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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAg & Extension 03-04-03 x ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Clarence Malick, Chairman St. Croix County Board FROM: Chris Bethke, Chairman COMMITTEE TITLE: Extension Ag Committee/Resource & Education Committee DATE: March 4, 2003 TIME: 12:30 p.m. LOCATION: Agricultural Services & Education Center CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES ACTION ON VOUCHERS UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT • Federal Budget Report • State Budget Report • County Budget Report • Personnel WACEC PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S REPORT • Recycling Specialist Recruitment • Mercury Ban Legislation • State Budget Implications • DNR Efficiency Grants AG AGENT'S REPORT • Dairy Nutrition Update • Milk Money Program • Pesticide Applicator Training • Large Dairy Group • Department Head Meeting • Heart of the Farm Conference • Beef/Cow Calf Tour • Farm Analysis Presentation • 4 -State Forage Conference 4 -11 YOUTH AGENT'S REPORT • Camp Counselor Selection • Mini Talent Explosion • 4 -H Club • Partnering with Blue Devil Collegiate 4 -H Club RESOURCE AGENT'S REPORT • Heartland Vision Workshops • Small Business Management advising • New Richmond Business Market Analysis • Economic Multiplier Analysis FAMILY LIVING AGENT'S REPORT • Family Resource Center • Caregiver's Group • Nutrition Education Program • Jail Program • Grants NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order.) SUBMITTED BY: Kim Reaman DATE: February 19, 2003 COPIES TO: County Board Office County Clerk News Media/Notice Board Committee Members AG & EXTENSION /RESOURCE & EDUCATION /PLANNING COMMITTEE Tuesday, March 4, 2003 Ag Services & Education Center, Baldwin Convened: 12:30 p.m. Adjourned: 2:30 p.m. Present: Leon Berenschot, Ronald Raymond, Art Jensen, Lois Burri, Dave Fodroczi, Lee Milligan, Jim Janke, Kimberly Reaman, Mary Lestrud, and Jon Behling Absent: Chris Bethke The meeting was called to order by Vice Chairman Leon Berenschot at 12:30 p.m. Date of next meeting was set for Tuesday, April 1, 2003 at 12:30 p.m. Art Jensen moved that the agenda be adopted as presented. Lois Burri seconded the motion. Motion carried. Art moved that the previous meeting's minutes be approved. Lois seconded the motion. Motion carried. Lois moved that the vouchers be approved. Art seconded the motion. Motion carried. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT Federal Budget Update —No report. State Budget Update —The Governor's proposed budget includes a budget reduction in the range of 5% to 12% for the 2003 -2005 budget. The Dean and Director of UW- Extension is using an 8% reduction as a target for planning. That represents approximately 1 %z million dollars. There will be increased scrutiny of out of state travel requests, holding positions open for longer periods of time and elimination of 2 -agent positions in the same program area as those positions become vacant. County Budget —No Report WACEC Update —The video, "Delivering the WACEC Message ", was shown to committee members. Leon, Lois, and Mary will travel together to Madison for the state WACEC meeting March 31 -April 2. An auction item will be provided by Leon. Personnel — Reaman announced that interviews for the 4 -H Summer Assistant Position will be held on Thursday, March 20, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the Ag Services and Education Center. Berenschot and Burn will help conduct the interviews. Horticulture agent, Jonathan Behling, was introduced to the committee. He plans to meet with the committee every other month since he is 40% time. 1 PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S REPORT Recycling Specialist Recruitment: Fodroczi reported that interviews for the Recycling Specialist position were scheduled for Friday, March 7 He said that Bethke and Burn had agreed to participate in the interview process, but Bethke would not be available due to his surgery. He asked if another Committee member wanted to participate on the interview panel. The Committee agreed that Jensen or Raymond would participate. Mercury Ban Legislation: Fodroczi summarized the Committee's support at the previous meeting for State legislation to ban mercury thermometers. He presented a resolution for the Committee to consider that would endorse Wisconsin Assembly Bill 23 and Senate Bill 10. Motion by Jensen, seconded by Burri to recommend the resolution for County Board approval on March 18 Motion carried. State Budget Implications: Fodroczi reported that the Governor's proposed State Budget would freeze State Recycling Funds at 1999 levels and divert significant dollars to the General Fund. He indicated that he would bring details to the Committee for comment during the budget review process, pending directions for County input. DNR Efficiency Grants Update: Fodroczi said the administrative rules for these grants were just 15th approved. Our County program would be eligible, and grant applications would be due April 4 -11 VOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENT'S REPORT Camp Counselor Selection — Interviews for selection of camp counselors is scheduled for tonight. There are 13 very high quality applications. St. Croix County is able to select 10 youth to be counselors. The interview process is designed to give members experience in an individual interview and a group interview where they can learn from one another's answers. The final piece of the interview involves a group activity so that the interview team can observe the members in a leadership role and how they interact with one another. Mini Talent Explosion -15 Clubs and 187 individual 4 -H members participated in the 4 -H Mini Talent Explosion. The event features club entries in Music and Drama and individual entries in Original Speaking, Interpretive Reading, Demonstrations, Arts /Crafts and Photography. As a result of their performance, 4 -H clubs and individual members were selected to perform at the 4 -H District Talent Explosion on March 15 and the WI State Fair. 4 -11 Club Change in Leadership — Several parents have filled complaints about lack of communication and disorganization in this 4 -H Club and have asked that the organizational leader be asked to resign. In two separate meetings, Reaman met with the parents and the organization leader to determine if it was possible to find some middle ground. When it became apparent that finding middle ground was not possible the organizational leader transferred to another 4 -H club in the community. In a re- organizational meeting with the club's parents Reaman helped the club work through the necessary leadership roles. Two parents have volunteered to be co- organizational leaders and other parents have taken on an assortment of other organizational tasks, which need to be completed. 