e-Directions is an information-sharing newsletter issued at least bi-monthly to help keep you updated on Extension-related issues covering restructuring, programming opportunities, strategic plan initiatives and enhancements and other information. If you have any comments or suggestions to improve e-Directions or the Director’s Web site, please contact me at pcoreil@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Because of the length of this newsletter, it has been divided into sections that are available from the list provided below.
Preliminary CSREES Results From House Markup Encouraging
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY 2007 spending bill. We have not been able to obtain a complete breakdown of the subcommittee's action. What we know so far, however, is encouraging.
Line Item | House Mark | Increase* |
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|
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Hatch | $183,275,000 | $6,306,000 |
McIntire-Stennis | 22,668,000 | 660,000 |
Evans-Allen | 38,331,000 | 1,116,000 |
Animal Health & Disease | 5,006,000 | 0 |
Institution Challenge Grants | 5,445,000 | 22,000 |
Smith-Lever 3(b) and 3(c) | 281,429,000 | 8,456,000 |
EFNEP | 62,634,000 | 626,000 |
1890s Extension | 34,073,000 | 544,000 |
1890 Institution Capacity Building | 12,375,000 | 186,000 |
1890 Facilities (Sec. 1447) | 16,777,000 | 168,000 |
1994 Institutions Research | 1,250,000 | 221,000 |
1994 Institutions Extension | 3,273,000 | 33,000 |
1994 Institutions Equity Grants | 3,000,000 | 772,000 |
Graduate Fellowships | 4,455,000 | 754,000 |
eXtension | 1,985,000 | 500,000 |
Renewable Resources Extension | 4,052,000 | 33,000 |
Insular Areas | 500,000 | 5,000 |
National Research Initiative | 190,000,000 | 8,830,000 |
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Total | | $29,232,000 |
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*Increases are relative to the FY 2006 enacted levels. |
In addition to the successes described above, the House subcommittee did not agree to the proposals in the President's FY 2007 Budget Request to: 1) eliminate funding for the Animal Health & Disease Program; 2) change the formulas for distribution of Hatch and McIntire-Stennis monies; or 3) move the Section 406 integrated activities programs to the NRI for administration.
Explanatory Documents Available
NASULG has posted to the Web site three documents that provide additional details about the subcommittee's action on the Ag Appropriations bill:
1. NASULGC request vs. House subcommittee marks.
2. Spreadsheet showing all major CSREES line items (not special grants).
3. "Highlights" document from Appropriations Committee (with minor additions).
These three documents can be downloaded here:
http://www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2007/House_SC.doc
http://www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2007/House_SC.xls
http://www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2007/House_Highlights.doc
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Sale of Major Printed Publications Initiated
Even with the continued advances we are making by providing up-to-date publications and other educational information to farmers and clientele via the Internet, there is still a significant demand for printed copies of our most popular and relevant educational publications.
We are, therefore, moving to a system of providing hard copies of selected Extension publications that can be purchased at a reasonable fee to cover printing and shipping costs.
The first series of publications being offered for sale are the three major agricultural production-linked publications – the weed control guide, insect control guide and disease control guide. We will continue to provide access to these publications free of charge on the Internet; however, printed copies also can be provided for a reasonable fee.
We hope to expand the number of hard copy publications that will be made available for purchase covering other programming and topic areas of interest in agriculture & natural resources, horticulture, beef production, nutrition & health and coastal restoration, just to name a few. We believe that this multiple mode of information delivery will better serve the diverse learning preferences of our clientele across the state.
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Weed, Pest, Plant Disease Control Guides Available
Updated versions of the LSU AgCenter’s useful guides to controlling weeds, insect pests and plant diseases are available.
The 2006 editions of guides can be downloaded for free from the LSU AgCenter’s Web site at www.lsuagcenter.com – or printed copies of the guides can be purchased through that site.
Prepared by experts in the LSU AgCenter, the publications are known as the Louisiana Suggested Chemical Weed Control Guide, the Insect Pest Management Guide and the Louisiana Plant Disease Management Guide.
The weed control guide includes helpful information on herbicides and weed control – with detailed suggestions for aquatics, commercial nursery stock, field crops, forestry, fruit crops, home gardens, lawns and many other Louisiana crops. It includes information on different types of herbicide registrations, as well as information on herbicide labels and restricted uses. Also included are sprayer calibration techniques, suggestions for reducing herbicide drift and a guide to proper spray tip selection.
The insect pest management guide includes information on regulations, precautions and suggestions for pest control in Louisiana. Detailed topics include drift of pesticides, hazards of pesticides to beneficial insects and wildlife, phytotoxicity and using beneficial insects to control pest populations. A section on organic gardening also is included.
