Brad BrummondAg & Natural Resources

AgricultureI spent the winter focusing on three topics: efficient use of manure to increase the bottom line, evaluating land to see if grass or forage is a more profitable option than crops and herbicide resistance in our weed populations.

ManureI gave two manure fertility talks to growers4 growers are going to manure test and use their manure to eliminate costs for their corn. One land owner wanted to send my presentation to her renter.Again we have people now interested in making manure a positive in the environment instead of a negative.

Land use presentations50 people attended my two presentations on best land use evaluations. Of these three indicated they were looking at converting crop land to pasture.Many questions were asked at the presentations.

Herbicide ResistanceI have trained over 500 pesticide applicators in identification of resistant weeds 99% of those surveyed said they learned some to a lot at the meeting! The vast majority had never seen Waterhemp and none had seen Palmer before.Awareness of Palmer Amaranth before the presentation was only 22% above average, after it was 86%! Understanding of mode of action before the presentation was rated 21% above average and after it was 77%. Confidence level of what they should do if they suspect weed resistance in their field went from above average confidence 26% to 90% above average confidence level after.

I do not have the Grand Forks County Evaluations but these numbers showed a huge learning and confidence level after the training. Ladies and Gentlemen I think I hit a home run on this one.

4-HWinter is a very busy time of the month for 4-H. my judging teams took front and center

4-H Crops Judging TeamWe had 10 youth Participate in crops judging we had 7 workouts and 4 Contests. We had 3 first place finishes in Junior and one second place finish as a team. We place 2nd place teams at the State Crops Judging Contest in the Junior and Senior DivisionWe had 2 High individuals in the contests and multiple top 5 finish for Individuals. This is the year my team turned a corner, they now are getting to the tough part of agronomy and have the foundation laid. This is why they are winning! Will be booting the land judging team up in April and a testament to our program all of my crops judgers that can judge land are going to judge land!

FairI have secured an excellent livestock, carcass and rabbit judges for the fair, earliest on record!We are currently working on livestock safety issues at the fair. We have a rodeo booked for Saturday evening of the fair.

Jamie MedberyFamily Consumer Science

Nutrition & Food Safety On the Move Jr. – Minto & Park River 2nd grade

NDSU Extension Service/Walsh County

“On the Move Junior,” is a five-week school-based curriculum for second-graders. Tara Sondeland and I brought this program to 24 second-graders at Minto Elementary & I

brought this program to 37 Park River second-graders. It is based on MyPlate, the current icon for nutrition, and includes children’s story books and hands-on activities. The curriculum aims to improve the variety of healthful foods that children consume, especially the amount of fruits and vegetables they consume. It also aims to improve fitness habits. One parent said “the program was a great way to reinforce what was being taught at home.” The parent survey showed over 80% of Park River second-graders were asking for healthful snacks at home or trying more new foods.

Special Assignment Pizza – Walsh County 4th Graders“Special Assignment Pizza” aims to teach students about North Dakota’s leading role in agriculture by using one of children’s favorite foods as its starting

point. Over 900 area fourth-graders were taught, through a rotation of hands-on activities, that North Dakota farmers grow or produce all the crops essential for pizza-making ingredients. 141 Walsh County students were able to learn about nutrition, beef & pork, wheat, dairy,

vegetables, oil and sugar at this event.

Eat Smart – Play Hard – Walsh County Preschools & KindergartensWith a focus on eating smart & playing hard, I brought various programs to area Walsh County preschool classrooms. Over 70 preschoolers &

kindergarteners learned about the importance

of keeping their bodies healthy through food and exercise through the use of a variety of lessons, including: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “Healthy Hearts,” & “Shake it Up.”Walsh County Tobacco-Free Coalition, Walsh County Alcohol-Free Coalition, Walsh County Wellness CoalitionWalsh County Public Health holds quarterly coalition meetings to discuss wellness (physical & mental), tobacco and alcohol related issues in Walsh County. As a member of these coalitions I am able to provide input on preventing and helping with possible problems in our community. I am also able to use these meetings to provide NDSU Extension programs and publications as resources to those attending and those they serve.4-H Youth Development

On the Move – Minto Extended School ProgramChildhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Some researchers consider children to be “overfed” but “undernourished.” Obese children are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, with 70 percent of obese children showing at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obesity also increases the risk for diabetes, stroke, cancer and osteoarthritis. On the Move to Better Health” is a five-week school-based curriculum based on MyPlate for upper elementary. 25 third – sixth grade students participated in an effort to increase knowledge and improve consumption of fruits, vegetables and calcium-rich foods in the diets of children and improve fitness habits.

Sun Savvy – 2017 Pesticide ProgramSkin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US, with 1 million new

cases each year. Melanoma incidence has tripled within the last twenty years, with approximately 5,700 men dying from melanoma each year. The North Dakota Caner Coalition believes that education about skin cancer and ways to protect

your skin will help reduce those alarming numbers. In conjunction with Brad’s pesticide certification, I provided a 30 minute presentation on sun safety to over 280 participants. Participants learned what skin cancer is, the types of skin cancer, what skin

cancers can look like, and ways to be smart in the sun. A Dermascan, which allowed the participants to see their skin damage under UV lights and allowed me to give additional sun safety tips one on one, was set up for participants to use during their breaks.

