MONTHLY NARRATIVES
(Program Highlights)

RICHLAND COUNTY

CROPPING SYSTEMS
Dale L. Siebert

2002 FARM BILL
The 2002 Farm Bill continued to be a program emphasis during the month as farmers continued to seek individual assistance in determining which of the seven different program options would be the most beneficial for their farm to sign up under. Individual program assistance was steady during the month. Farmers and landowners also called with questions and assistance in interpreting the program and explanation of the program. I also prepared and presented a program to the Farm Management Class at NDSCS on the farm program and using the NDSU computer program from NDSU to analyze the program options.

PESTICIDE TRAINING
The 2003 Pesticide training season got underway in February with two training sessions for private applicators. Three and one- half hours of training is required every 3 years to re-certify private applicators. 360 private applicators need re-certification in 2003. The first training was held the evening of February 24 in Wahpeton with 79 in attendance. The next session was held in Mantador on February 26 with 90 in attendance. Farmers appreciate having several different sessions to choose from to accommodate their schedules. The educational content of the programs was well received even though the training is a requirement to be certified. As one farmer said, "It doesn't hurt to review this material every three years to remind ourselves of what we need to be doing when working with chemicals." This comment sums up the intent of the training for this program.

ND SOYBEAN GROWERS EXPO
During the month of February I also attended the ND Soybean Growers Soybean Expo held in Fargo on February 13.

TRAININGS
I also attended training on using the new interactive television equipment we have received in the county, as well as attending a day of training on using the Arcview computer program as we learn to use our GPS equipment.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT/4-H
Colleen M. Svingen

February provided multiple opportunities for networking and training.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
One of the updates I attended was entitled, The How-to's of Community Coalition Building. Many of the presented ideas will be incorporated into the groups I presently facilitate. One suggestion I have already implemented in one group is rotating leadership. The individuals involved enjoy taking smaller leadership roles with limited time commitments yet allowing them to stay very active in the process and success of the group.

YOUTH PARTNERSHIPS
Another training focused on creating youth/adult partnerships. It was pointed out that we may be missing the boat when it comes to true youth partnerships. This workshop reminds us that we need to have youth on both 4-H Leaders Council and our developing Extension Advisory Board. Useful tips were presented on how to engage youth in leadership roles and decision making.

VIDEO CONFERENCING
We now have video conferencing in the courthouse. This will be a real asset for my programming and will save some windshield time. One of the staff from Ag Communication presented and afternoon training on effective video conference use. I have had the pleasure of using the equipment in other locations, but as a result of training, I realized I wasn't using the equipment to its fullest capacity. In our last Multi County Unit (MPU) meeting they shared we will be somewhat limited on the number of sites that will be on line at one time but usage will continue to expand and grow.

PARENTING RESOURCE COORDINATOR
We have a new Parenting Resource Coordinator for our MPU, Shauna Grove. I provided Shauna an opportunity to showcase her resources at a noon meeting in the LEC. The session was well attended by the community members and provided opportunities for community sharing and networking. Shauna and her staff can offer a variety of parenting classes to Richland County residents in just about any setting and location. Shauna and I also met and shared resources with military families that have family members deployed. We will be doing some more follow-up sessions for these families. Feel free to call for more information regarding these parenting resource classes.

FNP
Pamela Leino-Mills

COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM
I prepared and served rice pudding for people taking part in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Part of what is in the food boxes they receive includes dry milk powder, dry eggs, raisins and rice. Each participant also received the recipes I used for the puddings I served. The response was positive.

NDSCS
At NDSCS, I presented on the topic of Food Safety. Students were responsive and participated in lively discussion.

FOOD SAFETY TRAINING
The Food Service staff at Circle of Nations School joined me for a second hour (first hour took place in January) of food safety training, including the Glo-Germ hand washing activity.

LIFE SKILLS
The 5^th 76^th and the 7^th and 8^th grade Life Skills classes at CNS saw a short film on calcium and we discussed why the mineral is important. We reviewed discussion points from the lesson about pop often taking the place of milk as beverage of choice with meals.

HEALTH CLASSES
Attuned Eating was the topic of one day of 7^th & 8^th grade health classes at CNS. This led to a second day of classes during which we discussed strategies to include exercise and a healthy diet as part of daily life.

CNS
Four sessions with CNS kids in the Transitional Dorm included all of the topics I taught in the Life Skills and Health classes.

21^st CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS
Adrian Biewer

SPRING EVALUATION
Our spring evaluation report is due April 15. Site staff and I are in the process of finalizing information to complete the report.

SUMMER PROGRAM
Summer program planning is well underway and will be completed by April. Our goal is to enrich and reinforce academics and also to develop student's asset skills and experiences. We are planning for five weeks of programming including archery, B-B gun training, arts and crafts, math, science and soccer camps. We are traveling to South Dakota for a visit to Fort Sisseton and Sica Hollow. We will visit the State Hatchery in Valley City and the Minnesota DNR headquarters in Fergus Falls. The 21^st Century Afterschool Program will team with the FM Redhawks for youth baseball camps at some of the sites. We will also join some of our neighborhood racing teams at the Red River Fairgrounds. Pre-race visits to the schools and pit passes are sure to be a big hit with the kids. Other activities are still in the planning stages. We will include more information on the activities as they progress.

SUSTAINABILITY
We recognize the need for funding for sustainability in the future. The more information about the benefits of our program that is available, the more we can justify it. Joel Hectner of NDSU (title) and I are going to conduct an asset survey of elementary students in the five schools. We would like to determine how assets compare between children in the program and those who do not participate.

STATE QUARTERLY MEETING
Our 21^st Century Afterschool Program state quarterly meeting was March 17. The state summer conference had to be moved to Minot on June 13-14. We discussed speakers and topics. State 21^st Century Director, Rosey Sand was present to name the recipients of the first round of state grants. Grand Forks/Emerado, Minot, Three Affiliated Tribes, and Bismarck received funding. Another round is planned for this summer. Programs will be eligible for $1.1 million.