“Reaching Out Report” the Greene County Extension Newsletter
2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65807
Email: [email protected] * Tel: (417) 881-8909
February 2015 * Vol. 8, Issue 2
Upcoming events …
pages 2-3
Kelly McGowan …
page 4
Master Gardeners ...
pages 5-6
4-H Report …
page 7
Pam Duitsman…
page 8-9
Nutrition program…
page 10
David Burton …
pages 11-12
Jeff Barber
page 12
County Budget
page 13
Patrick Byers …
pages 14-15
Friends of Extension...
pages 16-17
Sponsors & Contact...
page 18
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Healthy Lifestyle Initiative
The third annual Student Iron Chef Competition was hosted by the
Healthy Lifestyle Initiative (of which University of Missouri Extension
is a part) at Nixa Schools. “The Battle of the Super Grilled Cheese” —
an American classic mainstay sandwich – was taken to a new fun and
healthy level by 18 teams, each vying for cash and other prizes. “The
contest was a fun way to get people thinking in a different way about
health and wellness. Each year the goal of this event is to inspire stu-
dents to become connected to their food, acquire valuable lifetime culi-
nary skills, encourage cooking with friends and family and learn to de-
velop flavors in a different and healthy way,” said Dr. Pam Duitsman, a
nutrition specialist with MU Extension. Over 80 children and 20 adults
were involved with the Student Iron Chef event this year. Plans are al-
ready being made for the 2016 event.
Selected Upcoming Extension Events in Greene County
Potting Shed University 2015 Potting Shed University will last 12 weeks.
This series is presented by the Master Garden-
ers of Greene County and features 12 diverse
garden topics for attendees to hone their skills
and become a better gardener. March 2– Perennials by Gail Wright
March 9– Introduction to Home Winemaking
by Patrick Byers
March 16– All About Tomatoes by Kelly
McGowan
March 23– Companion Planting by Mark
Bernskoetter
March 30– Introduction to Herbs by Barb
Emge
April 6– Planting a Water Garden by Pat Ware
April 13– Attracting Butterflies to your Gar-
den by Linda Bower
April 20– Container Gardens, Dellene Nelson
April 27– Vertical Gardens, Rebecca Nichols
No pre-registration necessary; all classes are $5,
pay at the door and will be held in the Work-
shop Studio at the Botanical Center. For more
information visit http://www.mggreene.org/
Master Gardener Plant Sale The Master Gardeners of Greene County will
host the18th Annual Plant Sale, 7:30 a.m. to
noon or until items sell out, Saturday, April 25
at the Botanical Center at Nathanael Greene/
Close Memorial Park, 2400 S. Scenic. Master
Gardeners will be on site to assist with pur-
chases and answer questions. Vis-
it www.mggreene.org/plantsale to see updates,
or call 881-8909, ext 320 for more infor-
mation. Cash, checks or credit / debit cards
accepted.
Lawn and Garden Show 2015 The Lawn & Garden Show at the Ozark Em-
pire Fairgrounds will be held Feb. 27, Feb. 28
and March 1. This show offers a series of
seminars hosted and taught by Master Gar-
deners of Greene County. These classes are
free to the public with their admission ticket.
Daytime classes are held Friday, Saturday
and Sunday on a wide range of topics, like:
Integrated Pest Management, Container Gar-
dening, Raised Bed Gardening, Plant Selec-
tion, Soil Amendment and more. The Lawn &
Garden Show continues to be a valuable tool
for Master Gardeners to promote public
awareness of the University of Missouri Ex-
tension as a source of unbiased, research
based gardening information. Come by the
Master Gardener's booth and enter to win a
free prize. For more information on speakers
go to our website: www.mggreene.org.
Give Ozarks Campaign May 5 The first “Give Ozarks” one-day online fund-
raising event will be held May 5. Donors will
be able to contribute to the Greene County
Extension endowment fund or gift fund
online the day of the event as part of this one-
day “online telethon.” For more information
go to http://extension.missouri.edu/greene.
Business Development Classes Regular business classes are held at the Small
Business Development and Technology Cen-
ter, 405 North Jefferson Ave., Springfield.
Assorted dates and topics. Register by calling
417-836-5685 or check online
www.ws.missouristate.edu/sbdc.
Program Calendar Online The most up-to-date list of reported upcoming MU Extension programs in Greene County
is available online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene
Calendar visible on right side of page.
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Selected Upcoming Extension Events in Greene County
Spring Forage Conference Tuesday, March 3, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Univer-
sity Plaza Hotel in Springfield. $35 conference fee.
Preregister by February 18. Call 417-831-5246,
ext. 3 for information or visit the website at
www.springforageconference.com.
Young Sprouts in the Garden Date: 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, May 16.
Location: Springfield Botanical Gardens
Details: Event free and open to the public, weather
permitting. Several area organizations team up to
host dozens of free hands-on gardening activities
that are educational for the children. This is a
Master Gardener led event.
Missouri Blueberry School A nationally recognized opportunity to learn about
growing blueberries is coming to southwest Mis-
souri again in 2015. The Missouri Blueberry
School will be held March 13-14 at the Missouri
State University Darr Agricultural Center, located
at 2401 S. Kansas Expressway, Springfield. De-
tails at www.extension.missouri.edu/blueberry.
Private Pesticide Training This training is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Friday,
March 6 at the Greene County Extension office
located inside the Springfield-Greene County Bo-
tanical Center at 2400 S Scenic Avenue in Spring-
field. Participants will be required to purchase the
reference manual and pay a materials fee for a total
class fee of $18. Pre-registration is required by
March 2. For more information or to pre-register,
call Greene County Extension at 417-881-8909.
