September 17, 2019
Edition Topics
- Message from Dr. Silvertooth
- Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Newsletter
- AmeriCorps Positions
- New Faculty Orientation
- 2019 Food Safety Conference
- New Extension Publications
- Produce Safety Rule Grower Training Course - Parker, AZ
- WRRC 2019 Photo Contest
- Diversity & Inclusion Speaker Series
- FLSA Training: Understanding Exemptions, Overtime, & More
- Save the Date - Q & A with Dr. Silvertooth
- Educational Communication - Cooperative Extension YouTube Channel
- Seeking Nominations: Administrator of the Year and Shirley O'Brien Diversity and Inclusion Awards
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Message from the Associate Dean and Extension Director In several earlier TMN editions, I have provided some information summarizing important aspects of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) budget. I also presented a CES budget overview at the recent Extension Conference on 6 August.
The basic conclusion from these CES budget descriptions is that our budget is solid and balanced. However, due to inflationary costs the past several years, the CES budget is at its limit and we do not have the luxury of additional funding for expansion.
We are working with budget conditions in the CES such that whenever a position is vacated in a unit, for whatever reason, we are maintaining a temporary “placeholder” in our budget for that position. It is important to understand that due to our budget constraints we are not able to add new positions or programs unless we delete a position in another area.
With the departure of an Extension professional and a position opening, a unit (county or academic) can use that time for a review of the program and how best to address the needs. When the unit has formulated a replacement or development plan, then Extension leadership can review the proposal and the consideration for the request of a position.
It is always important that any plan for a position or program address the basic points of what, why, and how programming will be delivered.
Due to the budget limitations, if a unit is proposing something new, which is fine, then they also need to be prepared to describe how they propose to adjust their Extension program portfolio.
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| September/October MCCE Newsletter
• 4-H on Mingus Mountain
• Master Gardener Volunteer Training Course - Fall 2019
• MCCE Welcomes Jennifer Weber
• Program Spotlight: Community Garden Leader Training
• Volunteer Spotlight: Julie Knapp
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| AmeriCorps Positions UA Wildcat Corps has some excellent AmeriCorps positions throughout the state closing this week for recruitment. These opportunities are for individuals looking to make a meaningful impact in their local community. Members serve 300 to 900 hours. The living allowance ranges from $2,652 to $6,600 and the educational award from $1,289 to $3,047. Educational awards can be used for future education or student loans. For more information email Christina Lipin. To see a list of all open positions in Arizona type UACE in the Program Name section at this My AmeriCorps link: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/publicRequestSearch.do
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New Faculty OrientationSAVE THE DATE! For the New Faculty Orientation—November 6—to be held before and after the CALS Award Luncheon. Specialists and agents who attended the new employee orientation during the Extension Conference, should also plan to attend the new faculty orientation, which will cover topics such as preparing your dossier for promotion and continuing, understanding “clock dates,” accessing resources for conducting evaluations and assessing economic impacts of your programs. Specific times and locations TBD. For questions please contact Dan McDonald (mcdonald@email.arizona .edu) or Kim McReynolds (kimm@cals.arizona.edu).
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| 2019 Food Safety Conference Thursday, October 17, 2019
9:30am – 4:00pm
Poster Session
4:00pm - 6:00pm
The Lodge on the Desert
Food Safety researchers, students and industry professionals are invited to attend the 2019 University of Arizona Food Safety Conference, hosted by the UA Food Safety Consortium. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with stakeholders and learn of current food and water safety concerns and research needs.
The 2019 Student Poster Session will highlight current Food Safety research at the University and will include valuable cash prizes for the top posters. Visit our website for abstract submission information.
Registration Rates (for full day, including lunch, breaks, and poster session):
$75 through early registration deadline of Oct. 3rd
$100 October 4 to October 10
$50 Student Rate
Online Registration:
http://cals.arizona.edu/fsc
Contact: Debbie Reed
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New Extension Publications
Table salt (sodium chloride) has been used to preserve and season food since ancient times. We need sodium to regulate our body’s water balance and muscle function. However, studies have shown that too much sodium intake may be bad for your heart health and is linked with high blood pressure. High levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), which include sodium, are common in Arizona’s water resources. Therefore, we should be aware of our sodium consumption from foods and drinking water sources. Sodium in drinking water may be significant in your diet. But this depends on the amount of sodium in the water, how much you drink daily, and if you are on a sodium restricted diet.
