Dane County Extension Happenings

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and engaging with them in transforming lives and communities.

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Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2020!

In Extension, we are always thinking about ways to measure the success of our programs. How do we know if our programs and resources are truly meeting the needs of those we serve? We use surveys and other evaluation tools to measure our effectiveness but what we appreciate most is when a past program participant reaches out to us and shares how Extension programs made difference in their life. As you will see below, that recently happened when Alan Morales, a participant in two of our youth programs, contacted us to share an update. We are happy to hear the programs have had a positive impact for Alan and want to share his update with you.

This issue of Happenings also includes introductions to Hollie Blum, an MSW student completing her field placement with us this school year and Chelsea Zegler, the new Dane County Crops & Soils Educator. We have also included a summary of the important work a group of youth completed this summer in our Youth Advocates for Community Health program. Be sure to check out the video they produced as part of the project.

I hope you find this issue informative and helpful. For additional information about Dane County Extension please visit our website or give us a call at 608-224-3700.

Happy New Year,
Carrie Edgar, Director

Extension Programs Contribute to Civic Engagement in High School and Beyond

Alan Morales

Many of Dane County Extension’s positive youth development programs incorporate a focus on civic and community engagement, including Youth Government Program (YGP), By Youth For Youth (BYFY), Youth Advocates for Community Health (YACH), & 4-H community clubs, to name a few. Through these programs, we help connect youth to opportunities where they learn more about their community, and can play a role in promoting change. After participating in these programs, many youth continue to seek out future avenues for civic and community engagement beyond high school.

Alan Morales, a graduate of Madison West High School, served as a By Youth For Youth committee member as well as a Youth Government Program representative on the Dane County Public Protection & Judiciary standing committee. Alan recently connected with us to share how his experiences in BYFY and YGP have led him to pursue further civic engagement opportunities.

“I’m currently living in Santa Barbara, and this is my second year living here. It has been an amazing experience living here in CA. This past May (2019), I graduated from Santa Barbara City College and I will be attending the University of California-Santa Barbara in January 2020. Since attending SBCC, I’ve had the honor to serve as a student senator for student government & to become an AmeriCorps member! I served with AmeriCorps this past summer as a homeless outreach member and completed my service last year. It was an honor serving my community.

“A few weeks ago, I was given an employment opportunity with the board of supervisors of Santa Barbara County, working as a legislative aid and campaign assistant to County Supervisor Das Willams. I’ve had an amazing experience studying here in California, and YGP and BYFY have made a positive impact on my studies and work.”

Alan is eager to connect with current BYFY and YGP participants in order to share his experiences of continued civic engagement after high school. Being at the table with adults in a decision-making capacity is not an easy thing to do. We commend Alan and all of our other youth program participants for challenging themselves to get involved in their communities, and contributing their voices to shape the world around them.

Visit our website to learn more about Dane County Extension youth programs.

Partnership with UW-Madison Masters in Social Work Program Continues

Last school year, Dane County Extension served as a field placement site with the UW-Madison MSW program. Whitney Johnson worked with our Youth Development staff on several programs that address local needs. The partnership was very successful. Not only did Whitney have an opportunity to participate and learn in program coordination but she also contributed important insight and suggestions that improved our programs. Based on the positive experience, Dane County Extension is serving as a field placement site again for the 2019/2020 school year.

Hollie Blum began her placement with us this fall.

Hollie Blum

Originally from a small town of about 3,000 people near the Wisconsin/Illinois border, Hollie graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Lakeland University in 2016 and is now entering her second year of the part-time MSW program at UW-Madison. Hollie also works full-time as an adoption social worker and in her own words, “Loves it!” While obviously very busy working full-time, going to school and completing a field placement, in her free time, Hollie likes to read, spend time with her seven siblings, and watch sports.

We are excited to have Hollie join our Positive Youth Development team this year and look forward to learning together.

Zegler Steps into Crops & Soils Educator Role

Chelsea Zegler has spent the last 10 years in Dane County learning about agriculture across the state through diverse perspectives, including weed science, forage production, and soil science. Most recently she managed UW-Extension State Specialist, Matt Ruark’s, Nutrient Cycling and Agroecosystem laboratory, where she conducted research on nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in grain, forage, and vegetable crops. She has experience studying innovative cover crop strategies and their effect on crop yield and soil nutrients. Chelsea previously worked for the Agronomy Department where she developed content for the Wisconsin Crop Manager Newsletter, Farm and Industry Short Course, and aided in the herbicide evaluation program.

Chelsea received her Bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison and continued there to complete a Master’s in Agroecology, where she focused on forage production and soil health on dairies across the state, partnering with the Dairy Forage Research Center and industry partners. Chelsea is honored to join Dane County Extension and is excited to use her skills to help farmers and landowners with their production and conservation concerns. She hopes to collaborate with producers and researchers to address farm profitability, extreme weather events, and water quality issues. Specifically, she wants to increase the efficiency of current cropping systems, the diversity of cropping systems, and the number of on-farm research trials.

Please give her a call today at 608-224-3716 or email zegler.chelsea@countyofdane.com. Chelsea looks forward to hearing from you!

Youth Advocates Remind Us: Health is just around the corner!

