Agriculture & Extension

AGRICULTURE AND EXTENSION EDUCATION COMMITTEE November 7, 2023 Members Present: Ray Soper, Jim Metz, Catherine Lemke, Tim Hansen Others Present: Terri Kolb, Shara, Allen, Julie Diepenbrock, Michelle Grimm, Sandy Stuttgen, Art Lersch, Kelly Phillips, and Nicole Hager Minutes by Phillips. Call meeting to order and Introductions: Ray Soper, Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Approve minutes of the September 5, 2023, meetings: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of September 5, 2023; Hansen seconded. Motion carried. Approve the agenda: Metz moved to approve the agenda; Hansen seconded the motion. Motion carried. Introductions were made for Hager. Hager stated that she was in attendance to learn more about Extension. Approve bills and vouchers: Lemke moved to approve the September thru October 2023 bills and vouchers; Hansen seconded. Motion carried. Educator Highlight Reports : Educators gave oral report s to supplement written report. Highlights were reviewed and discussed from: Julie Diepenbrock, Taylor /Price 4 -H Program Educator : Diepenbrock stated she was wrapping up 2022-2023 programming with record books, which show and track 4-H member accomplishments, and reviewing financial reports submitted by each 4 -H club. She explained that the new 4 -H year is beginning with the promotion of sta te and national travel experiences that members apply and interview for. The Federation pays 50% of travel costs to those awarded trips. Also, the informal deadline for 4-H enrollment for 2024 is November 1st. Diepenbrock mentioned, however, that enrollment is technically open year around. Many youth will re -enroll or enroll by March 1, the deadline for those who want to exhibit at the fair. She mentioned that the number of enrollees included in her written report (85 youth and 29 volunteers) had already increased from the time it was submitted. 128 youth and 38 volunteers are currently enrolled. Diepenbrock remarked on the various projects she does with the afterschool programs at SES, MAMS, and Gilman Library , many of them STEM related. TC 4-H attended Harvest Days in a big way with YLO collecting 246# of food for the food pantry, 50 attendees at Discovery Days Pet & Learn at Huey’s and participation in the parade. Come January, she will conduct Office & Leader training. Sandy Stuttgen, Agriculture Education/Programming: Stuttgen remarked on the 2 PELTR classes held in October, with nine attending in Wausau and 14 in Barron. Waukesha County also reached out for a classed in April. Taylor County to hold a future class as well. Stuttgen stated there were 48 producers that attended a recent p asture walk she helped to organize held at Jack Johnson’s farm . Medford will host a PAT class in February. Stuttgen’s colostrum research grant project in partnership with the Marathon County Ag Educator involves eight Taylor county farms . The farmers have been very involved in helping her take the blood samples from calves . The goal is to have 3,000 samples collected within a year. Stuttgen noted that the Ag Institute’s All Colleague Conference session focused on climate change. There was much discussion about conducting multiple farming projects under solar panels while still generating energy for farm operations. Hansen asked if they talked about solar vs wind. Stuttgen stated it depends on where. Soper ask ed what percentage of energy production nationally comes from solar vs wind . She did not have the answer but will attempt to find out. Michelle Grimm , Community Development : Grimm noted th at the fall session of StrongPeople will be wrapping up next week and the winter session will start in January. She also reminded the committee that wood was recently purchased to upgrade community garden beds using grant funds. She thanked the county maintenance department for transporting and storing the wood until next spring. In the spring, she plans on replacing the remainder of the beds with assistance from either alternative high school students or summer school students. The current organizational development program for n on-profits is winding down and will begin in January again with a session on “Belonging in Organizations.” The Broadband Committee with provider Bug Tussel applied for a PSC grant to connect about 250 sites around some Taylor County l akes. Michelle also mentioned that she and Kelly will be working to redesign the county’s tourism website. The chamber will maintain the site once updated. She also mentioned that Extension local government specialist Daniel Foth would be willing to provide training to the current board on various subjects including but not limited to open records requests. Lastly, she reported that her focus in the Gilman economic vitality project is to work on ways to grow the community and volunteerism. Shara Allen/Terri Kolb, FoodWIse Programming: Allen stated that half her time is spent in Taylor and the other half in Lincoln . Over the past two months, she has focused on making