Annual Report : 2001 Annual Report

Annual Report 2001

ANNUAL REPORT  2000 - 2001

"Helping You Put Knowledge to Work"

HIGHLIGHTS

65  4-H Clubs 29  Satellite Programs 681  4-H Youth Involved in Clubs 343  4-H Adult Volunteer Leaders 427  Youth involved in 4-H/EFNEP Groups 5,857  Total Youth Reached 1,023  Ag Workshop Participants 1,079  Farm Visits/One-to-One Ag Related Contacts 1,530  Home Horticulture/Master Gardener Contacts 427  Families reached through Nutrition Education Program 571  Families received Consumer and Money Management Information

Randy Getty, President,  Robert Wright, Vice-President

Elaine Sweenor, Secretary,  George Allen, Treasurer

Mark Anderson, Marge Randles, Roger Ellis

Supervisor Representatives

Bruce Ferguson, Jock Williamson, Merrilyn Pulver

Extension Representatives

Steve Lane, Dan Wilson, Gordon Searles, Mike Gillis, Linda Southworth, Donna Anderson, Butch Gilchrest

4-H & Family Living Program Committee

Walter Sutliff, Dave Perry, David Holck, Ellen Fullerton, Sylvia Weaver, Julia Reynolds, Karen Sheldon, Gerald Chamberlain, Claire Strohmeyer, Nancy Flint-Budde

These are the staff who carryout the programming.  Their main areas of focus are Agriculture; and Family and Youth Development.

Executive Director- Madeline Pennington

Agriculture- Sandra Buxton, Aaron Gabriel, Susan Greth, Laura McDermott

 4-H & Family Living- David Shippee, Eileen Ciance, Fannie Glover, Chrys Nestle

Nutrition Education Program- Linda Steves, Darlene Hume, Elizabeth Lopez, Marie Monty

Support Staff- Bonny Smith, Connie Havens,  Deborah Henley, Barbara Lapan, Linda Nicholson, Donna Schiavoni

Personal Finance Workshops: 147 participants developed skills in developing a spending plan, understanding credit and basic banking skills, and developing strategies for increasing savings and reducing debt. Workshops in money management are offered to individuals and families through Washington County agencies and organizations. These agencies /organizations include the DSS (Welfare to Work Program), NYSEG "Power Partner$" Program, Youth Bureau (ACC Youth Conference) Head Start, Employee Assistance Program, The Career Center for Dislocated Workers, and the EFNEP regional training.

Family Farm Expo: An interactive, exciting public event that brought over 500 people to the Washington County Fairgrounds to learn more about agriculture and the connection that every person needs to have with it. Kids took an active role in learning about the many areas involved in farming and the related businesses through activities, displays, and experiences.

Power Partner$ Program: Combines the resources of CCE and N.Y. S. Electric and Gas to help customers gain control of their energy bills and become more financially independent. CCE provides the educational component in money management. In addition to sending 18 monthly money management newsletters, budgeting workshops are held, a budgeting calendar and self study materials are used to help families develop a spending plan. 118 people enrolled in the second 18 month cycle

2001 Local Dairy Tour : 75+ farm participants learned about a variety of improvements that their neighbors are pursuing. Topics covered by the tour included examining different options for cropping systems as a way to improve profitability, looking at a new facility and the methods used to adapt it into a labor efficient system for manure handling, as well as learning about an alternate method to dispose of carcasses on farm in an environmentally friendly manner.

Vegetable Meetings: 45 Vegetable farmers attended 5 meetings during the growing season that dealt with the following topics: Heirloom Tomato Production, Pumpkin & Vine Crop Production, Trickle Irrigation, Organization of Farmers Markets, Tour of Local Hannaford vegetable department.

Home Buyers Club: A financial and economic education program funded through a grant from Evergreen Bank. It moved 50 participants towards developing personal assets that may result in home-ownership. First time home buyers work on money management, saving for a down payment, securing a credit report, and working at strengthening their credit score. They also learn about each phase of the home buying process and determine if they are ready for home ownership. The goal is to help communities turn renters into homeowners to the benefit of their families and their neighborhoods.

Ag Publications: have been revamped and strengthened as a medium for providing technical information about topics of local importance, with over 1750 documents being mailed each month. Ag Report, a weekly summer publication maintained up-to-date info on weather, pests, and prices, while Ag Digest, Ag News and Part-time Farmer provided technical production information.

Promoting the army worm alert before it hit our area was helpful.
Ag Report Enrollee

4-H Program: Currently there 73 4-H Clubs with 728 members being supported by 361 Volunteer Leaders. 4-H youth are working on projects that foster life skills ranging from nutrition, finances, and citizenship to animal science, safety, and leadership. In addition, 4-H youth are also involved in school enrichment, and special interest groups reaching another 5,911 young people in Washington County.

We were greeted by helpful and knowledgeable staff. We felt we had left our daughter in the best of care.
4-H Parent of 1st Time Camper

Financial Counseling and "Power Pay" Computer Debt Analysis Program: Individuals and families requesting one-on-one help with money management receive individual counseling and help with developing a spending plan. A Power Pay computer debt analysis is offered to people requesting help with debt reduction. The printout is a visual tool that shows the time it will take to pay off debt by using the fold-back method of debt repayment and the interest saved by using this debt repayment strategy.

