UT Extension Agricultural & Natural Resources

& Community Economic Development Program Overview

Michael BuschermohleInterim Assistant Dean

University of Tennessee Extension

UT Extension is a unique county based organization

UT Extension – County-Based Service

UT Extension serves the citizens of Tennessee through 95 county offices

UT Extension Mission:

UT Extension helps Tennesseans improve their quality of

life through educational programming …..

UT Extension Audience

Tennessee’s Farms, Families, Youth and Communities

Dean, UT ExtensionRobert Burns

Interim Assistant DeanMike Buschermohle

ANR Departments & Centers

https://extension.tennessee.edu/Pages/Office-Locations.aspx

ANR Departments & Centers

• Agriculture and Resource Economics • Animal Science • Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science• Center for Profitable Agriculture • Entomology and Plant Pathology• Food Science• Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries• Plant Sciences• Soil, Plant and Pest Center

ANR Departments & Centers

• Dr. Chris Clark - Agriculture and Resource Economics • Dr. Neal Schrick - Animal Science • Dr. Julie Carrier - Biosystems Engr & Soil Science• Mr. Rob Holland - Center for Profitable Agriculture • Dr. DeWayne Shoemaker - Entomology and Plant Pathology• Dr. Mark Morgan - Food Science• Dr. Keith Belli - Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries• Dr. Scott Senseman - Plant Sciences• Dr. Robert Florence - Soil, Plant and Pest Center

https://extension.tennessee.edu/Pages/Office-Locations.aspx

ANR Program Leaders

Eastern Region Mr. David Perrin

Central Region Mr. Martin Koon

Western Region Ms. Tracey Sullivan

UT Extension Specialist Directory:

https://liveutk.sharepoint.com/sites/UTIA/ANR/SitePages/Specialist-Listing.aspx

Ag Research and Education Centers

UT AgResearchResearch and Education Centers

http://taes.tennessee.edu/centers/

ANR/CED Strategic Business Plan

• UT Extension has 4 base program areas

• Each base program has one or more “Focus Areas”

• State programs must also align with local needs and federal initiatives

Agriculture and Natural Resources

4-H Youth Development

Family and Consumer Sciences

Community Economic

Development

ANR/CED Focus Areas

• Focus Area Leadership Teams

Proactive vs Reactive Programming

Proactive = Planned Educational Program

Reactive = Responding to Requests

Questions ?

Comments and Discussion

ANR/CED Strategic Business Plan

Mike BuschermohlePrecision Ag Specialist

Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

ANR/CED Strategic Business Plan

ANR/CED Program Structure

Knowledge Areas

Fundamental areas in which Extension ANR/CED educational programs are planned, developed, implemented and reported.

ANR/CED Program Structure

Focus AreasFocus Areas must have great potential to increase economic prosperity, improve environmental quality, or enhance well-being in rural or urban communities.

ANR/CED Program StructureFocus Area Leadership Teams

• 3 county ANR/CED agents

• 3 subject matter specialists

• 1 ANR/CED program leader

ANR/CED Program Structure

Role of the Leadership Teams

• Establish and oversee Workgroups

• Meet with Workgroup chairs

• Develop State Action Agenda content

• Coordinate in-service training planning and delivery

• Prepare state-level Impact Statements using information provided by Workgroups

• Function as the liaison between administration and the Workgroups

• Coordinate special projects among Workgroups

• Prepare Outcome Indicators for their Focus Area – State Action Agenda

• Evaluate Workgroups annually for relevancy and effectiveness and determine renewal

ANR/CED Program StructureFocus Area Leadership Teams

• Jason Evitts, Central Region - (2016-2018)

• Dr. Brian Leib, Specialist (2016-2018)

• Lindsay Griffin, Western Region (2017-2019)

• Dr. Jason de Koff, Specilaist (2017-2019)

• Steven Huff, Eastern Region Agent (2018-2020)

• Dr. Tyson Raper, Specialist (2018-2020)

• Tracey Sullivan, Program Leader

July 1 Application announcement made by statewide ANR/CED program leader

Aug. 1 Agent and specialist applications will be submitted via a SharePoint application form available on the ANR/CED Internal Team site

Sept. 1

– The regional program leaders will make recommendations of agents and area specialists to the state ANR/CED program leader.