This summer, nine teens from four Dane County high schools came together over a central mission: to have a positive impact on community health. For three years, staff from Dane County Extension’s FoodWIse and 4-H Positive Youth Development programs have partnered to offer a food systems leadership training program for high school-aged youth called Youth Advocates for Community Health (YACH). While youth play a unique role in communities, they are a group whose perspective is commonly overlooked. The YACH program seeks to elevate youth voice by identifying opportunities to share their perspectives on topics of nutrition and physical activity. Over the course of 10 weeks, youth learn about policy, systems, and environmental change strategies and develop skills necessary to address issues in their communities.

This year’s program focused on Madison’s south side. The group gathered twice weekly at the UW South Madison Partnership Program office. During this time, youth implemented action research strategies. They connected with local community organizations, interviewed healthcare and city government leaders, and used survey instruments to understand the food and physical activity environment of the south side. Determined to gain information important to them, the youth developed their own survey and collected data on how residents access local health services.
YACH Bike Ride

YACH Bike Ride

The youth not only grew their research skills, they challenged themselves physically as well. After discussing barriers to healthy food access, the youth participated in a 9-mile bike ride to visit a new grocery store that now serves the neighborhood with a place to access fresh, healthy food for the first time in a decade. The experience had a significant impact on the group.

After much deliberation, the group decided to take an asset-based approach. Instead of focusing on what could be improved, they chose to highlight a free, accessible, and health-promoting resource that already exists: the neighborhood’s Penn Park. A promotional video became the medium of choice to convey their message that opportunities for being active are just around the corner. Collectively, the group wrote a script, filmed a promotional video, and pitched their project in a final presentation to community partners and a City of Madison planner. This video will be distributed to community organizations this fall. You can watch the video below. “Play at Penn” is written and produced by the wonderful participants of the 2019 Youth Advocates for Community Health program.

Play at Penn Park by Youth Advocates for Community Health participants

Organic Conversion Incentive Pilot Program

In an effort to promote economic vitality, environmental stewardship, and the public health and safety of Dane County residents, the County is piloting an Organic Conversion Incentive Program. The Organic Conversion Incentive Program is designed to provide an incentive for farmers to convert to certified organic practices. Dane County will grant $250 each year for up to three years to help offset costs associated with the three year conversion period and organic certification costs.

The program will grant residents up to $250 per year for farms located within Dane County that start and complete the conversion to certified organic farming practices in accordance with the USDA National Organic Standards and Regulations. The grant is also available for up to three years for land that has been dormant, or not actively used for farming operations, and is thus likely eligible for organic certification without a transition period. Farmers are eligible to receive the grant whether they own or rent the land.
The pilot program will award four (4) applicants for a period of up to three (3) years, during which time the applicants must comply with the USDA National Organic Program Standards and Regulations and receive formal transitional verification status from an accredited certification agency. The land must be actively farmed in accordance with the standards and regulation through the three year period and must be “certified organic” at the end of year three.

To support program awardees in attaining their organic certification status, participants will be invited to contact Claire Strader, Organic Vegetable Educator at UW-Madison Extension Dane County, to attend an organic conversion and records-keeping counseling session.

Additionally, DATCP (Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection) offers an Organic Cost Share Rebate program. Organic growers and processors are eligible to be reimbursed for 75 percent of certification-related expenses paid between October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019. If you are certified in more than one category, you are eligible for up to $750 for each category. Applications for this program are now being accepted through December 31, 2019 (extended from the initial October 31 deadline). The application and additional materials are available at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Organic-Certification-Cost-Share-Program.aspx.

For more information on the Dane County organic conversion incentive program and to access the application forms, visit https://foodcouncil.countyofdane.com/organic_conversion or contact Jess Guffey Calkins, Community Food Systems Coordinator at UW-Madison Extension Dane County, at calkins.jessica@countyofdane.com or 608-224-3712.

Visit our website to register for these upcoming events!

Wisconsin Agronomy Update
Free Nutrition and Cooking Classes
Winter Seminar Series for horticulture professionals
2020 Organic Vegetable Production Conference
Budgeting and Credit Class
Retirement Planning Today
and more!

Click to learn more about Dane County Extension

University of Wisconsin, USDA and Wisconsin counties cooperating.

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

La Universidad de Wisconsin-Extensión, un empleador con igualdad de oportunidades y acción afirmativa (EEO/AA), proporciona igualdad de oportunidades en empleo y programas, incluyendo los requisitos del Titulo VI, Título IX, y de la Ley para Americanos con Discapacidades (ADA).

Tus Tswv Hauj Lwm Ntawm (EEO/AA), ntawm lub Tsev Kawm Ntawv Qib Siab (University of Wisconsin-Extension) pab rau kev ncaj ncees txog kev hauj lwm thiab kev pab cuam, xws li nyob rau hauv Title VI, Title IX, thiab ntawm tsab cai Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) yuav tsum kom muaj.

To ensure equal access to programs, please make requests for reasonable accommodations prior to the program (10 days prior is preferable). Call 224-3707 to request an accommodation.

Copyright © 2020 Extension Dane County, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address:
5201 Fen Oak Dr. Madison, WI 53718
608-224-3700

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