CD Weekly Wire - April 15, 2013

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AD Update:

Partnering = Professional and Programmatic Opportunities

We all know the importance of partnering with others for successful Extension work. It can (among other things) help us gain new ideas, multiply our efforts, and create new avenues for professional and program development. In some cases, working with others can build bridges that lead us to additional new partnering opportunities. (This is beginning to read like a definition of social networking…smiley). In this line of work, we have opportunities to foster new partnerships nearly every day. An ideal opportunity is the upcoming NACDEP at Galaxy Conference, September 16-20 in Pittsburgh. If you haven’t already over-committed yourself, please consider these ways you can serve the profession and get to know fellow Extension CD professionals from throughout the country:

  1. Help staff the NACDEP exhibit located in the convention hall – you will get to promote everything NACDEP (e.g. membership, upcoming conferences, board and committee involvement, etc.) and direct conference attendees to NACDEP-sponsored sessions and resources. Over the course of the week many volunteers are needed to staff the many different shifts. With as many as 3000 attendees, imagine how many people you could meet in a two-hour shift!
  2. Be a NACDEP ‘ambassador’ during one or more of the conference events -  welcoming committee members are needed during the riverboat trips on Sunday evening, at the conference registration tables, and/or to help coordinate the regional meetings and annual meeting. Pick and choose the task(s) that interest you most.
  3. Help plan and produce the NACDEP Awards Banquet – you can play a key role in designing an event that both stimulates and inspires our members while encouraging networking among both old and new friends, and/or you can help decorate, photograph award winners, design the awards program ‘handout’, etc.
  4. Serve on the NACDEP Newcomers committee – you can help design the program for prospective, new, and existing members who want to learn more about NACDEP (e.g. history, disciplines represented by its membership, learning and engagement opportunities, etc.).

I am very pleased with our commitment to NACDEP. Many of us serve (and have served) in a variety of capacities as well as attend and present at our meetings. Here is a chance to serve the profession and make new friends and colleagues. Please consider the ways you can contribute!

If you want to know more about these opportunities, please give me a call. If you are ready to volunteer contact Michael Darger, NACDEP President, at darger@umn.edu or 612-360-4478.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Local Food System Webinar - April 17:

A webinar titled Enhancing Food Security through Community and Regional Food Systems: Sharing Experiences and Lessons Learned will be held Wednesday, April 17, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It is sponsored by the Community, Local and Regional Food System (CLRFS) eXtension Community of Practice (CoP). Speakers from two projects funded through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Food Security grant program will discuss current research, outreach, and education efforts in community and regional food systems. For more information about the two projects and the presenters, click here. To connect five minutes before meeting time, visit: connect.extension.iastate.edu/clrfs.

Fruit and Vegetable Safety Program Workshops to be held in Toledo, Dayton and Canfield:

Ohio State University’s Fruit and Vegetable Safety Program has three new workshops scheduled on good agricultural practices (GAPs) for Ohio produce growers. The workshops will be the same at each location and will teach ways to reduce the risk of food-borne illness from fresh produce. Instructors will be from Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), of which the safety program is a part. Topics will include soil safety, water safety, worker training, worker hygiene, recordkeeping, traceability, good handling practices, and standard operating procedures. Workshops will be held at:

  • the Toledo Botanical Garden's Crosby Conference Center on April 19 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
  • OSU Extension's Montgomery County office in Dayton on April 23 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
  • Mill Creek MetroParks Farm in Canfield on April 25 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

For details on all three workshops, read the OSU Extension news release.

Montana Policy Review Webinar Series 'Community Responses to Energy Development' continues April 24:

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 third webinar in this series of six will take place Wednesday, April 24, at 11 a.m. MDT (1:00 p.m. EDT). Judy LaPan, Richland County Health Department Administrator, will present 'Healthy People in Healthy Communities: A Richland County Initiative.' 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, May 1, at 11 a.m. MDT (1:00 p.m. EDT).  Brent Moore, CTA Community Planner, will present Planning across Borders in the Bakken.

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SCHOLARLY / CREATIVE / OPPORTUNITIES:

Reminder - North Central Region Mini Grant Applications due by April 30:

Applications for the 2013 round of Program Area Support Funds from the North Central Region’s Cooperative Extension Deans/Directors are due by April 30. The offered funds are targeted to multistate team-oriented projects that address program priorities and especially those approaches that are cross-program area responses. Project proposals will be reviewed as they are submitted and will continue to receive attention until the funding has been committed, or until April 30. Click here to view the application, which includes descriptions, timeline, and guidelines.

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REMINDERS / UPDATES / NEWS:

OSUE CD 2012 Accountability Report Posted Online:

The 2012 OSUE CD Accountability Report is posted on the CD Professionals page. The 2011 report is also available at the same location. Thanks to everyone for providing your data and impact statements.

Have your Outreach Activity Featured in OSU Today:

OSUToday is launching a new feature, Commit to Our Communities, to highlight the many outreach activities the university is involved in. Send items to be considered for publication to gammage.2@osu.edu. Limit text to 125 words and include contact information, a web link, and a photo if applicable.

Articles of Interest:

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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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