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
92nd Annual Greene County
Soils and Crops Conference is
March 16 at Livestock Center
The 92nd Annual Greene County Soils and
Crops Conference and SWCD Annual Meeting
will begin with a free dinner at 5:45 p.m. Mon-
day, March 16. The event will be held in the 2nd
floor banquet room at Springfield Livestock
Marketing Center, 6821 West Independence
(Exit 70 off of I-44), Springfield, Mo.
“This conference is designed to provide re-
search-based information and options to area
agriculture producers that can help them make
more informed and profitable decisions,” said
Tim Schnakenberg, agronomy specialist with
University of Missouri Extension.
Program topics and speakers include:
“Custom Grazing and Rental Agreements,” by
Wesley Tucker, MU Extension agriculture busi-
ness specialist; “Managing Forage Grazing
Heights and Stockpiling for Winter Pasture,” by
Mark Kennedy, grazing specialist, Missouri For-
age and Grassland Council; and “Fine-tuning
your Forage Fertility Program,” by Tim
Schnakenberg, with MU Extension.
Program and cost-share updates will be giv-
en by staff with the Greene County NRCS, FSA,
and the Soil and Water Conservation District.
Pre-registration is needed by March 11 to aid
in meal planning.
Registration can be done one of three ways.
A registration brochure can be downloaded
online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene
and returned by mail. Individuals can also call
the Greene County Extension office at 417-881-
8909 or email [email protected]. Both
phone and email messages need to include your
name, mailing address with city and zip, tele-
phone number and number attending.
Sponsors for this event include Greene
County Soil & Water Conservation District, Old
Missouri Bank, FCS Financial, Springfield Live-
stock Market, MFA in Ash Grove, Greene Coun-
ty Extension Council and the Greene County
Commission.
Space for Rent The Botanical Center offers meeting space for
social gatherings and business functions. Con-
tact us for all of your needs!
Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael
Greene Close Memorial Park.
417-891-1515 | www.botanicalcenter.org
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 4
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Master Gardeners of Greene County
The Master Gardener Program is a popular and suc-
cessful statewide volunteer community-service organ-
ization administered through University of Missouri
Extension. The organization’s goal is to train garden-
ers who are willing to share their knowledge with
others. Master Gardeners become volunteers of Uni-
versity of Missouri Extension and donate hours for
community educational projects in horticulture. Vol-
unteer activities include working with non-profit or-
ganizations, maintaining community gardens, con-
ducting workshops, participating in a Master Garden-
er speakers’ bureau and staffing the Master Gardener
“Hotline.” The Master Gardeners of Greene County
can boast of over 275 members. For more information
visit the chapter website at http://www.mggreene.org.
Upcoming Events March 2: Potting
Shed University-
Perennials by Gail Wright
6:30-7:30 pm
March 7: Leadership
Training for Volunteer
Organizations 10am-noon
March 9: PSU-
Introduction to Home
Wine Making by Patrick
Byers 6:30-7:30 pm
March 10: Monthly
Chapter meeting 6-8:30
pm
March 16: PSU-All
About Tomatoes by Kelly McGowan 6:30-7:30 pm
March 23: PSU-Companion Planting by Mark
Bernskoetter 6:30-7:30 pm
All Potting Shed University classes are $5, pay at
the door; no pre-registration necessary. All above
events will be held at the Botanical Center located at
2400 S. Scenic in Springfield.
March 30: PSU-Introduction to Herbs by Barb
Emge 6:30-7:30 pm
Kelly McGowan Horticulture Educator
University of Missouri
Extension
Member Spotlight: Lorri Winters When did you join Mas-
ter Gardeners and why?
I joined in 2010 to better
understand soil and also
the plants that could with-
stand the heat, cold and
drought of Missouri. I
moved to Missouri in the
fall of 2003 from Florida
and soon realized this was
a challenging place to
grow anything.
What kind of gardening background do you
have? I grew up in rural Iowa and was put to
work in the large family garden at an early
age. I loved digging potatoes, picking green
beans and eating tomatoes fresh off the vine.
As an adult I have enjoyed planting flowers
and ornamental grasses.
What is your favorite thing about Master
Gardeners of Greene County?
Members are always so willing to share the
knowledge they have gained in their own gar-
dens. I have learned so much from the time
spent with my fellow gardeners.
What is one of your favorite growing tips
that you would like to share?
Don’t get sentimental about your plants. If
they are not thriving where you planted them,
find them a new home and try something else.
What are a couple of your favorite plants?
‘Purple Fireworks’ fountain grass and pan-
sies
Anything else about yourself you would
like to share? I think working in the gar-
den and getting my hands dirty is fun - not
work!
Lorri Winters
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 5
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Master Gardeners of Greene County
Leadership Training for
Volunteer Organizations Master Gardeners of Greene County will
sponsor a leadership training for leaders of
volunteer organizations on March 7 from 10
a.m. to noon at the Botanical Center.
This training will consist of 2 sessions: one
on communication styles and one on project
management. The communication styles ses-
sion will cover how to be effective in com-
municating with people who have different
styles. The project management session will
focus on developing action plans, timelines
and resource plans.
The trainer for these sessions will be Mr.
Bernie Dana, Business Dept. Chairman at
Evangel University. Dana also spoke at the
State Master Gardener Conference in Spring-
field in 2013. The fee is $15 per per-
son. Make checks payable to Master Garden-
ers of Greene County.
This is open to all Master Gardener chap-
ters, all volunteer organizations, and interested
members of the public.
Advanced Master
Gardener Program Master Gardeners of Greene
County will offer the advanced
Master Gardener program in
2015. This program allows Mas-
ter Gardeners to continue their
education with in depth training
taught by qualified experts.
Participants will work to-
wards getting 30 hours of ad-
vanced training classes and will
have 5 years to do so. The train-
ings will cover a variety of horti-
cultural categories much like the
ones offered in Core Training.
