Foreclosures, grants and winter meetings … what a way to start!

Facing foreclosure
The foreclosure crisis has been with us for more than a year now, and it’s not likely to improve anytime soon. I have mentioned before that we have educators who are working diligently to help keep homeowners in their homes during these trying economic times. MSU Extension staff members in Macomb and Washtenaw counties are working closely with families who are being threatened with foreclosure.

Of the 537 people who attended Macomb County foreclosure prevention seminars in 2008, 148 were able to avoid foreclosure. That saved homeowners, neighbors and local government an estimated $3.2 million. The credit for those successes goes to Extension educators Anne Lilla, Terry Gibb and Jean Lakin, along with credit counselors Pam Stuart, Linda Stout and Marie Michael. In Washtenaw County, Kathy Grant and Artrella Cohn have conducted eight mortgage foreclosure-prevention seminars and met with 270 people, at least 82 of whom avoided foreclosure.

On December 23, I had an opportunity to attend the Macomb County Board of Commissioners meeting. There, a mortgage broker told commissioners about his participation in foreclosure prevention seminars presented by the Macomb MSUE staff and made the point that the seminars are extremely helpful in assisting home owners deal with these challenging times. He vouched for the accuracy and thoroughness of the information provided. He also pointed out that the Macomb MSUE staff has the only HUD and MSHDA certified housing counselors in Macomb County. Perhaps the most poignant part of his remarks was the recognition that not all who are faced with mortgage challenges can avoid foreclosure. But even for these individuals, the education programming our staff is providing helps facilitate a more orderly approach to foreclosure AND preparation for how to manage—both financially and emotionally—after the client’s house has been foreclosed. That aspect of helping people move on is particularly important in these trying times.

Grant leads to innovative food safety program
Did you know that more than 50 percent of all meals consumed in the United States are prepared outside the home? The Extension Food Safety Team knows that. That’s why the Michigan Department of Agriculture recently awarded them with a grant to create educational stickers for take-out and home-delivered food that will contain refrigeration and reheating instructions. They hope this information will help cut down on the more than 80 million cases of food-borne illness in the United States each year.

Winter meetings start with a bang
If you’ve been in Extension for long, you’re familiar with the term “winter meetings”. They are important outreach opportunity—especially for our staff members who work with farmers. I’ve been getting reports from around the state that winter meeting numbers are going through the roof!

• The Dairy Team had record attendance at their three hoof trimming workshops in December. (Perhaps the creative title had something to do with it—“Healthy Hooves: No lame excuses.”)
• Rob Sirrine, Leelanau CED, had such a great turnout for his workshop on sustainable hops production that he had to move to a larger facility!
• The Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Show held in Grand Rapids in December was brimming with education programs from MSUE educators and specialists.

While visiting with some landscaping business owners at the Great Lakes Trade Expo for landscaping, turf and arborist industries this week, I was struck by the sense they both conveyed about operating in the current economic conditions. Even these long-established businesses are facing more uncertainty and risk than ever before—and theirs has always been a somewhat risky business. However, I didn’t hear any despair or whining in their comments. Instead, they simply recognize that this is the world we live in today, and they are adapting as well as they can. They are clearly innovators and not followers. I don’t know how much they learned from the education programs at the Expo, but I know I learned a great deal from them about how we can all face the current times more productively.

These are great examples of our educators applying research and education to address critical needs in the community. Good luck to others who are putting on workshops and seminars this winter. I hope the momentum continues!