TopicsDecember 19, 2023
- Message from Otis and Garfield
- Extensionist of the Year Nominations Open
- Soil Health Workshop and NRCS Funding Availability
- CCT Workshop, Bayesian Learning Group
- Candidate Presentations, Surveys
- Job Openings
- New Publication
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Message from the Boys
Dad may have penned his last Tuesday Extension Notes, but we have a few comments. First, we can't go near a tree in the living room, but we can pee on any tree in the backyard. Second, bright, shiny things are hanging from this tree, like our toys, yet we're not allowed to sniff them. Finally, there is a giant 12-foot guy (they call him the snowman) that shows up every night in front of our house, and everyone acts like it's cute, but as far as we're concerned, that's precisely the type of guy we're hired to keep away from our house.
Although this is all very confusing, we do know that a day will come soon when there's a stocking hanging with our name on it, and we'll be able to totally destroy and mangle everything inside of it beyond recognition, which makes all this other nonsense worth it. See you all next year!
– Otis and Garfield
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Nominate Someone for Extensionist of the Year
Each year we recognize strong contributors to Cooperative Extension with the Extensionist of the Year Award.
The Extensionist of the Year Award recognizes and honors a resident of Arizona who has demonstrated extraordinary contributions through UACE to improving the lives of people in their community and state. The award will be presented at an appropriate division-wide event. Letters of nomination from UACE or non-UACE faculty and staff and/or peers should focus on the following criteria:
1. The nature and extent of the contribution provided by the individual (35%)
2. How this contribution has benefited people in the community (15%) and the state (15%)
3. Leadership qualities (25%)
4. Support for UACE (10%).
The submission deadline is January 8
The award will be presented at an appropriate Extension or ALVSCE event. Please read the criteria carefully and submit only the materials noted. Submit your nominations and support letters to kellymontez@arizona.edu. If you have any questions, contact Kelly (520) 621-7145.
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Soil Health Workshop
Please join us in beautiful Patagonia, Arizona January 24 for a free workshop that will highlight speakers providing information about inexpensive and logistically simple techniques you can use to enhance soil health on arid landscapes. Coffee and lunch are included.
NRCS Funding Available for Soil Health Outreach
Interested in hosting an outreach event related to soil health? More than $1,000 is available to fund your event. We can also provide logistical support. Outreach can include workshops, webinars, field days, panel discussions, etc. Funding can cover hotel, travel for speakers, food and drinks, printing and handouts.
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Workshop: Demystifying APIs for Researchers
A wide variety of data shared on the web (including spatial data, census data, 'omics data, bibliometric data, and more!) are available through some web API ("Application Programming Interface"). In this workshop you'll learn what an API is, how to access data using APIs, and how to write R code to automate downloading data from APIs using the httr2 package.
When: 11 a.m., January 24
Bayesian Learning Group
In this peer-to-peer learning collaborative, we will work through foundational concepts in Bayesian statistics scaffolded around Richard McElreath’s Statistical Rethinking, 2nd edition textbook and video lectures. Our meetings will be split between book-club-style discussions and working through statistical examples in R and Stan. Familiarity with R and the foundations of probability will be extremely helpful.
When: Noon-2 p.m., every other Friday beginning January 19
For more information about the CCT-Data Science team and our offerings, including workshops, drop-in hours, our Data Science Incubator program, and our work collaborating on funded projects, please see our website.
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YCEDA Director Candidate Presentations
Please make time in your schedule for these in-person presentations on the topic Opportunities and Challenges Facing YCEDA in the Next 10 Years by candidates for Executive Director of the Yuma Center of Excellence in Desert Agriculture. All presentations are at the Yuma Agricultural Center, 6425 W. 8th Street.
Yavapai County Range Assistant Agent
Yavapai County Cooperative Extension interviewed Bryce Sutter, candidate for the Range Agent position. Please take some time to contribute to the selection process and provide your input. Below are the links to Bryce's recording, evaluation form and CV.
Deadline for submitting a survey is 7 p.m., December 22
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Job Openings
Assistant/Associate Agent, Family Consumer & Health Sciences, Pinal County – Cooperative Extension is seeking a self-driven, hard-working, creative, cooperative and dynamic person to serve as Assistant/Associate Family, Consumer and Health Sciences (FCHS) Agent. The FCHS Agent is part of a dynamic team of professionals developing and delivering community outreach programs that provide research-based, objective, informal education. The person in this position will be required to develop, implement and evaluate effective outcome-based FCHS Extension programs in the areas of Nutrition, Food Safety, Parent Education, Financial Literacy, Early Childhood Screenings, and other health-related issues. The agent will work collaboratively with FCHS and other Extension faculty and staff, AZ Health Zone, First Things First, Pinal County Health Department, and other partners in the county of assignment; acquire both financial and human resources through grants, contracts and gifts to support the development and delivery of these programs; build capacity to sustain and grow programs through empowerment and/or leadership development; and engage in professional development regularly and redirect efforts, as needed. Position is located in Casa Grande, Arizona. For more information, see the job posting on the UArizona talent site.
Food Safety Assistant/Associate Agent, Yuma, Arizona – This continuing eligible Assistant/Associate Extension Agent position will work with colleagues and industry professionals, developing and delivering research-driven outreach and education programs relative to the agricultural community, particularly in the area of Fresh Produce Food Safety. The primary focus of the position will be to develop and deliver research-based education and assistance to the fresh produce industry in the Southwest. In addition to outreach, the agent will work alongside colleagues (Specialists and agents) to develop and conduct applied research, create scholarly Extension publications, present at conferences and meetings, and pursue grant and gift funding to support research and program work. For more information see the posting on the University of Arizona Talent website.
Extension Specialist (Assistant/Associate) – Family Health and Well-being, Norton School of Human Ecology – This continuing status (i.e., tenure-track) position will develop and lead a statewide initiative to address community health and family well-being, particularly emotional-behavioral health, using a family systems and intergenerational life course approach to human behavior, health and well-being. This work will be informed by the Cooperative Extension System’s National Framework for Health Equity and Well-being (2021).The Specialist will work to strengthen and improve family and community health and well-being and the social-environmental context(s) in which family groups interact. Using effective research-based, equity-focused approaches and advancing policies that help families be resilient and thrive, the Specialist will demonstrate impact through rigorous program evaluation and other applied research. The Specialist will maintain a program of extension, research, and scholarly outreach in community-based family health and well-being programs. This position will involve 60% extension, 30% research, and 10% service as a member of the Human Development and Family Science faculty. For more information visit the posting on the UA Talent site.
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New Publication
Biosecurity Basics: A New Perspective Post Pandemic - Whoever imagined that a worldwide pandemic would help highlight the value and importance of horse disease prevention processes/practices and biosecurity? Some have compared our covid pandemic experience to “The Great Epizootic”, an equine disease outbreak that brought our nation to its horse-drawn knees in 1872 (Moates, 2020). Previously, biosecurity education in the horse world was often met with the “teenage eye roll” reaction, or comments, such as “It will never happen to me”, but since COVID-19, knowledge and understanding of disease prevention has improved. Many people have been directly or indirectly affected/impacted by illness, loss of loved ones, canceled events, and quarantines. Regardless of personal views on the response to the pandemic, very few people would not be able to rattle off “wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and social distance”. One key difference between humans and horses is that horses don't have the ability to make their own decisions about biosecurity. Human caretakers can help set horses up for success or failure.
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