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Brad BrummondAg & Natural [email protected]
Agriculture
• I had 30 phone calls during this time period related to taking off wet corn and sunflowers• 15 phone calls on storing high moisture corn and sunflowers• 5 phone calls on forage testing hay for winter rations• 23 phone calls on kochia that was not being controlled by pre-harvest burn downs and possible resistance• Land rent was also a popular subject this time of year I estimate around 25 calls on this
We had some pretty good yields this year on our late crop, but the cool summer nights did not get our corn to dry down the way we wanted it too. Producers were faced with the dilemma of taking the corn and paying the high cost of drying on already low corn prices or leaving it in the field. Some waited till the very last minute to take the corn and a very few left it in the field. Most took the corn and dried it or tried to store it. We will see how this turns out this next spring.
4-H
Fair, fair and fair is the word for this time of year in our office. You may or may not find it surprising that the month of October and the beginning of November is consumed by the fair. Our fair numbers and participation stays strong dispute the trend in North Dakota to the contrary. If you ever want to see a really vibrant and exciting 4-H program on display come to our fair. I would suggest Wednesday and Thursday when all the exhibits get judged. It is an extremely hectic time for all of those involved and yes, there is a lot of stress and very little sleep for some of us. I do find the fair to be a very fun and uplifting experience where I get
to connect with families and parents on a one to one basis.
We have started our drive to Oklahoma. We are doing weekly land judging workouts and the team is advancing in knowledge and confidence. I hope to keep them moving forward going into the national contest. It is pretty fierce competition but we will be ready to compete. Our kids will make Walsh County proud I am sure.
We are also doing weekly crops judging workouts and I think Walsh County is one of the teams to beat this year on a state level if they keep progressing. I have some that I have been working with for 5 years now. They have learned a lot and I look forward to what their new agronomy skills can bring them.
Other Items
We continue to be challenged by the budget situation. How is Extension going to operate in the next few years is anyone’s guess. I sometimes get discourage by all the talk by some that Extension agents are not worth it or do not earn their money. Those judging teams we just talked about, they consume pretty much every Sunday for me. I do this as I never want to let those kids or families down and as long as they do not quit on me I will not quit on them. Over 35 years I have had a tremendous impact on the lives of those youth I have spent my nights and weekends with. One of my former crops judgers was just named National Certified Crop Consultant of the year. Extension has the power to impact lives like no other organization I have ever seen. I have now met all the requirements to retire as of January 1st. I plan on being around for a few more years and get some of those youth to their goals. While I could walk away from all of this, it would be very hard to walk away from those kids and the people I have worked with for 25 years. I hope given the budget situation on the state level to have the opportunity to do this.
October-December 2017 NarrativeNDSU Extension/Walsh County
Jamie MedberyFamily and Community [email protected]
4-H & Youth Development
Walsh County 4-H has over 120 members county-wide. 4-H is the youth educational component of the NDSU Extension Service.
Walsh County Fair:
The 102nd Walsh County Fair was held in Park River in October. After months of prep work, the fair kicked off Wednesday night with static and livestock interview judging. Over 30 volunteer
judges judged more than 1,200 projects. 16 youth also competed Wednesday night to bring home the tractor driving trophy. Thursday
morning started early with the market (44
projects) and breeding (84 projects) class shows. The weather was perfect for the horse show and its 15 participants Thursday afternoon. 4-H’ers wrapped up Thursday with the rabbit and poultry show; a total of 44 projects were shown. Friday began with 18 4-H youth competing in the livestock
judging contest. Friday evening Walsh County 4-H’ers were honored with a dinner and awards program. Our Little International, a crowd favorite, wrapped up our night. Saturday morning 75
youth & 2 judging teams brought their projects to the premium sale, as always the community continues to reward their outstanding work with exceptional bids. Walsh County 4-H is truly making the best better and the high quality static and animal exhibits are a testament to that.
STEM Workshop:
According to the U. S. Department of Commerce, STEM occupations are growing at 17%, while other occupations are growing at 9.8%. STEM degree holders have a higher income even in non-STEM careers. STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. Innovation leads to new products and processes that sustain our economy. Despite these compelling facts, mathematics and science scores on average among U.S. students are lagging behind other developing countries.
