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August 3, 2007
Topics in today's issue of Extension Update:
DATE CHANGE FOR NEXT EXTENSION ENGAGED
The Extension Engaged “WSU Extension and Master Gardener Foundations:
A Hand-in-Glove Relationship” with Linda Fox, Sherry Gordon and Don Tapio originally scheduled for Thursday, August 30 at 10:30 AM has been RESCHEDULED to Tuesday, August 28 at 10:30 AM. This presentation can be viewed via video stream at http://eces.wsu.edu/video/stream.html. Please be sure to mark you calendars with the date change.
NEW FEATURED PROGRAM ON WSU EXTENSION WEBSITE
The Rural Bridges Program from WSU Extension’s Center to Bridge the Digital Divide is the new featured program on the Extension website, http://ext.wsu.edu. It is designed using the new WSU Extension color palette and uses photos taken during the first round of the integrated marketing photo shoots.
GOV. GREGOIRE PROCLAIMS AUG. 12-18 AS WASHINGTON FARMERS MARKET WEEK - Farmers benefiting from direct sales to public at more than 100 markets
Farmers markets are sprouting up around the state as consumers show increasing interest in purchasing fresh local foods. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and Washington State Farmers Market Association (WSFMA) join Gov. Chris Gregoire in proclaiming Aug. 12-18 as Washington State Farmers Market Week-a time to recognize the benefits of local farmers markets. The number of markets in Washington has doubled in the last decade, increasing from 60 in 1998 to more than 120 in operation today. Statewide, farmers markets reported $38 million in sales in 2006, up more than 50 percent from the previous year. Most of those dollars go directly to Washington family farmers.
"Farmers markets play a key role in rural and urban locations and are increasing in popularity every day," said Kira Doley, treasurer of the WSFMA and manager of the Tacoma Farmers Market.
"People come for the welcoming atmosphere to buy the freshest fruits and vegetables available along with other farm products, high-quality processed goods, hand-made crafts, hot prepared food and live music," Doley said. "I think sales will continue to rise as people become increasingly aware of why it's so important to support sustainable farming and our local economies. The benefits are immeasurable."
One of WSDA's goals is to increase farmer and consumer awareness of the convenience and value of farmers markets. WSDA has provided grants to assist 20 different farmers market projects. WSDA also helps small farm operators comply with state and local regulations and policies as they market their products. With technical expertise from the WSU Small Farms Program, WSDA is publishing a manual on how to start and operate a farmers market.
"Farmers markets provide family farmers with direct access to the full retail dollar for their products, and provide the public with access to some of the freshest, best-tasting produce available from the Evergreen State," said Fred Berman, WSDA Small Farm & Direct Marketing program coordinator. "The growth of the farmers market movement is driven by consumer demand and it gives producers more opportunities to sell their products and consumers more flexibility to buy fresh local produce."
Many farmers markets are hosting special events to celebrate their growth and popularity. For farmers market locations, contact information, and more information on the WSFMA, visit www.wafarmersmarkets.com. Source: Washington State Department of Agriculture, released July 30, 2007
WTC RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS PROGRAM, AUGUST 29, 2007, INFORMATIONAL SESSION: 10:30 - 11:30 AM
The Washington Technology Center (WTC) competitively awards over $1 million per year to applied research projects that show strong potential for generating long-term economic impact in Washington State. Funding is available to help move innovative ideas out of the laboratory and into the commercial marketplace. Universities can leverage this funding to increase their industry connections and company-specific research activities. Research activities funded include: Proof of concept Research Prototyping Technical feasibility & testing. To learn more about WTC’s RTD program, attend a FREE one hour informational session where you will learn about WTC’s grant requirements, proposal deadlines, company partnerships, etc. Polycom (WECN) is available for regional campuses and research/extension centers upon request. -Sign Up- (19 seats left) ETC, Neill Hall, 416
WATER QUALITY AND AGRICULTURE IS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE LATEST ISSUES OF CHOICES MAGAZINE
Water quality and agriculture is highlighted in the latest issues of Choices magazine, just released by the American Agricultural Economics Association. The issue--Volume 22, No. 2, 2007--is available free of charge at www.choicesmagazine.org. The issue features four papers assessing the effectiveness and costs of key water quality problems and managements approaches relevant to Corn Belt agriculture.
