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Featuring the Work of OSUE Field Specialists
Throughout the year, we will be spotlighting the work of our field specialists. In this issue we feature Greg LaBarge (agronomic systems).
This position has offered the opportunity to advance my specialization in agronomic production and look at the larger issues facing Ohio’s crop agriculture. Economics are always important issues, but gaining the social license to produce with modern practices will continue to be an important challenge. The issue of nutrient and water quality is one important area that we will need to continue to earn that social license. One of the best things this job has offered is the opportunity to get a deeper appreciation of the tremendous resources at The Ohio State University. Our Extension state specialist staff is as dedicated and deep in their individual knowledge as they come, yet the departments have other research and teaching staff who can add to our work. It has been good to get to know some of these individuals across CFAES.
I feel I am making a contribution to issues that affect the day-to-day lives of so many Ohio citizens. Issues are no longer in silos of agriculture and non-agricultural audiences. Issues are very much intertwined, and what happens in the countryside relates back to issues in the communities across the state. Social media and instant news provide both opportunities and challenges. The opportunities to share our messages have never easier, but the quick spread of misinformation has equal access. Extension needs to efficiently tap all these new avenues of program delivery.
Nutrient and water quality is a hot topic. Another area is the tremendous strength of the agriculture sector and the need for individuals to fill various job positions in industry. This is a great opportunity for Extension, and field specialists in particular, to provide training opportunities. One example is nutrient management plan development training to provide software training for certified crop advisors who can then be contracted to provide these plans for farmer clientele.
I work with a wide range of partners including our commodity groups representing corn, soybean and wheat producers, Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio AgriBusiness Association, Certified Crop Advisor program, various agriculture retailers, ODNR, ODA and environmental NGOs.
Coming up, I plan to develop a curriculum for use in nutrient and water quality educational programming, work on several research projects that relate to plant nutrients and edge-of-field water quality, plus deliver information on economics of crop production.
OSUE Strategic Plan - Join the Conversation Online!
-Bev Kelbaugh, South Central regional director
We are continuing our conversations online about the OSU Extension strategic plan over the next few weeks. We have now started Goal 2 discussions. The latest questions posted that relate to Goal 2, strategy 2 (G2S2) are about online courses, Facebook posts, Twitter tweets, YouTube video. Which tools do you imagine we can use to better reach our audiences? How? Any examples of who does it well? Also, Goal 2, strategy 3 (G2S3) questions posted today ask…As your field of expertise evolves, how do you stay up to date? What barriers do you overcome to stay current in your field?
Visit http://theciviccommons.com/issues/osu-extension-strategic-plan to share your thoughts; and check back often to see and comment on the remaining Goal 2 questions over the next week. You are also welcome to continue to participate in any of the Goal 3 conversations already online.
Thank you again to those who have joined the conversations so far. The open dialogue and constructive feedback has been very informative and will help guide implementation of the strategic plan.
Extension E-mail Distribution List Update
-Cheryl Buck, executive assistant to the director, OSU Extension
We are still in the process of finalizing our all-Extension e-mail distribution list – all-extension@osu.edu. At year-end 2012, all CFAES listservs were migrated from CommuniGate to the OSU main system (using Microsoft Exchange) – an Ohio State-required migration. The previous listservs are no longer in service, and our HR unit continues to work with Ohio State HR and IT contacts to address some technical issues. The goal is to completely automate this process.
Anyone who has an Extension appointment (full or partial) will be able to post to and receive messages from the all-Extension list when the update is complete. It is not necessary for you to subscribe to this list.
We are aware some OSUE employees are not receiving all-Extension messages right now. If you know of someone who is not receiving this Communiqué or other all-Extension messages at this time, please continue to forward the messages. We appreciate your patience as we resolve this issue.
StrengthsFinder™ Workshop – June 18
As a leader it is important to know what talents you possess, what you bring to the leadership table. Do you know what strengths you possess? Every leader possesses her or his own unique set of talents. According to the Gallup organization, "we spend too much time focusing on our weaknesses, trying to make them stronger rather than recognizing our strengths." When you focus on your weaknesses, you miss out on utilizing what you do best for your organization.
Participants in this workshop will take the Clifton StrengthsFinderâ„¢ inventory to learn their five strongest talents. By focusing on your strengths, you increase your effectiveness as a leader.
What is the Clifton StrengthsFinderâ„¢ inventory?
"Marcus Buckingham, coauthor of the national bestseller First, Break All the Rules, and Donald O. Clifton, chair of the Gallup International Research & Education Center, has created a revolutionary program to help readers identify their talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy consistent, near-perfect performance. At the heart of the book is the Internet-based StrengthsFinderâ„¢ Profile, the product of a 25-year, multimillion-dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human strengths. The program introduces 34 dominant "themes" with thousands of possible combinations, and reveals how they can best be translated into personal and career success." To take the test, click on http://www.strengthstest.com/.
Beth Flynn is facilitating this workshop on June 18 from 9:15 a.m. – noon. The registration fee is $60 per participant. https://regonline.com/seriesleadership.
CFAES Crisis Communications Plan Updated
The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Crisis Communications Plan has been updated. It is posted online at https://cfaes.osu.edu/commtech/resources/crisis-communications-plan. The plan is updated every six months. Contact information is also posted with this link, if you have questions about the plan.