Category Archives: Uncategorized

by | June 13, 2013 · 1:16 pm

Market space will lead to learning

We’ll be part of the excitement when the Grand Rapids Downtown Market indoor section, currently under construction on Ionia Avenue in Grand Rapids, will open later this summer. The market will promote healthy lifestyles and serve as a community gathering space.

We’ve leased office space for two Michigan State University Extension educators Kendra Wills and Garrett Ziegler. Additionally, Extension and MSU Product Center – Food, Ag, Bio staff members will be presenting workshops and demonstrations at the location throughout the year. We’ll share expertise with growers and business owners.

We have a similar agreement with Detroit Eastern Market. The popularity of that program encouraged us to look at other venues that could help connect people with our experts. The Downtown Market presents a perfect opportunity to be in the middle of a growing, thriving regional food system.

The current outdoor market boasts fresh food grown and prepared in Michigan. In the past, MSU Extension had an information kiosk at the market with staff members available at the market to provide information about Michigan Fresh, our educational program that helps people explore our state’s fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamentals.

Read more in this ANR Communications article:
http://anrcom.msu.edu/anrcom/news/item/msu_extension_teams_with_grand_rapids_downtown_market

Also check out this June 11 MLive article:
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2013/06/downtown_market_to_provide_hom.html

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by | May 30, 2013 · 5:22 pm

It must be graduation time

Having spent much of my career teaching undergraduate and graduate students, I’ve been accustomed to getting to know students over the course of a semester or perhaps over the course of their academic career at Michigan State and then seeing them depart all at once following commencement. Nearly a month has passed since commencement ceremonies on campus, but I feel like I’ve just experienced a few of those partings within our ranks.  We say farewell to colleagues frequently within MSUE and I don’t always have an opportunity to thank them publicly. So we use the official retirement luncheon that MSU holds each April as one way to recognize some of our departing colleagues in the MSUE Spotlight.  But I wanted to take this opportunity to note a few of the departures we’ve experienced from our MSUE team this month.

Mike Erdman, Extension educator and District Coordinator for MSUE District 1 retired this month and did so with little fanfare.  I have enjoyed getting to know Mike. He’s been with MSU Extension since 1987 and he’s filled a variety of roles. I’ve worked most closely with him in his role as District Coordinator and appreciate his contributions to our change process. I recently described Extension professionals as people who are 1) naturally curious about everything and 2) can’t help but teach people about what they’ve learned.  Mike certainly demonstrates these characteristics of a true Extension professional. I’ve enjoyed getting to know his varied interests and experiences and have been the beneficiary of his intrinsic compulsion to teach on many occasions.  His retirement is a loss for our organization, but we’ve benefited tremendously from his dedication and commitment.  I’ll always be grateful for his willingness to step out of his previous role as County Extension Director for Menominee County and to help us adapt to our new organizational structure as one of our pioneering district coordinators.  Mike has always been direct with me even if he thought I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. I will miss his suggestions for MSUE and for the counties we serve in the western Upper Peninsula. Thanks, Mike!

Linda Huyck was included in our retiree biographies in the April 4 edition of MSUE Spotlight, but I wanted to thank her again for her contributions, again in many forms through her career in MSU Extension. Whether it was in her previous role as Extension educator in family and consumer sciences, her role as County Extension Director in Montcalm County, or her more recent role bridging food safety and financial literacy across two MSUE institutes, Linda has been adaptable and ready to lead from any of those positions.  I enjoyed getting to know Linda better through our time together at the Public Issues Leadership Development program, for which she served on the leadership group.  Again, she’s one of those people who can’t help but teach, and I definitely benefited from her willingness to educate a Director!  Linda’s retirement reception was held earlier this month and I regretted that I wasn’t able to attend it. So here’s my opportunity to say “Thanks, Linda.”

Last week, we all received an email message informing us that Laura Probyn, communications manager in ANR Communications, was moving across campus to take on a leadership role in public relations for the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. It is a great opportunity for Laura and one in which I know she will excel.

When I began my role as Director of MSU Extension, I was advised by my predecessor, Maggie Bethel that I simply needed to listen to Laura Probyn and do whatever she suggested to me.  I learned very quickly that on this, as well on all other matters, Maggie was right. I also suspect that as an editor, Laura would never let me get away with the structure of the previous sentence.

