NDSU Extension Teams Recognized for Work
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Patrick Sitter, general manager of Farm and Ranch Guide, and Chris Boerboom, NDSU Extension director, present a Program Excellence Award to this team for developing a program to evaluate the sustainability of beef cattle breeding systems. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Sitter; Ron Haugen, Extension farm management specialist; Andrea Bowman, Extension agent, agriculture and natural resources, Bowman County; Carl Dahlen, Extension beef cattle specialist; Boerboom; (back row, left to right) Penny Nester, Extension agent, agriculture and natural resources, Kidder County; Brian Zimprich, Extension agent, agriculture and natural resources, Ransom County; Craig Askim, Extension agent, agriculture and natural resources, Mercer County; Rick Schmidt, Extension agent, agriculture and natural resources, Oliver County (NDSU photo) -
Patrick Sitter (far left), general manager, Farm and Ranch Guide, and Chris Boerboom, NDSU Extension Service director, present a Program Excellence Award to Jean Noland (second from left), Extension agent, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, Grand Forks County; and Linda Kuster, nutrition education assistant, Family Nutrition Program, Grand Forks County, for the Savvy Shopping program. (NDSU photo) -
Patrick Sitter, general manager, Farm and Ranch Guide, and Chris Boerboom, NDSU Extension Service director, present a Program Excellence Award to this team for its development of the Communication Camp. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Sitter; Linda McCaw, administrative assistant, Agriculture Communication; Bob Bertsch, Web technology specialist, Agriculture Communication; Bruce Sundeen, electronic media specialist, Agriculture Communication; Ellen Crawford, information specialist, Agriculture Communication; Boerboom; (back row, left to right) Scott Swanson, electronic media specialist, Agriculture Communication; Sonja Fuchs, Web technology specialist, Agriculture Communication; Susan Finneseth, program manager, EFNEP and Family Nutrition Program; Stacy Wang, Extension associate, Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences; Becky Koch, director, Agriculture Communication. (NDSU photo)
Three North Dakota State University Extension Service teams have been honored for their work with a Program Excellence Award.
One team developed a program to evaluate the sustainability of beef cattle breeding systems. The program provides beef producers with information on incorporating estrous synchronization and artificial insemination into their operations to allow them to make informed decisions and optimize their herd management.
A cow’s ability to give birth and raise a healthy calf until weaning is the most critical production area for profit potential in commercial cow-calf operations, according to team member Carl Dahlen, Extension beef cattle specialist.
The educational effort included meetings and Extension personnel visiting program participants’ operations.
Surveys indicated that all of the participants have shared information or experiences from the program with others, 88.8 percent have implemented AI in their operations and 88.9 percent have made changes to their operation unrelated to breeding, including making sure cow herd nutrition is appropriate and keeping more detailed records.
Another team developed a program called Savvy Shopping. The program provides grocery store tours to low-income families and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients in Grand Forks County. The tours help participants identify economical ways to purchase fruits and vegetables, and learn about healthful and low-cost protein options, comparing unit prices and food labels, and identifying whole grains on food labels.
The tours were helpful because buying nutritious food on a limited budget can be difficult, says team member Linda Kuster, an Extension nutrition education assistant in Grand Forks County. Those difficulties can lead people to buy inexpensive but calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods, which increases their risk of developing obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Following the tours, 95 percent of the participants said they have stated comparing unit prices to find the best deals and 92 percent are comparing food labels to make healthful choices.
The third team developed Communication Camp, a three-day, intensive program to prepare groups of three to five Extension educators to focus on developing key messages and using new communication tools to create a communication strategy, including news releases, online content and a video, for a specific issue in a program area.
Communicating the right information in the right way, at the right time and in the right place is important to affecting people’s behavior, says team member Bob Bertsch, a Web technology specialist in NDSU’s Agriculture Communication Department.
Participants said they’ve changed their communication practices, including starting a blog for the county newspaper, providing informational tidbits for social media interaction and adding visual elements to social media postings. Also, Agriculture Communication has received a $20,000 grant to fund the development of a national virtual communication camp.
The teams received their award Wednesday at the joint NDSU Extension and Research Extension Center conference in Bismarck.
NDSU Agriculture Communication - Oct. 16, 2015
Editor: | Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu |
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