This issue of Choices also continues the magazine's tradition of issue-oriented single papers. The four included in this issue are: Organic Demand: A Profile of Consumers in the Fresh Produce Market, Water Quality Credit Trading and Agriculture: Recognizing the Challenges and Policy Issues Ahead, Farm Growth, Consolidation and Diversification: Washington Dairy Industry, and Fruit and Vegetables Go Back to School. Other articles in this issue discuss development of the 2007 farm bill, the Doha Round of trade talks and the 2007 energy bill.
This is the last issue of Choices under the current editorial team, which is led by Bruce McCarl of Texas A&M University. The future of Choices is somewhat indefinite and will be addressed by the AAEA Board at its meeting in Portland next week, as well as in subsequent deliberations. To convey thoughts about Choices’ future, contact Outreach Task Force Chairman Steve Halbrook, steve@farmfoundation.org; AAEA President Steven Buccola, sbuccola@oregonstate.edu; incoming AAEA President Otto Doering, doering@purdue.edu; or AAEA Executive Director Terri Haffner, terri@aaea.org.
HARVESTING CLEAN ENERGY 8 CONFERENCE – SAVE THE DATE!
Save the date for the 2008 Harvesting Clean Energy Conference, to be held January 27-29, 2008 at the Red Lion Hotel on the River-Jantzen Beach, Portland, OR. This conference brings together agriculture and clean energy production to advance opportunities for rural economic development. Additional information and updates will be posted at http://www.capps.wsu.edu/cleanenergy and http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WEBSITE LAUNCHED!
As of Wednesday, August 1, you can access the Professional Development web site through the WSU Extension Faculty and Staff site or directly at http://ext.wsu.edu/pd . Please access the PD site and explore the various areas within. Take a few minutes to read the section on Core Competencies. WSU Extension peers from across the state identified the skills and attributes that individuals must have upon employment, or soon after, to be successful as an Extension educator and developed the competencies from those initial stages. These competencies are the basis for the Professional Development system.
Orientation is a process that begins when someone is hired for a position with WSU Extension. Found within the PD site is information for the new employee and their supervisor as part of this process, for example checklists for supervisors as well as for new employees. View the “Welcome to WSU Extension” video from Associate Vice President and Dean, Linda Kirk Fox. Please explore this section of the PD web site and email me with any questions regarding orientation processes.
NEW FACULTY AND AP ORIENTATION
WSU Extension and the College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences is holding the 2007 New Faculty and AP Orientation on August 14th – 16th. Invitations have been sent and we are looking forward to meeting new members of our WSU Extension “family.” Please note there will be a CAHNRS Update on Thursday, August 16th at 11:00 a.m. President Floyd is the guest for this update and will discuss his vision for CAHNRS and WSU Extension.
Please access the website at http://eces.wsu.edu/video/stream.html for more information.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENTS
ePortfolios for Learning and Assessment :: Web Conference – information at https://www.academicimpressions.com/web_conferences/0907-eportfolios.php
Distance Education Training in Community Development Skills
The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development is offering a 7-part series on "Understanding Communities and their Dynamics." This distance education training focuses on the ability to understand community of place, the nature of public issues, the dynamics and interdependencies of the various segments of the community, and the basics of community development work. The series is the first component of the "Foundations of Practice: Community Development Core Competencies for Extension Professionals," a professional development framework developed by leading extension professionals to provide a common language and understanding of community development work. The 1-1/2 hour sessions are available through Breeze technology. Registration is now available for the fall 2007 series, which starts in mid-September and runs seven consecutive weeks. For more information visit the NCRCRD Web site or contact Janet Ayres, professor of agricultural economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University.
From the WSU Extension Calendar of Events http://ext.wsu.edu/Calendar/index.asp . There are several more PD events listed on the calendar. Check it out!