Laura is a consummate communications professional. Unlike my perspective on Extension professionals, I’m not sure what the two most essential aspects of a communications professional are, but I’m sure Laura possesses them.  The traits I value most are her insights into the strategic priorities that should guide any communications plans and her uncanny ability to guide by suggestion.  I don’t think I ever heard Laura tell me that I shouldn’t do something or shouldn’t communicate something, but I know there were many times when she would accomplish the same by offering an alternative approach. And, cognizant of the Maggie Bethel maxim, I quickly adopted her alternatives (well, most of the time).

Laura can write clearly, concisely, effectively and with an engaging style. She can edit mercifully but directly. She listens with the skill of a licensed counselor. And she works tirelessly to see that all is finished and done well. Although I’ve not interacted directly with Laura in recent years as much as I did in my early years as Director, I’ve always found it reassuring to know that somehow she’s likely to catch me if I’m headed down a wrong path. I trust and value our other colleagues in ANR Communications as well, but it will be an adjustment to live without at least the thought that she will be there to catch any missteps.  I’m so happy for Laura and for the College of Osteopathic Medicine.  At least she’s still working as a Spartan. Congratulations, Laura, and thanks for all of your guidance!

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by | · 1:44 pm

It all depends

Last week’s Spotlight article on plagiarism sparked a ton of questions from you. I asked ANR Communications editor Rebecca McKee to answer a question that came from Michigan State University Extension educator Rebecca Finneran.

Q: If you have permission to use a photo then you want to use it again (with citation) do you have to get permission a second time?

A: The short answer to your question – and to many copyright-related questions – is “it depends.”

The long answer is that it depends on what rights you asked for and what rights the photographer or copyright holder granted you the first time you asked for permission to use the photo. Different photographers will grant different levels of permission, and may or may not charge a fee for doing so.

For example, if a photographer gives you what’s called “one-time use” permission to use a photo, then you have permission to use it just once, in whatever form (such as in a book, article, video, poster or brochure) you specified in your original permission request. If you want to use that photo a second time, even if it’s for something related to the first request, such as on a bookmark promoting the book you printed the photo in, you’ll have to ask the photographer for permission again.

If the photographer gave you permission to use the photo as often as you’d like, in whatever form you’d like, for as long as you’d like, then you won’t have to ask for permission to use that photo again, whether or not the later use is related to the original request.

Some tips for requesting permission and using photos from third parties follow:

  • Address your request for permission to the copyright holder or the copyright holder’s designee. Sometimes a photographer assigns a photo’s copyright to his or her business or sells it to a third-party, such as a stock photo house. Sometimes photographers are assigned to take photos as part of their jobs, which means their employers (such as Michigan State University in the case of MSU Extension employees) are the copyright holders. (Note: Beware online photos. Sometimes photos that appear on a web page or social media site have “gone viral” and been shared hundreds or thousands of times. Just because you see a photo on a given page doesn’t mean the owner of that page holds the copyright on the photo, has the right to grant you permission to use it or is even using it with permission himself or herself.)
  • Ask for exactly the type of permission you want: Print or online? One-time or unlimited use? As-is, edited or adapted?
  • Get permission in writing – email will do – because verbal instructions won’t hold up in court.
  • Keep the permission letter on file permanently.
  • Follow the instructions for whom to name in the photo credit as closely as you can.
  • Give yourself plenty of time to work through the permissions process. If the photographer is someone in the same office, permission may come nearly instantly. If you’re buying a photo from an online stock photo company, as soon as you’ve entered your credit card information, the photo will be yours to download. But if you’re working with an individual or a big publisher, it could takes days or weeks for the paperwork to wind its way through their system.

The Copyright Permissions Center of the MSU Library helps “MSU affiliated persons” (including MSU Extension employees) with copyright permission requests. Visit the center online at copyright.lib.msu.edu for more information. Cecilia Malilwe of the MSU Copyright Permissions Center helped with this answer.

You can learn more about copyright and permissions and ask Amy Blair, MSU copyright librarian, specific questions in her session during the next SERV day (June 17).

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by | May 23, 2013 · 8:11 am

Is it fair? Is it legal?

While attending a national conference, a Michigan State University Extension educator looked forward to hearing the presenter speak at a breakout session. An expert in the subject area, she wanted to know what another expert had to say. When the presenter began talking, the educator stared dumbfounded at the screen when she realized the PowerPoint being shown was her own work. Only the format, title and credits had been changed.

The scenario described above hasn’t happened (that we know of), but could it have? Yes.

