2021 September PCEA-EC Minutes

Minutes: Piscataquis County Extension Association Executive Committee Meeting September 13, 2021, at 3 p.m. By Zoom

Present:

  • Members: Beth McEvoy. Steve DeGoosh joined later. (No quorum)
  • Staff: Donna Coffin and Sheila Norman.
  • Regrets: Rick and Judy
  • Bylaws – Need 50% of members for a quorum

Business Meeting

  • Secretary’s Report (unable to vote to accept)
  • Treasurer’s Report
    • Transactions report
    • Cash Flow report
      • Spending less than we thought
      • Very few in-person events affect cash flow

 

Program Updates from Staff 

Donna: reported that Extension on the Road is much more effective when we have a table at a bigger event than if we just go to the town hall.

The Field Day at Rogers Farm was very successful. Donna talked to about 100 people.

Upcoming: The One Tomato harvest reporting will be done soon. The feeder calf auction is currently still on.

Donna is taking the adult ed class on Native American History at the old Mayo Street School.

 

  1. Sheila & Emily:

The Piscataquis Valley Fair was held August 26-29.

  1. Exhibit Hall: Many items were on display in the Bell Building Exhibit Hall showcasing 4-H projects including woodworking, arts and crafts, hiking and the environment, animal husbandry, food and nutrition, and much more. Many thanks to our volunteer judges. It is not easy work to evaluate all those entries!
  2. Kids Craft: Children who visited the Bell Building were invited to make placemats. They decorated construction paper in a variety of colors. The placemats were then laminated to keep them from wearing out.
  3. Animal Land: Fairgoers always look forward to seeing the animals in Animal Land. Many thanks go out to 4-H volunteers Ron and Brenda Oldfield and the Libby family for organizing Animal Land and taking such good care of the animals, as well as to the 4-H families who made their animals available to educate and entertain the public.
  4. Youth Shows: In addition to Animal Land, fairgoers could see beef cattle, dairy cows, and goats in the youth shows. Our 4-H members participated in all of those shows.
  5. TSC: We also want to thank Tractor Supply Company for donating a box of belts for us to sell at the fair. The belts were offered by donation, and more than $225 was raised.
  6. Extension Displays: This year our 4-H leaders decided against a silent auction and instead we had various displays from Extension including a food preservation display from Laurie Bowen, a Tips for Growing Houseplants display from Donna, a Garden in a Box display from Trisha, and a general 4-H display.
  1. Current meeting guidelines for 4-H club meetings:
    1. Indoor meetings: all youth and adults must wear a face mask, 3 feet of social distance, 6 feet of social distance if eating, capacity limits are calculated by the individual running the meeting based on social distancing requirements
    2. Outdoor meetings: no gathering limits, masks are not required but recommended for large gatherings
    3. Guidance regarding food, contact lists, etc. is available in a checklist for leaders on the Restarting Educational Programs in Person website.
  2. The Fall Tractor Supply Paper Clover campaign is scheduled for October 6-17. The Spring Tractor Supply Paper Clover campaign raised $212.60 per county.
  3. 4-H had a table at the Forest Heritage Days in Greenville on August 14th.
  4. The Maine State 4-H Virtual Exhibit Hall will be available to view online on October 1. One of our 4-H youth from Piscataquis County submitted to the virtual hall, so be sure to check it out in October! In the meantime, you can view the 2020 Maine State 4-H Virtual Exhibit Hall.

 

Unfinished Business

  • 2022 Budget Request follow-up
    • Budget Advisory Committee Membership List
    • The county commissioners’ budget advisory committee has not been formed yet.
  • Fair Survey (post-pandemic program interest)
    • 47 responses. Vegetable gardening was the most desired topic of interest.
    • Live demonstration/classes were the preferred methods of receiving instruction. “Learn at my own pace” was also a high choice.
    • Weekday evenings or Saturday afternoons were the first choice for times to learn.

 

  • 2021 Piscataquis Program Plans
  • Donna is considering a “new to the area” gardening or farming class. The question is how to deliver the program-Zoom or in person? These might be offered in the winter when people are indoors and available.
  • Beth suggested having an educational event focusing on goat care and handling this fall.

 

New Business

  • Staff Changes
    • Supervision changes: Sheila will now be the supervisor for support staff.
    • Home Horticulture position option this: Trisha has resigned from her position. Her activities are listed on the attached link, along with some suggestions for filling and/or changing the position. Laurie Bowen and her supervisor are both agreeable to increasing her hours and her working in both counties. There is the support of three board members for the option of bringing Laurie on full-time and splitting her time between the two counties. At least one more vote is needed to affirm this choice. Beth will reach out to the absent board members for their votes.
  • Annual Meeting
    • Some years the annual meeting is held in October, last year it was in January. New officers are elected at the annual meeting. People can serve multiple terms. The chicken barbeque was our most successful annual meeting in recent years. The fairgrounds would be a possible location. Colt Knight or Chef Rob from UMaine would be possible presenters. Steve has East Fresian sheep, which is a versatile breed. Donna will contact Colt and/or Chef Rob to see if they are available and Sheila will check to see if the dining hall is available on Nov. 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 18 at 5:00 or Saturday 6, or 13 also at 5:00.
    • Other possible topics: Keeping backyard pigs or root cellars and adaptations.

Beth and Steve will be a nominating committee for possible officer nominations.

  • Ideas for New Executive Committee members
  • Possible member to invite: Kim Merrit
  • Emily’s Tech Tip
    • Beth requested info about lost cursors. Emily will research this topic.

 

Next meeting November 8th business meeting. -Meeting will be by Zoom only? The annual meeting may follow or be on another day.