Agriculture & Extension Education Committee

DATE: April 21, 2005

Members present: Borleske, Cassity, Wiese, Zowin UWEX
Staff present: Both, Dietmann, Erickson, Jens, Olson
Advisory members present: Jaquish, Neuwirth

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by Chair Wiese.

Certification of the Open Meeting Notice

Requirements of the open meeting law were met.

Approval of Agenda

Motion by Cassity, second by Zowin to approve the agenda. Motion approved.

Approval of Minutes from the Last Meeting

Motion by Zowin, second by Cassity to approve the minutes from the March 24, 2005, regular meeting of the Ag & Extension Committee. Motion approved.

Correspondence

Jessica reported to the committee that the UW Extension office had received a letter from a disgruntled 4-H leader and the matter had already been dealt with.

Bills and Financial Report

There are no bills that are out of the ordinary for the month. Motion by Cassity, second by Borleske to approve the March bills in the amount of $1,744.65. Motion approved.

The financial report shows that the department has received 21% of anticipated revenues and has spent approximately 21% of projected expenditures.

Report on the Canon IR-6000 Copier

Lynn reported that the copier had been delivered and was running great. There are still options and functions that the department is learning how to use, but overall, we are very happy with the machine.
Paul reported that MIS took the old Konica copier and will give the UWEX department $500 in services as a trade.

WACEC 2005 State Conference

The 2005 WACEC State Conference is June 26 - 28 in Ashland. There are side tours that can be taken this year and three of our Ag & Extension Committee members are to be recognized for five years of service to our Ag & Extension Committee, those being Bob Cassity, Jerry Lehman, and Kathy Zowin.
Lester and Kathy indicated that they would be interested in attending. Lynn will make the reservations for the conference, but each committee member is responsible for their own motel reservations.

Discussion and Possible Action on Community Garden Agreement with the Village of Prairie du Sac

Jenny and Phyllis are working with the Village of Prairie du Sac Board on creating a community garden next to the cemetery. There is room for up to 333 plots; initial plowing and water hookups will be provided. We are still working on spreading the word among the residents in the Sauk Prairie area.
The charge will be $28 per plot and scholarships are available for up to two plots. The charge to each user getting a scholarship would be $5 per plot. The flyers are also being translated into Spanish and printed for the Hispanic population. Weeds are a concern, and anyone not keeping up their plot will not get one next year. Prospective users are given the guidelines and are also being asked to sign a waiver that they hold the Village of Prairie du Sac and the UW Extension Office harmless.
The Village of Prairie du Sac is requiring the UW Extension Office to sign an agreement between the Village, the cemetery association and the UWEX. Paul asked Sauk County Corporation Counsel Todd Liebman to review the Village of Prairie du Sac agreement, which Todd will do and render an opinion. Motion by Zowin, second by Borleske to approve the Community Garden agreement between the Village of Prairie du Sac and the Sauk County UW Extension Office contingent on Corporation Counsel's approval. Motion approved.

Community Partner Advisory Group (CPAG) Meeting Update

The next meeting of the CPAG is this evening (April 21st) at the Troy Town Hall in Blackhawk. Paul and Jenny took the lead to organize this meeting and Paul will be presenting on the economic impact of agriculture in Sauk County.

Agent Presentation on the "Get Ready...Get Set...Garden!" Seminar

Phyllis spoke to the committee on behalf of herself and Sue regarding the garden seminar that was held April 2nd. The event was deemed a great success with HCE raising in excess of $2,000 and the Sauk County Master Gardener Association raising approximately $1,000. Initial estimates of the number of people attending are around 150 participants.

Phyllis also reported on the Sauk County Master Gardener Association and that she is planning on conducting another Master Gardener program starting in September. The Committee gave Phyllis positive comments on the weekly column (The Sauk County Gardener) that she writes for all of the county newspapers.

Advisory Committee and Citizen Comments

Donna Neuwirth:

• She just received money from the Sauk County Arts & Humanities for the 2nd Annual Puppet Festival to be held during Reedikulus Days and has also received a grant form the Wisconsin Arts Foundation.
• Sauk County Earth Day was a success - 29 booths. Picture featured in the Reedsburg paper.

• Field work in full swing.
• Need rain right now.

Department Update

• Paul is working with the Wisconsin Home Harvest program. They have a meeting set for Wednesday, April 27th, at 7:00 PM.
• Alice in Dairyland scholarship selection will take place immediately following the Ag & Extension Committee. All three of the applicants happened to be from the River Valley School District this year.
• Melissa, Jessica and summer agent Jennifer Wohlfert will be working with Hispanic children from Tower Rock School to plant a garden this summer.
• Jessica announced that she is having a baby later this year.
• The 2005 Sauk County Events brochure was handed out.
• Jenny has a meeting with the League of Women Voters on "Open Meetings" coming up on May 3rd. She is also working with Chuck Law at the Local Government Center on getting the Sauk County program "How to Run for Local Public Office" published for distribution around the state.
• The Sauk County Dairy Breakfast is Saturday, June 11th, at the Dennis & Lynnette Reuter farm on CTH. PF. They are still looking for volunteers to help with preparation, cooking and serving the breakfast.
• Phyllis talked about the community projects that the Sauk County Master Gardener Association (formerly the Glacier Valley Garden Club) has put in place - a bench along the River Walk in Baraboo and a bench at the Healing Garden at St. Clare Hospital. In 2005 they are looking to donate to another community - possibly Rock Springs or Reedsburg. Loganville was suggested for 2006. There will also be some money available for scholarships to go through the Master Gardener program in the fall.
• Lester mentioned the problems that have arisen regarding the use of the Sauk County Board Room. Discussion ensued.

Date for Next Regular Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Ag & Extension Committee will be held Thursday, May 19, 2005, in the ETN Classroom at 9:00 AM.

Adjournment

Motion by Cassity, second by Borleske to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 10.36 AM.

Respectfully submitted: Paul Dietmann