Sara Donnerbauer has joined the UW-Extension Eau Claire County staff as the 4-H Youth

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1 I S S U E FALL N o v e m b e r Extension Cord this issue A Career In Eau Claire County P.2 Farmer s Market Token Program P AmeriCorps Vista P.3 Start of the New 4-H Year P.5 Anti-Bullying P.6 Parenting Newsletter P.7 BCCB Grants Impact P.8 Soil Formation P.9 Chippewa Valley Future Festival P.10 We teach, learn, lead and serve, connecting people with the University of Wisconsin, and engaging with them in transforming lives and communities PLEASE WELCOME SARA AND KERRI TO THE UW-EXTENSION OFFICE Sara Donnerbauer has joined the UW-Extension Eau Claire County staff as the 4-H Youth Kerri Kiernan is serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Eau Claire County UW-Extension Horticulture 227 1st Street West Altoona, WI Phone: Open Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Website: eauclaire.uwex.edu Facebook: eauclairecountyuwex Development Educator. Sara has been the 4-H Youth Development Agent in Monroe County the past two and a half years, and has been serving as the Interim Eau Claire County 4-H Youth Development Agent since January of Sara has a Bachelor s Degree in Animal Science with a minor in Ag Business from UW-River Falls. She has a Master s Degree in Agricultural Education with an emphasis in Extension Education, also from UW-River Falls. Sara s previous experience as the 4-H Educator in Monroe County will help her continue to support the traditional 4-H community club program, as well as expand the outreach programming in youth development. Program for one year. Kerri received her B.F.A. from University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. She previously served as Extension Nutrition Educator in Chippewa County. Kerri s role is to strengthen volunteer capacity for the local food effort and sustainable living education in Eau Claire County. Kerri is assisting with many goals including: providing support to the Phoenix Park Community Garden s volunteer management system; creating a Jeffers Road Community Garden committee composed of renters to help build a sense of community; developing a volunteer management system for the Chippewa Valley Sustainable Future Festival; and developing organizational infrastructure for the youth Eco-Team program by building a volunteer base and expanding the curriculum to other age groups.

2 2 Looking back on my years in the county, I first think of the people How Important is Agriculture in Eau Claire County? Agriculture provides 4,481 jobs in Eau Claire County Agriculture accounts for $1.1 billion in business sales Agriculture contributes $275 million to county income Agriculture pays $23 million in taxes A Career in Eau Claire County Extension I have had the pleasure of working with people from all parts of the county for over 25 years. I started as the Eau Claire County UW-Extension Agricultural Agent on July 1, I came to the county after spending 16 years as a vocational agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor in Wisconsin and Iowa. I sold feed for two years and farmed for seven years in eastern Iowa on the home farm. Looking back on my years here in the county, I first think of the people. Over the years farmers and others have welcomed me into their lives. Extension barn meetings, tours and field days have been held on over 200 farms over the years. Farmers and landowners have opened their doors and their hearts to me and they have allowed me to become a trusted advisor. I ve spent time with many families as they planned new buildings, looked at farm succession issues, wrote their own nutrient management plans. Agriculture has changed from a dairy-dominated county to a more diversified agricultural community. Today we have more farmers than we had in 1987, but they are more diverse in what they grow and how they grow crops. No one ever imagined that we would be talking about sand mines today. We have more large farms AND more small farms today. Many remember the 1988 drought, the Father s Day frost, the 1992 Wisconsin Farm Progress Days Show held on the Cleasby and Schacht farms, the Foster tornado, Dairy Management Barn meetings, Chippewa Valley Forage Council activities, Dairy Facility Tours, the County Fair, Farm City Day, Breakfast in the Valley and lots of opportunities to gather together to celebrate agriculture and people. I have had the opportunity to work with a great group of colleagues and friends here at our office over the years. We have worked together to deliver research-based information to all who sought us out. I have enjoyed my work with fellow department heads and employees all across the county. I have been involved in a lot of committee work and special projects over the years. Eau Claire County is the place where our four children graduated from high school and college. They have scattered and we now welcome our grandchildren to Eau Claire. Eau Claire is our home and we plan to spend our future here. Thanks for the Memories! Mahlon Peterson 2

