TopicsOctober 17, 2023
- Message from the Associate Vice-President and Director of Extension
- Welcome New FCHS Agent Gayle Gratop
- WRRC Water Webinar
- 2023 Food Safety Conference
- Arizona Winter Viticulture Symposium
- Building Benson Water Resilience
- Job Candidate Seminars, Interviews
- ALVSCE Fall Research Symposium Presentations Available Online
- Requesting CRED Team Evaluation Support
- Job Openings
- New Publications
- Save the Date - Desert Ag Symposium
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Message from the Associate Vice-President and Director of Extension
Last week, Tucson and the University of Arizona hosted the National Extension Directors Association annual meeting. This was an excellent opportunity for UArizona Extension to shine, and we did. Thanks to Vice-President Burgess for his opening remarks, and welcome to the association. It was a great way to kick off the three-day event. Also, many thanks to Liz Sparks, Leza Carter, and the entire staff at the Tucson Village Farm. They hosted a tour and dinner for the association. This was, I believe, the highlight of the conference. They even took time to open the ropes course, which a few directors took advantage of. Unfortunately, your AVP & Director can barely get on a six-foot ladder without feeling a bit woozy, so I was happy to stay on the ground and cheer others on. I also had my annual visit with the Pinal County Cooperative Extension team. Once again, I am amazed at the impact that our county offices have on their communities. The Pinal County office shared their accomplishments, along with their challenges. It was great to see everyone again, meet some new people, and learn about the impactful Extension programming happening in Pinal County. Many thanks for the update and the duck!
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Save the Date – Ed Talk
Mark your calendar for Associate Vice-President and Director of Extension Ed Martin's next Ed Talk from 3-4 p.m. on November 15. Hear Ed discuss the current state of Extension and field submitted and live questions. Registration link coming soon!
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Welcome New FCHS Agent Gayle Gratop
Gayle joins Family and Community Health Services in Coconino County from her role as Assistant in Extension in the Master Gardener Program in Coconino. Gayle has lived in Coconino County since 1996, where she has called both Grand Canyon National Park and Flagstaff home. Her interests include community and school gardens, food preservation, supporting farmer mental health, and horticultural therapy. Gayle has been with Extension for four years, where she has grown the Northern Arizona Online Master Gardener Program and created professional development training for teachers to address the disconnect between youth and where their food comes from. Recently, Gayle developed an innovative horticultural therapy wellness program for youth that aired as a national story on NPR. With deep ties across the county and with connections to 4-H, ANR and Tribal Extension, we look forward to the fresh perspectives, partnerships, and innovative programming in health and well-being that Gayle will bring.
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WRRC Water Webinar
Assuring sustainable supply of clean water is a complex web of challenges that collectively constitute a wicked water problem. Rapid population growth and diversification, coupled with the adverse impacts of climate change, strain already limited water resources. Technology continues to reveal emerging contaminants, raising new concerns about the safety of existing water supply sources, and further constraining the ability to provide safe water to meet growing demands. These challenges have far-reaching consequences, affecting vulnerable human populations, municipalities, biodiversity and industries such as agriculture and manufacturing. Arid and semi-arid regions, at the frontline of these challenges, hold a unique opportunity to lead the world in tackling these complex water problems. This talk offers an opportunity to bolster the already ongoing leadership roles of the University of Arizona, through the Water Resources Research Center, in promoting actionable science to develop tools that help us navigate complex water resources challenges. This WRRC webinar presentation highlights examples of utilizing geospatial and modeling approaches to leverage engagement with stakeholders in the pursuit of answering piquing questions about water resource problems.
What: Empowering Arizona's Water Resource Management: Navigating Equity, Economic, and Ecological Challenges with Cutting-Edge Decision-Support Tools
When: Noon-1 p.m. (Arizona time), Monday, October 23
Speaker: Abu Mansaray, Ph.D., Research Project Manager, Oklahoma Water Resources Center, Division of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University
Follow this link to register.
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2023 Food Safety Conference
Join us virtually for speaker talks on food safety topics hosted by the UArizona Food Safety Consortium. No cost to attend, registration required. Click this link to register.
Virtual: 1-5 p.m. (Arizona Time), October 25. A Zoom link will be sent after registration.