First Brown Marmorated
Stink Bug Discovered in
Greene County
University of Missouri Extension Horticul-
turists Kelly McGowan and Patrick Byers say
the first reported Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
in southwest Missouri has been confirmed and
area farmers and homeowners should be aware.
On January 28, 2015, Karen McDonald, a
member of the Master Gardeners of Greene
County, found the Brown Marmorated Stink
Bug in her home. MU Extension specialists
sent the specimen to the Missouri Department
of Agriculture where staff confirmed identifica-
tion.
Until now, the closest Brown Marmorated
Stink Bug that had been found and confirmed
was in the St. Louis area.
The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is an
invasive species from Asia that probably made
its way to the United States in shipping contain-
ers around 1998.
“The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has a
huge appetite for many different horticultural
and agricultural crops,” said
McGowan. “While other types of
stink bugs favor just a few kinds of
plants, the Brown Marmorated
Stink Bug will eat almost any type
of fruit or vegetable. There are no
natural predators for this insect in
the U.S., so populations are in-
creasing.”
Another problem is that the
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
overwinters in large groups in
homes and has a bad smell.
Brown Marmorated Stink
Bugs are about a one-half inch
long and a little larger than other
stink bugs. They have white
stripes on their antennae, faint
white bands on their legs and outer
edges of their abdomen have alter-
nating white and dark markings.
Display in the Master Gar-
dener’s Demonstration Gar-
den near The Botanical Cen-
ter on Feb. 18.
The Missouri Master Naturalist Program re-
sults from a partnership created in 2004 be-
tween the Missouri Department of Conserva-
tion (MDC) and MU Extension (MUE). The
Missouri Master Naturalist Program is recog-
nized as a named program within MU Exten-
sion. The MU School of Natural Resources is
the academic home for the Program. See
www.springfieldmasternaturalist.com or
springfieldmn.blogspot.com/
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 6
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Master Gardeners of Greene County
Master Gardeners Donate to
Success of Hickory Hills
School Greenhouse Members of the Master Gardeners of Greene
County have donated $1,000 to the Hickory Hills
School Greenhouse according to chapter president
Missy Sanford. “Five or more members of the
master gardener chapter volunteer on a regular ba-
sis at the Hickory Hills School Greenhouse
so we thought this was a worthwhile pro-
ject,” said Sanford.
The donation will help pay for the pur-
chase of professional greenhouse grow
lights. The installed lights will make K-5
classes possible during the winter at Hicko-
ry Hills Elementary so students can now
have longer projects.
According to Kay Johnson, the master
gardener that leads the Hickory Hills pro-
ject, the greenhouse project is giving stu-
dents K-5 experience in growing a vegeta-
ble plant they get to take home and care for
during the summer.
“It is usually a cherry tomato plant so
kids can go out and pick and eat from the
plant. Sometimes they choose to plant a
green bean for the summer,” said Johnson.
“This is the first time some of these kids
have ever seen vegetables grow. Now with the new
lights we can grow things for the kids to eat in the
cafeteria thru the fall, winter, and spring.”
As part of the raised beds already installed at
Hickory Hills, students have seen how popcorn,
peppers and other vegetables grow. They also learn
how flowers draw insects, and watch butterflies
feed and lay eggs that hatch into caterpillars that
eat leaves.
“Each year we have about 400 students that
participate in the greenhouse activities. I feel that it
will get more kids to eat more veggies if they have
a hand in growing them,” said Johnson.
Johnson has invested hundreds of hours at the
Hickory Hills School. A Master Gardener since
2010, Johnson has a passion for native plants and
landscapes. His work is evident throughout south-
west Missouri – including his efforts at Hickory
Hills and Holland Elementary – and as a volun-
teer on the master gardener hotline answering
questions from members of the public.
“Kay Johnson leads a dedicated team of
trained volunteers on the Hickory Hills project,”
said Kelly McGowan, horticulture educator with
University of Missouri Extension. “The Master
Gardener board thought using some of the mon-
ies raised from the annual plant sale to support
the Hickory Hills project was appropriate.”
Master Gardener Kay Johnson explains to students in Beth
Zeh’s class that they can bring home green bean plants in a
month. Master Gardeners have donated $1,000 to purchase
grow lights for the school’s greenhouse. (ozarksliving.com)
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 7
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
4-H Report for Greene County
More About 4-H As the largest out-of-school
youth organization in the world,
4-H is open to all boys and
girls, ages 5 to18. Children who
are five to seven years old are eligible for 4-H
Clover Kids, an introductory program. Youths
who are 8 to 18 years of age can select from a
variety of 4-H projects and activities that stress
social and life skills in areas like decision mak-
ing, communication, social interaction, civic
responsibility and physical skills. Children do
not have to live on a farm to join 4-H. Pro-
ject opportunities include computers, robotics,
foods and nutrition, horticulture, large and
small animals and more. Missouri 4-H is Uni-
versity of Missouri Extension's youth develop-
ment program. Learn more online.
Contact 4-H Youth Development Specialist Karla Deaver at the Lawrence County Extension office
by telephone at 417/466-3102 or by email at [email protected].
In Their Own Words:
What 4-H Members in Greene
County are Learning (Part 2)
The following quotes are taken directly from the 2014
4-H Report Forms submitted by Greene County mem-
bers. In their own words, students share what they have
learned during one year by being in 4-H.
“This organization is something I want to continue to be
a part of from a leader standpoint by someday being a
leader of a club, and helping kids develop the skills I
have now.”
“To me citizenship isn’t just about your rights and being
a law abiding citizen, it’s more than that, much more.
It’s giving back to your community, and being an active
part of it. 4-H has shown how to be a good citizen, and
that’s to my standards.”
“Who knew that working with chickens could teach a
teenager how to set goals, work hard, and then meet
those goals? Goal setting and perseverance are skills
that I will use for the rest of my life and will one day
lead me to success!”