In this Internet Age, information – easy access to information – abounds. It’s easy to copy something written by someone else, a pretty photo or a funny cartoon, and paste it into our work. If we do that without citing the source, that’s plagiarism. I’m sure we wouldn’t do this deliberately. We may be in a hurry, find a bit of information that we need and with a few keyboard strokes, it becomes ours. Later on, we may even forget that we didn’t write it ourselves. It becomes incorporated into our work.

There was a time when, legally, information from federal government sources (including the Extension System) was considered within the public domain and therefore freely available for public use – though still with attribution. And even if we did occasionally – and accidentally, of course – use a bit of Extension information without attribution, odds were no one would recognize it. With changes in copyright law and the advent of the Information Age with its search engines and anti-plagiarism software (such as Turnitin and iThenticate), those days are past. Information from federal agencies such as the USDA and land-grant universities legally can be and often is copyrighted. We must cite such sources and obey any copyright stipulations associated with them.

If we use someone else’s work, we have a moral and legal responsibility to cite sources. In fact, if we want to use a large portion of someone’s work, we must ask permission to do so. How big is “a large portion”? It depends. The principle of “fair use” allows use of portions of copyrighted materials in some instances. The Copyright and Fair Use website of the Stanford University Libraries (
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/index.html
) gives a good explanation of fair use and the factors used in deciding whether the amount of someone else’s work we’re including in our own work is considered fair use.

When in doubt, ask permission to quote.

Remember, too, that photos, tables, drawings and other images you find on the Internet are not automatically copyright-free. You must ask permission to use them and you must credit their source or sources.

Citing sources is not just a professional courtesy, it’s the law.

If you’re confused about copyright issues, check out the MSU Libraries Copyright Permissions Center at copyright.lib.msu.edu.

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by | May 16, 2013 · 1:17 pm

Helping our customers succeed

Twice in one week, I heard comments that struck a chord with me and with the mission of Michigan State University Extension.

Last Friday, I had an opportunity to tour Sklarczyk’s Seed Farm, a family farming operation located near Johannesburg, Michigan, that specializes in the application of aseptic tissue-culture techniques to produce the first generation of potato tubers that eventually supply seed potatoes to commercial potato producers. The Sklarczyk farm is one of two in the nation that assure propagation of varieties with the desired genetic traits for the industry and in tubers that are verified as disease-free. The Sklarczyk farm was the first of the two to adopt the practices. The Sklarczyks’ work has hinged on the development of new varieties by Dr. David Douches, professor of plant, soil and microbial sciences at MSU, and a handful of other potato breeders in the United States. As fascinating as the technology is that the Sklarczyk farm uses, Benjamin Sklarczyk, who represents the third generation of his family in the business, made a statement that really caught my ear. He said that Sklarczyk’s Seed Farm exists in order to help their customers succeed. They want to provide the best quality seed for the seed potato growers they serve directly and the commercial growers that their customers serve.

One of the reasons that comment caught my ear is because I’ve heard the same comment from another business owner involved in the Michigan potato business, Todd Forbush, partner and vice president of Techmark, Inc. Techmark specializes in the design and construction of computerized ventilation systems for potato storage and for other agricultural crops. I have heard Todd make the same statement that I heard Benjamin Sklarczyk make: “My main goal is to help my customers be profitable and successful.” In fact, the mission statement for Techmark captures this: “To serve high quality agricultural producers, always striving to make the best producers better by combining high quality service and products with innovative ideas and training.”

And that sounds a lot like our own mission statement “to help people improve their lives through education” and the 4-H motto: “to make the best better.”

I was reminded of that connection between the Sklarczyk and Techmark mission statements in listening to one of our colleagues, Amy Irish-Brown, senior Extension educator, who was quoted in a radio news feature on Monday. You may remember that National Public Radio reporter Noah Adams produced a feature on the devastating crop loss that Michigan apple growers experienced last fall. He conducted a follow-up report this spring and his story was broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition on Monday this week. In listening to Amy’s cautions to growers at an update meeting, I can hear the same commitment to helping “customers succeed” in her comments as I’ve heard from Benjamin and Todd. In all of these cases, what makes for a successful operation – whether it’s a business or a service such as MSU Extension – is a commitment to serving others in a way that helps them to succeed. I consider myself fortunate to work with Extension professionals who live and breathe that ethos every day, and to work in partnership with businesses and industries like Benjamin’s and Todd’s that thrive on the same ethos.

That this merits commentary is further supported by this note from Amy about Mr. Adams’ decision to conduct a follow-up story on the apple industry in Michigan: “Mr. Adams tells me that in his 30 years of broadcasting and over 30,000 pieces, he has only done follow-up for a handful of stories over the years. I think he was impressed with the integrity of the Michigan apple industry and the people who make it successful – that’s why he came back to hear more.”

