Extension At A Glance - Lubbock County

Transcription

1 Extension At A Glance - Lubbock County Texas AgriLife Extension Service-Lubbock County! (806) ! Fax (806) ! Physical Address: 916 Main, Suite 201! Lubbock, TX 79401! Mailing Address: P.O. Box 10536! Lubbock TX Agriculture & Natural Resources / Community Development / Family and Consumer Sciences / 4-H and Youth Development MISSION Improving the lives of people, businesses, and communities across Texas and beyond through high-quality, relevant education. Volume Fourth Quarter Issue 4 In This Issue: Page 1 Students Develop Financial Management Skills Page 2 Dealing with Drought in Texas Chemical and Environmental Education The Science of Agriculture (Youth Ag Literacy/ Awareness) Page 3 Lubbock County Integrated Pest Management Field Scouting Program Building Strong Families Conference 2011 Lubbock Livestock Exhibitors Page 4 Hatching in the Classroom Better Living for Texans Do Well Be Well with diabetes Page 5 Texas Extension Education Association Senior Citizens Leadership Advisory Board Financial Management Students Develop Financial Management Skills I enjoyed learning about money management. This was a quote from one of the participants of the Dollars and Sense Financial Management Program this year. A total of 117 high school age, employed youth from Frenship and Monterey participated in this years series. Students learned about goal-setting, budgeting, credit and financial institutions. Highlights from student evaluations were: 52% of participants are following a budget since participating in the program; 38% have set personal goals - over half of these students actively set goals to save money; and 38% have increased their contributions to their savings accounts, since participating in the Dollars and Sense program Lubbock County 4-H Gold Star Recipients Bailee Wright, Joshua Dansby and Jill Henniger Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, service or accommodation in order to participate in Extension sponsored meetings are encouraged to contact the County Extension Office at to determine how reasonable accommodations can be made. Educational program of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

2 Extension at a Glance - 4 th Quarter 2011 Page 2 Water Conservation Dealing with Drought in Texas Texas faces many difficulties in dealing with water management. From flooding in July 2010, to the major drought affecting all of Texas in To assist consumers in helping them to better manage their available resource, the Lubbock County Staff developed an education exhibit which was set up at the South Plains Fair. The exhibit included information and handouts in three different areas: Lawn and garden, at Home, and Agriculture and Wildlife. The lawn and garden information addressed water conservation for lawns, watering guidelines for trees, and selecting native or adapted plants. The At Home information provided homeowners with quick tips, and water conservation practices to utilize in the home. The Agriculture and Wildlife section was broken down to assist with water management in the areas of crops, livestock and wildlife. This exhibit is available to be set up at any location; please contact us to schedule it. Agricultural Awareness and Profitability Chemical and Environmental Education Brant Baugh, Extension Agent - Integrated Pest Management licensing training. In addition, commercial applicators must obtain a commercial license to use these same products. Private applicator licenses are valid for five years, and the applicator must obtain 15 CEUs during that time to renew whereas, commercial applicator licenses are valid for one year and the applicator must obtain 5 CEUs in order to renew. In 2011, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Lubbock County trained 28 private applicators. In order for the applicators to receive the needed CEUs, this office sponsored 6 meetings for a total of 30 CEU credits for both commercial and private applicators. The Science of Agriculture (Youth Ag Literacy/Awareness) All Texas and U.S. residents rely upon the U.S. agricultural system for a safe and abundant food supply. Even though less than 2% of Texas residents live on the farm, 1 of every 7 Texas jobs is directly related to Agriculture. Agriculture is a major component of the South Plains economy. It is also important to recognize that Youth will have future involvement in the Democratic process that will impact Agricultural policies. The Ag In the Bag Youth Agricultural Awareness Fair is a collaborative effort conducted by the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Ag Committee in cooperation with Texas Tech University, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, South Plains Electric Cooperative, regional commodity associations, Natural Resources Conservation Services, and other partners that targets 4th grade students in Lubbock and the surrounding communities. The 2011 Ag In the Bag (11 th annual event) was conducted October Approximately 1,250 area youth attended this event. Educational sessions included: Texas Agriculture, Water Conservation, Cotton, Food Science, Meat Science, Corn, and Dairy. The Texas Farm Bureau s mobile learning barn and the South West Dairy Producers mobile dairy classroom were both viewed by participants. The Texas Department of Agriculture requires producers to obtain a private pesticide applicator license in order to use state restricted or state limited use pesticides on land that they operate for the purposes of producing an agricultural commodity. The Texas AgriLife Extension Service has been charged with providing private applicator