Radon is an odorless gas usually found in water that comes into contact with uranium bearing minerals. Radon is a radioactive gas that can cause cancer when it is breathed into the lungs or absorbed in the stomach from water. Home owners can be exposed to radon gas if it seeps into basements or through concrete pads and when it is released from the water supply. If high levels of radon are present in the well water, well owners will be exposed to radon gas as they shower, clean, and flush toilets and when they drink the well water. In addition to testing for radioactive chemicals such as gross-alpha radiation and uranium, private well owners should also test their indoor air and their well water for radon.
Nondormant Alfalfa Varieties for Arizona 2019Michael J. Ottman
Alfalfa varieties differ in fall dormancy, defined as growth during the fall. Nondormant alfalfa varieties are usually planted in mild winter areas for their ability to grow in the fall. However, fall growth of nondormant alfalfa may be undesirable in areas subject to repeated frosts or freezes. Nondormant, very nondormant, and extremely nondormant alfalfa varieties (fall dormancy class 8, 9, and 10) are adapted to elevations below 4000 feet in Arizona. Other dormancy classes not included in this publication are moderately nondormant varieties (fall dormancy class 7) which may be grown from 3000 to 5000 feet, and semi-dormant and dormant varieties (fall dormancy 6 and below) which are adapted to colder winter areas above 4000 feet.
Mosquitoes: Biology and Integrated Mosquito Management
Dawn H. Gouge, Shujuan Li, Kathleen Walker, Chris Sumner, Shaku Nair, Carl Olson and Frank Ramberg
This publication is to inform Arizona residents, environmental health and pest management professionals. Mosquitoes are the most important insect pests that affect the health and well being of humans and domestic animals worldwide. They can cause a variety of health problems due to their ability to transfer (vector) viruses and other disease-causing pathogens, even in the arid Southwest U.S.
La garrapata café del perro y la epidemia de rickettsiosis en Arizona y en el noroeste de México
Mariana Casal, Veronica Ortiz Encinas , Kathleen Walker , Hayley Yaglom , Dawn H. Gouge y Maureen Brophy
La garrapata café del perro Rhipicephalus sanguineus, tiene una distribución mundial y se encuentra en todos los Estados Unidos y México. Su se está asociacada altamente a los brotes de rickettsiosis, también concocida por el nombre de fiebre manchada de las Montañas Rocosas en Arizona y el noroeste de México. Como su nombre lo indica, la garrapata principalmente se alimenta de sangre de perro, pero también se puede alimenta de humanos y otros mamíferos, la cual puede transmitir patógenos que causan enfermedades graves. A principios de la década del 2000, se descubrió que transmitía Rickettsia rickettsii (una bacteria cocobacilo, intracelular, gram-negativa), la cual es el agente causal de la rickettsiosis en Arizona. Esa fue la primera vez que est especie de garrapata se asoció con la enfermedad en los Estados Unidos (Demma et al., 2005). Brotes similares ocurrieron al mismo tiempo en Sonora y más recientemente en Baja California (Alvarez-Hernandez et al., 2017).
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| Produce Safety Alliance Produce Safety Rule Grower Training Course October 22, 2019
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Training Location:
Arizona Western Collage, Parker Community Center
1109 S. Geronimo Ave., Suite B, PCOM 107-108, Parker, AZ 85344.
(Check-in at the door)
Course Registration Fee:
$55.00
Lunch Provided
Who Should Attend:
Produce Farms including growers, harvesters, packers, coolers, and those interested in learning about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR), Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), Co-management of natural resources and Food Safety.
Benefits of Attending:
Individuals who participate in the course are expected to gain a basic understanding of:
Microorganisms relevant to produce safety and where they may be found on the farm.
How to identify microbial risks, practices that reduce risks, and how to begin implementing
produce safety practices on the farm.
Parts of a farm food safety plan and how to begin writing one.
Requirements in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and how to meet them.
In order to receive full credit and certificate for the course, registrants must be present for all training modules.
Click HERE to register.