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by | March 21, 2013 · 9:28 am

New reports helping educate both lawmakers, public on fiscal issues

One of the biggest stories in the state of Michigan is how the state is dealing with its fiscal issues. While everyone focuses on the financial hardships in Detroit, there has been significant damage done to budgets throughout the state over the years, and nearly all cities are struggling to get back to a stable financial situation. I’m proud to say that Michigan State University Extension has been heavily involved in the discussions of this important issue, and we have played a leading role in educating both lawmakers and the public on the scope of the problem and on possible solutions.

A new Extension white paper, Funding the Legacy: The Cost of Municipal Workers’ Retirement Benefits to Michigan Communities, quantifies the retirement health care situation – a $12.7 billion unfunded liability for Michigan municipalities. The paper was written by MSU Extension specialists Dr. Eric Scorsone, an expert in municipal finance, and Nicolette Bateson, who has years of experience as a CPA for municipalities.

Dr. Scorsone recently testified about the report’s findings to the state House Committee on Financial Liability Reform in Lansing. Dr. Scorsone also recently served on the staff of the Lansing Financial Health Team and released a report on the city’s fiscal health and outlined recommendations the city could take to get its fiscal house in order.

Not only has he served an important advisory and educational role, Dr. Scorsone has also been a great representative of MSU Extension in serving as a key resource to media looking for experts to help explain the complicated fiscal situations in detail. Whether it has been retiree health care, emergency financial managers, municipal bankruptcy or other fiscal issues, Dr. Scorsone and MSU Extension are valued as key sources of information. That’s a pretty good bottom line for Michigan and for MSU.

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by | March 14, 2013 · 9:11 am

We’re not chicken about working across the organization to meet needs

What’s special about our Michigan State University Extension colleagues? When they see a need, they work together across institutes and across disciplines to get that need met.

It all began when the Salvation Army in Lenawee County distributed whole, frozen chickens and turkeys that had been donated from the 4-H fair sale to people who needed them. Janelle Stewart, Lenawee County Extension 4-H educator in the Children and Youth Institute, noticed that the recipients of the poultry needed instruction in thawing and preparing them. Janelle contacted health and nutrition Extension educator and food safety team member Jeannie Nichols about producing an educational fact sheet on poultry preparation that could be distributed at the Salvation Army food bank.

Health and Nutrition Institute food safety team members agreed that creating the fact sheet would be a worthwhile project that would meet a need in the Lenawee County community and in others. Jeannie and Extension educator Joyce McGarry developed a document that focused not only on chicken and turkey but on duck, goose and other game birds as well.

Other food safety team members, Extension educators Lisa Treiber and Beth Waitrovich, reviewed the fact sheet and sent it to ANR Communications for editing.

“How to Handle Poultry and Tips on Cutting Up a Whole Bird” resulted from the desire to help others, the creativity and vision to see multiple possibilities, and the willingness to work across institutes and disciplines. Find the fact sheet in the Safe Food & Water area of the Food and Health section of the MSU Extension Web site. You may have your own use for the fact sheet in your community.

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by | March 7, 2013 · 12:14 pm

A look at our future

At a new staff orientation that took place on January 30, I had a chance to meet some great new colleagues. During my comments to the participants, I tried to convey what I think makes Michigan State University Extension professionals special people. The curiosity to gather all the information you can before offering advice, the innate response to teach and facilitate in any setting and with any resources, and the drive, the insistence to make a difference in the lives of others – all of these are what I see as defining an effective Extension professional. I told them that I consider myself extremely fortunate to get to work with a group of colleagues who fit that description.

Then I went to lunch and got a dose of what makes Extension professionals special in our discussion around the lunch table. I heard some fascinating life stories, and I want to share some of those in MSUE Spotlight over time because they are instructive and inspiring for me and I think they may be for you as well.

The first story I want to share is from Margaret (Maggie) Kantola. Maggie joined MSUE in August 2012 and works as a nutrition program instructor in our Nutrition and Physical Activity work group, based in Detroit. When Maggie moved to Detroit earlier last year, she rented an apartment. The landlord asked her if she had any ideas about what to do with a 1/4-acre parcel of land next to the apartment building. Maggie asked if the landlord minded if she made money from the land and he said it was fine.

In short order, Maggie converted the vacant lot into a beautiful market garden called CommonHarvest and produced a bounty.

Vacant lot in Detroit, spring 2012, will become CommonHarvest.

