The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 12, No. 48  October 10, 2006

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...KanElect and Health Insurance Open Enrollment
...A Planned Change for the Kansas 4-H Program
...Response to Tuition Assistance Program Questions from K-State Research and Extension Annual Conference
...Kansas Board of Regents Mandatory Retirement Plan
...Thank You from Mary Townley
...4-H Poster Winners
...Economic Policy Conference and Agritourism: Is Density Destiny?
...Learning to Speak the 4-H Lingo
...Feeding Kansas City Conference
...Youth Development Journal
...A Framework for Understanding Poverty
...Publications/Production Services Update
...Youth Groups Needed to Pilot Trail Mixx
...It's Your Library!
...Manhattan Women Invited to Free Breast Cancer Screening Event October 12
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
K-State Research and Extension recently became aware that the national standard and USDA policy for membership age in the standard 4-H club program is 9 to 19. Currently, K-State Research and Extension allows full membership at age 7 to 19. The question we now raise is "what do we do about this inconsistency?" As one would scan most states, youth can join 4-H between the ages of 5 and 19. And, there are then categories of membership for youth, ages 5 to 8, 9 to 13, and 14 to 19. Full participation in competitive individual or team activities are generally allowed for those age 9 or above, depending on the event. Ages 8 and under participate in non-competitive experiences based upon age-appropriate development theories.

A bit of background.... The 4-H Name and Emblem are protected under federal statute Title 18, U. S. Code 707. Statutory responsibility and authorization for use of the name and emblem are given to the Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture. National 4-H Headquarters then further provides minimum requirements for Land-Grant Universities and Cooperative Extension to follow in their use of the name and emblem and its intent in being a symbol of positive youth development.

And where are we in Kansas?.... In a recent retreat of the 4-H campus and area faculty, some logical steps were defined to insure only minor disruptions in the overall 4-H program. A first step would be to engage with agents, stakeholders, volunteers, and partners to create a road map for a smooth transition towards compliance with national standards for age-appropriate participation.

I applaud the 4-H faculty for their determination in protecting the integrity of the 4-H youth development program and organization in Kansas. First and foremost, Kansas 4-H must stand for POSITIVE youth development. Bringing the events, activities, and experiences of 4-H into compliance with the national standards would only seem appropriate as a positive step towards protecting the integrity of the 4-H name and emblem. Additionally, it assures that 4-H is indeed an organization founded on and retaining its roots in evidence-based experiential learning towards positive youth development.

In the spirit of John Miller, annual conference speaker and author of QBQ, I trust and hope that every one of you who are involved in some way with the delivery of 4-H youth experiences will look at how YOU can contribute towards a smooth and positive transition into compliance with national standards for the Kansas 4- H organization. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

KANELECT AND HEALTH INSURANCE OPEN ENROLLMENT
October 1 - October 31 is the Open Enrollment period for the State of Kansas Group Health Insurance and the KanElect Flexible Spending Accounts. A letter from Joe Younger dated September 29 gave the details.

KanElect participation in 2006 DOES NOT carry forward to 2007. To participate in 2007, you must enroll on-line, via the State of Kansas Open Enrollment Program at http://www.kansas.gov/employee .

Employees desiring to enroll in a health insurance plan or make changes to their current plan also need to enroll via the above website. Employees not wanting to make changes to their health insurance do not need to enroll on-line.

Questions can be directed to the Division of Human Resources at 785-532-6277. --Division of Human Resources

A PLANNED CHANGE FOR THE KANSAS 4-H PROGRAM
As a result of inquiries put forth to the State 4-H Department and the corresponding replies from National 4-H Headquarters, Kansas 4-H Youth Development will be experiencing planned changes over the next few years.

The following statement is the resulting outcome of discussions and decisions by State and Area 4-H specialists, Extension Administrators and the President of the Kansas 4-H Foundation at the 4-H Staff Retreat, October 6, 2006.

"We are gathering information and organizing a task force to investigate:

* How Kansas 4-H will move toward compliance with USDA policy and national standards regarding 4-H membership age requirements of 9 to 19
* Age appropriate competition
* Age appropriate learning experiences for youth ages 8 and younger

Currently, Kansas 4-H is not in compliance and is inconsistent in its application of the age appropriate competition policy. The task force will be made up of key stakeholder groups including youth, volunteers, extension agents, specialists, 4-H Foundation, administration, and partnering organizations. More information will be forthcoming as the plan evolves." --Pat McNally pmcnally@ksu.edu

RESPONSE TO TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM QUESTIONS FROM K-STATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Thank you for the questions regarding the tuition assistance program at Annual Conference. As a reminder to the group, the questions were: 1) I understand that distance education courses are not eligible for tuition assistance. Is this correct? And, 2) I believe thesis credits as part of the plan of study are not eligible for tuition assistance. Is that correct?

