August 2005

"To individuals, families, businesses and communities of Pennsylvania, Penn State Cooperative Extension is the engaged educational system that helps maximize student potential with research-proven knowledge.”

In this Newsletter:

Message from the Director

Rosemarie Rossetti was the featured speaker at the County Extension Directors Institute held in May. Her presentation was an inspiration to those who attended, and we wanted to share her thoughts with you. In this article, Rosemarie presents five core lessons she has learned that have helped her "live life with conviction."

Getting More Out of Life

As we live our lives from year to year, we reflect upon where we are in life and where we wish we could be. Time for reflection brings us personal insights and answers to help us achieve goals and take charge of our lives.

We examine segments of our lives including our career, relationships with our loved ones and friends, finances, health, personal growth, fun and recreation, and our physical environment. Sometimes examination shows us that our lives are out of balance. We identify the segments that are deficient and try to reconnect with our values and priorities.

We have a right to want more out of life -- more happiness, prosperity, and success. To get more out of life, we need to focus on looking for opportunities. As we see opportunities, we need to have courage, inner strength, commitment, passion, and conviction to move forward. Sometimes it takes one little step in the right direction.

Little steps have made a big difference in my life. After my spinal cord injury, I learned how to walk again using braces and a walker. The first step was a milestone!

As I live my life, I refer to the five core lessons that I learned early in my recovery period. Throughout these past six years, these lessons have helped me to live life with conviction.

1. Do something new every day.
Each morning, think about what you have planned for the day and make a point to do something new. As your day progresses, try new things, learn new skills, explore new places, meet new people.

2. Focus on a hopeful future, not on self-pity.
Channel your thoughts to a future time in your life when your challenges are over and happiness is restored. Limit the time you feel sorry for yourself.

3. Believe that the impossible just might be possible.
You may be screening what is really possible for you to achieve in life. You have far more intellect, creativity, energy, and talent than you are giving yourself credit for.

4. Allow more time to get things done and be patient with yourself.
Patience is the true acceptance of the way things are for now. Slow down and stop frustrating yourself.

5. To lower your stress, lower your expectations of other people.
As you ask other people to do things for you, be aware of how much you have asked them to do. Be realistic about your expectations considering the time frame that you have given them.

Integrating these five lessons into your life may be difficult. Habits may need to be changed and perspectives altered. You may feel uncomfortable and struggle as you modify your thinking and push yourself father than you ever dared to go. If you really want more out of life, you really need to put more effort into life.

Byline: Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., is a speaker and writer. To book her to speak at a conference or to subscribe to her free monthly inspirational column, go to: http://www.RosemarieSpeaks.com.

Rosemarie conducts presentations that bring out the best in people, to help them achieve goals and take charge of their lives. Rosemarie helps her audiences discover their inner strength. Her core message is focused on sharing information, strategies, and life lessons that provide the tools to LIVE LIFE WITH CONVICTION.

She is the author of "Take Back Your Life!" and is Ms. Wheelchair Ohio 2004.

Rosemarie would like to receive your comments about the impact her article has made on your life. Write her at Rosemarie@RosemarieSpeaks.com.

Best wishes,
Daney Jackson
Director of Cooperative Extension

News to Know

Budget Update
The state budget has now been finalized and sent to the Governor for his signature. Given the fiscal challenges we continue to face in the Commonwealth, the funding for Penn State and the rest of higher education continues to come up short of having funds just to continue ongoing activities. Our college received a 2 percent increase in our budget, which is better than nothing but still short of enough to meet ongoing needs. Therefore, we will have another year of having to make some selective reductions in personnel at University Park and in the counties. We expect this to be overall a modest reduction of perhaps 25 to 30 positions but, nonetheless, disappointing and difficult to have to make.

On the federal side, Congress responded to the outcry of agricultural advocates in Pennsylvania and across the country in opposition to the proposed cuts in the formula funds for agricultural research. The full House and the Senate Appropriations Committee versions of the bill eliminated the drastic cuts. The full Senate will not take action on the bill until sometime in the future. We will keep you posted.

State 4-H Achievement Days
More than 850 4-Hers attended the 2005 State 4-H Achievement Days, held July 26-28 at Penn State's University Park campus. This competitive and educational program, sponsored each year by Penn State Extension, is held to demonstrate achievement of 4-H members and provide recognition of their accomplishments. The events provide youth with opportunities to develop self-confidence, increase skills, and meet quality standards. During "Service with a Purpose Day," over 400 youth were involved in activities that affected individuals in Centre County and around the world. They wrote letters to military personnel, made tray favors for nursing homes, and prepared special care baskets for pet friends searching for homes. More than 200 youth attended the "Introduction to Penn State" session. Youth placing first in some contests have qualified to represent the Pennsylvania 4-H program at national events.