“I started gaining public speaking skills before I could
even read. By the time I was eight, I could talk to new
people, with little or no problem, and most importantly I
could make and keep long lasting friendships by the
time I hit grade school.”
“If I have learned anything from 4-H is that trying new
things, branching out to new people, and stepping out of
your comfort zone really makes you grow as an individ-
ual and discover things you never knew about yourself.”
“4-H has given me many skills, like friends and great
confidence in my ability to survive in this world and
make it better. Skills like responsibility, public speak-
ing and leadership have allowed me to go above and
beyond in all my other activities because I had a good
foundation in 4-H at a young age.”
March 7 Showing of
“Marshall the Miracle Dog”
Benefits 4-H, Shines Light on
Bully Prevention
Marshall has chosen Missouri, his home
state, for a sneak peak of his new movie,
Marshall the Miracle Dog, on March 7-8.
Marshall is calling on all fellow Missourians
to join him and all of his friends at over 40
theaters across the state as Missouri
“Commits to Be Kind.”
The “Commit to be Kind” weekend is
being presented in conjunction with Missouri
4-H, the Humane Society of Missouri, PAC-
ER’s National Bullying Prevention Center
and Character Plus. Ten percent of all ticket
sales will benefit Missouri 4-H.
Locally, the movie will be shown at
Springfield—Wehrenberg on South Camp-
bell in Springfield.
For ticket and event information please
go to: www.marshallthemiracledog.com.
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 8
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Nutrition and Food Policy
Contact Nutrition and Health Education Specialist Dr. Pam Duitsman at (417) 881-8909 or by
email at [email protected].
Chronic Disease Self-Management
This six-week series was held in Springfield,
and covered subjects including: techniques to
deal with problems such as frustration, fatigue,
pain and isolation; appropriate exercise for
maintaining and improving strength, flexibil-
ity, and endurance; appropriate use of medica-
tions; communicating effectively with health
professionals; nutrition; and how to evaluate
new treatments.
Voices for Food Project:
Pam is the State Coordinator for this six-state,
federally funded research project aimed to ad-
dress food security in isolated communities
known as “food deserts”. Four SW Missouri
communities have been selected to take part.
The project and its approach are unique be-
cause it is being applied across multiple states
and draws on the expertise of multiple disci-
plines – including nutrition, community devel-
opment, agriculture and youth. The focus is to
develop and implement sustainable solutions
that will increase availability and access to
healthy food choices in these rural communi-
ties. Food councils are being developed and
maintained in each of the targeted communi-
ties with stakeholder representatives from
farmers, school administrators, business own-
ers, and other concerned citizens. Pam plays a
key role in providing guidance to the food
councils, which will identify and develop
community food-
insecurity solu-
tions. The majori-
ty of Pam’s posi-
tion is focused on
this work, which
will last into
2018.
MU Extension Program
Integration: Pam is a mem-
ber of the Health Systems
team, working to: integrate
our health-related programs
with research; maximize the
impact of our programs by
exceeding participant expec-
tations; develop sustainable
resource generation; and elevate MU Exten-
sion’s value. The work takes an interdisci-
plinary approach to increase the flexibility
of the organization, and the ability to move
resources quickly, based upon program
needs. This team met three times during the
month of February.
Local Food Hub Development
Pam worked with a team from MSU collab-
oratively in February to design and distrib-
ute a Food Hub Feasibility Study aimed at
the Ozark Region, specifically to gather data
for the planning of food networks and food
hub(s) in the South-
west region of Mis-
souri.
One-on-one con-
tacts this month:
Telephone; e-mail;
and face-to-face con-
sultation and advise-
ment: 33
Next page: Story
about our Seeds of
Prosperity Conference
that was held in
Springfield.
Duitsman
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 9
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Nutrition and Food Policy
Local Food as Economic Development The Seeds of Prosperity conference was
held in Springfield as a part of the 2015 State-
wide Missouri Organic Association meeting.
The day-long session provided a forum for
stakeholders to discuss challenges in Southwest
Missouri to provide locally grown food to insti-
tutions and large organizations (hospitals,
schools, grocers, restaurants, etc.). The session
provided opportunity for large
markets and local farmers to
connect, alongside communi-
ty resource organizations and
key stakeholders.
“Education was offered by
a variety of experts in local
food system development.
Local community and state
organizations also discussed
available resources and assis-
tance for farmers and produc-
ers,” said Dr. Pam Duitsman,
nutrition specialist with Uni-
versity of Missouri Extension.
The outcome of this work
is to ultimately increase eco-
nomic vitality for all;
strengthen our local system;
and positively impact the
health of our communities by
increasing access to fresh
fruits and vegetables.
Farmers, producers, buyers, proces-
sors, food retailers, food distributors, food
service management, Food system financi-
ers, large systems, intermediaries, public
health advocates, planners; Government
officials, supporting organizations, con-
sumers, community leaders were all in
attendance
Becky Roark Shady Dell Early Childhood
Center, Pre-K, 56 students
Sherwood Elementary, K, 1st
and 2nd, 152 students
Bingham Elementary, K and 1st,
157 students
Well of Life Food Pantry, 300
families
Holland Elementary K—4th 12 students
(after school girls’ club meeting)
Regional Girls Shelter— 7 Adults
Sherri Hull Completed series of lessons for Sequiota Ele-
mentary K-3rd grade, 243 students
Completed series of lessons for Mann Ele-
mentary K-1st grade, 148 students
Continued series of lessons for Ashley’s
House (Regional Girls Shelter), 7 partici-
pants
Victory Mission Family Ministries Food
Pantry – Display and Discussion about
“Building a Healthy Plate”, 168 families
Grant Head Start Family Night 28 partici-
pants
Holland Elementary Girls On The Go, 12
students
Early Childhood Center – Fruit and Vegeta-
ble Display with Seasonal and Simple App
Kiosk—92 Adults
Marty Wood Willard WIC, “Eating Smart,
Being Active,” Adults 17
Willard Food Pantry Display,
52 families
Pregnancy Care Center,
“Eating Smart, Being Active ,”
Adults 37
Crosslines Food Pantry Dis-
play, 1264 families
Southwest Mo. Indian Center
Display, 23 families
Harter House-Strafford Dis-
play, Adults 71
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 10
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Wood
Family Nutrition Education Program
Roark
Edmondson DeFord Williams
Family Nutrition Education Program 2160 W. Chesterfield Blvd. Suite F200
Chesterfield Village, Springfield, Mo.