connections and determining where to conduct nutrition education . Three partners have been identified; Commission on Aging with their meal services where nutrition education will be a focus; the ADRC and its Memory Café where again, nutrition will be the topic; and Food Pantries with the ability to offer materials and in -person education regarding nutrition. Allen provided highlights of the “2023 Senior C ommunity Fair” she attended where she reintroduced FoodWIse to the community and identified and connected with several partners. Kolb stated that the FoodWIse S NAP ED federal grant stipulates that they have to work with audiences that are eligible for food share. Since none of the schools in the county currently qualify for FoodW Ise education, the focus is on providing nutrition education to other low- income audiences including senior citizens. Kolb also stated Allen has not only been busy working on making connections, but also with onboarding processes related to the counties where she works, the FoodWIse program, and Extension. Kolb also commented on how they both have been attending Getting to know Your Community workshops identifying the multiracial people living in Taylor County. Kolb stated that she and Allen belong to two coalitions, Supporting Healthy Aging and Taylor County Coalition. Kolb remarked that they identified who to work with at Headstart (Indianhead) and will be conducting programming there in the future. Lastly, Kolb talked bout her goal to offer Stock boxes (Hunger Taskforce out of Milwaukee) for the elderly in Taylor County, where staple items are distributed monthly. Kelly Phillips, Program Assistant: Phillips stated she is currently working on the Tourism website with direction from Grimm and Andria Farrand . She also mentioned that she continues to maintain the county Extension website and many social media platforms by regularly posting Extension program offerings . Phillips also remarked about her outreach efforts with media contacts, the Chamber, Libraries, and local medical offices . These organizations help Extension market its programs. Phillips gave an update on what types of calls and office walk-ins are occurring during fall. She also mentioned that the 2023 plat book should be completed sometime during the spring of 2024. A new vendor was hired by the 4-H Federation to develop it. Lastly, Phillips commented on the various projects she is involved with in support of the educators. 2024 Taylor County/Division of Extension Contract: Lersch explained the only change in the contract was the added section of 3.2 which requests that the counties continue to provide FoodWIse staff with donated office space and when applicable IT support . He also mentioned that this section replaces the annual FoodWIse agreement letter the committee has been asked to approve and sign over the years. Metz moved to approve the 2024 Taylor County/Division of Extension contract ; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Signatures were obtained from all committee members. Day/time of Ag & Extension Education Committee meetings: Lersch asked if the committee should consider a date/time change for committee meetings . S oper and other committee members commented that meeting dates and times can be changed when needed due to special circumstances. Lersch mentioned that conversations had taken place with staff and they had no desire to change the current set date/time. Committee members by consensus agreed to keep the meeting on the first Tuesday of every other month, 9:00 a.m. Area Extension Director Updates: Lersch stated that two of four 2024 county budgets in Area 3 have passed. He mentioned that he anticipates that no changes to Extension budgets will be made in the other two counties. Lersch also stated that Price County is exploring how to perhaps increase Extension positions. Lersch and Phillips also provided an update on the fungus gnat situation that has been occurring in the office since the end of August. Lastly, Lersch commented that all Extension Taylor County staff attended last week’s All Colleague Conference in Madison. Next committee meeting: Tuesday, January 2, 2024. Adjournment: Hansen motioned to adjourn at 10:21 a.m.; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. AGRICULTURE AND EXTENSION EDUCATION COMMITTEE September 5, 2023 Members Present: Ray Soper, Jim Metz, Catherine Lemke, Tim Hansen Others Present: Terri Kolb, Shara Allen, Julie Diepenbrock, Michelle Grimm, Sandy Stuttgen, Art Lersch, Tierany Rugg, and Kelly Phillips Minutes by Phillips. Call meeting to order and Introductions: Ray Soper, Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. Approve minutes of the July 5, 2023, meetings: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of July 5, 2023; Metz seconded. Motion carried. Approve the agenda: Hansen moved to approve the agenda; Metz seconded the motion. Motion carried. Introduction of Shara Allen, Taylor/Lincoln FoodWIse Educator. Approve bills and vouchers : Hansen moved to approve the June thru August 2023 bills and vouchers; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Educator Highlight Reports : Educators gave oral report s to supplement written report. Highlights were reviewed and discussed from: Julie Diepenbrock, Taylor/Price 4 -H Program Coordinator : Diepenbrock remarked that summer was super busy for 4-H. 50% of the kids that attended the summer day camps were non-4-H members, which was great for outreach. 