For more information please see the Arizona Department of Agriculture Plants and Produce FSMA Website:
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| WRRC 2019 Photo Contest Arizona Runs on Water™
The WRRC Annual Photo Contest is back and it's your chance to show us Arizona water in any way that your camera can capture. Use your creativity and technical ability to express the many ways water transforms our state and how our state transforms water. Capture anything from people and nature to business and agriculture. It's completely up to you. Just make sure your picture relates to water and that it's taken in Arizona. We can't wait to see your work!
That said, if you are inspired by our 2020 conference title "Water at the Crossroads: The next 40 years", then go for it!
The winning photographs will be featured on the WRRC website and at the WRRC Annual Conference on March 27, 2020. The winners will also be recognized at the February 2020 Chocolate Fest.
Check out some of the photos from 2018.
Submit your photo(s)
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| Diversity & Inclusion Speaker Series Event Join us next week for the Perspectives on Diversity & Inclusion Speaker Series Event!
Health at Every Size®, Weight-Inclusive, Body Positivity, Diet Culture, all these terms get thrown around a lot. What does it really mean to promote inclusivity around body size? How can being inclusive about bodies be a helpful message in our community? Together we will discuss the principles of size diversity and ways we can promote body acceptance and health, because all bodies are good bodies.
We will provide LUNCH for this event! It's first-come, first-served, so make sure you show up early!
Wednesday, September 25
noon-1pm
Shantz building, room 440
Zoom Registration: https://tinyurl.com/fall2019perspectives
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| FLSA Training: Understanding Exemptions, Overtime, & More
With UCAP around the corner and some employees going from Exempt to Nonexempt or vice versa, we realize it's important to inform and remind folks of the protections and requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). FLSA deals with minimum wage, overtime, comp time, travel time, and more. We will be giving 30-45 minute training sessions open to all ALVSCE employees, supervisors, time approvers, and leaders on the following days and times:
Thursday 9/26 3:00pm
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| Educational Communication: Cooperative Extension YouTube Channel In the "digital age" - with the quest for information, but shorter attention spans - educational organizations are communicating more and more via social media, websites, and using digital communications, like Zoom.
Arizona Cooperative Extension is working to be at the forefront of this trend, in communicating with short, to-the-point videos.
Check out Cooperative Extension's YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/azcoopextension
Please make sure you're helping us advance the Cooperative Extension message. Please like, share and link through your social media channels, and help us do all we can to share with all stakeholders and communities.
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| Seeking Nominations for Administrator of the Year – due 10/4/19 The Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Administrator of the Year Award was created to recognize and honor outstanding achievements and contributions by an administrator in ALVSCE. The award will be given at the Fall Luncheon meeting and will include a plaque for the recipient and a monetary award of $1,000 to be made to the winner’s administrative unit in honor of the recipient. We encourage members of the faculty, staff, appointed professionals, alumni, students, or other administrators in the division to make nominations for this award. A list of previous recipients can be found HERE. Nomination guidelines and information can be found at this LINK. Nominations will be active for a three-year period. The deadline for nominations is 10/4/19, and the winner will be announced at the ALVSCE Fall Luncheon on November 6, 2019.
This division has a large number of outstanding administrators who work hard to make good things happen. These deserving individuals cannot be recognized unless they are nominated. Thanks in advance for your attention to this important ALVSCE recognition program.
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| Seeking Nominations for the Shirley O’Brien Diversity & Inclusion Award – due 10/7/19
The Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) values diversity and inclusion in its people and programs and strives to foster a fair and respectful community. The Shirley O'Brien Diversity & Inclusion Award was created in honor of Shirley O'Brien for her exemplary work in promoting diversity and an inclusive environment within ALVSCE and across campus. We believe her efforts, in keeping with the division's emphasis on diversity and inclusiveness in its student body, faculty and programs, deserve recognition. The award will be given at the ALVSCE Fall Luncheon on November 6, 2019 and will include a plaque and monetary gift of $1,000.
We encourage members of the faculty, staff, appointed professionals and student body to nominate individuals who have contributed significantly to the advancement of diversity and inclusion within ALVSCE. A list of previous recipients can be found HERE. Nomination guidelines and information can be found at this LINK. The deadline for nominations is 10/7/19.
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