Tel: 417-886-2059 * http://missourifamilies.org
Fossett
Hull Nevatt
People Helping People Food Pantry Display, 29
families
Early Childhood Center Display, Adults 92
Jenni Nevatt This month I worked with 173 6th-8th graders at
Pipkin middle school. Students learned a variety of
nutrition information to help them make healthy
choices.
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 11
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Civic Communication Specialist and County Program Director
SOCIAL MEDIA
REACH (Dec 2014):
Individuals engaged
this month on various
MU Extension Face-
book pages: 18,887.
Added 8 videos to
YouTube this month.
Our MUExteision417
channel continues to
get over 100,000 vid-
eo views a year.
Researching various
online tools for contact management for Ex-
pert Source Program.
Preparing to transition the news service to
Constant Contact from a free listserv provid-
ed by the University of Missouri.
Provided media training to new employees of
MU Extension in southwest Missouri.
BY THE NUMBERS (for the month)
News Service Subscribers: 9.888 weekly
Requests for advisement: 12
Regular weekly news columns: 14
TV/Radio Interviews – 2
Total articles written this month – 52
CPD DUTIES & PROGRAMS
Financial oversight, travel authorizations.
County Commission meetings.
Friends of Greene County Extension efforts.
Edited monthly “Reaching Out Report”
Regular updates to county extension website
Coordinating meetings of council committees
ANNUAL REPORT
The new Greene County Extension Council Annual
Report is complete and available on our website.
Printed copies of the report will be available at the
annual meeting or can be ordered on Amazon.com.
David Burton Civic communication
David Burton’s focus of work as civic communication specialist: Community and civic engagement
through communication and media relations, leading and moderating focus groups, non-profit education
and support, social media in support of disaster recovery and response, marketing extension regionally,
heritage tourism with an emphasis on restoring historic schools; and engaging council members with
media relations efforts like the Southwest Region News Service and the Expert Source Program.
As county program director: David also works with the elected council to operate, fund and administer
the local Greene County Extension office and to plan local programs, to engage council members in this
and other work, and to generate local revenue to support programs in Greene County
Key Project Updates ... This month’s issue of Cares Magazine will fea-
ture the Greene County Extension Council with
a full page profile. Each month of 2015, Exten-
sion will have a half-page advertisement and an
article — both of which are submitted by David
Burton — that communicates our local mes-
sage to the opinion leaders that receive Cares
Magazine. More at http://www.goicare.com.
Past Extension donors are going to receive a
postcard toward the end of April encouraging
them to give to Greene County Extension as
part of the Give Ozarks campaign on May 5.
Greene County Extension now has an endow-
ment fund and a gift fund with the Community
Foundation of the Ozarks which makes us eli-
gible for additional grants and provides an easy
way for donors to contribute locally.
A Note of Thanks … “David, when I discovered you had nominated
my book on one-room schools in Jasper County
for a state preservation award I was thrilled! But
at the same time, you deserve to be nominated
too. You may not want to accept any credit for
all that has happened but you are the nucleus of
this rural school movement. I was struggling
with my Jasper County book until I started fol-
lowing your e-mails and joined the Missouri His-
toric Schools Alliance and began to understand
how important this effort is to Missouri heritage
and rural communities. Not only from an infor-
mation point but also to those who read the sto-
ries and smile as they journey back to their child-
hood. You are doing a wonderful job!”
Helen Hunter, Carthage, Mo.
VITA Work Dec 8: I presented a 1 hour
training for Volunteer In-
come Tax Assistance
(VITA) and Tax Counsel-
ing for the Elderly (TCE)
volunteers on the Link &
Learn website. Volunteers
use L&L to work test prob-
lems and take certification
tests for the VITA and TCE programs. 24
attended the session.
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 12
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Civic Communication Specialist and County Program Director
cation effort,” said Lindsey.
Once the templates are finalized, Master Gar-
deners and other MU Extension volunteers
statewide will be able to insert the information
into flyers and brochures themselves and pick
from several templates with different picture op-
tions. That should alleviate future issues. I
“New processes are always a learning pro-
cess. We have identified some weaknesses and I
will work on creating solutions to them for future
projects, but I think in the long run, we will be
able to provide great materials for the Master
Gardeners to use for promoting their events,”
said Lindsey.
Pilot Project with Master
Gardeners and Publications
David Burton, civic communication specialist
with MU Extension and county program director
for Greene County Extension, has been working for
over two years with the MU Extension marketing
director at the University of Missouri to develop
templates (for publications, flyers, ads, and bro-
chures) to be used statewide to better brand MU
Extension programs and market our programs.
In late 2013, Greene County was selected to be
a pilot project for this effort after campus staff met
with Burton and some members of the Greene
County Extension Council. Burton was willing to
work with campus and Greene County provided
some unique challenges that could be addressed.
One of those challenges was the use of multiple
logos on publications: MU Extension, program log-
os, and the Botanical Center.
