2013 Annual Report

County Extension Staff

Aleta Cochran

County Youth Coordinator/Office Team

Leader/Ag Program Coordinator

Lisa Mickelson

Extension Educator— Families, Youth &

Issues Programming

Cindy Watson Pottebaum

Extension Educator— STEM & Youth

Programs

Myra Willms

Early Childhood Quality Enhancement

Educator

Sara Deppe

Early Childhood Quality Enhancement

Educator

Val Cameron

Preschool Enrichment Coordinator

Anne Feltner

Office Assistant

Kathy Beni

Project Assistant

Caitlyn Ryan

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

28059 Fairground Road in Adel, Iowa 50003

(515) 993-4281 xdallas@iastate.edu

ISU Extension and Outreach of Dallas County provides

educational opportunities for economic development, food and the

environment, health and well-being and K-12 youth outreach. We are

focused on “Making a Difference for Iowans.”

Every Iowa county has an elected Extension Council that guides local

educational programming by partnering with staff. From needs

assessment through program implementation and evaluation of

outcomes, the council represents the issues and people of the county.

Loren Aldrich (2013) Craig Hertel

Extension Council Chair Regional Director

Dallas County is fortunate to have two Extension offices— one located on the Dallas County Fairgrounds in

Adel and the other located in the Town Craft Center in Perry.

Back row (L-R): Colby Dawes, Devon Murphy-Petersen, Craig Fleishman, Loren Aldrich

Front row (L-R): JoAnn McConeghy, Nicki Stajcar, Sandy Bland, Katie Halsne (Not pictured: Virigina Berger)

E conomic

Development

H ealth &

Well-Being

As of 2009, 78 percent of Dallas County’s land was in farms,

totaling 291,090 acres with the median market value of land/

buildings per farm averaging $1.1 million. In effort to protect

these huge investments, in 2013 ISU Extension and

Outreach Farm Management Specialist Steve Johnson

conducted GrowingOn, an informative seminar for food

producers, instructing how to plan and reduce crop risk. It

has been observed that agriculture professionals are putting

this information to use as approximately 90 percent of Iowa’s

corn and soybean acres are insured. Additionally, more than

90 percent of those acres use revenue protection products.

It is through partnerships ISU Extension and Outreach is able to arrange quality improvement for local child care

providers. Working with United Way, Early Childhood Quality Enhancement Educator, Myra Willms, was able to allocate

additional funding to Dallas County daycares for the purchase of new cribs. Members of 4-H and local shops acquired

the old, worn cribs and were able to upcycle these items into furniture, chalkboards and home decor. The relationship

Extension maintains with partners and local communities is the driving force in this multi-faceted success story.

It is important and often mandatory for child care providers to continue their education.

In 2013, Steve Johnson also

held a Farm Leasing workshop

in which a post-survey

revealed 45 percent of

operators owning more than

1,000 acres said they now

understand how a flexible cash

farm lease works and 61

percent claimed they would

renegotiate their rental

Injury Prevention in Iowa Child Care

Emergency Preparedness for Child Care Providers

Developmental Use of iPads in Early Childhood

Exploring Geometry Through Blocks

Let it Flow: Exploring Water Movement

Managing Food Allergies

Building Relationships with Children Who Challenge Us

Avoiding Behavior Problems, Teach Self-Control

Sun Safe Behaviors

How to Turn Good Play into Great Play

F ood &

The Environment

Volunteer hours were put in

by active Dallas County

Master Gardeners in 2013.

In 2013, Extension Educator Lisa Mickelson recorded a 72 person

attendance for the Strengthening Families Program, a seven-week

workshop series for parents and children ages 10-14 to work

together to improve communication and reduce at-risk behaviors. A

survey completed by participants revealed after attending the

program, parents were able to reinforce family rules and follow

through with rule-breaking consequences 66 percent more than prior

to taking the course. Additionally, 72 percent of parents reported

trying to see things from their son or daughter’s point of view if they

expressed feelings of hurt or anger. Youth participants also recorded

behavioral changes, were able to self-regulate their stress levels and

avoid peer pressure situations 40 percent more of the time while

The National Research Council asserts academic

success can be predicted with reasonable

accuracy as early as the end of third grade with

the indicator being a child’s reading proficiency.

Due to lack of linguistic interactions and access to

books, low-income families are especially prone

to underdeveloped skills. In response, Dallas

County Extension and Outreach offered the

Family Storyteller program in Perry. Parents

learned how to actively read with their child and

enhance their literary experience. Families

Program Specialist Rosa Gonzalez with the use of

pre and post-surveys concluded after six weeks,

frequency increased in the number of times a

child requested to read throughout the week as

well as the number of books read within the week. Parents became actively involved with the child’s book by asking

them predications and summarizing questions 46 to 63 percent more than before the program. These figures show a

positive prognosis in curbing poor grades, drop-out rates and delinquent behavior.

How do Master Gardeners Put Their Knowledge to Work?

Facilitating a first grade field trip to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center

Graphing a reconstructive garden plan and presenting to Waukee

Friends of the Library

Helping a grade school student with their science project on “worm composting”

Organizing a meeting on church landscape for Faith Lutheran in Adel

Maintaining the Waukee Community Garden-Food Bank

Consulting with groundskeepers at the St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Perry to help

create a landscape design and planting suggestions

Planting sweet potato vines and red and white petunias outside the Public

Safety Department in Waukee

K -12 Youth

Outreach

Iowa State Extension and Outreach

provides research-based education for not

only private citizens but also for our

farmers and local growers. Additionally,

we work with city, state and privately

owned companies and organizations to

educate them on recent findings that

pertain to their respective jobs.

In 2013, we reached nearly

people in these categories through

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach programs are available to all without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual ori-

entation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director

By attending these trainings…

Farmers keep up-to-date on the new research involved in applying

pesticides, operating farm equipment and sustainability of their

land.

City and state employees keep up-to-date on the new research and

laws involved in safely handling and storing pesticides, effectively

using personal protective equipment and how to actively control

forest weeds and aquatic pests.

Commercial employees can identify invasive turfgrass species,

have an understanding of cultural turfgrass management for sports

fields and be aware of the effects of phototoxicity.

Citizens implement good agricultural practices and have been able

to connect with local growers in the area, many attending monthly

meetings to share insights.

Citizens are building high tunnels (“hoophouses”) to continue

growing during non-optimized seasons.

In 2013, ISU Extension and

Outreach reached nearly

K-12 Youth in Dallas County

to teach Healthy Living, STEM

(Science-Technology-Engineering

-Math), Citizenship & Leadership

and Communication & the Arts.

In Schools…

Extension Educator Cindy Watson

Pottebaum partnered with local libraries and

taught wind energy and robotics to more

than 100 youth. Extension Educator Lisa

Mickelson presents nutritional value to West

Central Valley Middle School using MyPlate.

In Clubs…

At Events & Camps…

First Annual Waukee Kidfest

Taste of Camp at the 4-H Center

Maple Grove Elementary Family University

358 4-12 graders in 4-H

91 K-3 graders in Clover Kids

In Programs...

Babysitting Basics

Strengthening Families Program

Girl Talk