4 -H programming took place at Huey’s, county libraries, and parks throughout the county. 15 attendees at Huey’s were registered as Huey’s Summer 4-H Club! Taylor County Fair had a variety of static exhibits; one of the pigs went for $22/lb. and the Horse Club was very active and full of informational content for the members. The food stand had 85 you th and 55 adults working behind the scenes. This is one of 4-H’s big fundraisers. The money goes to scholarships and members wanting to attend the many 4-H experiences that are offered. 2023 -2024 registration is now open as we close the 2022-2023 year with financials and records books due this month. 2023-2024 will be kicked off with Volunteer Training, New Family Orientation, after school programs at SES, MAMS, and Gilman Library. Sandy Stuttgen, Agriculture Education/Programming: Stuttgen stated she is working on the last edits for her journal article before submission. Stuttgen has spent the past two months working on curriculum building. The Livestock group had a presence at Farm Technology Days. Stuttgen will be programming at the upcoming TCFB and NCWCA Pasture Walk regarding wash stations. Stuttgen is also finishing bio security videos with a colleague for DATCP and in October, Stuttgen will be conducting another PELTR (Planning Emergency Transport Response) training. Michelle Grimm , Community Development : Grimm spoke about the upcoming four statewide workshops for Broadband offering strategies for leveraging BEAD funding to insure equitable internet access. Grimm also gave an update on the Community Gardens stating there were repairs needed in spring to the water containers and how a $4000 grant from the Indianhead Agency is covering expenses for repairs and supplies. Grimm noted that StrongPeople kicks off next week, so office traffic is heavy with registrants. Grimm spoke about the WI Economic Development Grant awarded to Gilman. She finished her update by mentioning that the statewide nonprofit series workshops she is helping to develop and teach will be presented again starting in September. Terri Kolb /Shara Allen , FoodWIse Programming: Kolb talked about the onboarding process with Shara in regard to the County, University and partner relationship building. Kolb mentioned she and now Shara are participating in a Health Department coalition that focuses on healthy living . In addition to meeting with partners , Kolb and Allen have visited a few Farmer’s Markets to observe how EBT cards are being used by Foodshare recipients to make purchases. Kolb stated that HeadStart is in the process of reconfiguring and that she is talking with them about how FoodWIse will work with them moving forward . Kolb ended her update talking about the success “Stock Boxes” have been in other counti es. She suggested that this may be something Extension and the Taylor Food Resource Group will likely offer in the future. Kelly Phillips, Program Assistant: Phillips stated when the educators kick off new programs, she is the one creating, organizing, and executing the marketing of those programs starting with StrongPeople – inhouse paperwork, web updates, ads via paper and radio and social media posts. She mentioned that she has also recently been working on u pdating AI Training materials for Stuttgen as well as creating and mailing post cards advertising the upcoming NCWCA and TCFB September Pasture Walk; developing and sending NCWCA Newsletter to members via email and Emma; creati ng Extension Livestock Team Business Cards; creating and executing 4-H Newsletter; maintaining four social media sites; and creating Canva Posts for all educator programming. 2024 proposed Extension budget : Lersch explained that the 2024 proposed budget is $1900 over the 2023 approved budget because of the increase in personnel costs, both county and Extension related . Metz moved to forward the proposed budget to the county Finance/Personnel Committee for consideration; Lemke seconded the motion. Motion carried. Area Extension Director Updates: Lersch stated that there will be an Area 3 & 4 All Staff Meeting offsite on October 3rd and that staff will also be gone for much of the November 1-3 All Colleague Conference in Madison . He explained that the office will be closed during these periods and that the public will be informed as best as possible ahead of time that this will be the case. Next committee meeting: Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 9 a.m. in person at the USDA Service Center. There was a request by Chair Soper that staff discuss between now and November 