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Home My WebLink AboutAg & Extension 04-03-07 NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA ST. CROIX COUNTY AGRICULTURE & EXTENSION COMMITTEE April 3, 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 —May 1, 2007 APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: • Federal Budget • State Budget Report • County Budget Report • WACEC • Personnel • Strategic Planning o Public Value Statements Other Administrative Items OLD AND NEW BUSINESS: AGENT'S REPORTS: Resource Agent • Pete Kling Ag Agent • Lee Milligan • Educational Program Update • Research Activity Update • Farm City Day Family Living • Joan Sprain • Family Living Update 4 -H Youth Development • Kimberly Reaman • 4 -H Update Horticulture Agent • Ruth Hilfiker • Direct Marketing Programming ADJOURN SUBMITTED BY: Kimberly Reaman DATE: March 23, 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. 3/23/2007 10:02 AM i Agriculture & Extension Committee April 3, 2007 Agricultural Services & Education Center Convened: 9 am Baldwin, Wi. Adjourned: 10:40 am Present: Ronald Raymond, Lois Burri, Bill Peavey, Gene Ruetz, Sharon Norton - Bauman, Lee Milligan, Pete Kling, Kimberly Reaman, Joan Sprain, Hilfiker Hilfiker, and Mary Lestrud. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Ron Raymond. Date of next meeting was set for May 1, 2007 Norton -Bauman moved that the agenda be adopted as presented. Ruetz seconded the motion. Motion carried. Ruetz moved that the previous meeting's minutes be approved. Raymond seconded the motion. Motion carried. Peavey moved that the vouchers be approved. Burn seconded the motion. Motion carried. Administrative Report WACEC Board Supervisor Burri and Sprain attended the WACEC State Convention in Madison during March 26 -28 They met with staff from each legislator's office. 1. Senator Sheila Harsdorf s office: Is for protecting State Aid to county fairs. Is interested in meth use prevention educational activities 2. Representative Kitty Rhoades: Interested in transportation issues and bio fuels. We explained Kling's potential role in these issues. 3. Representative John Murtha's office: Resurrecting a bill related to meth from last session. Supports 4 -H. Is interested in attending one of our Ag & Extension Committee meetings and considered the May meeting. Board Supervisor Peavey will contact Representative Murtha to delay this visit until summer. Sprain thanked Burri for attending and her willingness to walk throughout the Capitol to make these visits. All members owe Sprain $5 for the Silent Auction gift. (All paid in full.) Public Value Statements Sprain and Kling reported on the first draft of the Public Value Statements that the committee requested. After discussion, it was decided to prepare a draft cover letter by next month's committee meeting to be reviewed and then mailed with the public value statements to all County Board members. This will be a separate mailing from the normal County Board packet. 1 e This will also precede the Annual County Board report. This may be followed up throughout the year with a focused report on each program area. CPAG Chancellor David Wilson will be visiting St. Croix Co. on July 19 during the St. Croix County Fair. Sprain shared that the staff has decided to use the opportunity to create a short term Community Partnership Advisory Group (Each county is expected to create a CPAG group) to help plan the activities and promotion during the fair and his visit. Family Living Report Sprain decided to postpone her report to next month since she had reported on several administrative items. Ag Agent Report Milligan reported on the recent Farm Business Arrangement and Estate Planning Conference sponsored by St. Croix County and Pierce County UW- Extension Offices. There were 51 participants. The evaluations were excellent with comments such as "This is the best meeting I have attended in years and I want to attend another one just like it. I will tell everyone about it." Evaluations also indicated 80% would use this information as background information before meeting with their attorney and 86% determined the information was helpful as they make decisions. Milligan also reported several St. Croix County producers attended an area UW- Extension Bio- diesel Conference. Milligan is working with a producer who will be growing canola to produce about 4000 gallons of bio- diesel. Resource Agent Report Kling is working with Andrew Dane (Barron and Chippewa Counties) on a UWEX Cross - Divisional Program Innovation Fund grant application titled: Earth, Wind, and Fire: Preparing for the Bio- Economy in northwest Wisconsin. If awarded, the grant will help convene a regional bio- energy team, develop an interactive website, develop a bio- energy community preparedness guide, support a bio- energy tour, and identify bio- energy pilot projects. Horticulture Educator Report Hilfiker, the Horticulture Educator gave her in -depth report on direct market programming. Hilfiker's three major program areas are: 1) Direct Marketing, 2) Sustainable Fruit & Vegetable Production, and 3) Environmental Landscape Management. Recent program progress in direct marketing includes: • Direct Marketing 101 Workshop, March 17: Thirty -five rural landowners and small farm business owners interested in initiating or expanding direct marketing of ag products participated in the workshop. Sessions taught included: Conducting your own farm market research, Marketing strategies to improve profits, WI food licensing and regulations, Making 2 decisions for your small farm business and Hilfiker co- taught a session on Surviving the financial statement challenge. An evaluation of the workshop indicated that about 70% of the producer's knowledge of these subjects was poor to fair prior to the workshop. As a result of the workshop, approximately 85% of the producers indicated their knowledge was significantly increased in each of the subject areas and they planned to use the information. Comments from attendees included: "We've kept computer financial records, but haven't gotten into making use of the info. This should help us get a start." "I learned I need to plan time to think through the long -term and make decisions based on plans, not quick thinking — what seems good at the moment." "Avery educational and enjoyable day!" • St. Croix Direct Marketing Group — As a result of previous workshops offered by Hilfiker, a group of 10 small farmers will be working with Hilfiker to develop a marketing group for cooperative purchasing and marketing. • 2007 Farm Fresh Atlas for Western Wisconsin — The Atlas is a guide to farm markets, CSAs and other direct market small farms. It will be available for distribution April 15. Hilfiker played a lead roll in redesigning the Atlas and in public relations initiatives for marketing the Atlas. Extension Committee members were asked for suggestions on places to distribute the Atlas. • Buy Fresh, Buy Local Display at the County Earth Day Celebration, April 21, Hudson Middle School — Hilfiker will have a Buy Local direct marketing booth at the celebration with 4 farmers. • St. Croix Valley Direct Marketing Newsletter — Hilfiker will be developing a quarterly marketing newsletter for producers this spring, one was distributed this winter. • St. Croix Valley Buy Fresh, Buy Local Marketing Campaign — A $20,000 grant was received by the Land Stewardship Program in St. Paul with Hilfiker's advisory support. She worked with the group to develop a promotional logo that will be made available to local farmers. Ruetz moved to adjourn. Norton -Bauman seconded the motion. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned Respectfully submitted, Gene Ruetz Secretary 3