You are aware of Governor Hull's request that each agency "identify methods
of reducing expenditures in non-entitlement programs by at least 4
percent." For CALS, this amounts to a reduction of approximately
$1,500,000. The Executive Council has decided that each unit in the college
will absorb a one-time reduction equivalent to 10 percent of their budgeted
operations and travel budget. There will be a conference call for CEDs and
interested individuals at 4:00pm on Monday, October 1 regarding the plan
for this year's budget cuts. Details will be sent to each county's
Extension director.
* I want to commend Rob Grumbles for his comments and education on the
"Ranch to Rail" program that appeared in the September 2001 issue of the
Arizona Cattlelog.
* Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). Emphasis will be to serve
Women, Infants, and Children, (WIC) participants and seniors. Come and
learn how Arizona growers can participate in the FMNP and increase profits.
Tuesday, October 2, 2001, 2:00pm-5:00pm, Maricopa County Cooperative
Extension office; Wednesday, October 3, 2001, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Pima County
Cooperative Extension office; and Thursday, October 4, 2001, 1:00pm-4:00pm,
Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin, Prescott.
* The college is facing some information technology issues that will affect
all of us. These include new virus attacks and how to respond to them,
physical computer problems that increase the need for data backup, and
changes in ways we do some of our communications. We need to better educate
ourselves on these topics. As part of learning further about these issues,
there are two ECAT developed seminar/discussion sessions coming up -
September 28 focusing on risk cases, and November 2, focusing on
telecommunications options. Details can be found at
http://cals.arizona.edu/ecat/classes/ and each seminar will be webcast (see
cals.arizona.edu/ecat/webcasts). There will also be time for questions.
* 17th Annual Arizona Agribusiness Forum is scheduled for Wednesday,
November 7, 2001 at the Phoenix Hilton East, Mesa. Contact Paul Wilson for
details, pwilson@cals.arizona.edu.
* 2001 Cotton Field Day at MAC, Wednesday, October 10. Registration begins
at 8:00am.
* Change of location - the watershed workshop "Linking Physical and
Ecological Processes on Southwest Watersheds" will be held October 10-12 in
Sierra Vista. Contact Kim McReynolds or Susan Pater in Cochise County for
details.