7 whether the first Tuesday of every other month, 9:00 a.m. should remain the time that the Agriculture and Extension Committee should meet . An item will be placed on the November 7 agenda to obtain staff feedback on the subject. Adjournment: Lemke motioned to adjourn at 10:13 a.m.; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. AGRICULTURE AND EXTENSION EDUCATION COMMITTEE July 5, 2023 Members Present: Ray Soper, Jim Metz, Catherine Lemke, Tim Hansen Others Present: Terri Kolb , Julie Diepenbrock, Michelle Grimm , Art Lersch, and Kelly Phillips Absent: Sandy Stuttgen Minutes by Phillips. Call meeting to order: Ray Soper, Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Approve minutes of the March 7, 2023, and May 2, 2023, meetings: Metz moved to approve the minutes of March 7, 2023 and May 2, 2023 meetings; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Approve the agenda: Lemke moved to approve the agenda; Hansen seconded the motion. Motion carried. Introduction of Tim Hansen, new board committee member and Ag and Emma Tingo Taylor County/Price County 4-H Intern. Approve bills and vouchers : Hansen moved to approve the March thru June 2023 bills and vouchers; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Educator Highlight Reports : Educators gave oral report s to supplement written report. Highlights were reviewed and discussed from: Julie Diepenbrock, Taylor/Price 4 -H Program Coordinator : Diepenbrock remarked that summer is a busy time for 4-H. Gilman 4-H club, Poplar Grove, participated in the June Dairy breakfast as well as various other Taylor County 4 -H clubs at the Taylor County Dairy breakfast. The Horse and Dog project clinics are in full swing and preparing for the fair; Federation is preparing for the dining hall set up and food stand . The library programs, 5 throughout Taylor County, expose non -4-H members to 4-H type activities. The spring after- school programs were a great success with 4 -H activities like Lego robotics, sewing and cooking as well as the Summer School program. Summer camp at Northern Lakes Impact Center was well attended with unique activities like an archeology dig . Diepenbrock commented how 4 -H is a part of Huey’s Summer Camp with weekly themes, once again capturing and exposing 4-H type activities to a non-4-H audience. Soper asked if the libraries and Huey’s work are done together with 4-H or separately. Diepenbrock remarked they work together on a common theme . Soper also asked if the Lego robotics are reusable . Diepenbrock commented on the many structures that the kids can build. She also stated that these Lego kits were purchased a few years ago from a grant and used by both Taylor and Price counties and that they are stored in Taylor. Sandy Stuttgen, Agriculture Education/Programming: Lersch stated that Stuttgen was at a livestock conference in Calgary and asked the committee if they had any questions regarding her highlights. Michelle Grimm , Community Development : Grimm spoke to the volume of items collected at this year’s Clean Sweep and noted the Tire Collection was coming up in August. Grimm commented about the Non -Profit series. Three organizations from Medford attended the course which ended in May. The five-week course, which is done three times a year, will begin again in September. Grimm also gave an update on the Community Gardens stating there were repairs needed in spring to the water containers and how a grant will be covering expenses for repairs and supplies. Grimm mentioned the StrongPeople/Strong Bodies program had one class continuing this summer with fall classes starting in September. Grimm spoke about the WI Economic Development Grant awarded to Gilman. This project is entering Phase II where they will work on re-imagining space, volunteerism in the community, and evaluation successes. Grimm finished her report giving an update on her ongoing work with the statewide BEAD (broadband project). Terri Kolb, FoodWIse Administrator: Kolb stated that she is the admi nistrator for 8 counties and has been involved in the interview process for the FoodWIse Educator; to -date they have identified two top candidates and will be going through reference checks for both with hopes of having the educator in place by the end of July. In the meantime, Terri is busy looking at IT needs for the new educator coming on board and reevaluating materials. Kelly Phillips, Program Assistant: Phillips stated most of her efforts were focused on prepping 4-H materials needed for Summer Camp, day camps, Huey’s and library programs. Phillips also recently mailed out the latest 4 -H Newsletter and a Fair Special Edition email blast. Phillips stated there are many calls and emails regarding Fair Entry’s. Phillips is currently finishing up with marketing mat erials needed for Farm Technology Days as well as Fair displays. Phillips commented that she took advantage of the Community Gardens and is currently using one of the plots for vegetables. Phillips and Grimm put out a profile questionnaire