October 12, 2021
Edition Topics
- Message from Interim Director Ed Martin
- Welcome Anne LeSenne
- Extension Conference Survey
- Virtual Food Safety Conference
- University of Arizona Extension Urban Ag/Beginner Farmer Program
- From the Public Health Entomology Team
- AgTech Field Demo: Automated Weeding Technologies
- Septic System Basics On-line Workshop
- New Extension Publications
- WRRC Brown Bag Webinar: The Case for Better Planning
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Message from the Interim Director of Extension
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting our Pinal County office and learned of the excellent Extension programming occurring in the county. For me, Casa Grande has been a home away from home, with my wife’s family from there. I even traveled down memory lane with a few of the staff, remembering Casa Grande from way back when. I learned about the outstanding First Smiles program; a program offered in several Arizona counties. Pinal County also provides financial management and positive parenting through their Strengthening Families Program. Pinal Extension is also home to a host of other programs, including EFNEP, CHAT, CCHC, SNAP-Ed, and several other acronyms. The Pinal County 4-H program includes the Ag-Ventures operating out of the Maricopa Ag. Center as well as local clubs throughout the county. Other programs include the Field Crops, Master Gardener, and sensory/developmental screening. The staff was also quick to acknowledge the support of the county administrative team and the CED, who has been serving Extension in so many ways over the past years. Last Saturday, I enjoyed seeing the office in action at their Annual Cooperative Extension Day. It was quite the event, with the entire office out supporting each other. It was a pleasure to meet everyone at the Pinal County office, and I want to thank them all for taking the time to visit with me.
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| Welcome Anne LeSenne
Please welcome Anne LeSenne, the new Assistant Agent, Horticulture for Pinal County! Anne has been involved with horticulture her entire life having grown up on a farm and having a large garden ever since. Anne has both her Bachelor’s degree (BYU Idaho) and Masters degree (Texas Tech) in Horticulture. Professionally she has been a Landscape/Irrigation Designer, Wholesale Nursery Salesperson, Arborist, Landscape Maintenance manager, and most recently a Teacher at a college in Oregon, teaching Horticulture. She is also a board certified Master Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture and a beekeeper. Having recently moved to Pinal County, she has already started her new garden and orchard. Please help us welcome Anne LeSenne to the Arizona Cooperative Extension team!
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| Extension Conference Survey
The 2021 Arizona Cooperative Extension Annual Conference, “Uniquely Extension!”, took place on Wednesday, October 6 and Thursday, October 7. The two-day virtual event provided engaging presentations, thought-provoking discussions, and some real-world examples of actual Extension work happening across the state which showcases how unique Extension really is.
Once again, congratulations to the following Extension personnel for receiving the “Heart of Extension Award”: Gloria Blumanhourst, Esmerelda Castillo, Pam Denney, Dr. Betsy Greene, Roxanne McInturff, and Rebecca Serratos.
A huge thank you to the following committee members for delivering another great program: Don Alamban, Jennifer Argyros, Kelly Arizmendi, Jessica Dorsey, Eunice Gonzales, Dr. Elise Gornish, Carolyne Greeno, Janine Lane, Ethan Orr, Dr. Eva Romero, and Sandra Saad.
Please take a moment to fill out the conference survey so that we can continue to improve and enhance these events in the future. Also, if you missed any part of the conference, you can see all the available recordings at the conference web site. There was a ton of feedback on how insightful the film RESILIENCE was and many people didn’t get a chance to attend the viewing during the conference. If you were unable to attend the screening, not to worry. There are three more screenings planned and you can find information about them and register here.
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| Virtual Food Safety Conference
REGISTER NOW
Virtual Food Safety Conference
Wed Oct 20 & Thurs Oct 21, 2021
1 pm - 4 pm MST (Phoenix time)
To register go to https://safefood.arizona.edu/conference and click on register now button.
Join the Food Safety Consortium and our partners from academia, industry and government agencies as we discuss pressing issues in food safety and our roles in addressing current and future challenges. Faculty, staff, students (both graduate and undergraduate), agency members, and industry members are invited to attend.
There is no cost to attend, registration is required to receive Zoom meeting links. Visit our website for schedule and registration link. For more information contact Dr. Sadhana Ravishankar sadhravi@arizona.edu or Debbie Reed dlreed@arizona.edu.
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| University of Arizona Extension Urban Ag/Beginner Farmer Program
Please join the University of Arizona Extension Urban Ag/Beginner Farmer Program for a two-day seminar covering an array of topics such as the economics of urban and small acreage farms, local food distribution, IPM strategies, crop rotations, water management, food safety, and more! Individuals who have been farming for 10 years or less, grow on less than 50 acres, and/or have a gross cash farm income under $250,000 are encouraged to attend.
