Restoration of the cuts made to VCE by the state in 2010 enabled Extension officials to hire more than 25 agents, who will be on staff early this month. In all, 42 agents have been hired since July 2011. Approximately 210 agents will be located in county and city offices by the spring.

Extension recently initiated recruitment for four county-based unit administrative assistants. Three specialist positions will also be filled this year. One will support the field crops industry, and will be located at the Tidewater AREC. Another will support the livestock industry, and will be located at the Southern Piedmont AREC. The third will be a 4-H Extension specialist.

Extension leaders are working with the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences to fill two positions that will work with youth programming for the equine and livestock programs.

We are also anxiously awaiting approval of the state budget by the Virginia General Assembly. Both the Senate and the House proposed budgets include $500,000 to support Extension. These funds would help to fund an additional 10 to 12 agents in the field.

Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months. We are working to address several of the Secretary of Education’s recommendations.

Sincerely,
Edwin Jones
Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension

We are excited to let you know we have updated our newsletters with some really great information on the benefits of physical activity and eating fruits and vegetables—and of course some new tips to help you meet your goals.

For more information about FitEx and to register online, visit FIT Extension.  The registration deadline is March 26. The program begins on April 1 and runs through May 26 and costs $30 for a team of six. Get some friends and family together and create a FitEx team to be a part of this year’s program! The $30 team registration fee covers the FitEx website and a fitness prize for all teams that complete this program – with a team of 6, that’s only $5.00 per person.

Join us in our mission to create a happier, healthier and more active Virginia!  We look forward to walking with you!

Taizhe’ Parson, who wrote the script and stars in the video, said she was glad she had the chance to create something with such a positive impact.

“Things like this shouldn’t be taken lightly,” Parson said. “I’m just glad that I could be the one to actually share a story that I could relate to. It wasn’t acting, it was life.”

The project also allowed the students to showcase their musical abilities. All of the music in the video, with the exception of “Jingle Bells,” was composed and performed by the students. Even “Jingle Bells,” was performed and recorded by students participating in the project. Music Biz Club members wrote “Just Wait,” the last song on the video.

The students worked with several people and groups to complete the project, including Virginia Cooperative Extension agents and Virginia 4-H specialist Kathleen Jamison. From start to finish, the video took about seven weeks for the students to complete.

Watch the video here.

Edwin Jones, director, Virginia Cooperative Extension

We have just received the Secretary of Education’s report regarding Virginia Cooperative Extension and appreciate all the work the Secretary and her staff have put into the study.  I am grateful to all the people of Virginia who cared enough about VCE and took the time to provide input for the study. Over the next few days, we will review the report and determine what follow up and action are needed to respond to the Secretary’s recommendations.

If you wish to review the report, it has been posted to the VCE website.

Specific questions regarding the report can be submitted online. We will post questions and responses on this site’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

Warmest regards,
Edwin Jones
Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension

Twenty-four participants completed their training for the Master Food Volunteer Program from the New River Valley and the Roanoke Valley on Tuesday, November 1, at Crockett Springs United Methodist Church.

Virginia Cooperative Extension recently graduated 24 new volunteers from the Roanoke Valley and New River Valley from its Master Food Volunteer Program.  These enthusiastic volunteers will help educate citizens about the importance of good nutrition.

The “master volunteer” concept has been successfully used for many years by the Virginia Master Gardener program. By using a similar approach – training volunteers who then pass along the education to the public – the Master Food Volunteer program teaches citizens about nutrition and healthy eating.

Volunteers pay a small fee to undergo 30 hours of training over the course of four weeks where they learn about basic nutrition, meal planning, cooking techniques, food safety, and how to work with diverse audiences. At the completion of the training, the volunteers pledge to give back at least 30 hours of service to their communities by teaching others.

After successful completion of the training program, volunteers are able to select the venues at which they will share their newfound expertise. “Our volunteers can choose from a variety opportunities to assist with nutrition and food education. Some may go into the school system and teach youth about eating healthy. Others may do demonstrations of safe preparation and storage of local foods at farmer’s markets around the region. Or, they can choose to do health fairs, in which case they would maintain an educational exhibit with nutritional information set up to help the public. The opportunities are endless,” says Melissa Chase, state coordinator, VCE Master Food Volunteer Program.

For more information about the Master Food Volunteer Program visit, www.fcs.ext.vt.edu/fnh/mfv/index.html or contact Melissa Chase.

Carl Stafford (left), an Extension agricultural and natural resources agent, visits with dairy producer Terry Ingram about forage management strategies.

“When Extension began nearly 100 years ago, its purpose was to help people take research developed at a university and other places and put it into practice on the land and in the home,” said Edwin Jones, director of Virginia Cooperative Extension. “Can we still do that today? I believe so.”