Ag Progress Days
Ag Progress Days will be held August 16-18 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs. The College of Agricultural Sciences' displays will showcase our latest research and educational programs. One of the themed exhibits, "Engineering for YOUR Life," will highlight how engineering affects your life every day. The event also will feature exhibits, demonstrations, tours, and displays by more than 350 commercial exhibitors. Additionally, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns will host a Farm Bill Forum on Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. until noon in the Ag Progress Days Special Events Building.

Ag Progress Days becomes a reality through the hard work and efforts of many faculty and staff. We encourage you to take advantage of this event, if your schedule permits. More details are available on the Web at http://apd.cas.psu.edu/.

2004-2005 4-H Fundraising
Congratulations to everyone who supported 4-H during the past fiscal year. Together, we have received $315,250 to support 4-H locally and statewide. Over half a million dollars has been raised in the past two years.

New endowments have also been created: Adams County 4-H Endowment; Clarion County 4-H Memorial Endowment; Samuel M. & Joan B. Curtis 4-H/FFA Award Endowment; Franklin County 4-H Endowment; Eugene and Carol Schurman 4-H Endowment for Indiana County; Luzerne County 4-H Endowment; McKean County 4-H Endowment; and Venango 4-H Livestock Program Endowment.

For more information about how to support your favorite 4-H program, please contact Michael Martin at 405 Keller Building, University Park, PA 16802; 814-863-2754; or email mmartin@psu.edu.

2005 Grower Field Day
The Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center 2005 Grower Field Day was held at the center in Biglerville on July 14. About 140 participants -- including growers, industry personnel from four states, legislators, and county commissioners -- attended the event. Research and educational sessions and tours were offered on topics such as fruit crop management, insect management programs, and organic fruit production. Presentations featured faculty members from plant pathology, horticulture, and entomology, as well as field-based extension educators and a graduate student. The day ended with a dinner and presentation by Dr. Daney Jackson.

Learning Today Leading Tomorrow Agreement
Penn State Extension has reached an agreement with the Conservation Districts in two regions of the Commonwealth to conduct 39 hours of the new "Learning Today Leading Tomorrow" curriculum. This leadership curriculum, designed by a group of extension educators from across the state, helps individuals develop and strengthen their personal leadership skills so they can play active and constructive leadership roles in their communities. The curriculum will be taught by trained extension educators in the Southwest and Northeast regions beginning this fall. The Conservation Districts in these two regions will provide this training for up to 32 district leaders, line and clerical staffs, and district board chairs.

Thirteen recent Leadership 2020 graduates from Susquehanna County participated in the first Learning Today Leading Tomorrow program. These individuals represent diverse organizations, from the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity to banks and child care programs.

Program Updates and New Directions
Pennsylvania 4-H Youth Development License Plates
Show your pride in the Pennsylvania 4-H Youth Development Program every time you get in your car. 4-H license plates are now available to 4-H supporters including alumni, volunteers, parents, 4-H members, and donors. The PA 4-H license plate can be purchased for a required contribution of $45.00. Of this amount, $22.50 is a contribution to the 4-H program and will be used to support youth and adult programming.

To apply for the license plate, complete the PA specialty license plate application, found at http://pa4h.cas.psu.edu/specialtyregplate002.pdf. (Adobe Acrobat is required.) Don't forget to sign it. Write a check for $45.00 payable to Penn State University. Send to:

PA 4-H License Plate
c/o Christy Bartley
The Pennsylvania State University
323 Ag Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802

Small Farms Expo
Extension educators from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York will host a Small Farms Expo September 17-18 in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania. This tri-state effort has developed into an excellent example of a multi-state collaboration. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.smallfarmexpo.org.

Women in Agriculture Conference
The 2005 Women in Sustainable Agriculture Conference: A Celebration of Hope & Opportunity will be held October 21-23 in Burlington, Vermont. The conference, hosted by the Women's Agricultural Network (WAgN), focuses on ways to expand the success of women farmers. Participants will share educational and organizational strategies; build production, business, and leadership skills; and explore cultural and policy issues. Find out more about the conference and/or register online at www.regonline.com/womeninagconference.

Green Industry Roundtable
An in-service for extension educators working in the green industry is planned for October 17th. The agenda will include research updates from faculty and graduate students, reports from working groups, and other items for discussion that are being solicited.

Did you know that…

• Penn State Extension's Better Kid Care Program provides statewide educational materials and resources, direct training workshops, satellite broadcasts, internet-based workshops, a telephone help line, videos, and educational activities for child-care providers, parents, and employers. Satellite training workshops, produced at Penn State, were downlinked on average to 55 Penn State Cooperative Extension sites across Pennsylvania and on average to 42 states nationwide. In 2004, over 39,890 child-care providers were trained statewide, enabling them to operate in compliance with state regulations.