With the help of several individuals, I have researched these issues. Let me first refer you to the website, http://www.k-state.edu/policies/ppm/4870.html , which will provide you with the details about the program.

Also, I want to answer the specific questions:

1) Dr. Beth Unger, Vice Provost for Academic Services and Technology and Dean of the Division of Continuing Education, informs me that distance education courses carrying credit are eligible for tuition assistance through the tuition assistance program and the PPM policy 4870.

According to the Division of Human Resources, tuition assistance is available for distance education courses at the rate of regular on-campus courses. Tuition assistance is NOT available for the difference in cost between regular and distance education courses.

K-State tuition assistance is also available for credit courses taken from other Regents universities and community colleges, as well as courses taken through neighboring states' universities or consortiums .

2) Effective June 1, 2006, thesis and dissertation credits are now eligible for tuition assistance.

Please direct any questions regarding tuition assistance to the Division of Human Resources at 785-532-6277.

Once again, I really appreciate the questions. They allow me to learn more about these policies but, more importantly, to communicate the support the system has for continued education for personal growth and professional development. --Fred Cholick fcholick@ksu.edu

KANSAS BOARD OF REGENTS MANDATORY RETIREMENT PLAN
NOTE: The following information is for those employees participating in the Kansas Board of Regents Mandatory Retirement Plan only.

At the Kansas Board of Regents June 22, 2006 meeting, the Board approved significant improvements to its Mandatory Retirement plan based on recommendations from the Board’s Retirement Plan Committee. These changes are effective December 31, 2006. At that time, TIAA-CREF and ING will be the only retirement plan providers.

Informational packets are in the process of being mailed to all Kansas Board of Regents eligible employees. These packets contain:

a.  letter from Reginald Robinson, President and CEO of the Board,
b.  schedule of transition meetings,
c.  informational brochures from TIAA-CREF and ING,
d.  a Salary Reduction Agreement form,
e.  questions/answers

Each participant will need to carefully review the packet of materials to determine which retirement plan provider they want to elect as well as how they want their contributions allocated. Please note that some current funds will not be available with the new lineup of investments.

All of the Kansas Board of Regents educational institutions have arranged meetings on their campuses for representatives from the Board, TIAA-CREF and ING, to explain the changed plan as well as new fund lines available for investment and those that will no longer be available for investment.

A schedule of these meetings can be found at: http://www.kansasregents.org . Click on the Kansas Board of Regents Retirement Plan logo.

All participants in the Kansas Board of Regents Mandatory Retirement Plan are strongly encouraged to attend a meeting closest to your work location.

Questions should be addressed to Joe Younger or Elizabeth Mowry Harbstreit at 785-532-6277, or e-mail BENADMIN@KSU.EDU . --Joe Younger

THANK YOU FROM MARY TOWNLEY
I would like to thank everyone for their love and support during this very difficult time.  The loss of my son, Cody, has left such a void.  All of the thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated and have helped to ease the pain a bit. --Mary Townley townley@ksu.edu

4-H POSTER WINNERS
The 4-H Marketing Action Team had a drawing for sets of "The Stuff You Need to Know" promotional posters during the Annual Conference Resource Fair. Winners were David Lott, River Valley District; Lori Sporer, Logan County; Leanne Stevenson, Miami County; Michelle Brokes, Ellsworth County; and Amy Gerdes, Ford County. Best wishes as you continue to market Kansas 4-H. --4-H Marketing Action Team Members

ECONOMIC POLICY CONFERENCE AND AGRITOURISM: IS DENSITY DESTINY?
The 2006 Kansas Economic Policy Conference will take place Thursday, October 26, at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, or at Pioneer Communications in Ulysses, the conference’s satellite location.  For more information about the speakers and panelists, along with registration information, visit http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/conferen/kepc06/  or call 785-864-3701.

The Agriculture Marketing Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce is sponsoring $30,000 in scholarships to help Kansas agritourism operators attend conferences, seminars and educational tours, gain first-hand information regarding practices and techniques used by other agritourism vendors and develop nationwide relationships within the industry.  The objective is to help agritourism operators to gain first-hand information regarding agritourism best practices around the region and the country, and to develop professional, educational, and marketing relationships within the industry nationwide. Up to $5,000 is available to attend an approved conference, and up to $2,000 is available to help fund an educational trip to targeted agritourism regions.

