The Ag e-Dispatch

Shutdown computers and printers prior to Thanksgiving

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:38:14 -0500

In preparation for a campus-wide power shutdown on Friday, Nov. 28, Ag. Communications and Technology is asking all SAES faculty and staff to take the following precautionary measures before they leave their offices on Wednesday, Nov. 26: please cut all computers and printers OFF.

Innovations in cultivations

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:35:57 -0500

The annual Southeast Vegetable and Fruit Expo is set for the Myrtle Beach Convention Center Dec. 2 and 3. Concurrent with the trade show, there will be more than 30 workshops covering new crops, cultivars, production methods and marketing considerations. The registration fee for both days is $70 for the general public, and $50 for Extension faculty other members of state and federal agencies.

Research showcase comes early in 2009

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:34:19 -0500

The 2009 annual Ronald E. McNair Commemorative Celebration at A&T will be Jan. 28-30. The McNair Celebration features a research symposium that gives A&T faculty and students an opportunity to present their research work with campus colleagues and members of the scientific community from other agencies and institutions who will be coming to A&T for the McNair Celebration. Oral presentations (no longer than 15 minutes) will be Friday, Jan. 30. Poster presentations also will be Jan. 30. Presentation guidelines require faculty mentors for all student presentations.

The deadline for submitting 100-word proposals for both oral presentations and poster sessions is Jan. 11. Registration fees ($185 before Dec. 5; $220 from then until Jan. 16; and $250 from that date on) are waived for students and faculty making oral or poster presentations at the conference. The guidelines for abstracts and presentations have specific formatting and technical guidelines. A careful review before submitting abstracts is recommended.

Family geists

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:18:02 -0500

Dr. Gloria Warren, Cooperative Extension Program’s 4-H and youth development specialist, teamed up with two members of the Family and Consumer Sciences faculty, Drs. Chantel Lumpkin and Meeshay Williams- Wheeler, to lead a roundtable discussion at the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) 70th Annual Conference in Little Rock, Ark., in early November. The SAES team led a discussion of “Kerner Plus 40: A Divergent View of African American Families.” Their presentation explored the current status of African American family well-being as a result of policies and programs instituted to address inequities outlined in the original Kerner Report. With a model of analysis based on social justice, the presenters concluded that 4-H programs that focus on interventions are necessary to address perennial problems facing African American families.

The NCFR has already issued a call for proposals for the organization’s 2009 annual conference, Nov. 11 through 14 in San Francisco. The theme for the 71s Annual NCFR Conference is “Families in a Multicultural World,” and the deadline for proposal submissions is March 2. The organization has a special mentoring program for first-timers “feeling bashful about submitting,” and the deadline for submitting drafts to a cadre of experienced advisors for guidance and advice is Feb. 1.

Bragging rights

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:16:46 -0500

The U.S. Department of Defense has shown $770,000 worth of interest in the research work of Dr. Abolghasem Shahbazi of the SAES’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design. The recently announced grant will add a Fort Bragg focus to Shahbazi’s research into alternative fuels and renewable energy. As the largest army installation in the world, Fort Bragg has a civilian population of 8,000 in addition to 43,000 military personnel. Shahbazi’s three-year project will be investigating potential for redirecting wood residue from construction projects and cooking oil from the cafeterias into biomass and biofuel, respectively. The biomass from wood residue may eventually help Fort Bragg recycle what are now waste products into an energy source, and the biofuel from cooking oil will go to motor vehicles. In addition to the cost efficiencies in the technologies, the Defense Department is also interested in Shahbazi’s research expertise for the energy security (important for a military installation) that energy self-sufficiency affords. Potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (high at military installations) was another selling point in Shahbazi’s proposal. The three-year project funded by the Department of Defense is a joint venture between Shahbazi and faculty from biological and architectural engineering.

IRS allows IRA charitable rollover

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:14:39 -0500

Legislation was recently extended that allows people age 70.5 and older to make “tax neutral” donations from their IRA accounts directly to not-for-profit organizations ... such as the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. The gift must be a direct transfer from IRAs to the charitable organization, and there is a cap of $100,000 per calendar year on these donations. Financial advisors are pointing out that the IRA Charitable Rollover” option represents a splendid opportunity for eligible individuals who have been considering donations that would set up student scholarships or program support at an academic program. Those wishing to make a donation that takes advantage of this window should contact the administrators of their IRAs for forms and guidance.

Knocks on wood diminished

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:12:48 -0500

At the Food Distribution Research Society’s (FDRS) 2008 Conference in Ohio in early October, a trio from the SAES made a poster presentation on research into “Substituting Wood for Food Production by Limited Resource Land Owners¨ Contributors were Dr. Godfrey Ejimakor, Chris Walson and Ralph Okafor.”

The FDRS was established in 1960 by university educators, researchers and food industry executives to serve as a clearinghouse for research into the applied economics of food processing, packaging and transport, and the impacts of technology on agricultural and agribusiness facets of food distributions. A major means for furthering these goals is the Journal of Food Distributions Research, published three times a year by the FDRS.