– The recommendations of specialists from department heads are due to the state program leader.

Oct. 1 Agents and specialists are notified of Leadership Team assignments

Jan. 1 Agents and specialists begin their role as a member of the Leadership Team and the new chairs and vice chairs assume their new role.

ANR/CED Program Structure

Application for Leadership Teams

ANR/CED Program Structure

Workgroups

• Cotton• Tobacco

• Corn• Soybeans• Wheat

Workgroups are intended to support and enhance county-based educational programs

ANR/CED Program Structure

Workgroups

• Beef• Dairy

• Equine• Forage• Small Ruminant

• 4-H Livestock• Avian Influenza

ANR/CED Program Structure

Workgroups

• Crop Nutrient Stewardship• Energy Conservation

• Pesticide Safety Educational Program• 4-H STEM

ANR/CED Program Structure

Crop Nutrient Stewardship

Lori Duncan, Specialist - Chair

Greg Allen, Western RegionPaul Hart, Central RegionDavid Qualls, Central RegionLena Beth Reynolds, Eastern RegionJohn Wilson, Eastern RegionMike Buschermohle, SpecialistShawn Hawkins, SpecialistAngela McClure, SpecialistTyson Raper, SpecialistHugh Savoy, SpecialistForbes Walker, SpecialistPat Turman, NRCSJohn McClurkan, TDADavid Duhl, TDEC

ANR/CED Program StructureWorkgroups

• Conduct program needs assessments

• Identify programming resource needs

• Identify existing resource materials

• Develop needed resource materials (websites, publications, etc.)

• Review existing resource materials for relevance

• Plan and deliver in-service training

• Develop educational program Outcome Indicators

• Develop and validate Program Evaluation Network (PEN) instruments

• Provide information to Leadership Teams to support Statewide Impact Statements

• Obtain funding to support educational programs as required

• Initiate cooperation with existing and potential program partners

Cotton In-Service Training August 16th, 2016

Location: Mess Hall at Ames Plantation11:00 AM -11:45 PM Box Lunch

Location: MARY SCOTT12:00 PM Nitrogen rate, timing - Dr. Tyson Raper12:25 PM Making the replant decision - Mr. Shawn Butler12:50 PM UAV use in cotton production - Dr. Mike Buschermohle1:20 PM CST Trial placement, site variability - Mr. Ryan Blair1:50 PM Potassium Rate, placement and impacts on earliness - Dr. Owen Gwathmey2:15 PM Sulfur Deficiencies and updated recommendations - Dr. Frank Yin

Location: JESSIE BUNTIN2:45 PM Diseases and fungicides - Dr. Heather Kelly3:10 PM Cotton varieties: what is new, what is coming - Ms. Andrea Jones3:40 PM General Discussion, wrap-up - Dr. Tyson Raper4:00 PM Travel to Lone Oaks7:00 PM Dinner at Lone Oaks

ANR/CED Program StructureWorkgroup Application

Commercial Horticulture

Questions

Getting Started as a Extension Educator

March 6, 2018

Martin KoonProgram Leader Central Region

David PerrinRegion Director Eastern Region

Tracey SullivanProgram Leader Western Region

Tennessee Extension - D One Extension Two Land Grant

Universities University of Tennessee ,1862 Tennessee State University,1890

Comments Today - D County Agents Specialists

First Things First - TRelationships

• Extension• County• Region• State ---- UT & TSU

• County Ag Committee• County Government Officials• Key Agri-businesses• Key Farmers• Farm Agencies

What To Do- TIdentify important Ag Enterprises

• Economic value

• Numbers of farmers

• Where they are located

• Map of the county

• Knowledge of the county

• County history

What To Do- TNeeds Assessment

Explore, Ask Questions, Interviews, Statistical Data, Internet Searches

• Key Leaders

• Producers

• Government Agencies

• Agri-business

• Identify the local hang-outs

• Diversity

Experience- MInventory your skills/experience

• What are you proficient in

• Identify deficiencies relative to county needs

• Work with county director, RPL to obtain professional

development

Items to put in your Tool Box-M1. Volunteers2. Pesticide Safety Education Program3. Computer Software