3 Extension at a Glance - 4 th Quarter 2011 Page 3 Lubbock County Integrated Pest Management Field Scouting Program Field applied research is very important component to an integrated pest management field scouting program. Information obtained from these plots give producers unbiased data on new technologies within their county and growing systems. The applied research projects conducted thought the field scouting program in 2011 were as follows:! Two Cotton seed treatment trails - seed treatment for thrips control and seed treatment for nematode control for Becker Underwood;! A cotton variety trial for Dow AgroScience;! Three chemical efficacy trials for control of cotton aphids;! Two chemical efficacy trials for control of spider mites in cotton. Approximately $30, dollars will be contributed to the field scouting program from participating companies. All research plots have been harvested and ginned this quarter and data should be ready for dissemination starting in January for the Beltwide Cotton Conference in Orlando Florida. Parenting Skills Building Strong Families Conference The Building Strong Families Board meets monthly to plan the Building Strong Families conference. The conference was held October 27, 2011 at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center with approximately attending. Grants were submitted to several businesses, civic clubs and agencies resulting in $5,050 in grants and sponsorships added to the $10,262 in reserves from previous years conferences, along with $4, from 469 paid registrations and t-shirt sales. Gender: Male 19%, Female 81% Area of Residence: Rural 44%, City 56% Reason for Attending Conference: Work Related 36%, Parent 32%, Both 32% Children Grade K % Age Groups: Under 20 Years 4%, Years 47%, Years 26%, Over 50 Years 23% Ethnicity: Hispanic 51%, Anglo 38%, African-American 10%, Asian & Other 1% Salary Range: <25,000/Year 31%, $25,000-$40,000/Year 26%, $40,000-$60,000/Year 25%, >60,000/Year 18% Did Your Employer Allow Attendance? Yes 75%, No 3%, N/A 22% Other Activities 2011 Lubbock Livestock Exhibitors Fall is a busy time of year for 4-H Livestock projects. During the 4 th Quarter, Lubbock County 4-H exhibitors validated 22 lambs, 15 goats, and 64 swine projects. In addition, 22 steer projects were validated in June for the show season. Entries for the 2012 Lubbock County Junior Livestock show and all 2012 major shows in Texas were due during this quarter. Lubbock County 4-H exhibitors had a total of 220 entries for these shows. The Quality Counts program teaches youth livestock exhibitors best management practices associated with livestock projects in order to insure a quality meat product. Beginning in 2012, Quality Counts verification will be required for all youth exhibitors at the major livestock shows in Texas. This year, 36 Lubbock County 4-H exhibitors were Quality Counts verified. In 2011, there were : Total lunch tickets collected 452; Total attendees/participants 522 returning conference surveys.

4 Extension at a Glance - 4 th Quarter 2011 Page 4 Hatching in the Classroom One of this years most popular curriculum enrichment projects for area school teachers was the Hatching in the Classroom, project. This year ten schools representing Lubbock ISD, Frenship ISD and Harmony Science Academy provided this learning experience, reaching 978 youth from kindergarten through third grade. Through this project teachers check-out an incubator and curriculum from the Extension Office, and are provided with two dozen fertilized eggs, provided by a local farm family. They then incubate the eggs for 21 days, learning about the daily development process of the chicks. Hatched chicks are then returned to the farm family to continue providing eggs for other classes to utilize. This project is provided free of charge. For information on signing up for this project, please contact Ronda Alexander. Better Living for Texans Mary Alice Roberts, BLT Extension Assistant Better Living for Texans qualified senior citizens centers are receiving a monthly nutrition program. This past quarter programs included: Eat Smart for Food Safety: Basics; Eat Smart for Holiday Food Safety; and Eat Smart for Food Safety: Shopping and Storage. These were presented to 4 BLT Senior centers with approximately 410 participants BLT results of 51 evaluations were used for the annual report with 89% being female and 51% being Hispanic. 26% were on WIC and 49% received food stamps. After the programs, 40% felt they could stretch their food resources to the end of the month. This was a drop from 71% to 63% who always run out of food. 77% reported using sanitation recommendations. After the programs the results showed a increase in those who intended to adopt the practices to 94%. 60% of the respondents had never been to Texas AgriLife Extension programs suggesting that BLT in Lubbock County is reaching new audiences. 91% rated Extension programs as excellent. Mary Alice Roberts, BLT Extension Assistant Better Living for Texans (BLT) three lesson series Back to Basics was continued for clients of Buckner My Father s House a Family Place Christian Women s Job Corp (CWJC). Six clients graduated in November from the lesson series. These lessons will be evaluated as a BLT series.! Nutrition Education classes for preschoolers were taught at My Father s House Child Development Center once a week introducing MyPlate.! Maggie Trejo, Mae Simmons, Copper Rawlings and 19 th Street Senior Community Centers received Nutrition Education once a month during the quarter.! First United Methodist Church was the meeting place for Grand Parents Raising Our Children Kids (ROCK) to receive Nutrition Education in October.! MyPlate, Portion Sizes, and Food Safety was taught twice for Young adults with Autism at the Burkhart Center at Texas Tech University.! Choose MyPlate was presented 3 times to participants at Pre Natal classes at the Lubbock Community Health Center and the Storks Nest.! One class was taught a Catholic Family Services introducing MyPlate and a cooking demonstration on Squash.! The Food Safety and You lesson was presented to two adult classes at Goodwill Industries in November.! Health Fairs this fall included: The 16 th annual Building Strong Families Conference in October with 670 participants. First ever Teen/Young Adult Mom s Conference in December at the Legacy Center. One hundred and fifty young parents participated. MyPlate was the theme for both tables at the fairs and the handouts continued that theme. This quarter we had four Texas Tech university Dietetic Interns and one Nutrition Grad Student helping with presentations. Do Well, Be Well with diabetes Diabetes occurs when the body does not make enough insulin, or the insulin it makes does not work properly. While diabetes is not curable, it is manageable. Skills are needed to effectively manage diabetes. Through the use of Do Well, Be Well and Cooking Well with Diabetes, program participants will improve their blood glucose management, thereby reducing their risks for complications and to attain their highest possible level of wellness. The Cooking Well with Diabetes program provides the practical application of the knowledge and skills gained in the Do Well, Be Well With Diabetes.

