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Community Development, Mia Ljung and Human Development and Relationships, Katie Gellings
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Community Development, Mia Ljung
Presentation prep and recruitment of speakers at the Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference
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Did you know?
The EoC Spotlight empowers entrepreneurs of color in northeast Wisconsin, highlights their business journey and strategies, and invites viewers to interact and learn.
The business owners are compensated for their time and expertise ($150 stipend).
The interviews are either done live or prerecorded.
Recruitment for 2025 EoC Spotlight entrepreneurs will start this Fall!
The EoC Spotlight is brought to you by the Appleton Public Library, the ColorBold Business Association, and Extension Outagamie & Winnebago counties.
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Crops and Soils, Kevin Jarek
A risk, crop insurance and grain marketing hybrid course was held. Material was adapted into a more relevant format for use in-person, webinars and an on-line course. The Farm Pulse -Crop Insurance and Grain Marketing has assisted farmers and agricultural professionals in identifying strengths and weaknesses of their crop business to assist them in making decisions that will improve their farm profitability.
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Dairy and Livestock, Stephanie Bowers
A farm open house highlighting automated milking systems (AMS) was held for dairy producers. Many producers are interested in AMS at this time as they help address labor shortages, distribution of labor and working conditions for farmers. Understanding AMS will help producers make better decisions addressing critical labor and management issues on their farm that affect profitability.
A meeting for dairy farm women and agriculture professionals (VITAL) Valuably Informed Thriving Agriculture Leader. This is an effort aimed to increase farmers' knowledge in dairy farm production topics. Farmers and agriculture professionals continue to learn to be more economically sustainable, efficient, and improve herd health.
A presentation (Bovine Leukemia Virus: It's not new, but you should know) for dairy farmers and agriculture professionals. By better understanding how the disease affects herd health, farmers can make better-informed decisions on managing the preventable disease, therefore having a healthier herd that is more economically sustainable.
A program for current dairy farm operators and potential custom heifer grazers where attendees learned about the economic and environmental opportunities involved with managed grazing systems for raising replacement dairy heifers. The goal is to generate interest and feedback on the concepts and use the feedback to inform the development of future programs and resources to support producers looking to implement managed grazing in dairy heifer systems.
A Badger Dairy Insight webinar for dairy producers and dairy industry professionals where attendees learned about managed grazing systems and opportunities was transcribed to ensure accessibility.
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FoodWIse, Miranda Dawson
In April, I continued the Harvest of the Month lessons in the 4th grade classrooms of Foster Elementary. We learned about Sugar Snap Peas and practiced a mindfulness activity, using our 5 senses to observe the peas, before we gave them a try. They were delicious!
This month I also had an outreach table at the Calumet County WIC office in Appleton to promote FoodWIse and healthy habits at the mobile dental clinic they were hosting.
I also partnered with my colleague in Winnebago County to put on a 4-week family cooking series at the UWO Head Start and Boys and Girls Club’s new learning kitchen. Together we made Fresh Salsa, Burrito Bowls, Egg Muffins, and Snack Trays.
Lastly, I’ve been planning for Summer programming: community gardens and the Gleaning Program at the Downtown Appleton Farm Market. The Gleaning Program will help decrease food insecurity and food waste through farmer donations of excess produce at the end of the market. The produce will go to local food pantries, mini-free pantries, and other participating locations. As we head into the Summer months, I am looking for volunteers to help with this. Please contact me at miranda.dawson@wisc.edu if you are interested in volunteering.
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Horticulture, Kaitlin Bricco With the weather turning warmer, April Horticulture Headlines featured springtime topics of mulching in the garden and spring bulbs. Mulching can be a key tool in preventing weeds and limiting watering during the season. Read it here: https://t.e2ma.net/message/n3chyj/nfq3tlc
Horticulture individualized programing questions continue to flood in with a focus on turf and soil samples. Turf problems can start to appear as grass starts to green up in April, thankfully many of them are cosmetic and don’t cause long term damage. Find more information here: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/lawn-disease-quick-reference/
The Horticulture Webinar team held three differing webinars in the month of April: Understanding the Emerald Ash Borer: From Identification to Action, What’s the Deal with No Mow May?, and Establishing a Bee Lawn – Current Research and Practical Techniques. Past webinars can be found here: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/online-programs-archive/
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Human Development and Relationships, Katie Gellings
I taught a group of senior and junior college students at Lawrence University about budgeting and savings. We discussed the importance of creating a spending plan, tracking spending, and creating a personal savings goal. The students completed several activities within the session and were very engaged. This was a pilot project, which was considered successful. The partnership with Lawrence University’s financial aid office will continue in the fall with the opportunity to teach more financial workshops, reaching more students.
Money Smart Wisconsin events were held in the Fox Cities on April 15-21. Our Fox Cities Money Smart Committee offered 15 different events and workshops at a variety of locations throughout the Fox Cities. The goal of Money Smart Wisconsin events is to empower people with the knowledge and skills needed to make well-informed personal finance choices. The committee also provided a senior from Brillion High School with a scholarship to pursue his secondary education. I currently chair the Fox Cities Money Smart Committee and it’s comprised of individuals from Prospera Credit Union, Veritas Financial, Catholic Charities, Goodwill, Fox Communities Credit Union, Outagamie County Extension, and Winnebago County Extension.
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