Extension Leadership Team Minutes June 28, 2018
Extension Leadership Team Minutes
June 28, 2018
Augusta – Farmhouse 11
Facilitator: Fran Sulinski
Note-taker: Lisa Phelps
Updates:
Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Research Laboratory: The grand opening of the new Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Research Laboratory on June 21, was a huge success with over 100 in attendance. The next day the Open House attracted more that 200 people to visit the facility. A huge thank you to everyone for your work in support of this important event.
Support Staff Conference: The recent support staff Conference was held in Augusta on June 15th. Thanks to everyone who attended and to the planning committee comprised of: Sue Baez, Donna Flint, Melissa Libby, Angela Martin and Theresa Tilton for your work in making this conference a huge success.
Professional Association Conferences Support: The ELT has revised how we support staff attending professional association conferences. Hereafter, the ELT will allocate $2,000 per association (NAE4HA, NAEFCS, NACAA) per year to attend the annual professional conference with an additional $1,500 for other requests such as the Extension Conference on Volunteerism and Master Gardener Conference. It will be up to each state association to determine how the $2,000 is allocated to faculty and staff wanting to attend the conference.
Maine Emergency Preparedness: We discussed UMaine Extension’s connection and role to Maine’s emergency preparedness system. A key coordinator of emergency preparedness in Maine is the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
Outcome: The ELT discussed how Extension staff might become more involved and promote emergency preparedness with our client groups. We believe that we can provide information and support related to Food Safety and Sustainable Ag issues. Dick will also share a MEMA contact name with Lisa so she can share that with 4-H staff because they also do outreach education with youth. We would also encourage staff to have discussions in their staff meetings about emergency preparedness. Fran will connect with UMaine Public Safety to see if they can provide an outline that staff can use for local discussions regarding emergency and crisis preparedness at county/unit offices/properties.
Federal Export Control – There are serious federal regulations regarding the protection of classified information, intellectual property, and technology hardware when dealing with foreign nations. This issue applies to grant submissions, international travel, or other activities by faculty and staff that will engage foreign nations. If faculty and staff will be involved with international projects/travel related to a grant/contract, please consult Jared Whinery. If it is something else then please consult with is Amanda Ashe, Senior Research Compliance Officer III. Her contact information is 581-1480 amanda.l.ashe@maine.edu Please keep the administrator of your unit informed about these issues and communications. For more information regarding the Federal Export Control Regulations please refer to this link: https://umaine.edu/research-compliance/export-control/
Unrestricted Gifts received for some type of work: For many years, some faculty & professional staff have received funding that has been identified as an “unrestricted gift” but there was some type of work, often field research, expected. It is important to understand that the requirement to do specific research and/or produce reports means that the funds cannot be considered a gift, but must be defined as a grant, service, or DIC (Department of Industrial Cooperation) project. It is important for each person to know the difference prior to making commitments to a potential funder. Please contact the Operations office (Jared Whinery or Dennis Harrington) with the specifics of what you are being asked to do – they will help to clarify which UMaine policies apply.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to PI Richard Brzozowski who has been awarded $11,600 by Cultivating Community (sub award on their USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant) for his “Incubator Farm” project. Through AgrAbility, Richard and Cooperative Extensions AgrAbility Professional, Leilani Carlson, will help make veterans aware of the education, agricultural rehabilitation and business development opportunities available through Cultivating Community’s Incubator Farm training programs.
Congratulations to PI Lily Calderwood who has been awarded $2,500 the USDA-NIFA via the University of Vermont for her role in the “Climate Adaptation Fellowship Program”. As a part of this program, Lily is in a supporting role in the development of a climate change adaptation curriculum for fruit and vegetable growers. As a member of the Fruit and Vegetable Subgroup, she is providing her expertise on small and large-scale fruit production with the goal of making sure that the curriculum developed is in a form that specifically addresses the needs of fruit and vegetable growers.