3 3 Tokens purchased at the Downtown Farmers Market brought almost $4,000 of revenue to vendors this summer. The Downtown Farmers Market and The Hunger Prevention Coalition of Eau Claire County worked in collaboration with Eau Claire County UW-Extension and AmeriCorps VISTA staff to initiate the Token Program. Patrons accessed their QUEST or debit card funds in exchange for tokens, which they then used to purchase food at the Market. Eau Claire Community Foundation provided start-up funds to pilot the program launched July 21. All of the vendors accepted the tokens. Local Eau Claire I love the locally grown food. It s a good experience for our kids. County 4-H members staffed the Token Program table at the Market, on Saturdays from 9-12:30. Tokens could be spent any day at the Market. Nearly one out of five (18%) residents rely on FoodShare to help feed their families. Spending FoodShare dollars at the Market contributes federal dollars to benefit the local economy. Market vendors also increase their sales. Studies have shown that food insecure families have less access to fresh fruits and vegetables. With the Token Program, families can use their FoodShare dollars to access healthy, affordable, locally-grown food. Over half of the families participating in FoodShare who completed a Program evaluation said they planned to visit the Market five or more times this year. Of those planning to visit five or more times, almost New Downtown Farmer s Market Token Program Helps Families Eat Healthier and Builds Local Food Economy all said they were eating more fruits and vegetables and feeling more included in the community due to this effort. Debit card customers utilizing the Token Program paid a $1 surcharge to help sustain the program. Nearly half of the all patrons, who completed a program evaluation, said this was the first year they had purchased food at the downtown market. The program has received positive support from both patrons and vendors. Debit card customers commented that they are happy to pay the surcharge to support the program. QUEST card customers often expressed thanks for the opportunity to use their FoodShare dollars at the Market. I want to eat locally. It s cheaper and better for me. This program is SO AWESOME! Thank you! A woman was walking by our table at the market and stopped to read our Token Program poster. I could see the emotion growing in her face as her eyes began to fill with tears. She said to me "oh my God, I could just hug you" to which I responded "Well, then, hug me!" She wrapped her arm around me and as we hugged she began sobbing and just kept thanking us for starting the program and stated that she had been asking for this to happen for the past five years. (Melissa Gullickson) 3

4 4 Through the program we were able to promote and support local farmers. We supported their produce and brought additional sales to them that they may not have had. We helped make a difference in the lives of people. AmeriCorps VISTA Promotes Food Security Hello! My name is Melissa Gullickson. I had the extreme pleasure to serve as the 2012 AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate for Eau Claire County UW- Extension. I spent my time working on several projects and was truly honored to be part of the amazing collaborative efforts to benefit my community. During my service I was able to assist in launching the new Token Program at the Downtown Eau Claire Farmers Market. With the Token Program, families now have the ability to utilize their FoodShare dollars to access healthy, affordable, local food. I also collaborated with the Boys & Girls Club and WIC to facilitate a Mini-Market program. It was an indoor farmers market at the WIC Clinic with food supplied by the Phoenix Community Garden. WIC families purchased the fresh produce using their WIC Farmers Market Vouchers. Boys and Girls Club members harvested community garden produce, prepared food samples and offered recipes to show families how to use the produce. Three cooking shows were also created at Community TV to help participants learn ways to use the produce. Linked is a video that showcases the projects: The final project was a Food Security focus group research project with the UW Eau Claire Nursing Department, the Hunger Prevention Coalition, and UW- Extension. The purpose of the study is to better understand how parents with children cope with food hardship. Since my service officially ended, I am volunteering time to the Research Project and Farmer Market Token Program. In September, I was honored to present with Nancy Coffey at the Swipe Out Hunger conference. Our presentation, Making an Impact Through Community Collaboration, allowed me to share my Extension experiences. 4

5 5 October 1, 2012, marks the date of the new 4-H year, and now is a great time to get involved! 4-H Youth Development programming in Eau Claire County has many options for participation, from afterschool groups at various schools to joining community clubs around the county. The 4-H year runs from October 1 to September 30, and youth are encouraged to join clubs at this time of year. Youth who join the traditional clubs will start to select projects to take throughout the year, from knitting to photography and everything in between! 4-Hers (and non 4-H friends) can head off to summer camp in June, the Eau Claire County Fair in July, and various community service and other fun group activities throughout the year. Afterschool youth can participate in 4-H based October is the Start of the New 4-H Year! enrichment and educational activities taught by 4-H youth leaders, Interns, or adult volunteers. For more information on joining Eau Claire County 4-H, contact Sara Donnerbauer, 4-H Youth Development Agent, at or sara.donnerbauer@ces.u wex.edu According to the Tufts University Institute of Applied Research for Youth Development survey, youth in 4-H have higher educational achievement and motivation for future education and are more civically active and make more civic contributions to their communities. Eau Claire County 4-H Banquet Saturday, November 10th, 2012 Westgate Sportsmans Club Dinner at 7:00 pm Program at 8:00 pm R.S.V.P