5 Extension at a Glance - 4 th Quarter 2011 Page 5 A combined Do Well, Be Well/Cooking Well With Diabetes was held:! Tuesdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Arnett- Benson Health Clinic on Clovis Hwy! Wednesdays from 10 am to 12 noon at the Community Health Center of Lubbock on Broadway. Community Health Center of Lubbock sponsored both of these class series. Six 8-week series were held in Results are being tabulated at this time. Thirteen participants received certificates of completion during the 4 th quarter. Texas Extension Education Association The Lunch Bunch TEEA Club in Lubbock County met recently to plan programs for and to get reports from the State Meeting in Temple. Programs in 2012 will include: The Face of Hunger Food Bank Tour & Community Service Healthy Liv n and Eat n Wind Power Don t Be a Food: Conserve We ve Got the Power: Home Energy Friend to Friend - Breast Cancer Awareness and A Tour - to be announced. The club meets at the County Extension Office at noon on the first Tuesday of each month. For more information, call Senior Citizens Two other Senior Citizens Centers (Homestead in Lubbock and Slaton Senior Center in Slaton) do not qualify as a BLT audience but received the same nutrition education programs of Eat Smart for Food Safety: Basics; Eat Smart for Holiday Food Safety; and Eat Smart for Food Safety: Shopping and Storage. Two Hundred Thirteen (213) seniors attended the center when the lessons were presented. One Hundred Eighty (180) seniors receiving home delivered meals from the Slaton center also received the lesson handouts. Leadership Advisory Board Thank you to the members of the Lubbock County Leadership Advisory Board, we greatly appreciate your support and leadership in guiding the educational efforts of the Lubbock County Extension Program. Our leadership for this year included Tanya Forester - Chair, Mary Jane Buerkle - Vice Chair, and Kendra Lansdell; newly elected officers for 2012 will be: Mary Jane Buerkle - Chair, Chuck Senter - Vice Chair and Mike Metzig - Secretary. Membership for this year included: Tanya Forester, Capital Farm Credit Taber Black, Smartfield, Inc. Mary Jane Buerkle, Plains Cotton Growers Waylon Carroll Kelli Childree, Lubbock Christian University Mayda Crug, The Bridge of Lubbock Barbara Robertson, Master Gardeners Mike Metzig, Farm Credit Services Don Harris, Appraiser Val Hewitt, Texas Extension Education Association Kendra Lansdell, Business Owner Chuck Senter, City Bank Bryan Studer, Aim Bank Dr. Brian Yearwood, Dunbar College Preparatory Academy Lubbock County Extension Staff P.O. Box 10536, Lubbock, TX Main, Suite 201, Lubbock TX (806) Fax: (806) C. Mark Brown, CEA-Ag Ronda D. Alexander, CEA-4-H E. Kay Davis, CEA-FCS Brant A. Baugh, EA-IPM Commercial products and trade names are mentioned for information purposes only. No guarantee or endorsement by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service is intended or implied. We will seek to provide reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities for any of our meetings. We request that you contact Texas AgriLife Extension Service - (806) , as soon as possible to advise us of the auxiliary aid or service that you will require.