people would know about ahead of time.  Discussion about fruit summit 8. Next Meeting Date and Time Next meeting set for Wednesday, March 25th, 4 pm, County Board Room. 9. Adjourn Meeting adjourned at 5:35 pm. Submitted by: Karen Bade, Office Manager