Present:

Steve Aagard and Glen Whipple, CES Administration - each facilitated part of the meeting on 2/15/01. Glen facilitated part of the meeting on 2/16/01 and then asked Jim Gill to facilitate the rest of the meeting.

John Hewlett for Ed Bradley, Agricultural and Applied Economics Department Head
Alan Gray for Jim Krall, Plant Sciences Specialist
Jerry Langbehn
Gurn Brown
Wayne Tatman
Bill Taylor (2/15/01)
Scott Hininger
Brett Moline
Jim Gill

Absent:

Ron Delaney, Plant Sciences Department Head
Bill Murdoch, Animal Science Department Head
Tom Thurow, Renewable Resources Department Head
Frank Galey, Veterinary Sciences Department Head
Doug Hixon, Animal Science Specialist

2/15/01

Bill Taylor – appointed scribe

A.G. - Working with funding and funds of specialists - competition or cooperation?

IPM – projects up for review, dollars coming available in coming year

J.H. - Mentions sustainable ag money

J.G. - mentions issue of specialists vs. committee need for funds – worried about competing with specialists

Listed objectives from strategic plan on board:

1. Sustainable livestock forage systems

2. Alternative crop/livestock systems

3. Best Mgmt. Practices on Few acres

4. Sound hort. practices

statewide – spotty, but growing in importance, becoming issue with all of us

range of issues – ranchettes to country clubs

1^st 3 objectives overlap for small acreage owner

range from septic tank installation to golf course management to horse pasture management

- alternative crops/enterprises, SARE project, etc. available resources to address this audience – also need to do education to address needs.

Hurdle: Gap between resources we have and getting them out to public – they don’t avail themselves.

B.T. - Notes has lot of information but folks don’t call for it because they don’t know about it

web-based info especially needed on hort.

J.H. - Notes different distribution mechanisms

J.G. - Work with distributors with education to enable them to better address homeowner and general horticultural information needs
 

Gill and Cunningham moved to retailer pesticide training – can’t reach all of private public needs

Can we move to cert. crop advisors and work with producers groups rather than one-on-one?

W.T. - asks about crop programs and where we’re headed

Continue individual county program needs, but develop a few thrusts that are seen statewide and generate interest and meet needs

- discussion about how what the plan calls for does not preclude answering questions on a day-to-day basis – also the need to focus and to be known for CES

A.G. notes how things are going at the experiment station – companies don’t want folks doing added research on some of the crops – producers do want research on – niche crops folks may not want others to even know about their production and viability

Private companies often set research agenda – often grower groups want something else

J.L. Mentions need to better involve and work with other agencies to deliver education

Our education efforts must involve more collaboration in the future - must become catalyst and not necessarily do it all anymore

J.H. Supports and mentions alternative delivery mechanisms and extending the reach of CES

B.M. - Questions profitability issue – need better baseline data by area across the state – need profitability to demonstrate sustainability

Profitable vs. Sustainable

- do we need baseline information on what is profitable?

- Profit important to first 2 objectives – sustainability important to second two

- Team can set research goals for programs needed

Wouldn’t need to be tied to these four objectives

discussion – round the table about specifics vs. focus and what qualifies as legitimate for focus

G.B. Recommends looking at issue-based problems rather than the objectives as areas of emphasis

S.H. Suggests looking at matching resources to livestock needs – government regulations; grazing on public lands, AFO/CAFO issues: clean water and confined feeding, filter strips, corral design and placement – money available now to address charges needed for compliance

Resources for management of few acres

W.T. Extending the grazing season: on dryland pastures – taking low productivity irrigated cropland out and putting into irrigated pasture

need budgets on alternatives

- discussion on:

marketing issues

economics of alternatives sources of forage – i.e. turnips, etc.

 
delayed calving etc.

• manure management

nutrient management

workshops

hardcopy

www

B.T. marketing, record keeping, value added, alternatives available

can be part of other education systems (programs) because hard to market
G.B. TQA programs

B.M. Niche-ing products rather then "commodity" mentality

S.H. Marketing alternatives – good information but hard to get folks to come in

grass, not legumes

grazing legumes – high management issue

? Drought Issue

S.H. Energy efficient irrigation – cutting fuel costs variable HP motors

A.G. trade-offs with audience size and relevance

B.T. reflects that hort. still the lion-share of calls received, others agreed

S.H. suggests training and having summer consultants to address hort issues

W.T. suggests masters-level student who gets credit for serving as hort person in county – CSU/Sheridan college programs in hort.

