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.
Due to the length of this e-Directions, it has been divided into sections. Click on the section you would like to read.
USDA Disaster Designations
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has designated the entire state of Louisiana a primary natural disaster area after USDA determined there were sufficient production losses in all 64 parishes. This designation makes all farms in Louisiana eligible to be considered for a low-interest emergency loan from the Farm Service Agency, considering they meet the requirements. The FSA will consider each application by taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
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National Study of Extension Employee Roles and Structures
In August, a study was conducted by LSU AgCenter Drs. Richard Vlosky and Michael Dunn using an online Web-based survey. More than 18,000 1862 land grant university-based Cooperative Extension Service employees from the United States were sent an e-mail and an invitation to take the survey. The list of e-mail recipients was compiled by going to each state’s Extension Web site and copying/pasting e-mails into a master database. After communication with state administrators for states that did not have employee e-mails listed on their sites, four states ultimately declined to have their employees participate. In addition, all 1890 extension administrators were contacted and invited to have their employees participate. All declined. Therefore, the population for this study is only 1862 universities. They received 2,760 useable responses. Accounting for undeliverable e-mails and e-mails sent to non-extension employees, the adjusted response rate was nearly 20%. Summary results for all respondents are portrayed in this document. Further analysis such as comparisons between regions, tenure vs. non-tenure respondents, gender, etc. will be conducted and reported in peer-reviewed journal articles. The reason for conducting the study was purely intellectual curiosity. Constructs from the literature were used to build a theoretical model that will be tested by the investigators. The underlying theory is called Boundary Role Theory which looks at human interfaces between organizations and outside clients, stakeholders, customers, etc.
The survey results can be accessed at the following link: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/MCMS/RelatedFiles/%7B134FBF48-F3BC-43C1-B6D6-0C8BDF7F8FFF%7D/Extension+Study+Results.pdf.
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State Conservationist Reminds Public of Web Soil Survey
A new Web soil survey is available free to agricultural producers, urban planners, landowners, land managers and others who work with the soil. The new Web soil survey site allows access to soil survey information and a secure public access to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s soils information system. The site is a simple, yet powerful way to access and analyze soils data that contribute to every aspect of public and private land use and development.
The viewer also can explore the designated location for specific soils data giving important information on physical and chemical soil properties or soil suitability in relationship to use. This flexibility provides the viewer an opportunity to build a customized report that addresses his or her individual needs. Information can be delivered in a variety of formats to include print, CD, DVD or other media. The soil survey publications will be phased out slowly.
Agent training (in partnership with NRCS) on use of the new online soil survey is being considered for early 2007. Any input on the relevance of this type of training is encouraged and welcome.
To access the survey, visit http://soils.usda.gov/survey.
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Article Compares Benefits o fCompetitive Versus Formula Funding
An article was recently published examining the impact of public agricultural research and extension on agricultural total factor productivity at the state level, written by Wallace E. Huffman and Robert E. Evenson. The authors’ primary objective is to establish whether federal formula or competitive grant funding of agricultural research has a greater impact on state agricultural productivity. The article is accessible at the following:
The article is accessible at the following: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/MCMS/RelatedFiles/%7B134FBF48-F3BC-43C1-B6D6-0C8BDF7F8FFF%7D/Huffman+Evenson+article.pdf.
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Nominations Sought for 2007 Louisiana Farmer of the Year
Nominations are now being taken for the 2007 Louisiana Farmer of the Year award. The award is intended to recognize the outstanding contributions made to Louisiana through agriculture.
Nominations or applications for the 2007 Louisiana Farmer of the Year award, which will be presented at a banquet March 2 in Baton Rouge, are being accepted through December 15. Official nomination forms can be obtained at parish LSU AgCenter extension offices or online at www.lsuagcenter.com/farmeroftheyear.
Producers from all areas of agriculture are eligible to enter. AgCenter faculty and staff are encouraged to submit nominations from their respective parishes and/or regions.
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LSU AgCenter Ethics Program a Hit at LSU Health Sciences Center
An ethics program has been developed for the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport after the Health Sciences Center’s department administrators had asked its training and development staff to address ethical issues in the hospital and medical complex. With the help of Katherine Pace, LSU AgCenter 4-H agent in Caddo Parish, Johnny Arceneaux and Sarah Williams, both members of the AgCenter 4-H Youth Development department, the ethics program was made possible for the 3,000 employees.
Hospital administrators agreed to adopt the program because of its merit and because of the opportunity for collaboration between two components of the LSU System, which made the cost right. The LSU AgCenter provided the program, and the Health Sciences Center provided the materials and allowed each employee time off from work to participate.
The LSU AgCenter specialists took the workplace ethics curriculum they had in place and modified it through a needs assessment with the hospital department directors to meet the hospital’s needs. They developed hospital-specific examples and fine-tuned the program to apply to hospital settings. During the needs assessment, the LSU AgCenter team discovered the major concerns in the hospital were caring, trustworthiness and respect. So they developed their presentation around those aspects of character.
The team plans to conduct a second series of training with the first-line supervisors in early 2007 to reinforce using the program with the staff. Department directors will evaluate the overall program later in the spring. The training began in September for supervisors and continued in October for other employees. The team plans to conduct an evaluation in the winter.
Hospital administrators believe the program has been a tremendous success.
