Wednesday, December 14, 2011

“Conducting Webinars 101" Webinar – Recording Now Available

A recording of the “Conducting Webinars 101” webinar, held on December 13, 2011, is available and can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/NACAA-Conducting-Webinars-101. The webinar was developed and sponsored by NACAA’s Extension Development Council.

By clicking on the link, you will be directed to Blackboard Collaborate, the webinar host site. Depending on your computer, you may be prompted to download a file and update Java before the session will open. The recording will start once loaded. The session is approximately 1.5 hour long; one can use the timeline on the bottom of the screen to scroll through the recording.

Viewers are encouraged to evaluate the session after viewing. Near the end of the session, the evaluation’s URL can be cut-and-pasted from the chat window into a browser. The 10 question survey, hosted via Zoomerang, will take only a few minutes to complete.

Friday, December 2, 2011

2012 JCEP Leadership Conference - “Building the Leader in You”

February 7-9, 2012
San Antonio, Texas
Crowne Plaza - Riverwalk
$130/Single or Double
For reservations call: 1-210-354-2800


Plan to attend the JCEP Leadership Conference to build your leadership skills, share experiences, and network with other association leaders and connect with your own national association officers. The 2012 Leadership Conference will host affiliate leaders from across the nation who are members of NEAFCS, NACAA, ANREP, ESP, NACDEP and NAE4-HA

Keynote Speaker
Kevin Eickenberry will be the featured speaker at the conference this year. Kevin is nationally known for his work in building association leaders and for his bestselling book “Remarkable Leadership”. Join Kevin as he helps you identify the steps and skills on your path to Remarkable Leadership– Becoming the Leader you were born to be.

Association Meetings
Each association will have breakout sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. Plan to join your association meeting to learn how to be more effective in your leadership role.

Evenings on the Riverwalk
• Tuesday evening - States’ Nights Out—plan to join with others from your state for an evening on the Riverwalk and dinner.
• Wednesday evening — Association Night Out—an opportunity to network with other members from your professional association.

Online registration available: December 5th, 2011 @ www.jcep.org
Questions—Contact: : 704-333-8445 or email: staff@themanagementoffice.com

Sunday, October 30, 2011

“Conducting Webinars 101” Educational Session

“Conducting Webinars 101” Educational Session


December 13, 2011


2:30 to 4:00 ET




NACAA’s Extension Development Council invites you to attend a webinar-based training session, Conducting Webinars 101, to be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 2:30 PM-4:00 PM ET.



Topics will include: An introduction to webinar platforms, how to set up and conduct a webinar presentation, and how to incorporate Internet-based surveys to document impact of your webinars.



Before the webinar, check your computer’s configuration:



Visit http://www.elluminate.com/support/ at any time to make sure that your computer is configured properly to use the Blackboard Collaborate© / Elluminate Live! © platform.



  • At the “Support Portal” site under “First Time Users”, click on the “Elluminate Live!” link. This will take you through Step 1-Checking System Requirements and Step 2-Configuring Your System.

  • Note you may need to load the supported Java© version in order to connect to the webinar.

  • The test will bring you to a mock webinar session to check your audio, etc. Only presenters will have microphone access/speaking privileges; no need to conduct a microphone test.

  • Listen to the "recorded introduction" to get an overview of how to participate. This takes about 5-10 minutes to complete.

  • For questions beforehand, please contact Dan Kluchinski, Council Chair, at 848-932-3588 or kluchinski@njaes.rutgers.edu.


To participate in the webinar:



· You may join the session up to ½ hour before the start time.


· Enter the following hyperlink in your browser:



https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=783&password=M.E88F8A4CA34E3D522291E81157F320



· Type your name in the Login box.


· Click the login button.


· Follow the on-screen directions.


· There is no phone number to call to connect. Participants will not have speaking privileges but can use a text/chat window for Q&A.


· No preregistration is necessary.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

DAIReXNET (national eXtension) Webinars- Free to the Public

You can find information on accessing these webinars here. If you’re on twitter, please share our webinars using this link: http://bit.ly/8XiTaX

All of our fall webinars have been approved for one credit of CEU from ARPAS. To obtain the credit, you will need to apply for it on www.arpas.org after attending the session.

Human Resource Management: Being a Boss or Building Relationships

October 20, 2011, 12 pm CDT

Dr. Bob Milligan, Dairy Strategies

Dr. Bob Milligan, Cornell University Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management Professor Emeritus and Senior Consultant at Dairy Strategies, LLC, will introduce you to the current thinking in human resource management. Current research substantiates that great leaders and supervisors focus on relationship building, communication, clarity and feedback rather than command and control.