J.G. Suggests seed production as an alternative for sugar beet phase out – alternative crops for WY crop areas

S.H. R&E Center field days – Sheridan: need expressed for reclamation seeds especially coal mine reclamation projects

A.G. suggests seed companies get the research done when they need it

J.H. mentions MSU-UW research project to look at alternatives to traditional crops

J.G. mentions need for alternatives to tradition

B.T. mentions organic as alternative production system for traditional crops.

J.G. mentions traditional water management issues and premier programs in the past

S.H. wonders if coal-bed methane and water issues associated with no one "shining" a the leader on water management

-community development issues – and reshaping of true community with increasing incomes to landowners

- small acreage issues

- labor issues

- housing issues

- power issues

- trespass and land control issues

- hazards: water, power, gas lines unsigned

- water quality issues – discharged into the river

- long term impacts i.e. wetland creation, impact of dry-up when methane pumping no longer economically viable

- dust issues from roads created and livestock health issues

- long run sustainability of methane pumping

- large areas of state

- tax issues: property tax increases with changing prosperity

- issue for all initiative teams

* This is an important issue:

Maybe just need to develop and use research on CBM

meet with NR and CD teams tomorrow on subject to see if consensus

B.T. Suggests creating a sub-committee to work with other initiatives to develop a collective effort to address

B.M. - need more base-line data – to allow the state to know the impact of possible policy changes

S.H. - suggest developing proactive policy suggestions for the new farm bill
- What is our role in Farm Bill policy making?

We can do research on alternatives of economics of such and provide information to industry so they can influence legislators.

There is effort on part of Western Regional Ag Econ CES committees to write papers to inform on results of policies and actions.

- Brief discussion of how reporting ought to happen between counties and across CES

- Selection of terms were drawn by county members present and for folks not present

Name Terms by draw (future terms will be 3 years)

Krall 4
Gill 3
Langbehn 3
Brown 2
Tatman 3
Taylor 2
Hininger 4
Moline 4
Hixon 2

J.L. Public lands important – livestock-range, water quality, small farms less important in his county

J.H. Points out "drought issue" includes livestock management, range management, alternative enterprises, alternative forage, etc.

G.W. mentions CBM as another issue – general discussion about the CBM issue and assistance being provided to land owners and mineral rights owners, lease agreements and assoc. property rights – trespass fees.

W.T. Easements and liability topics very appealing at his profitability conf.

G.B. Manure management and water quality issues – methane generation possibilities

- many shared concern about feed lots and corral locations

- G.B. on a grant program with NRCS giving manure management education around the state

J.H. Suggests trying to think more broadly and to choose topic headings to include hot issues that appear longer term

W.T. Suggests livestock management and forage is broader allowing all to play – also need a niche that we can be "known" for addressing

B.M. Suggests short-term projects are needed

Forage management may be one of the best topics to select

A.G. How does Powell R& E help with such an initiative

- irrigated pasture
- producer trials
- alternative crops

B.M. Suggests need for baseline data – discussion with J.H about need and use of budgets

J.G. Suggests topics:

Forage-based livestock systems

water quality

Horticulture – guidance for other CES agents

J.G. Lead discussion of Forage Based Livestock Systems lists points of things to cover:

- producer and other demonstrations
- calving opportunities
- value based:

organics
branded products
alliances

J.H. Suggests listing outcomes to better shape the initiative

W.T. Points out some are not solely focused on profitability but sustainability is the bigger issue – J. Freeburn subscribes to this theory and has examples

B.M. Outlines the model for planning (James/Weigel LOGIC model)

J.G. Leads vote for forage livestock systems as top priority

S.H Suggests 75% behind main topic

25% perhaps on other hort., water quality, few acres, etc.

Committee votes not to meet with Natural Resource initiative team at this time

A.G. raises question of needs assessment and how it should be included in the committee response

? addressing needs of diverse audience - small & large producer operations

J.H. responded with a description of the committee's charges and how this aspect must be ongoing throughout the committee's efforts; discussion followed

W.T. Suggests outcome be: sustainable agricultural systems that are environmentally sound

B.M. What behaviors or practices must change to bring this about:

1. Better understanding of marketing alternatives and benefits and costs associated with each
2. Adoption of grazing monitoring practices
3. Better understanding of grazing systems and alternatives i.e. native range, animal crops, etc. and benefits and costs associated

Bill Taylor selected as chair of the committee

A.G. raised several WWW haylist issues and wondered how to handle them to make the site more useful to WY clientele

B.T. leads discussion of next meeting date

April 10, 2001 at 11:00 a.m. through noon, April 11, 2001 in Casper

need to:
circulate minutes
circulate LOGIC model outline to committee