• Microsoft Office• SUPER

4. Calendar5. Area Farm Management Specialists6. BQA certification7. Distance Diagnostics8. Consumer/homeowner9. People skills – customer service10. Publications & Manuals

People Skills-MConflict --- demands

Diversity

Learning Styles

Managing Volunteers

Create/Maintain advisory groups

Program Presentation / Scheduling

Expert – respect & trust

Goals- DComponent of Performance Appraisal)

1-3 goals• Programming

• Personal

• Professional development

Departments --- will vary

Planning-DAll agents write Individual Annual Plan

• Basis for plan

• Needs assessment

• Input advisory groups

• Region will conduct training

• Due November 1 to region (County Directors may set earlier date)

• Also completes IAP for first year (Jan 1 to June 30 - Yes; after July 1- No

Region offer guidance)

Specialists --- In-service trainings, county visits, agri-business,

publications

Professional Development-D• In-service Training

• Regional New Agent

Training

• Mentor Program

• Professional

Associations

• Specialists

• Internet - Research Land

Grant Institutions

• Training - UT & External

• Key producers in County

Office Procedures- TCommunication

• Be accessible• Office know your location 100% time

Appreciate Deadlines

Chain of Command

Follow UTIA policies & procedures• Volunteer screening

Office Procedures- TRisk Management

• All volunteers marked in SUPER• Volunteer levels designated• Proper documentation completed and entered in

SUPER for Volunteers

Safety• Minors • Child Protection

Balance-MWork demands

Training

Family

Team Work-M• Be a real part of your county staff

• Be part of your county & community

• Visible

• Recognize --- eyes always on you in

community (on & off duty)

Committees & Teams- M• Multi-county programming• State assignments• Regional assignments• Chair assignments• Working with Ag Research• External Groups• Leadership Teams• Workgroups

Marketing-D• Media – programs, interviews, elevator speech

– Social media– Print– Radio– TV– Signage

• Professional Material• Correct Logos, Indicia (Marketing Toolkit)• Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation• Program Successes

Grants & Sponsorship-D• Identify local sponsors• Search for appropriate grants

– Online– Specialists– Partner organizations– RPL– Professional Associations

• Specialists should seek agent input where collaboration required

Program Delivery-D• Professionalism

– Dress for the occasion– Name tag– Business cards– Flyers-- handouts

• Know Your Audience• Diversity

Civil Rights-D• Include underrepresented/minority

audiences in needs assessment• Market to this audience above the normal

(special efforts)• Advertisement• Meeting Locations• Documentation

Evaluation-M• KASA Level• Summarize

– Recommendation changes– Practice adoption– Benefits – economic, lifestyle, environment

• PEN• Surveys• Interviews• Comments• Observation

Recognition-MVolunteers

Leaders

Sponsors

Government Officials

So What- M• Report 100% of contacts• Report – impact statements (annually)

– Outcomes– Impacts

• Economic• Quality of Life• Environmental• Safety• Testimonials

Tie it all together - TAddressing local needsStrong relationshipsPart of the communityPlan, deliver, evaluate and reportDesire to make a differenceAffect people livesAccountability

Questions ? -All

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2018 ANR/ CED NEW EXTENSION EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION SESSION

MARCH 6, 2018 156/ 157 PLANT BIOTECH BUILDING

“TIPS FOR SUCCESS IN EXTENSION”

CLARK D. GARLAND, PROFESSOR EMERITUS AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS

EMAIL: cgarland@utk.edu CELL: 865: 300.2737

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INTRODUCTION

About everything changes over time, but tips based on common sense remain extremely relevant and useful. The majority of these tips are based on personal observations made while working in University of Tennessee Extension for 45 plus years. Within the past 2 years, I discovered an Extension publication entitled “The Extension Worker’s Code” published by Kansas State in 1922. The Kansas publication developed nearly 100 years ago, contains many of the same observations I made over the past 45 years. Programs, educational tools and delivery methods improve over time, but following these tips, still leads to excellence in lifelong education and development of residents in communities around the nation. Below is a link to the Kansas State Extension publication. https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/exbul33.pdf

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I. ROLE OF EXTENSION

• What is the role of Extension?

