Action Team Issues
The July 19 Action Team Issues discussed Signature Outcomes and the contribution individual faculty are making to the success of these critical issues. Fall is the time to review our Signature Outcomes and ask if action teams are targeting the right issues. It is important for faculty and our action teams to ask some critical questions…
• Are the Signature Outcomes addressing issues our clientele’s top priorities?
• Are we producing a statewide impact with our Signature Outcomes? The intent of a Signature Outcome is for Extension to be the “Go To” place for research-based information on this issue. Are we progressing toward that goal?
• Are a critical mass of faculty engaged in this Signature Outcome? This may include…
-- Do we have solid curriculum to support a signature outcome?
-- Are extension educators engaged in teaching roles? and supported with adequate professional development?
-- Has a strong team leadership formed?
-- Is the full team contributing to the Signature Outcome’s 2011 Implementation Plan?
Signature Outcomes have now been for two years. If most of the above questions can be answered “YES” then we have a viable Signature Outcome and supporting faculty team. If the answer to several questions is “NO”, then significant changes may be necessary for this Signature Outcome to succeed. Every Action Team member should be pondering these questions during our fall discussions.
Action Team Updates
IANR Spires: If you have heard Ronnie Green discuss the priorities of IANR, you hear a focus on Food, Fuel, Water, and People and multi-disciplinary teams to address these critical issues. Maybe we are biased, but our eight Action Teams and our contributing extension faculty are well-positioned to address these “bold, hairy, audacious” issues described as central to IANR’s future.
Regional 4-H Priorities: The North Central 4-H Program Leaders met recently in Sioux Falls, SD. As a region we identified the key issues and outcomes upon which we would focus for the next five.
Our Brand Promise: 4-H youth are uniquely prepared to Step Up to the challenges of a complex, changing world.
Regional Outcomes:
• 250,000 youth will contribute 2.2 million hours in service to others.
• 250,000 youth will improve the health of 10,000 neighborhoods.
• Over 90% of graduating 4-H youth will go on to higher education.
• 250,000 youth will become science literate and aspire to science careers.
Nebraska 4-H is well positioned to contribute to these outcomes; the new strategic plan closely matches several of these outcomes. It will be exciting to see our work groups deliver programming to reach these goals.
Nutrition and Health Team: Great work to the Nutrition and Health team that just identified their professional development plan for the coming months. Using webinars and face-to-face opportunities allows are faculty to keep on the cutting edge of the latest in research and teaching strategies.
Crops of the Future: Tuesday, I attended an outstanding Soybean Management Field Day, complete with teaching on four topic areas and replicated on-farm research backing up the presenters. The addition of the on-farm research adds credibility to the educational messages. It also introduces a large group of farmers to the power and value of on-farm research. The Soybean Field Days team is to be commended for the extra effort of complimenting the field day with on-farm research. One question – why were our educators not teaching?
On-Farm Research: Last winter I attended a presentation of On-Farm research results by the farmers that Dave Varner and Keith Glewen had coached. I have never participated in an extension program in which more brain power and processing was being expended at one time. The sharing of results and the questioning and debating of the conclusions drawn by the farmer-researchers appeared to produce one of the more powerful educational experiences that I have attended, surpassing any of my own educational efforts. Is On-Farm Research an Extension delivery tool that we need to ramp up to the next level.
-- Kathleen Lodl and Rick Koelsch