to capture how the gardeners use their goods. Phillips commented how a lot of the produce from the gardens are donated to various businesses throughout Medford and she wanted to capture those stories for marketing purposes. Phillips finished her update talking about numerous calls and walks in regarding horticulture questions. Office Coverage During Lunch : Lersch facilitated a discussion with the committee members about Extension’s need to possibly close the office door for 30-45 minutes for Phillips to take a lunch break and run work related errands . The committee’s response was as long as it’s communicated on the door that this would not be a problem. Update on Taylor/Lincoln FoodWIse Educator hiring: This was covered in Terri Kolb’s update. Area Extension Director U pdates: Lersch stated that during the June 22 department head meeting he and other department heads were asked to provide input on the county’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) as part of its strategic planning process. He and other department heads wer e also asked to complete questionnaires related to county committee structure. He reported that he has provided the input requested . Lersch noted that he was asked prior to the meeting by Nicole Hager whether Extension may be able to assist the county’s st rategic planning effort . He mentioned that the County Board Chair had formally appointed Michelle Grimm to the committee. Grimm and Lersch will meet with Nicole this Friday to discuss possible options for Extension’s participation in the process . Lastly, Lersch stated that he and other department heads have not yet received 2024 budget instructions but will likely do so at the end of July, the normal timeline. He mentioned that the Extension budget can likely be reviewed by the committee during its regularly scheduled September meeting unless the normal timeline is moved up for some reason . Soper mentioned he met with Extension’s Assistant Dean, Jason Hausler and Lersch to provide feedback on the current status of the county/Extension partnership . Lersch st ated he would provide the Extension Strategic Plan Process Report to new committee member Tim Hansen. Next committee meeting: Tuesday, September 5, 2023, 9 a.m. in person at the USDA Service Center. Adjournment: Metz moted to adjourn at 9:53a.m.; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. AGRICULTURE AND EXTENSION EDUCATION COMMITTEE May 2, 2023 Members Present: Ray Soper and Jim Metz. Absent: Catherine Lemke and Gregory Knight (Note: Quorum not present. Informational meeting only). Others Present: Terri Kolb, Julie Diepenbrock, Michelle Grimm, Sandy Stuttgen, Tierany Rugg, Art Lersch, and Kelly Phillips Minutes by Phillips. Call meeting to order: Ray Soper, Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Approve minutes of the March 7, 2023, meeting: Approve the agenda: Approve bills and vouchers: Educator Highlight Reports : Educators gave oral report s to supplement Annual report. Highlights were reviewed and discussed from: Julie Diepenbrock, Taylor/Price 4 -H Program Coordinator : Diepenbrock reviewed the club activities from 1 of the 7 county clubs, Poplar Grove, learning STEM skills; Diepenbrock also gave an update on how well the Horse Project Leader, Ashley Dums, is doing with many clinic offerings as well as the kick -off of Dog Project with Jeanine Renzoni. Friday, Diepenbrock will be presenting to county 4 th graders all about cheese at the Simek Center as speakers educate the students about WI Specialties. Diepenbrock updated where 4 -H is at regarding continuing plat books, as well as the progression of summer camps and fair plans. Sandy Stuttgen, Agriculture Education/Programming: Stuttgen spoke about the recent Cow-Calf Workshop in Ridgeland; Stuttgen talked about the upcoming Farm Technology Days at the beef display and discussions that will take place; Stuttgen will also be attending a BQA meeting at the end of the month in Nebraska to r eview the beef program and topics to highlight in upcoming education settings. Michelle Grimm, Community Development: Grimm spoke about the November qualitative survey with the Taylor County Health Department and Aspirus regarding how to better serve the underserved in regard to their health in our county. Grimm stated Strong Bodies would be wrapping up the end of this month wit h one class remaining over the summer months; She reported that Taylor Extension recently received a private donation, and that money will mainly be spent on compost for the community garden . She also discussed her i nvolvement in the FEED Webinar Series where she is providing instruction on DATCP rules regulating farmers’ markets, including insurance provisions . Grimm finished her report by giving an update on the Nonprofit Connect To Learn online seminar series as well as broadband and the county’s efforts to apply for the BEAD (Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment) planning grant through the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Terri