• Research based and objective programs that modify behavior in ways that are beneficial.

• Many individuals are drowning in information, but starved for knowledge.

• Some people claim a typical issue of the weekday edition of the New York Times

has more information in it than an average person who lived in England during the 1600s would encounter in his/ her entire life.

• The definition of scholarship in an earlier UT Handbook for Extension stated

scholarship is “information, programs that are useful, practical and adopted by the intended audience.”

• When will Extension get the job done?

Extension has, time and again, shown itself to be an agent of change; to be able to modify behavior in ways that are beneficial to the individual, the farm, the family, the community and the nation. Its programs are objective, research-based and trusted by the public. With these attributes, Extension is uniquely positioned to continue to assist American agriculture in an educational environment exploding with information sources and high-tech delivery methods. To do so, however, the agricultural programming must be dynamic, must adapt to capitalize on its uniqueness and must be focused on contemporary issues. These issues exist in American agriculture as surely as in other segments of society and it is incumbent on Extension to see that they receive attention.”

Source: Draft White Paper “Managing Change in Agriculture”

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II. ADVICE I RECEIVED AS A NEW EMPLOYEE IN NEW WORKERS ORIENTATION

In my New Workers Orientation more than 45 years ago, Tennessee’s Dean for Extension shared two tips on being successful in an Extension career. First, always make an Extension agent aware in advance of your presence in the county, and, as appropriate, provide her or him an opportunity to be involved with your efforts. Second, provide training and follow-up support to agents. Always address their questions and concerns in a timely manner. Programs, educational tools and delivery methods improve and change over time, but following these tips demonstrates a commitment to meet agents’ needs. Agents and specialist working together leads to excellence in lifelong education and development of residents in communities around the nation.

III. HOW TO GET STARTED AND WHERE TO PUT YOUR EFFORTS

• You get one opportunity to start

• Activity is a necessary but not sufficient condition for an Extension Program. You can have activity without a program, but activities are required to have a program. Accomplishments are the keys.

• First off, do something useful and beneficial within a short time frame.

• Listen and learn

• Establish working relationships with other Extension agents, specialists,

Extension program leaders and agricultural leaders.

• Follow the pointers outlined under how to operate within the system.

• Next, get an educational program underway.

• Continue scholarship development by conducting demonstrations or an applied research thrust to support Extension programming.

• Most effective agents and specialists are being compensated for what “needs” to

be done (As contrasted to just what we “enjoy” or “want” to work on without a strong regard for “needs”.) Still very important to like what you are doing.

• Specialists are wholesalers instead of retailers of programs. Teach agents to

teach and follow-up.

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IV. POINTERS FOR OPERATING AS AN EXTENSION EDUCATOR IN TENNESSEE EXTENSION

• Have a positive impact

• Personal contact with audiences

• Develop trust and respect

• Be reasonable with your request

• Do not always ask for something

• Keep supervisor informed about the good and bad

• I have found it is acceptable to mess-up, but do not let supervisors be surprised

• Obtain and maintain administrative support

• Tennessee is a county based Extension Program. Therefore, involve agents,

keep them informed including when others invite you to the county. Specialists are not state-wide Extension agents.

• Make new friends and keep the old friends. Be part of state, regional and

national networks.

• People instead of organizations work together

• Support other Extension professionals and leave your evaluation of them up to their supervisor

• Address questions in a timely manner. For example, return telephone calls

and e-mail.

• Your best overall programs and accomplishments over a career will likely be suggested by another Extension agent.

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• Realize the difference between good and bad grant dollars *Good dollars

o Need for project o Fits overall plans for the system o Useful and provides payoff o Reasonable conditions and matching requirements

*Bad dollars o Chasing dollars without a purpose (consequences) o Simply being low bidder

• Pick your battles and treat people the way you want to be treated.

Sometimes peace is better than being right.

• Maintain administrative support

• Avoid embarrassing other specialists and most of all Extension agents. Go the extra mile to help learn from and support an Extension agent.

• Common sense overcomes many barriers.

V. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO SUCCESS IN DEVELOPING EXTENSION PROGRAMS

• Perceived need.