Senior project has become talk of the town

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:11:35 -0500

The Winston-Salem Journal has indicated that the senior project of 10 SAES landscape architecture students merits more than a good grade. The Nov. 21 issue of the Journal ran a story beneath the headline “Plotting Change” that says the master plan for development that the students are working on is going to be the first step in bringing a 24-block area in Lexington, now a decaying industrial district, back to life. The newspaper quotes Lexington’s director of community development, Tammy Kepley, as saying, "The hope for this [development plan] is to give us a starting point to move forward with the redevelopment." The SAES landscape architecture students are enrolled in a senior design course taught by Paul Kron, who is also the planning director for the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments.

Tuskegee Professional Ag. Workers Conference in early December

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:08:08 -0500

Tuskegee University will be hosting the 66th Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC) from Dec.1 to 4. The PAWC theme this year is "Facing Global Crisis: Local Solutions to Energy, Food and Persistent Poverty.” The student registration fee is $125. For other participants, the registration fee is $425.

Your chance to speak up about state research stations

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:07:07 -0500

There will be three public forums for input into a comprehensive new strategic plan for modernizing the state’s 18 agricultural research stations and managing them with greater efficiency and effectiveness. The first of the three regional public forums will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Tidewater Research Station in Plymouth. The second opportunity for public input will be a meeting Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Commons Building at the Wake County Office Park, and this meeting too will get started at 6 p.m. The third and final meeting in the series will be Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the Mountain Research Station near Waynesville, and this meeting will begin at 1 p.m.

Farmland preservation funding proposals due Dec. 5

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:06:07 -0500

The N.C. General Assembly has set aside $4 million for the 2008-09 fiscal year for the state’s Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, and the application deadline is Dec. 5. County governments and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funding for projects such as conservation easements that promote sustainable development of farmland as well as preservation. Several county Extension centers were among the collaborating agencies for Trust Fund awards in the last funding cycle.

Agencies awarded Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund grants for projects must provide at least 30 percent of overall project funding from other sources.

Extension advisory board adds 10 new members

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:05:19 -0500

The Strategic Planning Council (SPC) that advises The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T State welcomed 10 new members to the 24-member Council in an early November meeting at Coltrane Hall:
• Anthony Allen of Creedmoor, a policy advocate for the N.C. Association of County Commissioners;
• Ellis Aycock of Newland, a retired lawyer and member of the Avery County Farmland Preservation Committee;
• Ashleigh Brown of Cherokee, an assistant to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' Principal Chief, Michell Hicks, and previously a program assistant at the Cherokee Reservation Foundation, where she helped facilitate economic development;
• Mary James of Maple Hill, who with her husband, Nelson, was named the 2008 N.C. Small Farmers of the Year. They are also founders of North Carolina Willing Workers, a cooperative that helps limited-resource farmers navigate into sustainable agriculture.
• Phillip Johnson of Crossnore, who coordinates the horticulture science program at Mayland Community College;
• Debbie Maye of Snow Hill, whose volunteer work with Greene County Cooperative Extension includes the Family and Consumer Science Advisory Board;
• Harvey Moser of King, who is the president of the King Farmer's Market;
• Daniel Semon of Burnsville, student representative to the SPC who has been a 4-H youth volunteer for more than 10 years;
• Hollis Wild of Glendale Springs, who works with the New River Community Partners, a natural resources protection nonprofit; and
• Magnolia H. Williams of Henderson, who has served on Vance County Extension’s Small Farm Committee.

Strategic Planning Council members represent the needs of their communities to Extension administrators and subject matter specialists in providing research-based educational programs and information on critical issues to people throughout the state.

Know of talented students who might have a little down time?

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:04:20 -0500

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet” has grants of up to $10,000 to award to teams of college students for design research that present solutions to challenges that society faces for protecting the environment The five research areas of specific interest this year are: agriculture, materials and chemicals, energy information technology, water, and built environments.The application window for projects to be conducted during the 2008-09 academic year closes Dec. 23. For ideas and inspirations, check out the Web page with flash presentations covering last year’s winners.

419s and 421s due at Moore in January

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:03:28 -0500

Principal investigators with grants from USDA funding sources other than the Evans-Allen program must have expenditure report notices (Form AD 419) completed and returned by Jan. 12. (The expenditure reports should cover 2008 from January to December.)

The due date for annual progress/termination report notices (Form AD 421) for principal investigators and project directors with funding from Evans-Allen and some other USDA-funded grants is Jan. 20.

The Agricultural Research Program’s administrative team at C. H. Moore is asking that principal investigators please follow the instructions that were attached when forms were distributed in October of 2008. Dr. Donald McDowell, SAES interim dean, and the associate dean for the Agricultural Research Program, will be keeping tabs on the reports required of principal investigators and project directors, in keeping with the heightened commitment to accountability in SAES grants management.

CEFS making big plans

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:02:02 -0500

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems has begun work on a statewide action plan for building local food economies: a plan will that will outline specific steps for the roles of government agencies, universities, and public policy decisions in tightening the food-supply connections between producers to consumers in North Carolina. The fourth, fifth and sixth in a series of regional meetings for public feedback and concerns will be:
• Dec. 8, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at the Cabarrus Arena and Event Center in Concord;
• Dec. 10, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at SciWorks in Winston-Salem;
• Dec.15, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Greenville.

The CEFS’s action plan for building local food economies will include recommendations on new farmer’s markets, farm incubator programs, youth gardening education
programs, and health and nutrition projects.