• During 2004, disease forecasters for early and late blight helped make it possible for growers to reduce fungicide use by an average of at least 44 percent for early blight control -- a savings equivalent to about 98 tons of fungicide used each year in Pennsylvania -- resulting in reduced cost of production for producers, reduced exposure of farm and field workers to pesticides, reduced pesticide applied to food crops, and reduced pesticide released into the environment.

Well Done

Congratulations to John Floros, department head and professor of food science, selected as a participant for the Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI). The FSLI is a partnership between the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The scholars selected for this inaugural leadership institute will participate in a program dedicated to advancing and strengthening the food system.

Congratulations to Dennis Calvin, professor of entomology, and Nina Redding, county extension director in Cumberland County, selected as participants in the LEAD21 program. The purpose of this program is to develop leaders in land-grant institutions and their strategic partners who link research, academics, and extension in order to lead more effectively in an increasingly complex environment. This is an important part of our internal leadership development program.

We Are Penn State Extension Proud

Congratulations to Susan Alexander, extension educator in Jefferson County, and David Suchanic, senior extension educator in Montgomery County, recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, and to Lori Little, extension educator in Lancaster County, recipient of the Achievement Award of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA). These educators were recognized at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the NACAA held in Buffalo, New York, in July.

John Berry, extension educator in Lehigh County, was national winner of the NACAA Communication Award in the direct mail piece category. The following national finalists for Communication Awards were also recognized: Lee Young, county extension director in Washington County, radio and computer generated graphics; Emelie Swackhamer, extension educator in Lehigh/Northampton County, published photo; John Berry, fact sheet; and Donna Grey, associate extension educator in Luzerne County, individual newsletter. The regional finalists included: Carol Schurman, associate extension educator in Indiana County, radio; Thomas Butzler, extension educator in Clinton County, personal column; Robert Goodling, extension educator in Lebanon County, computer generated graphics; and Melanie Barkley, extension educator in Bedford County, home page. The state winner of the NACAA Public Relations "Pride" is Lee Young, and the state recipients of the Search for Excellence for Livestock Production are Ann Swinker, extension horse specialist in dairy and animal science, and Laura Watts, a former extension educator in Cumberland County who has retired.

Congratulations to the award winners for their outstanding efforts! And thank you to the Pennsylvania extension educators who served as hosts for this successful annual meeting, along with educators from other associations in the Northeast!

The Extension Spirit

By Bill Curran, Greg Roth, and David Sylvia, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

The Crop Management Extension Group (CMEG) helps show that extension in Pennsylvania is alive and well. For those not familiar with our team, CMEG (http://cmeg.psu.edu/) is comprised of faculty, staff, and extension educators located in four departments in the College of Agricultural Sciences and six extension regions throughout the state. Group members and their activities are organized around six key areas: integrated pest management, forage crop production, grain crop production, sustainable and organic crop production, nutrient management, and soil management. For each of the key areas, CMEG members develop educational programs that strive to meet the needs of our farms and their advisors in this challenging environment.

A primary role of CMEG is support of Penn State county-based agronomy educators throughout the state. This includes about 20 educators with primary responsibilities in agronomy and about 15 others that participate in educational programming. The group members also develop workshops and conferences for crop producers and agribusiness professionals, administer and support the Certified Crop Advisor program, and provide technical support for government agencies involved in regulating crop production. The group has worked effectively together for more than 10 years and members' hard work and dedication over this period have earned them the respect of the clientele they support and serve. A primary goal of CMEG is to enable producers to make informed and effective decisions that benefit the industry and the Commonwealth.

Background:
Field crop production is a critical component of Pennsylvania agriculture. Over 4 million acres of field crops (corn, hay, soybeans, small grains, and other grain and forage crops) are produced each year in Pennsylvania. These crops are managed by producers and a variety of professionals that provide products, technical support, or regulatory oversight. The industry is rapidly changing as innovative technologies are introduced, new regulations are implemented, farms consolidate, and new markets develop for farm crops. Recent examples include the introduction of transgenic crops, precision agriculture technologies, nutrient management regulations, and organic crop production standards. Often these issues result in new questions and conflicting viewpoints, and the industry needs a neutral third party to provide science-based leadership. Unlike many states, field-crop production in Pennsylvania is diverse and closely linked to animal production systems. This often makes field-crop production decisions complex. Because of these complex and ever-changing issues, field crop advisors and producers in Pennsylvania depend on the latest technology and information in order to remain competitive regionally, nationally, and globally.