Agricultural Economic Development Program (AEDP): Aims to retain and attract businesses in Washington and Saratoga Counties by increasing ag viability and profitability. Through partnerships and innovative programming, farms are learning about grants and other opportunities.

Combining Family and Business For Success: Enabled 45 small business owners the opportunity to learn about skills and attitudes that are impacting how their business is achieving success. Learning how to handle the overlap between business needs and family responsibilities will reduce stress and improve communication within the business and the family.

Excellent, nice not to be talking about cows and numbers. Family communication is the real challenge for the future.
Participant

Ag Spanish for Managers and Employees: 22+ participants received at least 20 hours of classroom instruction during a three month period. The multi-session class was designed to provide a basic vocabulary of Spanish language and understanding of Hispanic culture for managers and supervisors of a growing Hispanic labor force.

Reality Check: Youth are being empowered to take a leadership role in their communities as they learn about the health impacts of smoking and fight against the marketing strategies of the tobacco industry. Students from 3 school districts in Washington County have been actively participating and are recruiting new members.

Reality Check has made everyday life less complicated. When you approach life knowing your capabilities, and having an open mind to what people present to you, the major trials in your life become trivial.
Reality Check Youth Board Member

Compost Network: In response to county interest a number of farms are participating in a network to connect composters with bulk material producers, like municipalities and sawmills. Other participants are learning how to safely dispose of slaughter waste and animal carcasses through composting.

Ventilation/Fly Control Meeting: Provided insight and information for 55 farmers on how to address and improve fly control in facilities. Factors which can dramatically affect population levels and the issues of pesticide controls were discussed as fly populations reduce animal performance and profits, as well as annoy both farmers and their neighbors. In the ventilation segment, farmers learned how to measure and monitor ventilation, what the guideline levels are and why there is a difference between ventilation and air flow.

Maintaining Milk Production on @!)&#! Forages: Difficulties caused by a wet, cool harvesting season compromised forage quality for many farms. This program allowed 30 farmers and animal nutritionists the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the challenges they were facing in the next six months as local herds consumed this feed. By thinking and planning ahead, they were better able to withstand these difficulties.

Nutrition Education Program: Nutrition Education Program Assistants (NPA's) shared nutrition, food safety, money management, and parenting information with 365 limited resource families, individuals and seniors. They assisted them with the development of decision making skills to manage their Temporary Assistance, WIC checks, Food Stamps, Social Security, and earned income. NPA's taught nutrition through hands-on activities to 347 youth in homes, summer recreation programs, and a day camp. Also, 13 EFNEP youth were able to attend a residential 4-H camp through donated funds.

Now this is what I call "home cookin", soupthat doesn't come from a can.
EFNEP Participant

Gardening at the Library: 7 public libraries in the County hosted garden seminars that were attended by 80 people. This outreach effort is coupled with the 19 garden clubs, civic organizations and private businesses that hosted staff and Master Gardener volunteers as speakers through CCE Speakers Bureau, providing outreach to 500+ people.

Deer Management: 60 farmers and rural landowners attended a 1/2 day workshop on the alternatives available for managing deer in Washington County. NYS Veterinarians, DEC Wildlife, CCE Natural Resources staff and professionals representing the fencing and agriculture industry spoke to the group. CCE is currently supporting a fledgling Quality Deer Management group in Granville in their efforts to reduce herd size and improve herd health.

Spring Garden School: 50 home and professional gardeners attended a 1/2 day seminar on grass in the home landscape. Topics included ways to better incorporate and highlight ornamental grasses and the care of turgrasses.

Diversity Training …"Faces In The Crowd": Designed to develop and increase awareness of some of our deep and least accessible root beliefs and attitudes concerning others. This interactive workshop assisted participants in enhancing tolerance, developing greater sensitivities of others, and deepening understandings of stigma and prejudice in our diverse world. Several trainings were conducted, educating students attending a Youth Bureau Conference, Southern Adirondack Childcare Providers Network, Washington County Youth Bureau, and 4-H Teen Council and Leaders.

Regional Fruit Program: This program supports the nearly half a million dollar fruit industry in Washington County with regular programming in industry tours, field meetings, newsletters, field research, winter schools, and farm visits.

Washington County Fair: Hundreds of youth and adults participate in activities that range from exhibiting animals and artwork to food preparation and giving blue ribbon presentations. Approximately 1600 youth experienced Ag on the Farm in the 2001 Extension Exhibit. The Master Gardeners manned a booth that provided information for garden projects that are child friendly. There were also children's activities provided every day to demonstrate some of the available projects.

Pesticide Application Training: CCE provides the initial training for applicators of pesticides to become certified and the educational credits necessary for applicators to remain certified under NYS law. 32 applicators participated in various classes throughout the county and 8 farmers were fitted for respirators by an Agricultural Nurse.