Vacant lot in Detroit, spring 2012, will become CommonHarvest.
Photo credit: Margaret Kantola.

In her words, “We sold the variety of produce at Eastern Market at the Grown in Detroit table in addition to some wholesale to local restaurants. And of course we had plenty of fresh food all season long and froze, canned and dried plenty of the vegetables that we are now enjoying during these winter months.”

I was impressed by the story and impressed even more by the photos she shared with me after our luncheon discussion. I share them with you here.

Soil prepared for planting in the CommonHarvest lot.

Soil prepared for planting in the CommonHarvest lot.
Photo credit: Margaret Kantola.

I shared Maggie’s story in a presentation I gave two weeks ago at the Agricultural Outlook Forum 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. The forum is an event hosted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack each year. I was invited to speak about the work of Cooperative Extension in fostering the development of local food systems – growing, distributing, processing and marketing food for consumers who live near the producers. Much of the media attention has focused on food systems developing in urban communities. Our MSUE Community Food Systems work group is working in urban and rural communities, and they provided valuable stories for me to share in my presentation.

Janelle Palmer plants crops in the CommonHarvest lot.

Janelle Palmer plants crops in the CommonHarvest lot.
Photo credit: Margaret Kantola.

I began my presentation with Maggie’s story as a way to convey what I see as the key driver behind the success of local food systems. I explained that this garden was something that Maggie did on her own, not as part of her responsibilities in MSUE. She was entrepreneurial in her approach, had technical knowledge that she could apply, and used her skills and knowledge to improve her community, and to improve her life and the lives of others. She made a difference in the lives of others.

CommonHarvest shows steady growth.

CommonHarvest shows steady growth.
Photo credit: Margaret Kantola.

That energy – whether it comes from Extension professionals or others – is making new neighborhoods, new economic activity and new ways of living in our urban communities. If you go to a meeting of people involved in local food systems, if you shop at a farmers market, if you hang around Extension professionals like Maggie, you can feel the energy and take hope from the fact that THIS is what is helping to create our cities of the future. Creating the parts of new food systems won’t solve all of our challenges in urban and rural communities across Michigan. But it sure will help move us in a productive direction.

Urban garden nears harvest.

Urban garden nears harvest.
Photo credit: Margaret Kantola.

It’s easy to show photos of urban decay and ring our hands. It’s easy to read stories of urban violence and run away. It’s easy to read about government financial distress and give up. In the midst of that, the human spirit needs to grow something, and Maggie showed me how simple that can be and how much it can change perspectives on vacant lots, stressed social interactions and hopeless financial circumstances. I don’t know the answers to those challenges, but I’m willing to bet that the work of young and old in constructive ways like Maggie’s CommonHarvest is laying the foundation for the solutions we’re seeking. Thanks, Maggie, for giving me a story that illustrates what we do as Extension professionals.

Heirloom tomatoes from CommonHarvest offered for sale in fall 2012 at the Detroit Eastern Market.

Heirloom tomatoes from CommonHarvest offered for sale in fall 2012 at the Detroit Eastern Market.
Photo credit: Margaret Kantola.

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by | February 28, 2013 · 9:04 am

Use helpful tools from ANR Communications to create documents quickly and easily

You may have an event or program you want to promote and you’re ready to let the public know about it. Maybe you’re working on a brochure or flier and realize you need a Michigan State University Extension wordmark to place on the document. Do you have the latest wordmark? Do you know where to start in laying out a document using Microsoft Publisher? Do you have time to create a good layout?

To save time and prevent hassle, visit the Agriculture and Natural Resources Communications Web site at anrcom.msu.edu/anrcom/msue_graphics. This Web page contains a wealth of tools to help you create an attractive document. On this page, find MSU Extension wordmarks in various formats with simple, easy-to-understand instructions on how to use them.

You’ll also find templates to create professional-looking MSUE PowerPoints and certificates. Just add your information to the template. It’s as easy as that.

On this same Web page, click on the link to SharePoint to download event flier, program flier, fact sheet and brochure templates. Why spend time designing a document when you can load your information and photos into these templates and you’re ready to go?

In addition, these templates make it easy for you to create items consistent with the look and branding of other MSU and MSUE items.

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by | · 8:59 am

Register for SERV

Register now for the inaugural session of  SERV– Sharing Extension Resources Virtually. Your participation requires no travel, other thangetting to your office. Sessions will place at your desk March 18 from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sign up now for your choice of sessions. Listen to the MSU Extension Update webinar March 4 at 4 p.m. for more information.

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