Kolb, FoodWIse Administrator: Kolb stated that she is busy laying the groundwork for nutrition programming in Taylor and elsewhere , engaging in administrative work such as completing work plans for the next fiscal year , and connecting with different partners. Kolb mentioned her latest partnership with Peggy from Human Services and how to work together specifically as an outreach effort to the county’s elderly populatio n. Collectively, one of the plans is to work with the Hunger Coalition from Milwaukee to offer “ Stockboxes” for the elderly in Taylor County. A variety of staple foods are provided in the boxes for low -income individuals. Several other counties in the a rea have these programs with either FoodWIse being a lead coordinator or p articipant. Kolb also mentioned she is currently working on a Food Resource Guide with Kelly to provide a comprehensive county guid e that includes all food resources available in Ta ylor County. The English version of this pamphlet is complete, and a Spanish version is in the works. Kelly Phillips, Program Assistant: Phillips spoke about the Food Resource Guide and why a new format was needed for the Spanish version of the pamphlet ; Phillips continued listing completed tasks such as 4 -H bimonthly Newsletter and monthly email blasts and a ECN Newsletter targeted to the dairy and beef audience via paper copy and email version. Phillips continued with the marketing for the 4 -H Day Camps by offering fliers to all county libraries and elementary schools throughout the county, both public and private and her involvement on the day-to-day activities in regard to the educators’ programs. Office Coverage During Lunch : Lersch facilitated a discussion with the committee members present about Extension’s need to possibly close the door for 30 -45 minutes for Phillips to take a lunch break. This discussion was tabled for the next Ag & Ext. Mtg. in July. Soper noted that it may be a question that also needs to be referred to the county Personnel Committee. Advisability of Combining the Extension Committee with other County Committees: Soper asked if we were aware of other counties that met with multiple departments on a monthly or other basis and our thoughts on that. Lersch and Kolb stated that other counties do meet typically with Land Use or LCD on a monthly basis. Stuttgen and Grimm provided their concerns and stated the importance of bein g able to meet with the committee face -to-face on a regular basis. Area Extension Director Updates: Lersch stated the FoodWIse Educator position for Taylor and Lincoln counties has been posted and will close May 18 .th. Lersch also reminded the committee that the Assistant Dean, Jason Hausler, likely through Lersch, will be contacting Ag & Extension Committee members asking for additional feedback about Extension . Jason is planning to be in Taylor the end of May and early June . Lastly, Lersch will be mee ting with the Budget Review Committee this Thursday. Next committee meeting : Wednesday, July 5 , 2023, 9 a .m. in person at the USDA Service Center. Adjournment: 10:17a.m. AGRICULTURE AND EXTENSION EDUCATION COMMITTEE March 7, 2023 Members Present: Ray Soper, Catherine Lemke, Jim Metz, Gregory Knight Others Present: Terri Kolb , Julie Diepenbrock, Michelle Grimm, Art Lersch, and Kelly Phillips Absent: Sandy Stuttgen Minutes by Phillips. Call meeting to order: Ray Soper, Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Approve minutes of the January 3, 2023, meeting: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of the January 3, 2023, meeting; Knight seconded. Motion carried. Approve the agenda: Metz moved to approve the agenda; Lemke seconded the motion. Motion carried. Introduction of Terri Kolb, FoodWIs e Nutrition Administrator, Areas 3 & 4 and 2 Tribes . Terri provided background and an update of her position and FoodWIse. Approve bills and vouchers : Lersch explained the fees for contract services (County/Extension contract) were not included in the last e xpense summary but are included in this one . Metz moved to approve the January and February 2023 bills and vouchers; Knight seconded. Motion carried. Educator Highlight Reports : Educators gave oral report s to supplement Annual report. Highlights were reviewed and discussed from: Julie Diepenbrock, Taylor/Price 4 -H Program Coordinator : Diepenbrock reviewed 2022 partnerships: county libraries, Huey’s Children’s Museum, Northern Lakes Impact Center, and school districts ; a nd how there are over 100 4 -H projects in Taylor County . Diepenbrock talked in general about some of these projects and 4 -H events, providing examples of activities the seven county 4 -H clubs are doing. Diepenbrock mentioned she is looking forward to partnering with the middle school t o conduct afterschool program s, and is currently planning summer camp, day camps, and family fun night. She also provided updates regarding STEM activities, plat book status, new newsletter format and the hiring process for the 4-H summer