MONTHLY NARRATIVES
(Program Highlights)

RICHLAND COUNTY

CROPPING SYSTEMS
Dale L. Siebert

RICHLAND COUNTY CROP TOUR
The annual Richland County Crop Tour was held on June 28 at the Woodbury Brothers farm in rural Barney. The crop tour featured small grain plots with a discussion on grain varieties by Joel Ransom, Extension Agronomist from NDSU. The small grain trials look excellent this year with the cool season and rainfall received.

YOUTH FISHING
I assisted the Richland County Consortium Afterschool Program with youth fishing at the Wal-Mart sponsored fishing tournament on June 15 and the Tewaukon Field Day on June 17. At the Wal-Mart event prizes were donated for the biggest fish, most fish, and within each species by Wal-Mart. On June 17 it was more open fishing on Lake Tewaukon and no prizes were given. Youth had fun at both events catching fish. It is always fun working with youth at these events and it gives them a chance to experience a hobby that they may participate in for a lifetime.

DISASTER COMMITTEE
I met with other representatives of the USDA Disaster Committee on June 21 to assess crop damage in the county due to heavy rains received during the month. It was the consensus of the committee that crop damage was minimal at the present time and the county would not meet the 30% minimum crop loss necessary for a disaster declaration at the present time. We will continue to monitor the situation throughout the summer. If conditions change we will request a disaster designation.

MISCELLANEOUS
During the month of June horticulture and crop related questions were frequent. Topics of concern were cold growing conditions and late planting, fertilizer loss, weed control and spray drift. Horticulture topics included lawn weed control, anthracnose problems in trees, winter injury and slow growth in trees and mosquito control. I also received inquiries on submitting birds for testing for West Nile Virus. Specimens were submitted to the lab for analysis.

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE/4-H
Colleen M. Svingen

4-H CONTESTS
June was a busy month for Richland 4-H members with both the District Communication Arts and County Showcase contests. The Communication Arts program provides our youth the opportunity to practice communication skills before an audience. The County Showcase has a unique format. Each 4-H�er plans and prepares a display choosing different project areas. The 4-H�er shares their ideas and information with the public attending the event.

RED RIVER VALLEY FAIR
Richland County 4-H competed in the Red River Valley Fair. Our 4-Her�s received many of the champion awards! It is fun to see our county stack up so well against other counties. This is a credit to our volunteer leaders and dedicated 4-H families.

21^ST CCLC PARTNERSHIP
Our partnership with the 21^st Century continues to strengthen our Extension programming effort. We wrote mini-grants to again purchase our featured books for the Parenting Links web page. I am pleased to announce that all participating schools will be receiving their requested books. We also received a mini-grant for sewing machines for both the after-school and 4-H programs. Our 4-H council shared in the expenses of a set of six machines and one serger. I look forward to teaching with the machines and sharing them in the county.

UNITED WAY
It gives me great pleasure to share with you that United Way of Richland-Wilkin has honored Richland County 4-H by granting us our full request of funds. United Way dollars provide support for Activity Days, Family Fun and Fitness Day, Twyla Gast Ag Trip, scholarships for Extension Youth Conference and Aerospace Camp. We are very thankful for the support United Way gives to the youth and families of Richland County.

FNP
Pamela Leino-Mills

AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM
The 2004-2005 Afterschool Program is shaping up to be exciting and innovative. The nutrition and food safety classes will be coordinated to augment and fit into other planned activities. New games will be incorporated into my lessons to teach concepts and include every child. Sharon Smith, the new Abercrombie Site Coordinator, has encyclopedic knowledge of fun ways to present knowledge to kids. She has been generous with her knowledge, benefitting both me and the children I will be teaching. I am looking forward to the school year.

NDSCS CLASSES
Norman Coley, Assistant Director of Student Life, and Betty Vieland, Customer Service Representative at North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS), were instrumental in helping me set up a schedule to teach 22 nutrition, food safety, and food budgeting classes between September and April. The classes are for students and their families who reside in the student housing complex.

WIC
This summer I have been free to teach WIC customers in Hankinson once a month with the new WIC Director, Danielle Muehlberg. I have also had the time in my schedule to teach classes for EBT customers on Mondays and Thursdays.

FOOD BUDGETING
Social workers from Social Services, nurses from Public Health, and the Community Resource Coordinator refer appropriate customers to me for food budgeting and nutrition education. I have worked with several men and women who have come to my office, several in their homes, and I have taught classes in one of the low income housing complexes.

This month I conducted food safety education classes with people who participate in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

21^st CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS
Adrian Biewer

BUFFALO STATE PARK
Our afterschool kids traveled to Buffalo State Park on June 24. The park staff at the science center took us out in the field and showed us many different native plants and activities. Noon lunch was made in one of the shelters and we enjoyed a sub-sandwich picnic. It was rather cool but we still had some willing swimmers in the new swimming pond.

SCHOLARSHIPS
Alliance Pipeline representative Jackson Schaidt presented the afterschool program with $5000 for student scholarships on June 11. Scholarships will cover student monthly activity fees.

United Way presented the program with $7500 for student scholarships on July 15. The Pamida Foundation made a $500 contribution to the afterschool program�s "Hometown Heroes". The "Heroes" are from the NDSCS men�s basketball team. They provide fitness, health, drug and alcohol education activities for the afterschool kids.

AFTERSCHOOL ACTIVITIES
The afterschool staff has been busy planning activities for the coming year. The coordinators have been in our office working on teaching materials for the coming fall. We are excited about having former 4-H agent Sharon Smith on staff at Richland 44. We have plans to put her talents and knowledge to work to improve our program offerings. School year plans include adding a 4-H day every other week and incorporating extension fitness activities into the curriculum.

We are hoping that many youth leaders and adult leaders will come out to give us a hand in getting these new clubs started with a full year of exciting activities! It is our plan to have youth learn how to give demonstrations/short talks, complete simple projects that can be exhibited at Achievement Days/RRV Fair, beginning lessons in several project areas, learn about general club meetings and community service projects. Youth at the afterschool sites have been participating in some 4-H activities already such as Shooting Sports and 4-H Activity Day. With the help of Richland County youth and adult leaders, we hope to create more awareness and excitement for 4-H! Watch for further information about volunteer opportunities at each of the afterschool sites! Thanks, Sharon Smith, Abercrombie Site Coordinator

NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Duane Hauck, Interim Director, Fargo, North Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. We offer our programs and facilities to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, Vietnam era veterans status, or sexual orientation; and are an equal opportunity employer. This publication will be made available in alternative format upon request to people with disabilities (701) 231-7881.