Congratulations to PI Ronald Fournier who has been awarded $35,650 by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for the “4-H Shooting Sports YR7” project. These funds will allow the UMaine Cooperative Extension via the Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center to grow the 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor base and specifically, will allow us to target central Maine in an attempt to reach a greater population of new instructors. Funding will also support youth and adult participation through various activities at Bryant Pond, as well as many programs that will be held around the state.
Congratulations to PI Jason Bolton and Co-PI Robson Machado who have been awarded $207,873 by the State of Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) for their “On Farm Readiness Review” 3-year project. During this project, Jason, Rob, and staff will provide 60 On Farm Readiness Reviews which will help in training farmers to set specific parameters to prevent foodborne illness as it relates to the farm’s growing, harvesting and packing of produce. This project is an integral part of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Training that is currently being offered.
Congratulations to PI Rick Kersbergen and Co-PI Caragh Fitzgerald who have been awarded $53,513 by NESARE for their “Developing Corn Silage Systems to Meet the Needs of Cover Crops” project. Many of the standard practices recommended for optimum corn silage production often reduce the potential for interseeded cover crops to be successful. This project seeks to evaluate options for interseeded cover crops to be more successful in improving soil cover and quality. In addition to research trials, Rick and Caragh will conduct on-farm workshops and demonstrations along with presenting results at grower meetings and in-service training for other educators and service providers.
Congratulations to PI Jason Lilley who has been awarded $15,361 by the University of New Hampshire as a sub-award for their NESARE project titled “Expanding no-till vegetable production through the combination of high-residue cover crops and solarizing tarps”. For this project, Jason will be conducting on-farm, tarped, no-till vegetable production research at four small-scale organic vegetable farms throughout Maine. Field days will be held in both year one and two at these field sites to demonstrate the technique to other growers.
Congratulations to PI James Dill who has been awarded $65,000 by the Maine Board of Pesticide Control (Maine Department of Ag) for the “Pesticide Editor 2018-2019” project. This award provides funding for the Pesticide Safety Education Program Professional whose main focus is writing and editing the Pesticide Safety Education Program educational training manuals.
Congratulations to PI Mitchell Mason who has been awarded $500 by the National 4-H Council for the “#empoweringMEandyou 4-H Healthy Relationships for Teens” project. Led by Sara Conant (Cumberland County CEA) and Alisha Targonski (Kennebec County 4-H Professional), Maine teenagers who attended the 4-H Healthy Living Summit will bring their acquired knowledge back to design and deliver programming to other Middle and High School teens about healthy relationships with their peers, family, and others.
Search Updates
Dean of Extension – Advertising
Community Education Assistant CL2 (Lewiston) – Re-posted
Administrative Specialist CL2 – Diagnostic Lab/Orono – Paula Sereyko hired
Pesticide Safety Education Program Professional – Kerry Bernard hired
Molecular Diagnostic Professional – Thomas Rounsville hired
Produce Safety Professional – Preparing to Advertise
Administrative Specialist CL2 – Oxford County – Tayla Mann hired
Agriculture and Food Systems Professional – Oxford County – Becca Long hired
Administrative Specialist CL2 – York County – Elizabeth Clock hired
Program Coordinator – Bryant Pond – Jeffrey Colpitts hired
Administrative Specialist CL3 – Andro/Sag County – Nicholas Fraunfelter hired
Web Professional – Orono Communications – Interviewing
4-H CEA – Somerset County – Advertising
Extension Crops Entomology Specialist – Advertising
ELT Meeting Dates –2017–18. Meetings are from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm – unless otherwise noted.
| Dates |
Facilitator | Notes | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 23 | Phelps | Prichard | Orono – 102B Libby Hall |
| August 20 | Prichard | Harrington | Orono – 102B Libby Hall |
| September 14 | Harrington | Brzozowski | Orono – 102B Libby Hall |
| October 3 | Brzozowski | Sulinski | Augusta – Farmhouse 11 |
| October 25 | Sulinski | Phelps | Orono – 102B Libby Hall |
| November 14 | Phelps | New Dean | Orono – 102B Libby Hall |
| December 7th | New Dean | Prichard | Augusta – Farmhouse 11 |