Virginia Tech magazine takes a closer look at Virginia Cooperative Extension in its latest issue. Read more…

The Virginia 4-H WHEP Team practices at an Augusta County wetlands site with engineer Paul Julian (far right). Team members (from left to right): Katie Fenneran, Trube Short, Meredith Persinger, and Mark Persinger.

These students really know their wildlife. This past summer the Virginia 4-H Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) Team, made up of four high school students, placed first in the country after competing in the 2011 National WHEP Invitational just west of Little Rock, Ark.

All four team members were from Augusta County and were coached by Jennifer Mercer, a former 4-H Extension agent. Team members included

• Katie Fenneran;
• Mark Persinger;
• Meredith Persinger; and
• Trube Short.

The team won the Virginia contest in April along with the right to represent the state at the National Invitational on July 26.

The competition started with the group challenge, in which each team had to create a management plan for a wetlands site and species. The plan had to meet the objectives given in the scenario provided to the team members, as well as consider water quality at the site, adhere to relevant federal laws, and follow best management practices for any policies or procedures the team proposed. Although each team had only two hours to develop and write their plan, the Virginia team placed first in the challenge, beating out all 15 of the other teams.

After the group challenge, team members moved on to the individual competitions. Each member had to take a wildlife identification and knowledge quiz, give an oral defense of the team’s management plan, and recommend wildlife management practices at an outdoor site. All four team members placed in the top 20 individuals overall, and three of them placed in the top 10.

WHEP is a 4-H and Future Farmers of America program dedicated to teaching wildlife and fisheries habitat management to junior and senior level youth. This is the Virginia team’s third time winning the National WHEP Invitational in the last 10 years.

Submitted by: Jennifer Mercer, Augusta County

Edwin Jones, director, Virginia Cooperative Extension

Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger underscored Virginia Tech’s ongoing commitment to the agriculture and natural resources industries during the university’s annual meeting with leadership from the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and the Virginia Agribusiness Council on Oct. 10.

Each fall, administrators from Virginia Tech, the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, and Virginia Cooperative Extension gather with representatives from Virginia’s leading agricultural organizations to discuss education and research topics that directly impact agriculture and natural resources. Among those in attendance were Wayne Pryor, president, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and Ollie Kitchen, chairman, Virginia Agribusiness Council.

In his remarks to the group, Steger recognized the challenges facing rural Virginia, including a lower median income for rural families and the loss of manufacturing jobs. He emphasized the contribution that agriculture and forestry — together the state’s largest industry — have on the economy and stressed Virginia Tech’s commitment to help lead rural Virginia back to economic success. “That is our historic mission, and that is the obligation to you and the many thousands of Virginians you represent,” Steger said.

Steger also reiterated that the proposal submitted to the General Assembly last fall to restructure Virginia Cooperative Extension was officially off the table. “We are committed to moving forward with a fresh approach, working with our partners at the local level to meet their needs, and structuring Extension going forward from the bottom up, not the top down.”

In addition, Provost Mark McNamee provided information about the university’s strategic planning process and talked about the importance of the land-grant mission. Attendees also heard updates from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, as well as from Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station.

This open and constructive dialogue was very well received and I look forward to working together to find solutions to Virginia’s agricultural challenges.

Warmest regards,
Edwin Jones
Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension

Sustainable Landscape Practices Educational and Demonstration Garden at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Virginia Tech’s newly developed Sustainable Landscape Practices Educational and Demonstration Garden at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center is the first place winner in the Landscape/Green Industry category of the City of Virginia Beach’s 2011 Stewardship Awards.

The City’s Stewardship Awards recognize residents, organizations, and businesses within the City who demonstrate initiative and leadership in achieving a healthier outdoor environment.

The half-acre garden, designed by Laurie Fox, research associate, and planted and maintained by the Virginia Beach Master Gardener Water Stewards, wraps three sides of the new classroom addition at the Hampton Roads AREC. It contains 140 plant species and follows the sustainable concepts of biological diversity, resource conservation, low impact/input, long term planning, and water conservation. Thirty demonstrated practices that anyone can do in their landscape include: rain chains, sensors, and barrels, vegetated swales, permeable paving, passive solar heating/cooling, plant diversity and trophic layers, drip and watering bag irrigation, recycled products, proper fertilizer use, solar lighting, and grasscycling.

The garden is open to the public and is well signed for self-guided tours.

Submitted by:  Laurie Fox, research associate, Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Tony Wolf measures sunlight interception at the level of the grape cluster to quantify fruit cluster exposure.

Tony Wolf, professor of horticulture, and Bruce Zoecklein, professor of food science and technology both in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, are recognized around the world for their research and outreach in the areas of viticulture and enology. Through their work with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Wolf and Zoecklein are directly impacting the growth of the commonwealth’s grape and wine industry.