6 6 Anti-Bullying Team Presents at Local Martial Arts Center More than 1 in 4 students report being bullied in the past 6 months at school. (National Centers for Education Statistics 2005) People from across the area got together as the school season started to help eliminate bullying in the Chippewa Valley. The August 17 event focused on how to spot bullying, prevent it and cope with it. Speakers included experts in law enforcement, education, society and technology, mental health and business who shared strategies and support for parents and their children. About 50 adults and children attended the event. It is expected that more events will be held given the concern expressed by audience members. Jeremy Buchholz, owner of One Tree Martial Arts, hosted the event and was one of the speakers. He said, A lot of people think bullying is like the little scrawny kid in the class room being shoved up against the wall for his lunch money. It's a much broader event than that actually. It covers children; it covers adults, people who are being bullied at home, at school, at church, on the internet. So we are going to be covering all of those topics." Julie Keown-Bomar, family living educator and specialist in gender studies, spoke on relationship aggression, a form of bullying. She shared personal stories, the different roles that people play in bullying, prevention techniques and resources to learn more about bullying. Justin Patchin, UW-Eau Claire faculty and expert on cyber bullying shared information and tips on what parents and communities can do when young people use technology to harm others. Audience members asked a number of questions about when and how to intervene if they believe their child is being bullied. For more information about bullying and/or anti-bullying resources, contact Julie Keown-Bomar at your county extension office,

7 7 Parenting Newsletter Project Receives New Grants from Mayo Clinic Health System and Sacred Heart Hospital The Parenting Newsletter Project started in 1993 with about 340 newsletters going out monthly to parents who recently had a baby at local hospitals. Today nearly 1,300 families a month receive a newsletter that provides research-based information about their child s growth and development; health issues; helping infants and toddlers to learn; and family involvement. Evaluation results indicated that as a result of reading the newsletters parents feel less stress, they are less likely to slap or spank their baby, and they are more likely to promote language development and reading readiness. Mayo Clinic Health System and Sacred Heart Hospital have been key partners since the program s inception, by connecting UW-Extension to families and paying for the distribution costs of the newsletter. Both health systems provided grants in 2012 to help cover rising costs associated with printing the newsletters. Their contributions ensure this educational newsletter will continue to be provided to new parents. Kiwanis clubs and volunteers provide funding as well as time to help with labeling and mailing the newsletters. UW-Extension child development specialists write the newsletters and your local county Extension staff coordinates the project. We would like to thank all our partners, including Mayo Clinic Health System, Sacred Heart Hospital and contributing Kiwanis Clubs for their support in this collaborative effort to help local families raise healthy children. Golden K Kiwanis Volunteers a work! 7

8 8 Building Community Capacity through Broadband Outreach and Education Statistics Positive Impacts of the BCCB Grant by Jill Hieptas Statewide Total activities = 1,073 Unique activities = 232 Training hours = 20,564 Total participants = 4,482,207 Chippewa Valley Total activities = 271 Unique activities = 81 Training hours = 6,091 Total participants = 3,855 Avg. participants per activity = 14 Avg. participants per class = 7 How time flies! When I started this role in April 2011 doing education and outreach under the Sustainable Broadband Adoption (SBA) grant, two years seemed far off. Now I look forward to the last quarter of collecting data, teaching people computer literacy, and continuing to spread the message of broadband adoption and why it s a necessity! While the real success of my grant outreach will be reflected in increased subscribership, the data from local and state-wide statistics and the feedback received from individuals participating, reinforces the message that affordable broadband access is becoming a necessity, as is the need to learn computers and the internet. Beyond teaching basic computer classes at libraries in the communities of Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire counties (classes inclusive of Basic Computer Use, Internet and How to Search and Be Safe, Creating and Using an Account, Facebook and Social Media, or Skype with Family and Friends), outreach is expanding to job centers, county leadership, and small businesses like Chippewa River Industries (CRI) who need to learn or improve their computer skills for employment. In a recent , Lori Eklund Walsh, CRI training coordinator states Lack of computer literacy has been a huge barrier for the individuals in my program who are seeking community employment. I have been trying to find resources for training since I started last August. I couldn t believe my good luck when I heard Jill introduce herself at the Partnership meeting. She has been able to offer exactly what we needed. It s partnerships like this, and introducing people to technology that helps them stay in touch with the ever-changing technological landscape of this 21st century, that is both fun and rewarding. Speaking of landscape, check out the use of ipads in the field during the Crop Scouting School hosted by agronomist Jerry Clark and me this past summer. As noted by Jim Pingel It was nice to have these ipads with the UW-Extension apps already loaded with the information beneficial to my immediate needs. As a salesman I get people who want information now. I know the common pests (cutworms, aphids) but technology helped to see images for those I don t recognize. Through this session we showed how devices like an ipad can provide instant access to information as needed--what a great way to an image to your UWEX Ag Agent and get immediate identification when working with a customer. Data is great, but these stories are priceless. 8