• Relevant issue. Ask “so what” occasionally to evaluate your own accomplishments.

• Clearly defined

o End product o Goals o Expectations (Stated and refined early in the process)

• Reasonable vs right number

• Determine what is not included in the effort

• Process leads to professional development for specialists, agents and farm

families.

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• Use and test the effort

• Listen and incorporate feedback to refine the program “on the fly”.

• Answers are often easy. The challenge is to address the “right” question.

• What projected impact will the effort have on the intended audience? Will it make a positive difference?

• High quality professional presentations and journal articles can be a co-product

produced as part of an outstanding Extension program.

• Always remember our audience is not the cows, corn, soybean or nursery crops. What positive impact will the effort have on farm families or other intended audiences?

• Success is determined, more by mental attitude than by mental ability.

• Do not be afraid of failure, fear success in those things that do not matter.

• Share credit and responsibility

VI. ONE WAY OF VIEWING PREPARATION OF COUNTY EXTENSION STAFF TO CARRY-OUT AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

I – In-service training is essential but training itself will not get the job done. M – Motivation – Take a positive attitude. Consistently convey the message that you expect them to teach and carry out an educational program. Support the agent, don’t replace him/ her. Positive thinking alone will not guarantee success but the lack of positive thinking will nearly always guarantee failure. Do not overlook the influence exerted by an older, crusty Extension agent. He/ she is somewhat of a dean for the agents in the Region. His/ her support is critical. Make sure he/ she never gets lost during in-service training. One of these agents saved me a training program. He endorsed the training, followed through with the meetings and motivated other agents to conduct their meetings and get a program underway. A – Administrative support is a necessary ingredient.

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G – Give support to the agent – provide the best materials, suitable visuals, references and handout materials. Encourage the agent to put his flavor to the program. In one all-day session, the agent, at first, did not want to teach. I kept encouraging but he could not grasp what he wanted to teach. I gave him a copy of the teaching material I received from a specialist in another state and he said that’s it. We incorporated Tennessee examples and he conducted an exceptional portion of the all-day workshop. I – Invite individuals instead of just advertising in the newspaper, on the radio or sending a letter. Some educational sessions will often draw 4 to 10 people unless special efforts are made. Agents got 40 to 70 farmers in for some sessions. They also got the farmers which counted. The benefits gained from a county meeting is the role the agent plays in teaching versus bringing the farmers to the meeting. Area meetings can sometimes draw professional meeting-goers. The little i could also stand for little specialist, big agent. Stress the role of the agent. N – Nothing new about what I’ve said. A review of reports from the late 50’s and early 60’s indicate agents more than likely were doing more teaching in educational programs. N could also stand for no additional staff. At best, existing staff is the maximum. Reallocation and efficiency are major concerns. A – A stands for action not absolute perfection. The perfectionists among us are some of the worst procrastinators. They want things to be just so before they start. Consequently, they rarely get around to starting. T – Thank you is important. Recognize the agent’s contributions. Get him/ her to believing he/ she is really doing more than he/ she is and you’ll get him/ her to do even more. I – Intensive follow-up with some farmers should be expected of the agent. The lack of follow-up is the problem associated with some highly specialist oriented programs. Agents learn more by doing. A top notch program should facilitate appropriate follow-up by the agent. O – Other teaching methods are vital to our efforts. Computer programs, social media and other means are possible aids. But first, it certainly helps if the agent is familiar with the subject matter. O could likewise stand for other farmers that need information which presents a great challenge to Extension specialists. This elite group of farmers produce a major portion of the food and fiber and carry a lot of influence. N – N at first stood for no particular point except to complete the word imagination. Then I realized this N is the most important letter because we must learn to

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effectively say no, allocate our time, design and assist with improved educational efforts in appropriate subjects instead of always fighting brush fires, which might be burning because we are doing the work for the farmer instead of teaching the agent to teach the farmer. We must use our imagination.