Burton suggested targeting the pilot on the
Master Gardener program because they self-
generate a lot of marketing materials. The goal was
to create high quality publications that use the cor-
rect logos, market Master Gardeners and also help
maintain or build the MU Extension brand.
Laura Lindsey, the director of MU Extension
marketing, met with a team in Greene County back
in November of 2014. She explained the vision of
her marketing plan was to create templates that
could easily be modified by volunteers to promote
local programs. These templates would promote
the MU Extension brand and would be easy enough
to use that volunteers would not need to have a
graphic design background.
Volunteers at this team meeting requested spe-
cial publications for use at the lawn and garden
show. Campus worked with a designer to create
templates and to provide a final color product.
There were lots of requested changes. Ultimately,
final and corrected flyers were created and adjusted
by Burton for local Master Gardener use and can
be seen at upcoming events.
“A great deal was learned in this process and
the templates are still being refined and the process
updated based on the lessons learned in this publi-
Improving Communities Jeff Barber is working with leaders in area
communities and students at Drury to devel-
op projects and vision-
ing documents that im-
prove living and ex-
pand economic op-
tions. Information
about his work can be
found on the Greene
County Extension
website or contact him
by phone at (417) 881-
8909 or email at
Jeff Barber Housing and design
Nellie Lamers
Greene County Commission Hosts Budget Signing Event
and Agrees to Increase in County Extension Budget
Greene County Com-
missioners signed the 2015
budget on Friday, Jan. 30
during a special afternoon
signing ceremony. The
2015 budget included a
change in funding for
Greene County Extension.
“The funding change
was welcome news,” said
George Deatz, chairman of
the Greene County Exten-
sion Council.
Deatz said council
members were very excit-
ed to learn the county was
willing to match the funds
raised privately by the ex-
tension council ($27,000)
instead of the state mini-
mum funding of $10,000.
“Thanks to Commis-
sioner Cirtin, Commis-
sioner Bentley and Com-
missioner Bengsch for the vote of confidence in extension,” said David Burton, county program director
for Greene County Extension.
Greene County Presiding Commissioner Bob Cirtin spoke before the Commissioners voted to pass
the budget. "This is a very conservative budget that provides for many but not all of the services that are
citizens have come to expect," said Cirtin.
The budget comes with a 3 percent raise for all county employees, effective February 1. Another
step up raise is coming for some county employees in July.
Commissioner of District 1 Harold Bengsch said, "This is a big deal for us and I know it's a big deal
for our employees obviously but in addition to that we are beginning to meet some of the needs that had
to go unattended for almost 6 years."
However, to afford the pay raises, other county needs had to go unfunded. "There are a lot of critical
needs there, there are positions we need to fill that we cannot fill. So that means employees will contin-
ue to have to pick up additional workload they weren't hired to do," said Bengsch.
Commissioners say the county was not offering competitive enough salaries to recruit and keep top
talent. "There were things that every department really need it bad, but they said no or employees must
come first," says Bengsch.
A two-page list of needed expenses amounting to over $9.48 million were not funded in the budget.
Presiding Commissioner Bob Cirtin says the budget is expected to grow as sales tax revenue is project-
ed to continue to increase as it has over the last few months.
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 13
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Civic Communication Specialist and County Program Director
Greene County Commissioners sign the 2015 county budget during a
special ceremony on Jan. 30.
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 14
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Horticulture Specialist
“Low Water Land-
scaping,” Master Gar-
deners of Laclede
County program, Leb-
anon (2/12/15)
“Food Safety from
Farm to Fork” and
“Irrigation Food Safe-
ty,” Food Safety
Workshop, Houston
(2/13/15)
“Extension Program-
ming Opportunities
for Independent Gar-
den Centers,” BWI meeting, Springfield
(2/18/15)
Coordinated: Identification and submission of brown mar-
morated stink bug sample to Missouri De-
partment of Agriculture (1/28/15)
Master Naturalists seasonal banquet, Spring-
field (1/23/15)
Master Gardeners of Greene County board
meeting, Springfield (2/2/15)
Master Gardeners of Greene County chapter
meeting, Springfield (2/10/15)
Springfield Plateau Master Naturalists board
meeting, Springfield (2/11/15)
Master Gardeners of Greene County core
training, Springfield (starts 2/17/15 and con-
tinues to 4/2/15)
Planning activities for Ornamentals IPM ISE
to be held in Springfield, June 18-19, 2015
Planning activities for Master Gardener low
tunnel advanced training
Mentoring activities with Robert Balek, MU
Extension regional horticulture specialist
Horticulture soil test reports - recommenda-
tions and distribution for SW region – 61
reports during reporting period
Participated in: Greene County Extension Council meeting,
Springfield (1/26/15)
Ozarks Farmers Agricultural Cooperative
meeting, West Plains (1/27/15)
Community Contact: TV and Radio
4 live interviews with KOLR10’s John Ziegler
(1 delivered by Kelly McGowan)
4 radio interviews with Morris Westfall’s
“Farm Page of the Air”
Print media
Contributed to several articles and interviews
Requests for information
Telephone contacts – 34 for advisement
Email contacts – 14 contacts
Office visits, professional contacts – 2 for con-
sultation and advisement
Farm site visits – 9 for advisement
Programs Presented: “Food Safety from Farm to Fork” and
“Irrigation Food Safety,” Food Safety for
Farmers Workshop, Webb City (1/27/15)
2015 Master Gardeners of Greene County core
training orientations, Springfield (1/28/15,
1/29/15, 2/3/15, 2/11/15)
“The Secrets of Saving Seeds,” Carnegie/
Midtown Springfield/Greene County Public
Library presentation, Springfield (1/31/15)
“The Secrets of Saving Seeds,” The Library
Station Springfield/Greene County Public Li-
brary presentation, Springfield (1/31/15)
“Seeds of Prosperity: Local Food as Economic
Development” moderator and panel participant,
Missouri Organic Association Conference,
Springfield (2/6/15)
“Making Alternative Crops Sexy,” Missouri
Organic Association Conference, Springfield
(2/6/15)
“Field Identification and Management Strate-
gies of Common Diseases in Small Fruits Pro-
duction,” Missouri Organic Association Con-
ference, Springfield (2/7/15)
“Pawpaw Production for Missouri Farmers,”
Missouri Organic Association Conference,
Springfield (2/7/15)
“Building a Market for Specialty Crops: Elder-
berry Case Study,” Gateway Fruit and Vegeta-
ble Conference, O’Fallon, IL (2/10/15)
“Forward to the Fundamentals with Blueber-
ries,” Gateway Fruit and Vegetable Confer-
ence, O’Fallon, IL (2/10/15)
Patrick Byers Horticulture
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 15
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Horticulture Specialist
Human Interest:
Seed Library at The Library
The Springfield/Greene County Library Dis-
trict is embarking on an interesting project fo-
cused on developing a seed library for the resi-
dents of Greene County.