Six 4-H youth and four adult volunteers participated in a STEM workshop hosted at the Extension office over area schools’ holiday break. By exposing Walsh County 4-H youth to STEM and giving them opportunities to explore STEM-related concepts, I hope participants will develop a passion for it and hopefully pursue a job in a STEM field. The STEM workshop activities provided hands-on and minds-on lessons for the youth present. 100 percent of
Junior and Senior Overall Showmanship Champions
Grand & ReserveChampions
STEM participants with Circuit Boards
Static Grand Champions
participants said participating in the workshop made them want to learn more about STEM.Family Science & Human Development
Holidays on a Budget:
Americans’ average holiday spending in 2016 was $795.97 per person, with about $590 of that being spent on gifts for family, friends and co-workers, according to the National Retail Federation.Planning carefully for holiday spending can help you feel comfortable and in control through the holidays. Ten Walsh County Head Start parents learned about ways to avoid breaking their budget this holiday season. Participants were given tips to try and save money at the store, ways to watch for hidden holiday expenses and ways homemade gifts can help your budget. Using the NDSU Extension publication, Mix it Up – Food Mixes in a Jar, each participant was able to make a Mason jar cookie mix to keep or give as a gift. All ten participants were planning on using the information given during the program to help with their holiday budgets and their family budgets in general. One mother planned to visit the second hand store immediately after the program to buy jars for the food mix gifts. I followed up with her after Christmas and she said she made several Mason jar mixes with her children and gave them as gifts.
Nutrition and Food Safety
Nourishing your Digestive System:
Digestive disorders are among the most common problems in health care today. About 30 to 40 percent of adults say they experience frequent indigestion, and more than 50 million visits are
made every year to health-care facilities for symptoms related to the digestive system.Not wanting Walsh County seniors to be a part of those 50 million annual visits, the focus of my senior meals education for the second half of 2017 was “Nourishing your Digestive System.” November and December bring cold temperatures and holiday parties and holiday parties tend to bring rich foods that we all overindulge on. I spoke with over 130 Walsh County Seniors about the importance of eating a well-balanced and healthful diet, eating small frequent meals, staying hydrated, exercising regularly, limiting caffeine, alcohol & smoking and maintaining a healthy weight. 88% of participants said they were going to apply at least one healthy digestive system tip to improve their digestive system health. 52% of those 88% percent were going to increase their water intake in order to stay hydrated.
Upcoming Events:1/3 – 1/7 – Western National Roundup – Denver 1/8 – NE Human Service Advisory Council1/8 – 1/12 – Independent Living Education – Minto 1/10 – Walsh County 4-H Council meeting1/12 – 2/9 – On the Move Jr – Park River1/16 – Paraprofessional training – Grafton1/24 – Walsh County Fair Board meeting – Park River1/25 – Walsh County Tobacco Free – Grafton2/1 – Stress Management – Grafton2/7 – 2/8 – Design Your Own Succession Plan – Park River2/12 – Diabetes Support Group – Grafton2/27 – 3/1 – Special Assignment Pizza – Grand ForksTara Sondeland
Making Mason jar cookie mix gifts
I continue to do programming in both Walsh and Pembina County!
In December I presented the lesson “There Was A Old Lady Who Swallowed some Snow” to 31 Pre-
Kindergarteners in Cavalier and Jamie Medbery and I co taught 17 Pre-School aged children at Head Start! The kids loved feeding the lady everything needed to build a snowman. We then talked about how the carrot nose can also make a healthy snack. We sampled
broccoli, carrots and cauliflower as a healthy snack. The kids were also part of a snowman walk where they walk until the music stops and whatever they land on they have to act out. We all had fun!
In November I presented the lesson “Turkey Time” to 31 Pre-Kindergartners in Cavalier. We talked about food safety, tossed a rubber chicken to each other, hoping not to get caught
holding it when the music when off, and made a delicious snack that was in the shape of a turkey. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Jamie Medbery and I presented the lesson “Holidays on a Budget” to five parents at Walsh County Head Start. We made mixes in jars, this was an inexpensive useful gift that was made with love. Once all the ingredients were added to the jars, they
decorated it and got to keep the finished product! The five parents that attended were planning on making more of these with their children and giving them as Christmas gifts. I also presented this same lesson to 40 WIC (Women, Infant and Children) clients on Dec 11th and 12th in Cavalier and Walhalla. They were equally as excited as the parents at Head Start to save money and make these mixes to give as Christmas gifts.
I continue to serve on the Pembina County Food Pantry board and as a volunteer. We have been getting some awesome donations lately and are so thankful to everyone that donates. American Crystal Sugar in
Drayton donated 430 pounds of sugar a month ago and what a blessing that was, a huge thanks to them. I would also like to
thank the kids at United Lutheran church for decorating bags for the food to go into, they were
amazing. We gave out around 90 thanksgiving baskets this year and we are so happy to be able to do this for our county!
I attended our Fall NDSU extension conference in Fargo held October 24-27. This is always a great way to brush up on what’s new and plan for another successful year of programming in the County and around the state.