Applications will be accepted from October 5 through November 15, 2006.For more information on these scholarships, visit http://www.kansasagritourism.org/news/KS_AGT_Scholarships.htm . --Dan Kahl dkahl@oznet.ksu.edu

LEARNING TO SPEAK THE 4-H LINGO
Do you feel you have lost touch with the current 4-H program? We all know that change is inevitable; therefore, the Kansas 4-H Program continues to evolve. Blast into the Future is a training designed for extension agents to help them catch up with what is currently going on in the Kansas 4-H program and where it is headed in the future. This two day training will be held November 8 - 9, at Rock Springs and costs $50.

Take time today to sign up for this educational opportunity on the 4-H website. You will be glad you did as there is something for everyone. This training is sponsored by the 4-H Camp Action Team. --Susie Latta slatta@ksu.edu

FEEDING KANSAS CITY CONFERENCE
The Feeding Kansas City Conference will be Saturday, December 2, 2006, at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center, Kansas City, MO. This conference will be of interest to producers currently producing for Kansas City markets, and for those wishing to learn about possible markets. The conference will bring together producers and various produce buyers for a series of workshops addressing multiple aspects of selling local farm products. Program information is available on the Growing Growers Training Program website: www.growinggrowers.org . --Ted Carey tcarey@ksu.edu

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL
The Public Relations and Information Committee of KAE4-HA would like to share the following site which might be of interest to those who work with youth programs. Check it out!!

 http://www.nae4ha.org/directory/jyd/index.html  --Phyllis Kriesel pkriesel@oznet.ksu.edu

A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING POVERTY...
training will be offered next year on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 27 and 28, at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center in Wichita. To expand and better address the people of Kansas, this training will help staff understand social classes and how extension educational programs can focus on people’s needs, especially those living in poverty. Please hold these dates as more details will be coming out after the first of the year. --Carol Fink cfink@ksu.edu

PUBLICATIONS/PRODUCTION SERVICES UPDATE
Another Farm Management Update
On the recent order form for Farm Management Guides, "Raising Dairy Herd Replacements," MF-399, was not marked as an updated guide. It will be updated for 2006. The updated version will be included in the complete set of guides (PK-9).

Canceling Orders
Orders for "Glossary of Water Terms," MF2730 from the May order form, are being canceled for further author review of content. It will be offered on a future order form after author release. We regret any inconvenience to our clients. --Nancy Zimmerli-Cates nancyz@ksu.edu

YOUTH GROUPS NEEDED TO PILOT TRAIL MIXX
If your community doesn’t have trails or you think the existing trails could use some improvement, have we got a deal for you! "Trail Mixx" is a fun way for youth and adults to work together to develop trails and promote physical activity. Your State Trail Mixx Team, along with the Sunflower Foundation, are looking for youth groups, organizations or adult/teen teams to help pilot Trail Mixx. 4-H members can also use Trail Mixx for a self-determined project. Trail Mixx Kits include hacky sacs, stop watches, activity cards, "squirrel food" and a flying disc.

If you are interested in being "in front of the pack" for trail and physical activity promotion, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu ; or Joan Kahl, jkahl@ksu.edu, at 785-532-5773 by October 31. We welcome all inquiries. --Joan Kahl

IT'S YOUR LIBRARY!
During the Program Focus Team meetings at Annual Conference, several questions arose about county Extension agents’ use of K-State libraries. Here’s the good word -- as K-State faculty, county, area and state Extension faculty have complete use privileges of Hale Library and the other libraries on campus. Even better, you don’t need to physically BE on campus to take advantage of this excellent benefit – most of the library resources are available electronically – from your desk! With a current eID and password, off-campus users may access databases and electronic journals.

For more library information and assistance, contact Mike Haddock, Agriculture Librarian, 785-532-7418, haddock@ksu.edu , or visit the website, http://www.lib.ksu.edu . Watch for more library information in future issues of The Tuesday Letter. --Sandy Procter procter@humec.ksu.edu , and Sara Kearns, Instruction Coordinator, Hale Library

In celebration of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the Manhattan Cancer Awareness Committee will have a free breast cancer screening event from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., October 12, at the Riley County-Manhattan Health Department, 2030 Tecumseh Rd.

The awareness committee, whose members include the health department, American Cancer Society, Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research at K-State, and Mercy Regional Health Center, works to educate the community about cancer and risk reduction. To request a presentation, call Marcia Locke at the cancer center, 785-532-6705. For information on cancer, visit the American Cancer Society Website at www.cancer.org . --Marcia Locke www.k-state.edu/cancer.center

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS.

Submit corrections to previously submitted items to jzarger@ksu.edu .

Sunday, October 22, through Thursday, October 26
.... National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA), Milwaukee, WI, Rod Buchele rbuchele@oznet.ksu.edu and Beth Hecht bhecht@oznet.ksu.edu

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