2007 MANAGING IN COUGAR COUNTRY
Date: August 9, 2007
Computer and Network Security Awareness
Date: August 21, 2007
Media-Smart Youth Training
Date: August 22, 2007
SHORT COURSE ON PROGRAM PLANNING, ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING PROGRAM IMPACTS
A one-hour short course on program planning, assessment and reporting program impacts will be conducted on August 17 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am, at FSHN, T-101 or can be accessed via WECN. Jon Newkirk will be presenting the workshop targeting the Agriculture Issue-focused Teams, however the information is valuable for anyone planning, assessing and reporting program impacts. The focus of the workshop is “program planning with the end product in mind.” The end product is the impacts that the program generates. The course will be broadcast by WECN to locations across the state. Please check the WECN website (http://wecn.wsu.edu/calendar/) regarding the closest location. The course will also be recorded and archived for those unable to participate on the day of the course.
eXtension PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
eXtension's professional development opportunities are open to all Cooperative Extension faculty, staff and employees. No pre-registration. Please share this announcement with others and encourage them to pick a topic and try it out!
30 MINUTE SESSIONS
This month we are offering "30 Minute Sessions" on some new topics such as Open ID, user-centric design, Facebook, and Google Custom Search Engine. Give us 30 minutes and we'll teach you something useful! These sessions will be held via Adobe Connect Pro at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/learn and your telephone. Plan to join the session 5 minutes before the starting time. Each session will be held at 12:00 pm PT unless otherwise noted.
* Aug 15 at 12:00 pm PT, Jason Young with an Introduction to OpenID
More and more websites that require the site users to sign in with a username and password are taking advantage of an open protocol for authentication called 'OpenID.' eXtension is converting all of its web applications over to OpenID. In this session, we'll briefly touch on what OpenID is, and how eXtension is using it. But we also want to know what YOU want answered in an "Introduction to OpenID." Help us build the outline for the session by adding to the discussion at: http://collaborate.extension.org/wiki/Introduction_to_OpenID
* Aug 21 at 12:00 pm PT, Ben MacNeill on Creating Web Applications with User-Centric Design. The barriers to building web applications have never been lower. Individuals and small teams can create, deploy and test a web application in as little as a few months, weeks or even days. This iterative process gives designers and developers a chance introduce small changes over time and constantly refine the end product. This is a look at web application development from a design and user interface point-of-view.
* Aug 22 at 12:00 pm PT, Ray Kimsey with About FaceBook. Now you can have a Facebook account too! What used to be open only to students has been opened to everyone. Find out what Facebook is all about and learn how it took over the college campus. Is this the social networking utility for you? This is an introductory look at Facebook, its networks, groups, event calendars and how they can be used by Extension professionals.
* Aug 23, at 12:00 pm PT, Kevin Gamble on CES Google CSE (custom search engine). This session will show you how simple it is to use Google search technology to create a free Custom Search Engine that reflects your knowledge and interests. It will also show you the Cooperative Extension CSE, teach you how to place a custom widget on your own site, and show how you can participate in a collaborative environment to further customize and make it better.
Add these dates and topics to your calendar, and plan to join us on for one or more of these sessions in August!!
TO PARTICIPATE in any of the 30 Minute sessions…
1. Five minutes before the start time, go to the Adobe Connect Pro (previously known as Breeze) meeting room at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/learn .
2. You will be presented with a login screen that has an "Enter as Guest" option.
3. Enter your first name, your last name, and your institution/university, then click the "Enter Room" button to join the conference.
4. To hear the audio of the workshop and participate in the Q&A portion of the workshop we will be using a built-in teleconferencing capability of Adobe's Connect Pro conferencing software. Once you log into the meeting you will be presented with the option to enter your call-back number, your phone will automatically be called. After entering your number you will be automatically called and joined into the audio portion of the Web conference on your phone.
EMAIL LIST:
If you or a colleague would like to get notices about upcoming professional development sessions offered by eXtension, go to https://lists.extension.org/mailman/listinfo/learn and subscribe to the "Learn" email list.
RECORDINGS:
Recordings of many past professional development sessions can be found at the main eXtension wiki at http://about.eXtension.org and search on Recordings, or scroll down under Professional Development heading and find "Recordings of eXtension Professional Development Sessions", or search on the word Recording.
Looking forward to having you join us to learn something new in August!!
SCHEDULE
Linda will be in Pullman on Monday, Thursday and Friday. She will be attending the Council of Deans Workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday.
John will be in Pullman all week.
Linda Kirk Fox, PhD
Dean and Director
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. |
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