VII. GUIDELINES FOR WORKING AS A STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN TEAM

• Be patient

• Develop trust and respect

• Allow people to differ

• Little specialist, Big Agent. Recognize and capitalize on the role of top Extension agents (Specialist often disagree at length with each other, but rarely disagree with agents)

• Role of peer pressure

• Solve big issues in large group settings

• Solve as many issues as possible in small groups

• Answer questions by consensus

• Payoff to users and team members

• Pride and ownership

• Think like farm managers instead of specialists

• Forming the team o Right personalities

Let us get started Over my dead body This did not work the last time

• Eventual buy-in by team members

• The Strategic Business Plan boat is leaving the dock. I highly recommend getting

on the first appropriate boat and play a key role.

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VIII. TIPS FOR PREPARING SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FOR PROMOTIONS AND AWARDS

• Awards get awards

o Applicants will often not be known by evaluation boards. o Boards may not even be in your profession. o Both of these points make departmental, college and university awards

significant in gaining recognition nationally – the reviewers will receive substantiation by the other “lower” awards.

• Write to the criteria o Make a point to define and understand the criteria for promotion, tenure

and awards. o Rework vita for every award and modify to fit the criteria. o That does not mean we falsify our professional background; rather we

emphasize the impacts and successes which fit the award. o In other words, take seriously each award for which you are nominated.

• Service

o Service to the organization and profession is an important element in what we do and is generally an important criterion in award reviews.

o However, service must be appropriate and measured against job descriptions. Most award reviews, unless they are specifically “Service Awards” will likely emphasize a similar set of values as promotion/ tenure/ advancement.

• Summary o Awards reflect accomplishments. o Awards build on previous awards. o A successful Extension educator does not live on an island – he/ she

didn’t likely become successful by stepping over or around colleagues. o Make a positive difference – then people will notice!

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ANR/CED SHARE POINT SITES

What is SharePoint?

SharePoint is a browser-based collaboration and data management platform that is supported by the

Office of Information Technology at the University of Tennessee. You can learn more about SharePoint

and access your My Site to upload your information and picture at

https://sharepoint.utk.edu/Pages/default.aspx .

ANR/CED uses SharePoint daily for collaboration and data management for our pubic and internal

partners.

You can access the public ANR/CED site at https://extension.tennessee.edu/Pages/ANR-CED.aspx .

You can access the internal site at https://liveutk.sharepoint.com/sites/UTIA/anr/SitePages/default-

new.aspx .

You will want to bookmark or add these sites to your favorites.

ANR/CED PUBLIC SITE – HTTPS://EXTENSION.TENNESSEE.EDU/PAGES/ANR-CED.ASPX

This page gives the public access to information on county agents, departments, research centers, the

ANR/CED Strategic Business Plan, a calendar of events and the main focus areas of ANR/CED.

FOCUS AREAS

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ANR/CED FOCUS AREA – PUBLIC SITE

The Focus Area page gives the public information concerning the events, programs and publications

effecting that focus area. This information is managed by the Focus Area Leadership Team.

ANR/CED INTERNAL SITES – FOR FACULTY AND STAFF

You can find a link to the internal ANR/CED sites on the public site or navigate directly to the site at

https://liveutk.sharepoint.com/sites/UTIA/anr/SitePages/default-new.aspx

FACULTY AND STAFF

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ANR/CED INTERNAL SITE TILES

The ANR/CED Internal site has a wealth of information and is where you can access-

Leadership Teams and Workgroup sites including Agent training resources applications to work on the teams and workgroups program information meeting minutes

Important Announcements & Information ANR/CED Monthly Update Newsletter Department and Center information Specialist listings that can be searched and printed by affiliation/department or location ANR/CED calendar including training, events and meeting information ANR/CED Strategic Business Plan including

Leadership Team and Workgroup Operating Guidelines Focus Area Definitions Frequently Asked Questions Joint Leadership Team Minutes Forms – Leadership Team Applications; Focus area, Workgroup and Funding Proposals

In-service training offerings with a link to register, timeline and instructions Miscellaneous documents including ANR/CED Program Leaders meeting minutes, Intern Program

information, employee review materials and impact statement instructions “Soup to Nuts” –

Farmer of the Year Livestock Welfare Master Program Oversight Committee Disposition of Publications

Questions?? – Contact Cindy Tietz at (865) 974-7112 or ctietz@utk.edu .