ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS:
A final reminder for 2006: APRs for county agents are due on Monday, January 15, 2007 . I encourage you to begin preparation early. If you have any questions, contact Patti B. (520.621.5308) or Robert Armstrong (520.621.3872).
WEBCASTING PRESENTATION:
The webcasting presentation for the Yavapai County Assistant/Associate Agent, 4-H Youth Development will be Monday, December 11 . The title of the webcast is Building the Capacity of the Yavapai County 4-H Youth Development Program: A Five Year Plan for Success and it can be viewed at http://vas.calsvideo.arizona.edu/forbes104-live.html . Candidates and times are: 1) Stephanie Shank, 10:00-10:45am, and 2) Sara Linneen, 11:15-12:00 pm. For more information, contact Glenda Thompson (520.621.3621).
BREEZE TRAINING SESSIONS:
We would like to encourage everyone to use Breeze for meetings and other forms of communication. To help people become more comfortable using Breeze, several training sessions will be offered over the next two months. Our goal is to have at least one person from each office that understands Breeze and can assist others in their office. All sessions will be limited to 8 people.
Participant sessions will cover how to enter a meeting, use of a microphone/camera, use of chat, and general meeting room etiquette. Host sessions will cover setting up a meeting, uploading content, and managing the meeting. We strongly encourage you to attend a participant session prior to attending a host session. Session length will vary depending upon questions, but plan on at least an hour for the participant session and 1 hours for host sessions. It is important that you review the Quick Instructions on Using Breeze for Participating in a Meeting prior to attending the Participant Session and the Breeze Host Instructions prior to attending the Host Session.
To sign up for a session, go to http://cals.arizona.edu/registration/acebreeze/. Session dates and times are: December 11 - 10am (participant) & 2pm (participant); December 12 - 10am (participant) & 2pm (participant); December 13 - 2pm (host); January 17 - 10am (participant) & 2pm (participant); January 18 - 10am (participant) & 2pm (host); January 23 - 10am (participant) & 2pm (host).
If you have any questions, contact Sheila Merrigan (520.626.6543) or Robert Armstrong (520.621-3872).
COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP:
The Professional Development Working Group is planning a communications workshop for extension faculty in late March in the Phoenix area. In order to plan for the most effective workshop, a short survey has been developed regarding preferred topics for the two days. This quick survey has only two questions; both require that choices be ranked in order of preference. Go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=437202979687 to complete the survey. The deadline for the survey to be completed is December 20 . If you have any questions, please contact workshop co-chairs Monica Pastor or Curt Peters .
SUPPORT 4-H PROGRAMS:
Charlotte's Web is opening in the theaters December 15, 2006. This movie has many references to 4-H, and for every ticket purchased a donation of $1.00 will be made by Hollywood Movie Money to 4-H to support our state's 4-H program. Charlotte's Web tickets will be available for purchase beginning December 8th through www.fourhcouncil.edu. 4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.
eXtension BUSINESS:
- eXtension is providing several professional development opportunities in December. To see more details on these 30-minute programs go to http://about.extension.org/
- eXtension has been sending out requests to Arizona Cooperative Extension staff and faculty regarding a Contributor and Business Agreement. These email messages have been sent to anyone who has registered on the eXtension site. Please disregard these messages and do not sign the agreement at this time.
YUMA COUNTY EMAIL PROBLEMS:
Yuma County staff and faculty have had difficulty receiving and sending email messages for the past 5 weeks. If you have sent an email to a Yuma County employee with a concern or a question, and have not received a response, please follow up with a phone call. The problem is being addressed by campus computer support and the local internet provider.
UPCOMING EVENTS & DEADLINES:
- The National Livestock Emergency Response Conference will be held on December 7 at the Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport Hotel. Topics will include biosecurity, surveillance, protection of the U.S. beef supply, diagnosis of animals, and key issues for each area of livestock emergency response. All livestock emergency personnel, state agency leaders, law enforcement, livestock producers, public health officials and local elected officials are encouraged to attend. For further information, contact Laura Rittenbach (520.626.9382).
- The Climate Assessment for the Southwest will be hosting an online Breeze system climate briefing for extension faculty, natural resource managers, and interested citizens on December 13 at 11:00 a.m. MST. This meeting will consist of a climate briefing presentation followed by a question and answer period. Presentation topics will include: overview of recent conditions, drought status; water supply conditions; latest El Nio status; and forecasts for winter and spring of 2007. For more information, questions or comments go to
http://cals.arizona.edu/climate/ws/breeze.htm or contact Mike Crimmins .
- The CALS Controlled Environment Agriculture Center Arizona will present two back-to-back conferences in January at the DoubleTree Hotel Tucson at Reid Park: 1) Greenhouse Crop Production and Engineering Design Short Course January 14-17, 2007 . This years theme is EnerG - the Resourceful Greenhouse. Attendees will be provided with a roadmap and the knowledge necessary to develop a successful greenhouse operation. Registration fee is $499 ($599 after December 4, 2006); 2) Second Annual Growers Marketing Forum: Farm to Fork (GMF3) January 17-19, 2007 . Registration fee is $650 ($795 after December 4, 2006). For more information and to register for these conferences, go to http://ag.arizona.edu/ceac/ or contact Glenn McCreedy , Coordinator (520.626.9566).