CD Weekly Wire - March 18, 2013

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AD Update:

Share, Learn, and Build Team – ‘Locally and Globally’

Our Spring CD Unit Meeting will be held April 3 in the Ag Admin Auditorium. As part of the agenda, we’ll have an opportunity to ‘fireside chat’ with Extension Director Keith Smith before lunch from 10:30-11:30. If you have questions you’d like Keith to address that day, please forward them to me by March 26 for compiling. Of course, you are free to ask questions on April 3 too. To help us plan for the right amount of pizza and salad from Adriatico’s (it is so good they don’t even need a website), please RSVP (regrets too) here. We are fine-tuning the details for the full day’s agenda and look forward to an informative, productive, and enjoyable meeting!

If you or others you know are interested in broadening your experiences and network with like-minded individuals from Africa, you may want to consider being a part of the ‘Professional Fellows Program’ grant application being proposed under the leadership of Robert Agunga. The focus of his project is ‘Economic Empowerment’ and involves bringing 20 mid-level professionals to Ohio for a 4-5 week visit. Your specific duties would involve hosting a visitor from Ghana or Uganda for a couple of weeks. The following year, you would be hosted by your visitor in their country for two weeks (all expenses paid). If you are interested or know of clientele that may be interested, you must respond to Robert Agunga’s invitation no later than March 22.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Montana Policy Review Webinar Series: Community Responses to Energy Development - March 20:

This webinar series is Montana-focused; however, much of what is being discussed is applicable and relevant to our approaches to this community issue in Ohio. Please plan to ‘tune in.’

The Montana State University Local Government Center is presenting a new webinar series focusing on opportunities and challenges brought on by the energy boom in northeastern Montana. The first webinar will take place Wednesday, March 20 at 11 a.m. MDT (1:00 p.m. EDT). Mark Haggerty and Julia Haggerty of Headwaters Economics will present 'Improving Fiscal Policy to Maximize Benefits of Unconventional Oil Development in Montana Communities.' This webinar considers the influence of state fiscal policy on the capacity for state and local governments to manage the impacts of energy development in order to ensure long-term economic benefits. There will be a brief overview of the unconventional resource in the Bakken with a focus on implications for revenue and then a comparison of state energy policies in Montana and North Dakota and a discussion of recommended changes to fiscal policy in Montana. For complete information, including how to connect and the list of series topics, click here. If you are unable to attend, all webinars will be recorded and archived on the Local Government Center website.

The next webinar in the series will take place on Wednesday, April 10 at 11 a.m. MDT (1:00 p.m. EDT).  Bret Smelser, Mayor of Sidney, will present 'Weathering the Storm: Community Responses in Sidney, MT.'

MSUE Fiscal Sustainability Webinar - March 26:

Local Government budgets will be affected by several economic forces that are beyond the control of local officials. The rate of the national and state economic recovery, the condition of the housing market, and international economic events will all affect both the revenues and the expenses of local governments. More importantly, the duration of the financial stress now facing local governments will be determined, in part, by the duration of these events. Michigan State University Extension will present 'Fiscal Sustainability Webinar: Local Government Finance in a Turbulent Economy - Economic Outlook for 2013' from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 26. Dr. David Schweikhardt is the speaker. Registration is required (events.anr.msu.edu).

Financial Affairs Webinar - March 27:

Homeowners, small business owners, farmers, and consumers looking to get a better grasp on their financial bottom lines can get tips on financial affairs in a free webinar offered by experts from OSU Extension's Income Tax School Program on March 27 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. For complete information, click here to read the CFAES news release.

Bioenergy Crops Workshop - April 8:

Opportunities for growing bioenergy crops in Ohio, energy policies that impact this activity, and potential markets for biomass are the topics that will be covered at a workshop taking place April 8 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Ohio State University's South Centers at Piketon. Registration is $10 and includes breakfast and hot lunch. To register, call 740-289-2071 (ext. 132) or 800-297-2072 (ext. 132), or e-mail mcglothin.4@osu.edu. The workshop is limited to the first 125 registrants. Click here to read the CFAES news release about the event.

NCRCRD 'Poverty & Other Socioeconomic Distress in the North Central Region: Assessing Trends' Webinar - April 11:

The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development will present a free webinar titled 'Poverty & Other Socioeconomic Distress in the North Central Region: Assessing Trends' on April 11 at 3:00 p.m. This webinar addresses the new geography of poverty that has emerged in the last decade.  Using a series of maps, the speakers will document patterns of poverty and other distress across the U.S. They will also take a detailed look at the North Central Region, focusing on poverty, unemployment, and household income over time, highlighting both points of distress as well as new points of prosperity in the region and provide a discussion of why some places have gained and others lost during the last decade. Speakers will be Linda Lobao, Mark Partridge, and Michael Betz of The Ohio State University and Richard Goe of Kansas State University. To view the webinar announcement, including how to enter the meeting room, visit: ncrcrd.msu.edu/ncrcrd/webinars. A list of upcoming as well as recorded webinars can also be found at this site.

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SCHOLARLY / CREATIVE / OPPORTUNITIES:

2013 Signature Program Guidelines now Available:

If you are planning on developing and submitting a proposal for a new Signature Program, review the recently approved guidelines and note the timeline that will be followed this year for the submission and approval process. If you have questions, contact Ken Martin (614-292-8793 or martin.1540@osu.edu). The discussion and logic model worksheet are due by April 15. The completed proposal is due by May 15.

2013 Research Grant Opportunities:

The RIDGE Center for Targeted Studies at the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC), in partnership with USDA Economic Research Service, is pleased to announce the availability of TWO competitive grant programs for 2013.

  • Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant Program (application due May 1):

This exciting new program is intended to support research (in the U.S.) by graduate students pursuing doctoral research in areas that closely align with the priorities of the RIDGE Center for Targeted Studies. Students currently enrolled in a PhD program from an accredited U.S. institution of higher education are eligible to apply for the RIDGE Center Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant Program. However, an applicant must have completed all formal work related to his/her area of study and be at the "All But Dissertation" (ABD) stage of the doctoral program. Download RFP

  • Food Assistance and Nutrition Challenges of Rural Residents and Communities (application due April 15):

As in past years, the SRDC RIDGE Center is seeking to invest in innovative social sciences-based research that explores the dimensions of the food and nutrition assistance challenges impacting residents (or communities) in rural America, including key populations such as Native Americans, immigrants, other racial/ethnic minorities, single parents, youth, the persistently poor, and others. For more information on this year's research priorities and details of the application process, download RFP.

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REMINDERS / UPDATES / NEWS:

New CD Fact Sheet Posted to Ohioline:

Nancy Bowen's fact sheet, Economic Development Series: Hosting a Successful Prospect Visit, is now posted to Ohioline. Click here to view CDFS-1504-13. Congratulations, Nancy!

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OSU Extension CD Mission Statement:

Ohio State University Extension Community Development helps communities enhance their well-being.


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