Other upcoming webinars:

Appropriate Drug Use and Residue Avoidance Practices

November 10, 2011, 12:00 PM CST

Dr. Michael Apley, Kansas State University and Dr. Craig Shultz, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Managing TMR Variability

December 5, 2011 12:00 PM CST

Dr. Tom Oelberg, Diamond V

You can also view our past webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/Archived_Dairy_Cattle_Webinars.

Feel free to email or call us with any questions you may have:

Nancy McGill

nancy.chenault@uky.edu

859-257-7541

Donna Amaral-Phillips

damaral@uky.edu

859-257-7542

What is DAIReXNET? DAIReXNET is a national, extension-driven web resource designed to meet the educational and decision-making needs of dairy producers, allied industry partners, extension educators and consumers.

Monday, October 3, 2011

PILD Request for Proposals or Oral Presentations

Public Issues Leadership

Development Conference

Sponsored by Joint Council of Extension Professionals

April 15-18, 2012

Alexandria Westin

Alexandria, Virginia

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS for Oral Presentations Click Here to Submit Abstract

Theme: Cooperative Extension: Relevant Now and Beyond

The Joint Council of Extension Professionals’ (JCEP) Public Issues Leadership Development Conference (PILD) is a unique professional development opportunity that brings together leaders and supporters from all levels and subject matter areas of Extension, including elected officials, to gain insight into the “big picture” of how the Extension system and our government work at the federal level. This year’s PILD Conference will once again provide capacity building for extension advocacy and Extension programs in the context of relevant public issues affecting the future of Extension Professionals and the populations they serve. In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Land-Grant Act, there will be a special capstone presentation.

Call for Abstracts

This year’s Planning Committee invites you to highlight your own contributions to Cooperative Extension that give insights into issues that are currently affecting our Extension programming, clientele and volunteers. Our concurrent sessions will tackle the theme ‘Cooperative Extension: Relevant Now and Beyond.’ Presentations should highlight productive models of extension advocacy; and how Extension programs successfully address relevant and emerging public issues. They should also illustrate how these models can be readily replicated in other states. We will continue to focus on efforts where Extension fills an essential niche or provides vital leadership for addressing these issues.

All attendees including presenters must register for the conference.

Presentation format:

· Oral Presentations – 45-minute sessions including time for questions and answers.

· JCEP-sponsored Presentations – 60-minute sessions including time for questions and answers. Up to three partial scholarships (i.e., waived registration fee) are available for abstracts selected for the JCEP-sponsored presentations.*

We have a combined total of up to 13 oral presentations to fill.

Abstracts will be reviewed based on one or more of the following:

1. Uniqueness and relevance of the extension or advocacy program

2. Demonstrates how program can be replicated at other locations

3. Addresses an emerging need and addresses the mission of the PILD conference

Additional Guidelines and Information:

  • Proposals must be submitted by November 9, 2011.
  • All proposals must be received electronically via the online GoogleDocs process by 5:00 p.m., November 9, 2011. The link is available at the JCEP website at: http://www.jcep.org/pild.htm under “2012 PILD Call for Abstracts.” Click Here to Submit Abstract.
  • Applicants must be a current member of one of the JCEP Professional Organizations.
  • Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in non-evaluation of the proposal by the JCEP Review Committee.
  • The proposals will be reviewed by the JCEP PILD Review Committee which is comprised of the representatives from each of the Extension Professional Organizations: ANREP, ESP, NAE4-HA, NACAA, NEAFCS, and NACDEP.
  • Proposals will be evaluated upon the following weighted criteria: addressing topic as outlined above --15%; adherence to format --10%; value of information to participants -- 50%; and interest of topic to participants -- 25%.
  • Applicants will be informed of selection by December 21, 2011.
  • Selected presenters will have their presentation information posted on the JCEP Web site.

* All abstracts will be peer-reviewed by an all-association review committee. The three highest ranking abstracts will selected for the JCEP-sponsored concurrent extended presentation session. For each JCEP-sponsored presentation, the cost of one registration fee will be waived (a total of $350, which can be pro-rated between presenters). The time allotted for JCEP-sponsored presentations is 60 minutes, including time for questions and answers.

PILD Mission: To provide leadership and advocacy skills to effect public issues.

Objectives:

· Broaden understanding of public policy issues that impact Extension and Extension clientele.

· Enhance advocacy and public policy education skills.

· Learn how the changing political environment affects support for Extension.

· Build political and public support for Extension through consistent and targeted communication with decision makers.

· Strengthen existing partnerships and explore new linkages with local, state and federal agencies.

· Visit with federal legislators and decision makers to observe the political process in action.