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Louisiana Agriculture Magazine
The Louisiana Agriculture Editorial Board is soliciting titles with summaries for the 2007-08 issues of the magazine. This quarterly magazine serves as a showcase of the research and associated extension activities being conducted at the LSU AgCenter. The articles in this publication demonstrate the impact the LSU AgCenter has on Louisiana. The magazine has a subscription list of more than 5,000 people, mostly in Louisiana. In addition, the magazine’s Web site is a resource for people all over the world.
The summary forms you submit will be reviewed by the Editorial Board. If yours is selected, you will be asked to write an article for the magazine, which will also be reviewed by the board before publication. You may also use the summary form to suggest a focus issue. Two of the four issues published each year are focus issues.
To submit a title and summary form, go to Louisiana Agriculture Summary Form on the Intranet under “Communications” and then under “Forms and Templates.” Deadline for submission is Jan. 5, 2007. If you have any questions about the summary forms or about the magazine, please contact the editor, Linda Foster Benedict.
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Nominations Sought for Top Conservation Awards
The Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF) is now accepting nominations for the 43rd Governor's State Conservation Achievement Awards. The program recognizes those persons and organizations that make outstanding contributions to the natural resource welfare and environmental quality of the community, parish and state. Nominations can be made in eight award categories. The categories are:
Category#1 Professional
Category#2 Volunteer
Category#3 Youth
Category#4 Business
Category#5 Educator
Category#6 Elected Official
Category#7 Communications
Category#8 Organization
Nominations are now open and will be accepted until February 6, 2007. Nominations should be based primarily on accomplishments in 2006. The awards will be presented on March 3 at a special banquet held in conjunction with the 68th annual convention of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation at the Holiday Inn in Gonzales. An awards program brochure with nomination form is available by contacting the LWF office (225/344-6707) or can be downloaded from the LWF's website: www.lawildlifefed.org.
For more information, visit www.lawildlifefed.org.
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New Appointments
Congratulations to the following new appointments within the LSU AgCenter:
Please join me in welcoming and pledging our full support as these individuals assume new AgCenter responsibilities.
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Faculty Council Representatives
The results of the LSU AgCenter Faculty Council Election are as follows:
Mary Grodner
Professor, Entomology
Elected to represent Full rank On Campus
Philip Stouffer
Associate Professor, Renewable Natural Resources
Elected to represent Associate rank On Campus
Donna Lee
Assistant County Agent (ANR), East Carroll Parish
Elected to represent Assistant rank Off Campus
James Hendrix
Associate County Agent (4-H), Tensas Parish
Elected to represent Associate rank Off Campus
Collins Kimbeng
Assistant Professor, Agronomy
Elected to represent Assistant rank On Campus
Mike Hebert
County Agent (ANR), Lafourche Parish
Elected to represent Full rank Off Campus
David Blouin
Professor, Experimental Statistics
Elected to represent Full rank On Campus
Each of these Faculty Council representatives will serve a three (3)-year term beginning in 2007.
Please join me in congratulating these new representatives.
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Cingular Discounts for LSU Employees
As I have mentioned in past e-Directions, all AgCenter employees are entitled to a discount through Cingular Wireless using the state employee FAN number. AgCenter employees may use the state employee FAN number to receive the discount; however, a separate FAN number is specifically designed for LSU employees. This provides Cingular with a more accurate picture of the overall relationship with the university.
The LSU employee FAN number is 02382402. LSU employees may mention that number when ordering Cingular service at any retail location, or you may also enter your email address at http://business.cingular.com/businesscenter to be directed to Cingular’s customized LSU employee ordering Web site.
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Public Speaking Tips
Below are public speaking tips complied from the NOAA Coastal Services Center that may be helpful when presenting your next speech.
1. Prepare. The quality of the speech is directly proportional to the thought and practice that go into the presentation. There is no way around this fact.
2. Don't start with an apology. "My throat is acting a little strange today." "My plane was late, so I'm a little off this morning. . ." Statements like this usually don't elicit sympathy from the audience. In fact, the audience may unconsciously begin to tune a speaker out after this heads-up about the possibility of a sub-par performance. Even if something has happened, give it your best shot without the excuses.
3. Have a definite middle, beginning and end. An audience is only going to remember three to five key points. Decide in advance what those points are, and be sure to state them plainly and clearly at the beginning of your presentation. Use the middle of your talk to offer evidence for or further explanation of these points, and restate your case at the end.
4. Pay attention to the closing. Many people neglect thinking about how they are going to end their presentation. This results in poorly chosen parting words and awkward moments. Don't ruin the memory of your speech with a less than graceful exit.
5. Keep to the prescribed time limits. Time your practice sessions, and have someone in the audience give you signals if necessary. It is better to cut out some facts than to go long.
6. Know your audience and your subject matter. Don't fall into the trap of telling the audience what you want them to know. Focus on what they are interested in. Don't use unknown jargon or acronyms.
7. PowerPoint can be evil. It is difficult for the audience to pay attention to two sources of information (think of the news crawls that run on the bottom of the TV screen). If you need the crutch that PowerPoint provides, use it the way it works best, which is to show visuals or outline the main points of your presentation.
8. Practice, practice, practice. This is the only way to improve your presentation skills. Practice among co-workers, find additional speaking opportunities, or better yet, join a local public-speaking club or start one at your office.
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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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