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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAg & Extension 09-04-07 Re agenda NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA ST. CROIX COUNTY AGRICULTURE & EXTENSION COMMITTEE September 4, 2007 9:00 a.m. Agricultural Service and Education Center 1960 8`" Ave., Baldwin, WI CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING DATE OF NEXT MEETING — October 2, 2007 APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: • Federal Budget • State Budget Report • County Budget Report - Amendment to the St. Croix County Extension Agents Contract, 133 -HP82 • WACEC • Personnel • Strategic Planning • Other Administrative Items OLD AND NEW BUSINESS: AGENT'S REPORTS: Resource Agent • Pete Kling - General Report Ag Agent • Storm Damage Report • Education Program Update • Farm City Day Family Living • Joan Sprain - National Association of Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Annual Meeting St. Paul, MN September 17' -20 4 -11 Youth Development • County Fair Exhibit Report • 4 -H Food Stand • 4 -H Leaders Recognition Banquet • St. Croix County Plat Book Horticulture Agent • Farm Market Workshop ADJOURN SUBMITTED BY: Kimberly Reaman DATE: August 29, 2007 Copies to: COUNTY BOARD OFFICE NEWS MEDIA/NOTICE BOARD COUNTY CLERK COMMITTEE MEMBERS Items for County Board approval must be submitted to the County Clerk's office by Wednesday morning preceding a County Board meeting. 8/29/2007 10:59 AM Agriculture and Extension Committee - September 4, 2007 Page 1 of 2 AGRICULTURE AND F TFNSIO:N COMMIYFE , SEPTE'Al BER 4 ,2 007 Present: Ronald Raymond, Lois Burri, Bill Peavey, Gene Ruetz, Sharon Norton- Bauman, Lee Milligan, Pete Kling, Joan Sprain, and Ruth Hilfiker, The meeting was called to order by Chairman Raymond. Date of next meeting was set for October 2, 2007 Ruetz moved that the agenda be adopted as presented. Norton - Bauman seconded the motion. Motion carried. Burri moved that the September 4, 2007 minutes be approved. Ruetz seconded the motion. Motion carried. Burri moved that the vouchers be approved. Ruetz seconded the motion. Motion carried. Administrative Report Federal Budget —no report. State Budget — It will be months before the state budget is ready. County Budget: •Reaman reviewed the amendment to the St. Croix County Extension Agents Contract with the committee. Motion by Ruetz, second by Peavey to approve the amendment to the St. Croix County Extension Agents Contract. 133 -HP82. Motion carried. WACEC - Convention will be in June next year. Strategic Planning - Sprain reported that the staff will bring a proposed plan to the next committee meeting. 4 -H Youth Development Report County Fair — The entry of judging results is complete. The number of exhibits was up by 142 from last year for a total of 4,242 exhibits. 4 -H Food Stand — The Fair Board food stand chair contacted Reaman to offer 4 -H use of a permanent food stand on the fair grounds 8 days before the start of the county fair. In the past, 4 -H has run a small Coca Cola stand, with a limited menu, by the horse arena which was only open two days from mid afternoon to closing and was run by 5 individuals per shift. The permanent food stand required many more open hours, product, equipment and 2 to 3 times the help depending on the time of day. The Warren Bazille family stepped up as food stand managers and 4 -H clubs and committees jumped in to help make it a fantastic success. The 4 -H program generated almost $9,000 in income. 4 -H Leader's Recognition Banquet — The banquet will be Oct 9, 7 pm at the American Legion in Baldwin. Ruetz and Burri will help present the 4 -H leader awards for years of service. Norton- Bauman may also be able to attend the banquet and help. St. Croix County Plat Book — The 4 -H Leaders' Council will be reviewing bids to publish the next plat book this fall. It will be available in Sept of 20o8. With the declining sales of plat books, the profit from the food stand will help support the 4 -H Leaders' Council budget. Resource Agent's Report Kling provided an update on his strategic planning work with Health and Human Services. Kling worked with the Strategic Planning Oversight Committee (SPOC) to develop a logic model giving them a better understanding of their direction and purpose. The SPOC is charged with overseeing the strategic planning process at the unit level as well as the department level and is made up of staff from each unit as well as administration and county board representatives. Public Health was the first