Sponsored by:

JCEP – Joint Council of Extension Professionals

For conference details, visit www.jcep.org

Friday, September 16, 2011

2011 Keynote Address now on You Tube - Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh

The 2011 Keynote Address at the 2011 AM/PIC by Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh is now available for viewing on You Tube. Due to You Tube file restrictions - the address is divided into 4 parts.
For viewing please see the following links:

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Journal of the NACAA Fall Submission Deadline

The October 15th deadline for submitting an article to the Journal of
the National Association of County Agricultural Agents is fast
approaching. Submission guidelines and the online submission process
can be found at: http://www.nacaa.com/journal/. The Fall volume of the
Journal of the NACAA will be published on December 1st.

Any Extension Agent, Specialist or related faculty worth their weight is
probably doing something worth publishing. Ideas include current
research, masters/doctoral thesi, case studies and success/failure
program examples. Non-NACAA members can be authors as long a co-author
is a member.

Publishing in a peer reviewed journal is a very significant resume/CV
builder whether or not you are in the hunt for tenure or promotion.
Successful authors will have the opportunity for their Dean, Director,
board or others to be personally notified and congratulated by the journal.

If you have any questions, need help or would like to bounce an article
idea, please do not hesitate to contact me.

--
++++++++++
Stephen C. Brown, Ph.D.
Editor and Chair,
Journal of the NACAA
University of Alaska Fairbanks
809 S. Chugach St.
Palmer, Alaska 99645
907-745-3360 voice
www.uaf.edu/ces/districts/matsu/aghortland/
Twitter:UAF_Extension
scbrown4@alaska.edu

Call for National Journal of the NACAA Peer Reviewers

The Journal of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents is seeking national peer reviewers for the upcoming two editions (Volume 4, 2 and Volume 5, 1). Author submission deadlines are October 15th, 2011 for the December 1st publication and March 15th, 2012 for June 1st publication.

Peer reviewers are needed from all walks of ag related Extension and research. Subject matter areas include general agriculture/horticulture, livestock, economics, entomology, forestry, chemistry, natural resources, 4-H and practically any other topic relevant to Extension.

Being a peer reviewer for the Journal of the NACAA qualifies as national service and is an excellent addition to your resume or curriculum vitae. It is also relatively easy service since most reviewers will not be asked to review more than two papers per volume. The review process is blind (authors will not know you or your institution) and takes place entirely online.

To be considered as a Journal of the NACAA Peer Reviewer, you must have published at least one peer reviewed journal article or Extension bulletin.

To apply, send me an email (scbrown4@alaska.edu) with your title, your electronic contact information, subject matter areas and accepted peer reviewed literature citation. I have written an example below:

Stephen Brown
District Agriculture Agent, Mat-Su/Copper River Districts
scbrown4@alaska.edu
(907) 745-3639

Subject Matter Expertise: high latitude agriculture, precision agriculture, turf, poultry, 4-H

Brown, S.C., 2010. 2010 Status of Precision Agriculture in Alaska, Journal of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, 3(1).

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

2011 NACAA AM/PIC Photos Now Available

Photos from the 2011 NACAA AM/PIC are now available for viewing and printing at http://2011ampic.com/Photos.html

You can easily download a version of each picture to print at your office/home. If you would like to have a professional print produced, contact information for this years AM/PIC photographer is available at this site.

Enjoy!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

DAIReXNET (national eXtension) Webinars- Free to the Public

DAIReXNET and the National Association of County Agricultural Agents would like to invite you to attend our webinar entitled “Handling High Commodity Prices.”

The webinars we provide are free to the public and are geared toward bringing pertinent information to extension educators, allied industry professionals, veterinarians, and dairy producers across the United States.

The following URL provides information on accessing these webinars, which will be recorded and archived for those unable to attend the live session:

http://www.extension.org/pages/Upcoming_Dairy_Cattle_Webinars
Shortened link for Twitter: http://bit.ly/8XiTaX



Handling High Commodity Prices
September 14, 2011, 1 pm EDT

Dr. Normand St-Pierre
Dr. St-Pierre will discuss how to control feed costs using various methods. These methods include: getting the full value of forage crops, purchasing ingredients that are favorably priced, inventory management, producing things that you are being paid for, managing the herd structure, cow grouping, and feed additives.



Don’t forget about our archived webinars!

Every webinar we produce is recorded and stored online, so you can access them at any time. Our complete Fall 2010-Spring 2011 webinar series is available for you to view at your convenience.

View this webinar now at http://www.extension.org/pages/Archived_Dairy_Cattle_Webinars.