A driving force behind this project is Master
Gardener Gina Marie Walden, Circulation Man-
ager at the Midtown Carnegie Library.
MU Extension horticulturist Patrick Byers
consulted on the development of the project,
which will encourage library patrons to “check
out” vegetable seeds in the spring, plant a garden
and reap a bountiful harvest, and then save seeds
to return to the seed library.
The project was kicked off with two seed
saving workshops Jan. 31 at the Midtown Carne-
gie Library and the Library Station. Patrick dis-
cussed the science behind saving seeds, dis-
cussed the seed saving process, and demonstrat-
ed seed saving techniques with tomato, squash,
fennel, and pepper.
Greene County Commission budget signing
ceremony, Springfield (1/30/15)
Missouri Gravel Bed Workshop, Springfield
(2/11/15)
Upcoming programming and events Potting Shed University, Springfield (Monday
evenings through April 27)
“The 2014 Farm Bill and Horticultural Produc-
ers,” Webb City Farmers Market annual mem-
bership meeting, Webb City (2/21/15)
Greene County Extension Council annual
meeting, Springfield (2/23/15)
“Getting Started in Bramble Production” work-
shop, North American Raspberry and Black-
berry Association annual conference, Fayette-
ville AR (2/24/15-2/27/15)
Spring Lawn and Garden Show seminar series,
Springfield (2/27/15-3/1/15)
Beginning Beekeeping Series, Houston (3/4/15
-3/6/15)
“The Xeriscape Garden – 20 years of sustaina-
ble landscape education,” Baxter County Mas-
ter Gardeners Spring Conference, Mountain
Home, AR (3/7/15)
MELD change project presentation to MU Ex-
tension cabinet, Columbia, MO (3/10/15)
Missouri Blueberry School, Springfield
(3/13/14-3/14/15)
Greene County Soil and Water Conservation
District annual meeting, Springfield (3/16/15)
“Getting Started with Produce,” Ozarks Ag 101
Shortcourse, Mountain Grove (3/17/15)
“Food Safety from Farm to Fork,” Polk County
food safety workshop, Bolivar (3/18/15)
OFAC workshops, West Plains (3/19/15,
3/20/15)
“Opportunities to diversify with fruit,” LU
ISFOP Minority Conference, Fairview
(3/21/15)
Apple grafting workshops, Ava (3/25/15), Car-
thage (3/28/15), and Nixa (3/28/15)
Plasticulture workshop, Seneca (3/27/15)
Master Gardeners Annual
Report Available Online Officers of the Master Gardeners of Greene
County have published their first chapter annual
report showcasing the highlights of 2014 for this
active organization. The Annual Report can be
found on the Greene County Extension website.
Total Contributed:
Cash = $12,797
2015 Contributors to “Friends of Greene County Extension”
Corporate Level Sanford, Lea and
Associates
Master Gardeners of
Greene County
Patron Level George Deatz
Ann Hall
Sponsor Level
Contributor Level David & Stacey Burton
Carl Hathcock
Galen Jones
Jack Kaiser
Springfield Water
Garden Society
Ronald & Sue Terry
Friends Level Glenn Blake
M.D. Bonebrake
Shelby Bradley
Malia Bucher
Ramona Burton
Carr Stock Farms, LLC
Major & Marthe Close
Johnny Davis
Jim Eckhoff
Gale Edwards
James Garton
David Hall
Avis Holloway
Donation period runs from November 1, 2014 to Oct. 31, 2015
Friends of
Greene County Extension Since 1914, Greene County residents have
sought help in agriculture, gardening, 4-H
youth, nutrition, families, business and com-
munity development from Extension. Mem-
bers of “Friends of Greene County Exten-
sion” contribute financially to make it possi-
ble for Extension to continue having a positive
impact on the quality of life in Greene County.
Learn how to help by calling (417) 881-8909
or going to http://extension.missouri.edu/greene
Dr. Jeff Jones
Barbara Kipfer
Pauline Marsh
MFA Incorporated
Dr. Don Nicholson
Ryan Lawn & Tree
Stephen & Sally Taylor
Gene Wallace
David & Glenda Welde
Partner Level Matthew Simpson
Patsy Spindler
Emma Valentin
Associate Level Alice Counts
Barb Decker
Rob & Brenda
Funkhouser
Rebecca Hoy
Fred & Dorothy Miller
Dean & Jackie Morgan
Edie Nelson
Lamont Nelson
Benjamin Newville
Minuen Odom
Robert Pears
Dale & Carrie Sanders
Jeanie Skibiski
Virginia Snyder
Donate Old Vehicles or
Farm Equipment to
Greene County Extension
The Greene County Extension Council is
generating money for educational programs
thanks to a partnership with CoPart, a national
company with a Rogersville location.
Cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, ATVs,
boats, boat motors and farm equipment -- in
any condition -- can now be donated.
Donations can be arranged through
Greene County Extension. Arrangements are
then made to have CoPart pick up the vehicle
at a time that works best for the donor. Anoth-
er option is for the donor to deliver the item to
CoPart’s location in Rogersville and save Ex-
tension the hauling fee. CoPart specializes in
online auctions of vehicles, boats and farm
equipment at www.copart.com.
When contacting the local extension office
with a donation be prepared to give the fol-
lowing: name, address and telephone for the
owner and type of item. If it is a vehicle we
will need VIN, make, model, year, color and
mileage. When the vehicle is picked up (or
delivered) the owner must sign over the title.
In 2014, over $4,000 was generated for
the extension office with this program. Visit
extension.missouri.edu/greene for details.
Sanford & Lea CPA and
Master Gardeners Repeat as
Corporate Extension Donors
Missy Sanford presented corporate spon-
sorship checks from both Sanford & Lea CPA
and Master Gardeners of Greene County to
the Greene County Extension Council on
Monday, Jan. 26, 2015.
SANFORD AND LEA
Sanford and Lea CPA has given to the
Friends of Greene County Extension as a cor-
porate donor for three years now.
“With this gift, David and Missy Sanford
and Sanford and Lea CPAs have become the
largest private donor to Friends of Greene
County Extension,” said Deatz.
Sanford was clear about why she and her
husband support extension and volunteer so
much with Master Gardeners.
“We give because we believe in Exten-
sion. We aren't concerned about
publicity as much as being clear
that we support Extension,” said
Missy.
The Sanford and Lea CPA firm
is located in Springfield and can be
found at www.adifferentcpa.com.
MASTER GARDENERS
Master Gardeners of Greene
County have nearly 200 active
members who volunteer in the
community and conduct a number
of public education programs at the
Springfield Botanical Center.
The Master Gardener chapter is
a University of Missouri Extension
educational program and have been
since its founding 30 years ago.
Members serve as extension volun-
teers in programs and trainings.
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu Page 17
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Friends of Greene County Extension
This marks the third year that the local
county chapter has given at the corporate
donor level.
“Master Gardeners have been completely
invaluable to keeping the Greene County
Extension Center open and programming
available to the community,” said Deatz.
FRIENDS CAMPAIGN
“Both of these gifts are very important
and significant,” said David Burton, county
program director for Greene County Exten-
sion. “These private funds are vital to the
continued operation of Greene County Ex-
tension and our educational programs.”
Members of “Friends of Greene County
Extension” contribute financially to make it
possible for Extension to continue having a
positive impact on the quality of life in
Greene County, Mo. To learn how you can
help call the Greene County Extension Cen-
ter at (417) 881-8909.
George Deatz (left), chairman of the extension council, ac-
cepts two checks from Missy Sanford on behalf of Sanford
and Lea CPA and Master Gardeners of Greene County.
Greene County “Reaching Out” Report Last Updated February 19, 2015
Greene County Extension Office located inside the
Springfield-Greene County
Botanical Center 2400 S. Scenic Ave.,
Springfield, Mo. 65807
Tel: (417) 881-8909
Fax (417) 823-4818
Office hours:
Monday - Friday * 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene
Each “Reaching Out Report” is used by Greene
County Extension specialists to concisely communi-
cate activities, contacts and events to members of the
Greene County Extension Council, Greene County
Commission and residents of Greene County. For
more about this report contact the editor, David Bur-
ton, at (417) 881-8909.
Videos on YouTube Watch the videos posted to our channel at
www.youtube.com/MUExtension417.
On Facebook Get regular updates about programs and news from
MU Extension in southwest Missouri. Find us at
facebook.com/MUExtension417.
Corporate Sponsors Sanford, Lea and Associates, CPA, Spring-
field, Mo.: (417) 886-2220,
www.adifferentcpa.com
Master Gardeners of Greene County:
http://www.mggreene.org
Meyer Communications, KWTO 560 AM /
KTXR 101.3 FM: (417) 862-3751
www.radiospringfield.com/
Greene County Commission, 933 N
Robberson Ave., Springfield, MO 65802
http://www.greenecountymo.org/
Springfield-Greene County Park Board,
Ph 417-864-1049, www.parkboard.org
Can I Help? Lorri Winters can help custom-
ers with material needs, soil
tests or program registrations.
Contact her at the Greene
County Extension Center,
(417) 881-8909 or email her at
[email protected]. Lorri
Winters joined Greene County
Extension in 2005.
Lorri Winters Office Manager
Extension/Partner Meetings
County Commission meetings: 1st and 3rd
Mondays of month; confirm agenda and meeting
at http://www.greenecountymo.org/commission.
Commission building, Springfield, at 9:30 a.m.
Park Board Meetings: Second Friday of
each month at 8:30 a.m. Call 864-1049 to con-
firm location of meeting.
4-H Leader’s Council Meetings: 3rd Thurs-
day of each month (except July) from 7 p.m. to 9
p.m., at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 2852 S
Dayton Ave, Springfield.
Greene County 4-H Foundation: meets 3rd
Thursday of each month at Panera Bread on Bat-
tlefield (across from the Mall) starting at 6 p.m.
Master Gardeners of Greene County—
board meeting: First Monday of each month at
4:30 p.m. at the Botanical Center.
Master Naturalists Board Meetings: The
board meets at 5:30 p.m. at the MDC regional
office, on the second Wednesday of the month.
Master Gardeners of Greene County--
membership meeting: Second Tuesday each
month at 6:00 p.m. at the Botanical Center.
Greene County Farm Bureau — Second
Monday of the month at Farm Bureau 2530 S
Campbell Ave, Springfield. Starts at 7:30 p.m.