unit to work on their strategic plan. Lieska Giese (state division of Public Health) is taking the lead with assistance from Kling. Staff has met three times and have reached consensus on mission, vision, and values. The next step will be the identification of 3 -5 core strategies and then to develop goals and objectives to address them. Behavioral Health is the second unit to begin work on their strategic plan. Based on the existing information provided by previous planning sessions, Kling facilitated a discussion with staff to develop a mission and vision statement and adopt a set of values. Five critical issues identified by staff were initially substituted for core strategies but as the first draft of the plan was written, it became clear that the critical issues had no external stakeholder component. A decision was made to postpone further strategic planning until an external scan of partners, clients, and community members is completed. The Survey Research Center at UWRF is working with staff to develop a survey document that will provide external information for use by all units. Once this is completed, staff will identify 3 -5 core http: // 172.17.128.87/ Committee / Minutes /2007 /AgExt/agextO9O4O7.htm 2/11/2011 Agriculture and Extension Committee - September 4, 2007 Page 2 of 2 strategies with goals and objectives to address them. Kling said that strategic planning is likely to become part of his plan of work so that he can take what has been learned in working with Health and Human Services and apply it to other Depts. /groups /agencies. The immediate next step will be to work with UWEX staff to develop a strategic plan for our own department. Family Living Report Sprain will be attending the National Association of Extension Family and Consumer Science Educators Annual Meeting in St. Paul September 17th -20th. The University will cover registration costs of the conference. Horticulture Program Report Direct Marketing !! "Buy Fresh, Buy Local — St. Croix Valley" Project - Hilfiker presented the project promotional logo which she helped develop in partnership with the Land Stewardship Project of MN. The project committee has printed the St. Croix Valley logo on cloth farm market bags and aprons and made promo material kits available to growers. Growers at three St. Croix Valley farm markets are using the kits starting this fall. !! Direct Marketing to Institutional Buyers — Hilfiker announced that she facilitated a business arrangement between the Baldwin Hospital dietician and a local grower who will grow and procure locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables for use at the hospital. It is hoped that other such marketing arrangements can be made with other institutions in the future, possibly schools. !! Alternative Marketing Channels for Ag Producers Workshop — Hilfiker gave a report on a 3 day workshop she attended at the U of MN. She described new marketing options she became aware of at the workshop such as Co -op Partners who buy from small growers and St. Olaf College who pre -pays local growers for providing produce to the college kitchens. She learned of a new "Rapid Farm Market Assessment" technique that can be used to clarify customer trends. Tentative plans are being made to do an assessment of the River Falls Farmers Market this fall or next spring. It was discussed with the Extension Committee if they were interested in county policies that other communities have used to make Growing Locally more possible. Committee members would like Hilfiker to present possibilities in the future. Environmental Turf and Landscape Management !! Reducing Energy Costs in Greenhouses Workshop — Hilfiker if making tentative plans with the CRD agent in Chippewa Co. to hold a workshop that focuses on how greenhouse owners can deal with rising heating costs. !! Environmental Turf Management Workshop — Hilfiker discussed the growing interests in organic and low maintenance lawns and the inclusion of prairies in the landscape. The possibility of have a workshop for public park land managers and independent lawn service companies was discussed with the Extension Committee. It was concluded that a workshop should not be pursued for the coming year and Ruth should focus her work on direct marketing within her part-time position. Gaps in the educational system on the subject should be reviewed however. Chairman Raymond called the meeting adjourned. Respectively submitted, Eugene Ruetz Secretary m http: // 172.17.128.87 /Committee/Minutes /2007 /AgExt/agextO9O4O7.htm 2/11/2011