9 9 High School and CVTC Students Learn About Soil Formation Eighty high school students from Eau Claire and Chippewa County and a dozen Chippewa Valley Technical College students learned about soils, land use, and soil formation at the annual Chippewa/Eau Claire County Land Judging Contest held on October 3 at Bush Brothers in Augusta. Students from Augusta, Fall Creek, Eleva-Strum, Bloomer, and Cornell participated in the event. Students learned about the forces which formed our local soils and geography. A tour of Bush Bothers waste water treatment facility was also part of the program as it helped to demonstrate the importance of environmental stewardship as it relates to soil and water. As part of the land judging contest, students judged four soil pits each with unique characteristics. Students are scored on their observation and answers regarding the soils, soil pit, and its relationship with the surrounding environment, and land use. Collaborating with the Eau Claire County Land Conservation Department s Greg Leonard, UW-Extension educators assisted in delivering the program. Soil Scientists Tim Miland and Todd Mau from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service served as judges for the contest. Cornell won the land judging contest portion of the day with Augusta and Bloomer finishing second and third, respectively. Students enjoyed a beautiful day learning about soils, land, and water. Invitation to Agriculture Visioning Session Help predict what is next for agriculture in Eau Claire County and how UW-Extension can help residents meet these needs. The Visioning Session will be held on Friday, December 7, 2012, from 12 PM to 3 PM at the Eau Claire County UW-Extension Office at 227 1st street West, Altoona, WI For more information please call

10 10 Success at the Chippewa Valley Sustainable Future Festival This event was inspiring and impressive for the first go around. I have confidence that it will continue to grow naturally. Stay free! The first annual Chippewa Valley Sustainable Future Festival had over 500 attendees. he event featured 47 vendors and exhibitors, food from Charley's Market, a kid s activity tent from Wisconsin Farmers Union, and a water barrel making workshop from Eau Claire County Land Conservation. I learned about planting a fall crop to provide nitrogen to soil. A survey was handed out to attendees to receive feedback. Of the 45 respondents, 36 were satisfied to very satisfied with the festival (8 did not respond). Respondents learned how to use more effective vegetable gardening techniques, the importance of locally grown food in the local economy, and became aware of companies involvement in alternative energy installation. Of the 33 exhibitor survey respondents 27 reported they made new contacts. Planning is underway for the 2013 Chippewa Valley Sustainable Future Festival. Data from the Chippewa Valley Sustainable Future Festival Presentations given 21 Attendees at presentations 248 Funds raised $13,641* In-kind donations $7,995 Volunteer hours 300 *$8,551 awarded from Wisconsin Environmental Education Board grant EXTENSION STAFF: Julie Keown-Bomar, Dept. Head/Family Living Educator Vacant, Agricultural Agent Karen Blaeser, Office Manager & EXPO Director Jerry Clark, Agronomy Educator Nancy Coffey, WNEP Coordinator Sara Donnerbauer, 4-H Youth Development Agent Andy Heren, Interim Office Associate II Jill Hietpas, Broadband Educator Marianne Krause, Office Associate Erin LaFaive, Horticulture Educator Kerri Kiernan, AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer Pamela Warren-Armstrong, WNEP Educator Brittany Weisenbeck, WNEP Educator Joy Weisner, WNEP Educator 10