In-Person: 1-4:30 p.m., October 26 in the Kachina Lounge, UArizona Student Union. Careers in food safety discussion panel, poster session, and networking. Light refreshments will be served.
Please register to attend by October 20. Attendees may choose to attend one or both days.
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Arizona Winter Viticulture Symposium
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension is hosting a FREE Viticulture Symposium for the Arizona wine industry to deliver educational programming for the vineyard as well as a “Growing Season in Review” workshop, where growers can discuss what went right, what could be improved, and how UArizona Extension can provide support for challenges and priorities.
When: 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. December 6
Where: University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, 1951 E. Roger Road, Tucson
Presenters and will include: Mat Halldorson: Vineyard Irrigation Management; Alex Hu: Pathology; Shaku Nair: IPM for Arizona Vineyards; Debankur Sanyal: Soils and Fertility; Danusia Szumowski, Small Business Development Center: Helping Businesses Grow; Jeremy Weiss: Weather; Climate Growing Season in Review Workshop
The symposium is FREE but registration is required, and space is limited. Contact Sierra Sheeks at ssheeks@arizona.edu to register or for more information.
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Building Benson Water Resilience
The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center in partnership with Cochise County Cooperative Extension’s Water Wise program, is pleased to host Building Benson Water Resilience. This partnership stems from the WRRC’s Arizona County Water Factsheet initiative and the release of the Cochise County Water factsheet in 2022. County Water factsheets draw from a wide range of public water-related data and are developed with the help of local water experts into an accessible resource for a general audience. The Water Wise program has been conducting water education and conservation in Cochise County for nearly 30 years, working with youth and adults on topics ranging from the water cycle to rainwater harvesting, native plants, and more. The Building Benson Water Resilience event will cover how water availability in an arid climate has shaped agriculture, land and water management, as well as conservation strategies being applied locally. Featured speakers include local residents presenting on regenerative agriculture and groundwater use myths and best practices with additional representation from local organizations like The Nature Conservancy and Kartchner Caverns State Park.
What: Building Benson Water resilience
When: 5 – 7:30 p.m., October 19
Where: Cochise College - Benson Center, Room 113-115, 1025 State Route 90, Benson
Food will be provided.
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Yavapai Assistant Small Acreage and Food Production Area Agent Candidate Seminars
Yavapai County Cooperative Extension is hosting Associate/Assistant Small Acreage and Food Prodcution Area Agent candidates Jackee Alston and Laura Davis on Thursday, October 26 at 9:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. The presentation will be on Building and Strengthening a Vibrant Small Acreage and Food Production Extension Program in Yavapai & Coconino Counties. There will be time after the seminar for Q&A.
When: October 26, 9:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Where: Yavapai County Cottonwood Annex 10 South 6th Street Cottonwood, Arizona
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Maricopa County 4-H Agent Presentations
The Maricopa County Cooperative Extension has interviewed two candidates for the 4-H Agent position. Please take some time to contribute to the selection process, and provide your input. Below are the links for recordings of both presentations, CVs, and the link for the evaluation form:
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Associate Director for 4-H Youth Development Interview
Please join us tomorrow, October 18 for the interview of Todd Kesner, Ph.D., for the position of Associate Director for 4-H Youth Development. Your participation and input in this search process is greatly appreciated. Kesner’s candidate seminar is scheduled from 9-10:30 a.m. with ample time for Q&A.
Following the seminar, you can provide your feedback to the committee via this link.
If you want to attend in person – the seminar will take place in Forbes, Room 124A. There will also be an opportunity to meet and visit with this candidate in the Pinal County Extension Office from 2:30-4:30 p.m. , also tomorrow, October 18. Please join us if you’re able.
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Pinal Assistant/Associate Agronomy Agent Candidate Seminars
Pinal County Cooperative Extension is hosting Assistant/Associate Agronomy Agent candidates Jay Subramani (10 a.m.) and Avik Mukherjee (1:30 p.m.) on Thursday, October 19. The presentation will be on “Developing a Vibrant Agricultural Extension Field Crops Educational Program, in Pinal and Pima Counties, Arizona.” There will be time after the seminar for Q&A.
When: October 19, 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Where: Pinal County Cooperative Extension, 820 E Cottonwood Lane, #C, Casa Grande, Arizona
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ALVSCE Fall Research Workshop Presentations Available
We have created a shared Box folder where you will find PDF versions of the agenda and presentations delivered during the workshop. Numbers at the beginning of each file name allow for chronological sorting if you ask Box to sort them by "Name."
