June 13, 2008

Topics in today's issue of Extension Update:

• MASTER GARDENERS CELEBRATE 35 YEARS WITH CONFERENCE
• ARTICLES OF INTEREST IN AMBER WAVES
• STRATEGIES FOR WINNING GRANT PROPOSALS SEMINAR
• SCHEDULE

MASTER GARDENERS CELEBRATE 35 YEARS WITH CONFERENCE
I’ve just attended a high spirited WSU Master Gardener 35th Anniversary Leadership and Advanced Training Conference at Fort Worden, Jefferson County.  This event offered content training, recognition, networking, and fun for the nearly 275 registered attendees. The Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State (MGFWS) and Tonie Fitzgerald, MG Program Leader, co-led planning the event. Fourteen in-depth 1 ½ hour educational workshops were taught by WSU faculty. I want to thank these individuals for their commitment to the educational seminars at the MG conference. Their commitment to the MG program is outstanding!

1. Jenny Glass, WSU Puyallup, Plant Problem Diagnosis—Western WA 
2. Marianne Ophardt, Benton County, Plant Problem Diagnosis—Eastern WA
3. Carol Miles, WSU Mt Vernon, WSU Research Projects on Organic Vegetable Production
4. Mercy Olmstead, WSU Prosser, Small-Scale Wine Grape Production
5. Craig Cogger, WSU Mt Vernon, Organic Amendments, Composting and Clover Crops
6. Todd Murray, King County, Role of MGs in Early Detection of Plant Problems
7. Tim Miller, WSU Mt Vernon, General Use Herbicides
8. Jim Kropf, NW District, Growing Cane Fruits
9. Rita Hummel, WSU Puyallup, Good Roots Make Good Cents
10. Sharon Collman, Snohomish County, Good Bugs, Bad Bugs
11. Tonie Fitzgerald, MG Program Leader, No-Doze Presentations—how to teach
12. Carol Mack, Pend Oreille County, Keeping the Forest in your Fire-Wise Landscaping
13. Steve Link, SE District and Tri-Cities, Planning for Xeriscaping in Central and Eastern WA
14. Pat Munts, Spokane County, Organic Farming and Gardening
15. Linda Kirk Fox, Rules and Responsibilities Related to Fundraising for MG, along with Sharon Commander and Ed LaCrosse, MGFWA on Roles and Responsibilities of MG Foundation Officers

In addition, Cinde Johnson, leader of the issued-focused team, gave a demonstration and explained the development and timeline for the new MG training modules! An on-line multi-media version of MG Basic Training will be available to county educators beginning Fall 2009. Start thinking now about how to use this valuable new tool to cultivate the best and brightest MG. For more information, contact Cinde Johnson at cindej@wsu.edu.

The conference also recognized Master Gardeners of the Year. From ten nominees:

1. Christine Bailey, Benton-Franklin counties
2. Cynthia Calbick, Grant-Adams counties
3. Ray Etheredge, Kitsap County
4. Susan McMahon, Jefferson County
5. Virginia Nelson, Kittitas County
6. Pam Ogle, Chelan – Douglas counties
7. Larry Owens, Pierce County
8. Diana Pieti, Yakima County
9. Wally Prestbo, King County
10. Jeanette Stehr-Green, Clallam County

The recipient of the honor is: Larry Owens, Pierce County. The MG of the Year committee of the MG Foundation of WA State seeks nominees and a committee of five makes the recommendation. Editor, Jim Black, of the Master Gardener Magazine will feature the recipient in the July issue of MG Magazine

ARTICLES OF INTEREST IN AMBER WAVES
AMBER WAVES, The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, has published two articles of interest in the June 2008 edition, and the are:  Defining the "Rural" in Rural America (John Cromartie and Shawn Bucholtz) and Farms, Firms, and Households, A Look at the Economic Well-Being of Farm Households (Findings, page 8) .  The Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U. S. Department of Agriculture publishes AMBER WAVES five times per year.

These articles can be found at:  Defining the "Rural" in Rural America,                   http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June08/Features/RuralAmerica.htm and
Farms, Firms, and Households,                         http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June08/Findings/FarmHouseholds.htm

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Topics include:

“Deep Strategy and Tactics.”  Dr. Eric Shulenberger, will discuss how successful proposals are researched, designed, and crafted based on an in-depth understanding of the funding process; knowing exactly what to do, why, and how to do it, the two critical groups of people in selection and funding of proposals: program managers and reviewers; the writing process itself.

“Enhancing Grants through Community Partnerships.”  This session will address the importance of developing and maintaining collaborative community partnerships that are intermingled in your grant proposal. Where do you begin? How are good community collaborators identified? How does collaboration work to identify common interests and purposes? We will cover best practices for working with a community partner on developing a strong proposal.

“The Two Sides of the Coin: Enhancing Your Grant Writing Skills by Reviewing Proposals.”  There is nothing like reviewing proposals to get a fresh perspective on grant writing. This hands-on activity will allow for the critique and group discussions of proposals. The moderator will facilitate the discussion and give concluding remarks.

Registration link:

http://www.gonzaga.edu/Campus-Resources/Offices-and-Services-A-Z/Academic-Vice-President/sponsored-research-and-programsoffice/default.asp

SCHEDULE
Linda will be in Olympia on Monday attending a meeting of the Puget Sound Partnership.  Tuesday she attends meetings at NW Indian College. On Wednesday, she will be in Skagit County attending presentations at Skagit Valley College and Skagit Leadership graduation.  She will also be visiting the Skagit County Extension office.  On Thursday, she will be visiting the Chelan County office, and the Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center.  On Friday she will be visiting the Kittitas County Extension office in Ellensburg.

Linda Kirk Fox, PhD
Associate Vice President and Dean
Washington State University Extension
411 Hulbert Hall, PO Box 646248
Pullman, WA  99164-6248
509-335-2933 Office
509-335-9223 Desk/Voicemail
509-335-2926 FAX
lkfox@wsu.edu
ext.wsu.edu

WSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.