The plant disease guide contains suggestions for management of the most important or more prevalent diseases of Louisiana plants. It includes information on fungicides, bactericides and nematicides, as well as safety precautions for using them. The guide also has instructions for sending specimens to the LSU AgCenter’s Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic and includes detailed recommendations for disease management for field crops, fruit crops, turfgrasses, ornamentals, Christmas trees and vegetables.
Click the following links to access the guides:
For questions or more details about ordering printed copies of any of the guides, phone the LSU AgCenter’s publications office at (225) 578-6598.
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LMG Hurricane Relief Fund
Thirteen Louisiana Master Gardener Extension Volunteer pzrograms representing 30 parishes (almost half of our state) were directly affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The LSU AgCenter, in cooperation with the Louisiana 4-H Foundation, developed a Louisiana Master Gardener Hurricane Relief Fund to help rebuild their programs and communities.
Funding was solicited nationally and the following states responded with monetary and in-kind gifts: Ark., Colo., Ill., Ind., La., Md., Minn., N.J., N.Y., Ore., R.I., Va., Wis., W.Va. and Wyo. To date, more than $7,600 dollars have been collected. Twelve projects received funding in seven parishes: East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Terrebonne and Washington.
Master Gardener programs are varied and diversified and touch a great number of people, directly and indirectly, from youth to seniors. Projects that were awarded funding include restoring the Jean Lafitte Nature Study Park, ARC-GNO and Common Grounds community gardens, Lafreniere Park “sun garden,” Woodmere Elementary Outdoor Classroom, Darcey Park tree replacement, rose garden at City Park Botanical Garden, Habitat Home landscaping and the Grand Isle Butterfly Dome.
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18 LSU AgCenter Employees Win Top Communication Awards
Eighteen members of the LSU AgCenter’s Communications and Information Technology units won top awards from an international professional association.
The awards from the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture (ACE) will be presented during the ACE annual meeting in Quebec City, Canada, June 3-6.
The awards came as part of the ACE Critique and Awards program – an annual competition that rates the best work from its members and others around the world. This year’s awards program saw hundreds of entries in 46 different classes and nine major categories.
Three LSU AgCenter entries were named top in their classes, and one of those was cited best in its category with an outstanding professional skill award. Five other entries received awards for being second or third in their classes.
The outstanding professional skill award, which officials say is an award to the "best of the best," went to 12 people in LSU AgCenter Communications for the category known as integrated communication programs. It cited them for the material they prepared and media relations work they did following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This entry also won the gold award in its class – media relations programs.
The winners from LSU AgCenter Communications were Linda Benedict, Tobie Blanchard, Rick Bogren, John Chaney, Mark Claesgens, Craig Gautreaux, Frankie Gould, Elma Sue McCallum, Tom Merrill, Johnny Morgan, Bruce Schultz and Bobby Soileau.
In other awards, Benedict and Bogren also won gold for editing "Louisiana Agriculture," the LSU AgCenter’s quarterly magazine.
Sandy Fiser, Fred Piazza and Megan Smith from Information Technology – along with Gould, the director of Communications – took gold for the LSU AgCenter’s Web site.
Silver winners in the ACE competition also included two groups from LSU AgCenter Information technology – Fiser, Piazza and Sam Razi for the Web site’s content management system (CMS) and Fiser, Trace Purvis and Marti Ratcliff for the CMS training manual.
Another silver award went to Blanchard for a spot she prepared for the LSU AgCenter’s radio news service.
Schultz won two bronze awards – one for a photograph of the LSU AgCenter’s Marsh Maneuvers youth camp and one for a story about farmers dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.
Fiser and Smith also won a bronze for graphic images they designed for the LSU AgCenter’s Web site.
Please join me in congratulating all of these very well deserved award winners.
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Buchanan Confirmed as USDA's REE Undersecretary
On Friday, May 12, the United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Dr. Gale A. Buchanan to become undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Below is a statement from Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on May 12 regarding Senate confirmation of four USDA officials:
"I'm pleased today that the U.S. Senate has acted to confirm the nominations to four very important positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I look forward to welcoming to our leadership team Dr. Gale Buchanan, as undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics; Boyd Rutherford as assistant secretary for Administration; Linda Strachan as assistant secretary for congressional relations and Marc Kesselman as general counsel.
"Each of these nominees has demonstrated remarkable leadership abilities throughout their careers in both public and private service and I'm confident that they will greatly contribute to fulfilling USDA's mission of service to our citizens. I look forward to working with them in delivering the programs and services that are the hallmark of USDA's commitment to our employees and the people we serve."