Other webinars planned this fall are:
October- Recruiting and Retaining Quality Dairy Employees
November- Appropriate Drug Use and Residue Avoidance
December- Reducing TMR Variability


Feel free to email or call us with any questions you may have:

Nancy McGill
nancy.chenault@uky.edu
859-257-7541

Donna Amaral-Phillips
damaral@uky.edu
859-257-7542


What is DAIReXNET? DAIReXNET is a national, extension-driven web resource designed to meet the educational and decision-making needs of dairy producers, allied industry partners, extension educators and consumers.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

2011 AMPIC "First Timers" Webinar Recorded

Is this your first time attending an Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference? If so, learn more about the conference, the registration process, and tips and tricks from seasoned attendees to get the most out of the meeting!

The Kansas Association of County Agricultural Agents, the First Timers Committee, and the NACAA Early Career Development Committee would like to extend an invitation and encourage you to attend ...the 2011 NACAA AM/PIC in Overland Park, KS. We are very excited about this year’s event and confident that the program offers something for everyone. AM/PIC is educational, motivating, and very family oriented. Plus, the registration fee for any first timer with less than 10 years of experience is FREE!

The first step you need to take is getting registered. For someone new to AM/PIC, we know this can be somewhat of a daunting task. There is a very comprehensive schedule to navigate through and numerous decisions that need to be made on what to attend. Well, we’re here to help. The Kansas First Timers Committee and Registration Chair have teamed up with the National Early Career Development Committee to offer a free webinar that will hopefully make your decision to attend AM/PIC and the registration process much easier.

This hour-long webinar was held on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. They highlighted the benefits of attending AM/PIC, what events and activities first timers can and should attend throughout the week, and, finally, we’ll went through the steps of the registration process. 


To view the recording, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2011AMPICFirstTimerWebinar


INSTRUCTIONS: This webinar uses Elluminate. If you have any hardware or software issues you can call Elluminate support at 1-866-388-8674, option 2. 

Also watch the e-County Agent, NACAA website, 2011 AM/PIC website, and the "NACAA-Early Career Development (ECD)" Group Page on Facebook, and NACAA Early Career Development Committee’s Wiki for reminders about this webinar. Those sources will have an electronic link to the hosting site as well as the instructions for Elluminate.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Better Farm Management A Potent Tool During Hard Times

Editor’s Note: Contact Robin Brumfield, extension specialist in farm financial management,
Rutgers Cooperative Extension, by email at brumfield@aesop.rutgers.edu or by phone at
732-932-9171, ext. 253

Better Farm Management A Potent Tool During Hard Times
Extension educators and specialists to receive training to support farmers

MOUNT POCONO, N.J. – An in-service training workshop on how to better support farmers through the use of various management tools will be offered to extension educators and specialists in the Northeast on June 20-21, at the Mt. Airy Resort and Casino in Mount Pocono, PA.

The workshop, Farm Management During Tough Economic Times, will begin at noon on June 20, and will conclude at noon on June 21, to allow for travel within the Northeast. It will be conducted by a committee of extension specialists in farm business management from several northeastern states with the aim of providing valuable training to extension agents who support farmers and producers in the region.

According to Robin Brumfield, extension specialist in farm financial management with Rutgers
Cooperative Extension , “Many farmers in our region are facing many challenges to keeping afloat and
unfortunately, there is decreasing support in the field as state funding lessens and fewer extension staff
with farm management knowledge remain to serve producers.” As a result, there is increased need for
farmers to be even better managers than in the past to keep their farms viable, but in general, record
keeping is still shown to be among their weaker skills, Brumfield added.

The training workshop is intended to share an array of farm management skills with educators who will, in turn, train farmers to better manage the increasingly competitive agricultural enterprise of modern-day farming and to maintain a marketing edge. Workshop topics include marketing, crop insurance, tax tips, fundamental finances, succession planning and educational programs for women in agriculture. Keynote speaker David Becker, online and digital media pioneer and contributor of “Friend of the Farmer,” a blog featuring farmers and the challenges they face, will talk about the “nuts and bolts” approach to getting farmers online using social networking tools. His article “20 Ways Farmers Can Improve Their Marketing Chops” was featured on HuffPost Green.

The training is funded by the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education, whose goal is “to improve the risk management decision-making processes of agricultural producers in the Northeast Region through a comprehensive educational program.”

This workshop will be offered free for extension specialists and educators from the Northeast, although registration is required by May 15. All meals are included. Funding is available for hotel stay and travel scholarships on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register, go to http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~farmmgmt/. Contact Danelle Miley at dmiley@rci.rutgers.edu for additional information about the conference.

For more information about Farm Management During Tough Economic Times, visit the Facebook page or Rutgers Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.