intern . Lersch me ntioned and Diepenbrock confirmed tha t the 4 -H Federation will be providing $2,000 in support of this year’s intern (of the $3,500 needed). Sandy Stuttgen , Agriculture Education/Programming: In Stuttgen ’s absence, Lersch reviewed the highlights from th e annual report while Phillips talked about recent agriculture programming Stuttgen completed or is planning. Michelle Grimm , Community Development : Grimm talked about the past and present situation regar ding Clean Sweep before moving onto her co mmunity garden work. She reported that Taylor Extension recently received a private donation ($4,000) to continue renovating garden beds . Grimm spoke about the possibility and advantages and disadvantages of local farmers markets offering low-income clients the use of EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards to make purchases . She also discussed her i nvolvement in the upcoming FEED Webinar Series where she is providing instruction on DATCP rules regulating farmers ma rkets, including insurance provisions . Grimm also spoke about the Gilman community economic analysis being complete d and what the next steps will be to set and pursue goals based on the analysis . Grimm finished her report giving an update on the Nonprofit Connect To Learn online seminar series as well as broadband and the county’s efforts to apply for the BEAD (Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment) planning grant through the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Kelly Phillips, Program Assistant: Phillips spoke about the new 4 -H newsletter format and her suggestion to Extension 4-H that 4-H county newsletters be shared statewide through an Extension intranet site. The purpose would be to provide content and format ideas to those developing the newsletters. Extension is looking into this possibility. Phillips continues to seek opportunities for professional and self -development by attending workshops and webinars offered by UW-Madison on several technology topics as well as attending an u pcoming Administrative Professional Conference in Madison in April . Phillips spoke about the foot traffic the Extension office experiences and the kinds of questions that the public request be answered through the office . Phillips also spoke about the ne w relationships Extension has with the local radio station and the Medford Chamber to promote educational programming. Phillips finished with an overview of her position as support to the educators and all the tasks that she focuses on daily. Discussion: Lersch facilitated a discussion with the committee about Extension’s future and the nature of the university/Taylor County partnership . Feedback is being collected from county government stakeholders statewide as part of Extension’s current strategic planning process . The committee provided extremely useful input which Lersch mentioned will be recorded based on his notes of the conversation in an Extension website where comments will be reviewed by the organization’s leaders. Area Extension D irector Updates: Lersch stated that the Assistant Dean , Jason Hausler, may be contacting several Ag & Extension Committee members asking for additional feedback about Extension. Lersch also noted the passing of former UW Madison /Extension Chancellor Rebecca Blank. Lersch also mentioned that the Extension offices in Madison are in th e process of moving to the western part of the UW Madison campus. Next committee meeting: Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 9 a.m. in person at the USDA Service Center. Adjournment: Lemke moved to adjourn at 10:30 a.m.; Knight seconded. Motion carried. AGRICULTURE AND EXTENSION EDUCATION COMMITTEE January 3, 2023 Members Present: Ray Soper, Catherine Lemke, Jim Metz, Gregory Knight Others Present: Sandra Stuttgen , Julie Diepenbrock, Michelle Grimm, Art Lersch, and Kelly Phillips Minutes by Phillips. Call meeting to order: Ray Soper, Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Approve minutes of the November 1, 2022, meeting: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of the November 1, 2022, meeting; Metz seconded. Motion carried. Approve the agend a: Metz moved to approve the agenda; Knight seconded the motion. Motion carried. Introduction of Tierany Rugg (Associate Area Extension Director-AAED) and description of AAED mentoring program. Art spoke about me ntoring Tierany, a Human Development & Relationship Educator from Florence County, over the next several months. Her role as Assistant Area Extension Director will consist of 20% of her time in while her current educator position will be 80%. Approve bills and vouchers: Lersch and Diepenbrock spoke of the 4-H purchases being used for future programming, Summer 2023, at Huey’s, Day Camps and Libraries , and that Extension remains under budget for 2022. Grimm noted the expense out of the StrongBodies account was for gift cards in appreciation for volunteer instructors’ time leading classes. Funds for the gift cards come from