2 Partnering with Blue Devil Collegiate 4 -H Club —The St. Croix County 4 -H Jr. Leaders will be partnering with the Blue Devil Collegiate 4 -H Club (UW- Stout) to sponsor a Spring Dance for 4 -H members and families on May 10. The Falcon 4 -H Club (UW -RF) will also be contacted and asked to help. The collegiate clubs will be responsible for promotion in their respective counties, providing transportation if needed, chaperoning, refreshments and decorations. The St. Croix County 4 -H Jr. Leaders will be responsible for securing a DJ and general promotion. Saturday, May 8, Reaman will be taking a group of 11 4 -H Jr. Leaders to supervise the playroom at Mary's Place in Minneapolis. RESOURCE AGENT'S REPORT Janke and the Planning Department staff organized two visioning workshops for the towns in the Heartland Town Planning project. Sessions were held on February 25 and 27 at the Hammond Town Hall. The towns agreed on a general vision statement and will be fine- tuning their individual statements during their February meeting. Small business counseling was held on February 6 with 5 clients. In addition, during February, Janke counseled three clients. Two more people called with quick business questions. Janke distributed copies of a recent article from the Hudson Star - Observer, which contained a feature article about a recent small business client who opened a new business in Plaza 94. At the request of Leon Berenschot and Bill Rubin, Janke helped prepare an economic multiplier analysis for the proposed expansion of a Glenwood City area business. The New Richmond Business Market Analysis is continuing forward. Janke met with the study committee on March 4. Projected completion is in May. Janke distributed copies of an article that he co- authored on Native American Gambling Casinos. The article was published in the journal "Focus on Geography" by the American Geographical Society. AGRIC'.T LIERF, AGENT'S REPORT A Pierce /St. Croix Dairy Nutrition Update was attended by 22 producers and consultants. Evaluations show that 100% of the participants increased their understanding of the use and economics of feed additives. Eleven producers identified specific changes they would implement. Five specifically identified they will add biotin to the ration based on the research results and economics of it. Ninety -three percent identified an increase in their understanding of increasing milking frequency in the first 21 -42 days of lactation. Milligan has developed a Milk Money team on a dairy farm. This team is focused on improving milk quality on dairy farms. This is a pilot project for Milligan. Milligan and Greg Andrews, Pierce County UWEX agriculture agent, taught the Pesticide Applicator Training course to 31 producers. 3 Eleven dairy producers have met with Milligan to discuss their past financial and production performance. They developed plans to improve their situation. Milligan is coordinating the St. Croix County Dairy Banquet with AgSource staff. Personal contacts focused on nutrition, country of origin labeling, rental rates, purchasing a farm, farm records, crop management, and farm management issues. In March Milligan will be teaching a breakout session on debt management at the Heart of the Farm conference for women. Milligan will be meeting with 11 producers regarding their financial production performance. They will also set goals for the future. Milligan is helping coordinate a Beef Cow -Calf tour in Pierce County for western Wisconsin beef producers. Milligan is also coordinating a milk policy meeting for area dairy producers in March. A dairy tour for producers is being developed by Milligan. Milligan will also be attending the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin annual conference and the 4 -State Forage Conference. FAMILY LIVING AGENT'S REPORT Mary discussed the Family Resource Center's new director's initiatives. Mary and Patty Draxler, the director, did a 15- minute radio interview on WIXK radio. She has also taken Patty to some of the Extension training opportunities. Mary has offered to teach a four -part parenting series called Raising Your Spirited Child for the Family Resource Center in May. She is also coordinating with their home visitor to receive training on WISLINE with UW Extension child development specialists. Mary also spent a day in Madison training 17 Family Resource Center directors on developing a Logic Model for their center outcome evaluation. The jail program has had a pilot class of four men. Mary showed a videotape of one of the men reading aloud to his child and read an excerpt from one of the journals. The class is currently putting together a book of their family writings, which will be sent to the children and inmates. Evaluations from inmates and their families will be shared at the next meeting. Mary and Michelle Johnson from the Hammond Library will teach this class three times each year. This program is funded through a grant from the New Richmond Community Foundation. Mary has also applied for a Western District UW Extension grant to purchase more books for the program. The Nutrition Education program has focused on calcium intake. With many nutritionists believing that we have a calcium crisis, which will lead to extensive osteoporosis in later life, it is important to encourage young families to increase the calcium intake of the children and adults in their households. 4 Mary has written two United Way grants and defended them in front of a citizen's panel. One will allow continuing support of the Family Camp Program and the other will subsidize printing costs for the Parenting the First, Second, and Third Year newsletters sent out by the three hospitals in St. Croix County. Mary also wrote two AnnMarie grants, one for the summer 4 -H clothing workshop and another for ongoing support of the Reading Festival. Art moved to adjourn. Lois seconded the motion. Motion carried. Submitted by, Art Jensen Secretary CZ 5