Registration link: https://arizona.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrc--hrTItEt2zVIFR4V1n5uea8Ge5Jr1R
For additional information about this seminar or future Urban Ag/Beginner Farmer Program events, please contact Taylor LaRavia by email taylorlaravia@arizona.edu or phone 602-827-8249.
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| From the Public Health Entomology Team
As of October 7th, there have been a total of 406 confirmed or probable cases of West Nile fever or West Nile virus related neuroinvasive disease in Arizona. Sadly we now have 20 fatalities to report. Please continue to be vigilant and protect yourself from mosquito bites.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the entomologists who work on medically significant pests. Dr. Shujuan (Lucy) Li coordinates a team of medical entomologists and she can be contacted at lisj@cals.arizona.edu. Lucy will direct enquiries to the person best able to respond.
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AgTech Field Demo: Automated Weeding Technologies
Date: Thursday, October 21
Location: Yuma Ag Center
The Yuma County Cooperative Extension, Yuma Agricultural Center and Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA) invite you to come some see the latest weeding technologies developed by FarmWise, Naio Technologies, K.U.L.T-Kress, Stout AgTech, Padma Robotics, AgTechLogic, and Vision Robotics demonstrated at the Yuma Ag Center on Thursday, October 21 at 7 AM!
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| Septic System Basics On-line Workshop
Septic System Basics on-line workshop with Dr. Kitt Farrell-Poe. Please attend to learn everything you need to know about caring for your septic system on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 - 10:00am to 11:30am.
Dr. Kitt Farrell-Poe has been doing septic care workshops for the Water Wise Program for over a decade. She is the head of the Department of Biosystems Engineering. Her work focuses on developing Extension education programs in cooperation with county faculty and their clientele including county, state, and federal agency staff, local public officials, elementary and secondary teachers, farmers, and ranchers and interested citizens.
Please register at this link: Water Wise Septic Care Workshop.
Let’s keep our waterways free of non-point pollution from overflowing septic systems! And keep our septic systems functioning smoothly. Bring your questions for the Q&A.
https://waterwise.arizona.edu/events/146-septic-system-basics-line-workshop
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New Extension Publications
Christy Stuth
Profound disparities exist regarding access to dental care and prevention. The lack of affordable and accessible dental care has given rise to extremely poor dental health outcomes throughout the United States. Tooth decay has a negative impact on the general health of children and can have lingering consequences into adulthood. Prevention and arrest of dental disease is essential for health and wellness throughout the lifespan. One method to prevent tooth decay is the use of fluorides. Fluoride can be applied topically, added to municipal water or toothpaste, or swished.
High Elevation Cooking, Baking & Canning
Christy Stuth and Amanda Probst
Arizonans new to cooking at high elevations often find that their tried-and-true recipes are not as dependable as they once were. There are several steps to take when cooking at high elevation and these adaptations may not be included in your recipe.
Christy Stuth
Protecting the health and safety of your household during the COVID-19 outbreak is important for individual and community health. Taking extra precautions when first coming home and while at home can reduce your likelihood of becoming sick. Extra precautions can reduce the spread of COVID-19 to other households. The COVID-19 virus can be spread though inhaling droplets or touching contaminated surfaces and subsequently touching your face. The included guide will show you how to reduce your exposure to the virus.
Beware of Fire Ant Stings
Shujuan (Lucy) Li, Dawn H. Gouge, Shaku Nair, Fudd Graham, Al Fournier, and Kai Umeda
There are many known species of fire ants (Solenopsis spp.) in the United States, at least three of which are commonly found in Arizona: the native southern fire ant (Solenopsis xyloni), and two species of desert fire ants (Solenopsis aurea and Solenopsis amblychila).
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| WRRC Brown Bag Webinar: The Case for Better Planning
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Time: 12 pm-1:15 pm MST
Speaker: Richard N. Morrison, Retired Attorney; Co-Founder of the Morrison Institute of Public Policy
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/morrison-planning
Quite often events described as “Black Swans” are really not quite that. They are more like grey swans—almost black, but not quite. In other words, there are some hugely important events in life that are disproportionate in their effects but not entirely foreseeable.
There are at least three water-related examples that come to mind; events in Arizona that were almost Black Swan events, and the moral to the story in each case seems to be that we can always do a better job of planning and should try to do so.
In this presentation, Richard Morrison will discuss an example from Pinal County in some detail.
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