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| Requesting Community Research, Evaluation and Development (CRED) Evaluation Support
CRED is excited to have more dedicated time this year to support Cooperative Extension and its program planning, proposal writing, and evaluation efforts. While CRED will continue to focus on evaluation capacity building by offering training and workshops on topics that Extension personnel have told us are important, we are also available to all Extension programs to help with using the Statewide Needs Assessment materials, writing proposals, program and evaluation planning, designing surveys, program evaluation, analysis, and reporting.
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Job Openings
Extension Specialist (Assistant/Associate/Full), Program Evaluation – The Norton School of Human Ecology is seeking an Evaluation Specialist (rank to be determined). This position serves as a leader, partner, and resource in program planning and evaluation for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension system and communities and organizations across Arizona. With expertise across the spectrum of evaluation (including strength/needs assessments, developmental, process, and outcome evaluation), the Evaluation Specialist provides leadership, coordination, and capacity building in program planning and evaluation to support data-informed decision-making and effective communication regarding needs and program impacts with an array of stakeholders. The Specialist will maintain a program of extension, research, and scholarly outreach in community-based program evaluation in content areas relevant to UACE and Norton School expertise. This position will involve 60 percent Extension, 30 percent research, and 10 percent service. This is a continuing track (i.e., tenure track) position. For more information or to offer recommendations or nominations, contact search committee Chair Dan McDonald at mcdonald@arizona.edu. Please share this position profile link with your professional networks.
Area Assistant / Associate Agent Commercial Horticulture, Willcox – This continuing eligible Assistant/Associate Extension Agent position will work with a dynamic team of professionals developing and delivering community outreach programs that provide research-based, objective informal agriculture education in Cochise County, Arizona (80%), Graham County, Arizona (10%), and Small-Scale Horticulture/Value Added & Specialty Crop Production in Cochise County, Arizona (10%). The position is based in Willcox, Arizona. The primary focus of the position will be to develop and deliver education and assistance in the areas of commercial fruit, nut, vine, and vegetable production, small-scale horticulture, and specialty crop production. In addition to outreach, the agent will develop and conduct applied research, produce scholarly Extension publications, present at conferences and meetings, and pursue grant funding to support research and program work. This position is administratively and programmatically responsible to the County Extension Director and the Director of Arizona Extension and is located at Cochise County Cooperative Extension. Click here to view the posting on the UArizona Talent website.
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| New Publications
from the Norton School of Human Ecology. The publications reflect the concepts of seven interactive, online learning modules about community engagement(link is external) that were developed by the UA SNAP-Ed and the CRED team.
The full Community Engagement in Cooperative Extension article series includes:
What is Community Engagement?
Using Interactive Maps to Understand Communities
Who is and is not Participating in Community Engagement?
Strategies to Improve Representation
Spectrum of Public Participation: Inform and Consult
Spectrum of Public Participation: Involve
Spectrum of Public Participation: Collaborate and Community Directs
Kelly Murray Young
¿Qué es el compost?
El compost es materia orgánica descompuesta, producida por el trabajo de millones de bacterias, hongos y otras bacterias organismos presentes en el suelo. Un buen compost es de color muy oscuro, y huele dulce como la tierra del bosque. Se puede incorporar compost en el suelo del jardín o esparcido sobre la superficie del suelo como mantillo.
Michael J. Ottman
Winter cereals for forage are displacing durum for grain in many areas of Arizona due to the demands of the dairy and beef cattle industry. The University of Arizona has only sporadically tested winter cereals for forage. This tria was initiated at the request of the dairy industry and may be conducted in the future depending on demand for thi information and available funding.
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Save the Date!
Desert Ag Research Symposium
Join us January 9 at the Four Points by Sheraton Yuma hotel to learn about work being conducted in desert agriculture soils. There will be opportunites to showcase your research, learn about Yuma and other desert agriculture, and interact with the Yuma ag community.
The symposium is linked to a broader effort led by Stephanie Slinksi, Ph.D., and Joey Blankinship, Ph.D., to build research teams for the Desert Agriculture Soil Health Initiaitve.
More information will be available soon at DesertAgSolutions.org
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