Our Strategy:
The overall strategy of the CMEG group has been to provide coordinated programs for faculty, staff, and extension educators to participate as teams to maximize resource use efficiency and to attract funding to support extension programs. At the same time, individual members in the CMEG group have the opportunity to develop educational programs that are independent of the group effort as they see fit. The CMEG team members provide leadership for the group activities on a rotating basis. Some of the key programs that CMEG members support each year as a group include revising The Penn State Agronomy Guide, a highly regarded reference on agronomic crop production that is available online and in hard-copy format. The Field Crop News, a biweekly newsletter published by the group throughout the growing season, is read by over 700 professionals throughout the region. Other activities include support of local county extension programs by assisting in the development of programs throughout the region; development of educational resources for extension educators and other professionals including fact sheets, PowerPoint presentations and video for use in county-based educational programs; and an annual fall in-service that provides agronomy educators with a CD-ROM containing educational materials for the year. The Field Crop Diagnostic Clinic, held each summer, is a hands-on clinic at the Russell E. Larson Research Center at Rock Springs, where crop advisors can work directly with CMEG members to observe and diagnose crop production problems. The Ag Service Schools are day-long workshops in late fall for crop advisors in central and western Pennsylvania that focus on timely production issues from the previous season. Individual programs and initiatives that help synergize the overall success of the CMEG program include field days, such as the Agronomy-Industry Field Day at Landisville, The Weed and Other Pest Field Day at Rock Springs, The Small-Grains Field Day, and state conferences, including The Pennsylvania Agronomic Education Society Annual Conference, The Corn and Soybean Conference, The Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Conference, several no-till conferences, and numerous other activities.

Impacts:
The CMEG group has had a number of significant achievements. Development of the Certified Crop Advisor program in the state has led to a higher degree of professionalism among crop advisors and generated support for training programs. The CMEG programs have created awareness on many issues that others in private industry often don't discuss, such as the use of unnecessary applications of fertilizers and pesticides, the downsides of transgenic crops, and the need for cover crops and conservation practices. Penn State's CMEG members are providing leadership to the agricultural community to develop practical solutions to key issues while continuing to develop the economic potential of crop production in our state. More specific successful activities can be viewed on the CMEG Web site.

Bottom line:
So why is CMEG successful and a great example of "the extension spirit"? The bottom line is that CMEG is comprised of dedicated individuals who all want success in their professional lives. A team approach that allows a flexible yet directed focus, along with a critical mass of energy (people) to get the job done, are key components to our success. Strong leadership that supports our ideas and programs is also critical. We know crop production in Pennsylvania is diverse, exciting, and dynamic, and we look forward to working in and helping that enterprise well into the future.

Leadership Thoughts

Ten Leadership Propositions

1. Be effective. Emphasize results, both through management by objectives and by process.

2. Understand that leadership is a mind-set and a pattern of behaviors. It is to have made a habit of a new way of thinking and a new way of acting.

3. Be prepared to wake up and to change your perceptions and concepts radically (transformation, conversion) with respect to the human potential and to cultures (corporate, ethnic, national).

4. Lead by teaching leadership, by empowering, by fostering autonomy, providing direction, and lending support. A teacher is an experienced and relentless learner.

5. Have faith that leadership can be learned and that it can be taught.

6. Know that the leadership mind can hold opposing ideas and contradictory feelings at one and the same time. It can achieve comfort with the tensions of ambiguity, polarity, and uncertainty.

7. Be a leader in all six arenas of life: work, family, self, ecological responsibility, social responsibility, and financial strength.

8. Inform your products and services with a leadership teaching component. You do not sell a product or service; you help customers buy leadership in their affairs.

9. Use both reasons or models (living from the 'outside in') and instincts or intuition (living from the 'inside out').

10. Expect leadership to lead you and your organization to a higher state of health (Koestenbaum, 2002, p. 23-26).

The Well Done section highlights a particular noteworthy extension education effort by an individual or team.

The We Are Penn State Extension Proud section recognizes an extension employee's outstanding accomplishments.

The Extension Spirit section enables Penn State Cooperative Extension employees to share meaningful work experiences, articulate the values and goals behind their efforts, and present inspirational ideas.

Send your suggestions for the Well Done, We Are Penn State Extension Proud, and The Extension Spirit sections to Margaret Koble, mak10@psu.edu. Nominations will be reviewed and selected by the director. The deadline for receiving nominations for the next issue of the newsletter is September 16.

NOTE:
After being distributed, issues of Extension Directions will be archived at: http://www.extension.psu.edu/Newsletters/archives.htm.

Please sent submissions to Margaret Koble, mak10@psu.edu.