Dr. Gale Buchanan will lead USDA's Research, Education and Economics (REE) mission area as under secretary. Buchanan served as dean and director emeritus at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia until April 2005. Earlier in his career he served for 20 years on the Auburn University faculty before moving to Georgia as associate director for the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station and resident director of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station. Buchanan received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Florida and his doctorate from Iowa State University.
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Southern Forest Resources Extension Awards
The 2005-2006 Southern Forest Resources Extension Awards were announced on May 4, following a rigorous round of judging. Overall, 18 winning Extension pieces were chosen from close to 40 nominations from the Southern region.
Below are the winners from the LSU AgCenter for each category:
Extension Newsletter – Richard Vlosky
Journal Publication (trade, business or research) – Todd F. Shupe
Journal Publication (trade, business or research) – Hallie Dozier
Project Administration – Hallie Dozier
Please join me in congratulating these outstanding winners.
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Tettleton to Join CDS Board
Congratulations to Kay Lynn Tettleton in being given the opportunity to serve the Community Development Society’s National/International Board of Secretary for the next three years.
The LSU AgCenter now has both NACDEP (Cynthia Pilcher and Deborah Tootle) and Community Development Society represented on national boards.
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ASHS 2006 Fellows Award
Congratulations to Leron Robbins, professor from Ouachita Parish, in being selected a Fellow in the American Society of Horticultural Science by the board of directors and the Fellows screening committee in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the science, profession or industry of horticulture.
Leron will be honored at an awards ceremony on Thursday, July 27. The ceremony will be held during the opening plenary session (beginning at 10:00 a.m.) of the 103 annual ASHS conference at the Sheraton Hotel, New Orleans.
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Veteran County Agent to Assume Multi-parish Responsibilities
Mr. Glen Daniels, county agent and parish chair, has for many years served the clientele of Concordia Parish and provided leadership for the parish staff and Extension programs. To better serve the needs of the LSU AgCenter and row crop farmers in Concordia and Tensas parishes, effective May 1, Glen will assume multi-parish responsibilities.
In his new position, Glen will provide leadership for both the Concordia and Tensas Parish ANR programs and continue to have supervisory responsibility for the Concordia Parish staff. His domicile will continue to be at Vidalia in Concordia Parish; however, he will expand his agriculture program to include clientele in Tensas Parish. Glen can be reached by contacting the Concordia or Tensas Extension offices or by cell phone.
Glen stated that he is very excited about moving his program into Tensas and looking forward to his new responsibilities. He has already begun the process of expanding his ANR programming and leadership efforts into Tensas. He believes these new expanded responsibilities will allow him even more opportunity to use the excellent research, for the benefit of area farmers, that is being conducted by the LSU AgCenter at the Northeast Research Station, which is located in Tensas Parish.
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Peer Review Panel
CSREES is working to increase its expertise from Extension in the National Research Initiative (NRI) database to serve on a peer review panel. According to Debbie Sheely, CSREES, "to be considered as a potential reviewer, please send an e-mail message with your contact information and areas of scientific or technical expertise to newreviewer@csrees.usda.gov. Be sure to include the key word "extension" in your areas of expertise.
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4-H Day at the Capitol Set for June 7
Again this year we will be sponsoring a 4-H Day at the Capitol on June 7, 2006. During this event, over 2000 4-H students and volunteers from across the state take the time to travel to the Baton Rouge and tell their respective legislators how much they appreciate their support and how important 4-H is to their school, parish and community at large. This is an exciting and educational field trip for many 4-Her’s, volunteer leaders and parents. We are anticipating another very well attended event and look forward to a very exciting event.
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Mark Your Calendar! 4-H Football Game - LSU vs. Kentucky, October 14
LSU athletic officials have picked the October 14 LSU football game with the University of Kentucky as our 4-H game. Tickets will be $20 each, and the LSU AgCenter has been guaranteed 2,000 tickets. This year, tickets will be ordered through the new automated system, and as soon as purchasing details have been finalized, you will be notified. A tailgate party will be held before the game, and a presentation to recognize the 4-H program will take place during halftime. We look forward to a great time for everyone.
In the meantime, mark your calendars and plan to join us on October 14 during the LSU vs. Kentucky football game!
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Please continue to visit the director’s website at:
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/administration/about_us/
extension/our+director/index.htm
If you have any comments or suggestions to improve e-Directions or the director’s website, please contact me at pcoreil@agcenter.lsu.edu.
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