participant fees (non -tax levy revenue). Metz moved to approve the November and December 2022 bills and vouchers; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Educator Highlight Report s: Educators gave oral report s to supplement written report. Highlights were reviewed and discussed from: Julie Diepenbrock, Taylor/Price 4 -H Program Coordinator : Diepenbrock reviewed highlights from her November/December report along with a handout su mmarizing Taylor County 2022 Contacts (touch points), members, volunteers, and partnerships. Diepenbrock also remarked on an idea she received at the NAE4 -HYDP Conference in Madison regarding utilizing social media not only for county updates, but also fo r posting educational information (i.e., top 10 Taylor County attended projects offering tips and information). Sandy Stuttgen, Agriculture Education/Programming: Stuttgen reviewed highlights from her November/December report noting the next AI (Artific ial Insemination) class will be hel d in April and videotaped for further educational purposes. Stuttgen talked about the severity foot/mouth disease could have in our area if it arises and how to combat it from discussions that took place with DATCP regar ding Biosecurity Preparedness. She mentioned that we are long overdue for the disease in the United States (last incident was late 1920s) and that she is expecting that the next one in this country will also have local impact. Stuttgen also discussed a $40,000 grant she and Extension colleagues received to continue work on dairy cross beef calves . A couple local farms in Taylor county will take part in this roughly year – long project. Also, in the works for Stuttgen is a BQA Certification class along with NCWCA Winter Event on January 14 th and attending Iowa Driftless Beef Confere nce the end of January. Michelle Grimm, Community Development: Grimm reviewed the 2022 evaluation results from the StrongPeople/StrongBodies classes, with the next 9 -week sess ion starti ng next week. Grimm spoke about the November workshop that was offere d in partnership with Aspirus regarding how to work with the Plain ( Amish) Communities. Grimm stated another Non-Profit Workshop offered online is set for February. Grimm noted she has been assisting the Community Rural WI team in creating an economic plan with Gilman stakeholders. Since the Grant was applied by the local school district, this will include Jump River and the Lublin areas as well. Grimm stated the FCC compile d new maps in regard to broadband (internet connection) and is asking the public to review and ask questions about the maps. Extension provided social media posts and website materials in pro moting public involvement in the process. Kelly Phillips, Prog ram Assist ant: Phillips talked about the latest foot traffic being StrongBodies sign up; PAT (Pesticide Applicator Training); Plat Book purchases and numerous phone calls regarding 4-H questions, Ag Workshop registration, recycling, etc. Phillips noted that several promotional pieces have been created and distributed such as 4-H Newsletter, Taylor’d Ag Special Edition Newsletter, StrongBodies Packets at area libraries and chiropractic offices, upcoming Ag specific workshops and events. The majority of De cember, Phillips was busy rewriting and launching Extension’s new website. The second of the Extension offices to embrace the new Discovery Theme and Word Press Block technology. She stated she is over 50% completed. Phillips noted she continues to impr ove her skill set by attending Extension and Madison offered classes and workshops. FoodWIse Administrator Area 3 and 4 hiring process/update : Lersch is hopeful to hire after this coming Friday’s interview for the FoodWIse administrator position. This w ill allow the FoodWIse Educator position to be posted in the near future. Extension strategic planning process (county involvement): Lersch stated that it’s been over a decade since the last Extension strategic planning process took place. This will i nvolve at least 2 committee members to respond to a questionnaire provided by Extension, administered by Art and Tierany. Art said that he was open to the entire committee participating in a discussion about what the county’s expectations are of its partnership with Extension moving forward. Lemke stated she would prefer the committee as a whole to participate . All agreed. A rt to include the questionnaire in the next meeting packet in preparation for the Ag and Extension Education Committee meeting on March 7th. Area Extension Director Updates: Lersch noted the 2nd invoice for 2022 from the university to the county requesti ng payment in support of Extension education services was submitted to Accounting the end of November. Lersch provided an update regarding Lincoln county moving forward with only 4-H and FoodWIse programming. Next committee meeting : Tuesday, March 7 , 2023, 9 a .m. in person at the USDA Service Center. Adjournment: Lemke moved to adjourn at 10:05 a.m.; Knight seconded. Motion carried.