The material that will be covered in Farm Management During Tough Economic Times is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA, under Award Number 2010-49200-06201.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension, a unit of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Western Regional County Agents Meeting October 11-13, 2011

Washington is looking forward to hosting the Western Regional County Agents Meeting October 11-13, 2011 in Kennewick, Washington.

For more information see:
Meeting Brochure
Meeting Registration Form
Call for Presentations and Poster Abstracts

Presentations and Posters need to be submitted electronically by August 1st. Meeting registration is due September 1st. Please share this information and flyer to each of your state’s members.

For your convenience, we have posted 2011 Western Regional County Agents Meeting information and forms on the Washington website at: http://weasa.wsu.edu/.

The Washington Association has planned 3 fun-filled days of professional improvement activities for the Western Region. The Tri-Cities Area of Central Washington is a great place to visit in early October and we look forward to hosting our friends from across the West

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need any additional information at this time.

Mark Heitstuman
2011 NACAA Western Region County Agents Meeting Committee Chair

Mark Heitstuman, Director
WSU Asotin County Extension
P.O. Box 9, 135 2nd Street
Asotin, WA  99402
Phone: (509) 243-2009
Fax:  (509) 243-2018
Email:  heitstuman@wsu.edu
asotin.wsu.edu

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Travel Reimbursment Scholarship Opportunity (DEADLINE MARCH 17): National Extension Inservice on Forests and Climate, Flagstaff, AZ, May 19, 2011

Dear Extension Colleagues: in conjunction with the National Workshop on Climate and Forests (http://www.safnet.org/natworkshop11/index.cfm, or see graphic below),




I invite you to participate in the following National Extension In-service:

National Extension In-service on Forests & Climate: Program Planning and Scholarly Activity Development

Thursday May 19, 2011; 9:00am – 8:00pm
Snowbowl Lodge, Arizona
Before April 2nd: $50        After April 2nd: $65

This in-service is a follow-up planning workshop specifically designed for Extension Foresters and Educators. Activities include: workshop recap, synthesis and discussion the information gathered during the breakouts; discussion on strategies for partnership building and program direction; and a breakout session on translational science writing.

Thanks to funding available through RREA and the USDA Forest Service, a total of $20,000 for Travel Reimbursement Scholarships is available. Please view the following link (Google Survey Document) now and respond no later than MARCH 17th to request funding for travel assistance: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEljRUlVWkpobzA0N09ldXNOTlloaFE6MQ

To submit an abstract for the poster session, please go to: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEU2YURWbmxKbEtrVEtZWUdBa3U3bWc6MQ

Registration Fees Before April 2 After April 2
Climate and Forest Workshop Registration $235 $295
Climate and Forest Workshop Registration (Student SAF Member) $140 $235
Climate & Forests Field Trip $50 $65
Climate & Forests Field Trip (Student SAF Member) $40 $50

If you have any questions about attending the National Workshop on Climate and Forests, please contact Chris Jones at ckjones@cals.arizona.edu

Christopher Jones, Associate Agent
Agriculture & Natural Resources Programs
University of Arizona
Gila County Cooperative Extension
5515 S Apache Avenue, Suite 600
Globe, AZ  85501
U.S.A.

Phone: (928) 402-8586
Fax: (928) 425-0265
Email: ckjones@cals.arizona.edu

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Benefits of Holding a Leadership Position in NACAA


Thursday, January 27, 2011
1:00 EST
All NACAA members have the opportunity to serve in various leadership roles in the organization.  Although assuming a leadership position requires a commitment, many members are not aware of the various benefits that service provides.  This webinar will review the various economic, professional and personal benefits that are provided through service in this outstanding organization.  This seminar will be presented by Daniel Kluchinski, Department Chair, Agricultural and Resource Management Agents, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.  Dan has over 22 years of service to NACAA and has held several leadership positions from state committee chair, state association president, regional and national committee chair, Northeast Region Director as well as other special assignments.

To participate, please select the link below:


INSTRUCTIONS:
This webinar will use Elluminate. You can go to www.elluminate.com/support for assistance setting up your computer. If you have any hardware or software issues you can call Elluminate support at 1-866-388-8674, option 2. The steps you will complete are as follows: 1) Click on the appropriate link above. 2) Check that you have java installed. If you do not, the screen will tell you how to download the latest version of java. 3) Make sure your speakers and/or microphone are set up correctly. You will need to enter the "configuration room" in order to test your audio setup. 4) Listen to the "recorded introduction" to get an overview of how to use Elluminate as a participant. This takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. You can enter the room 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of 1:00 EST. For questions beforehand, please contact Stephen Komar, 973-948-3040