4-H Youth Development

147 youth are currently enrolled in the Walsh County 4-H program. There are seven community clubs and 27 adult volunteer leaders working with the youth.

Archery – County Workouts Over 20 4-H youth participated in weekly archery workouts and learned the different parts of the archery equipment; how to inspect the equipment for safety; how to safely conduct themselves on an archery range; how to maintain and repair their bows and arrows; and how to successfully shoot at different types of archery targets.

Drone Discovery – Walsh County 4-H Science Day4-H National Youth Science Day is the world’s largest youth-led engineering design challenge. This year’s challenge, called Drone Discovery, featured Walsh county 4-H youth learning about a wide variety of topics related to unmanned flight including flight dynamics, aircraft types, safety and regulations, remote sensing and flight control. Designed by Cornell University Cooperative Extension, the hands-on, three part engineering design challenge allowed 13 Walsh County 4-H youth to experiment with fixed and rotary wing designs, explore the concept of remote sensing and dive into the world of coding for real-world drone applications.

Project Expo – County ContestProject Expo provides youth with an experience in planning, preparing and displaying an article or an educational exhibit. It is an opportunity for self-expression both verbally and visually. Project Expo also provides the opportunity to share with others what has been learned in the specific project. Walsh County’s 2017 Project Expo had 24 youth participate.

Family Science & Human Development

The Nurtured Heart Approach – Walsh County Parents & Teachers There were several requests to bring The Nurtured Heart Approach to Walsh

County. Thanks to a grant written by Molly Soeby (Grand Forks County) we were able to provide this class, with a certified trainer, to Walsh County parents, teachers, childcare workers and foster families free of charge. We were able to provide tools and information for “transforming the difficult child.”

Behavioral Health Workshop – Walsh County Community MembersOver 30 school counselors, law enforcement, clergy, public health professionals, teachers and others who work with people had an opportunity to learn about

mental and behavioral health during a workshop the North Dakota State University Extension Service on March 30. The three-hour Behavioral Health IVN for Your Community workshop was offered through the Interactive Video Network (IVN) on the NDSU campus in Fargo

and at the Chase Building in Grafton.“We want people to be more confident in their ability to spot problems and get individuals the help they need to feel whole and healthy,” says Kim Bushaw, Extension family science specialist. Behavioral health specialists from Prairie St. John’s in Fargo presented on Youth and Stress Presentation, Adults and Stress Presentation and Farm Stress Presentation.

It was a great chance for community members to talk about how behavioral health needs are being met and what needs still exist in Walsh County.

Strengthening the Parent Teen Relationship – Walsh County parents, teachers, social service workers & foster parentsThe tasks of parenting shift from changing diapers and reading books together to teaching money management and preparing your teens to find their way in the world. Parents must learn to think and communicate differently with their children at this stage of life. 10 Walsh County parents learned strategies and tips to develop a connectedness between parents & family, parental expectations about behavior and healthy decision making & the autonomy of adolescents. All participants left the class with tools they planned to implement in their homes.

The Family Table – Walsh County WIC, Walsh County families

Family mealtimes used to be the foundation of everyone’s day, but now about 30 to 35 percent of families eat together less than three times a week, despite research showing the benefits of family meals. The North Dakota State University Extension Service launched “The Family Table: Eat, Savor, Connect,” a program to provide families with tips, meal plans, recipes and conversation starters to help make family meals a reality. In an effort to bring awareness to Walsh County I have set up an informational table at WIC and area basketball games. As a result, over 50 Walsh County area families have taken the pledge to eat more family meals together.

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Tara SondelandFNP

I hope you are all enjoying this great spring weather. I am getting excited to go camping on the weekends and grilling out.

NutritionI continue to provide nutritional programs to school aged children in both Walsh and Pembina County. January February and March lessons focused on many different topics. One of the many I taught focused on keeping our heart healthy. I taught this lesson during the month of February since we celebrate Valentine’s Day. The lesson talks about why exercising and eating healthy keeps our heart strong and healthy. I also had the kids write their favorite physical activity on a heart shaped piece of paper and made the entire class perform each one for 20 seconds to strengthen their hearts. And as always, after our discussion and activity we made and sampled sweetheart pudding, vanilla flavored pudding with red food coloring. It was a great time, as always.

Advisory Council MeetingThe NDSU Ext office held our annual advisory council meeting in February. This is always a great way to get the people in our community together that we do programming with to discuss what programs at NDSU are beneficial and what they want to either see more or less of in future.

Food PantryI also volunteered at the Mobile Food Pantry that came to Pembina County in March. The food is donated by the Great Plains food bank in Fargo. Anyone wanting a basket just has to drive up and we load the food right into their car. It is a blessing to many. I continue to be on the board and a volunteer at the Pembina county food pantry. We have been extremely busy and are so grateful for all the support the county gives us. We receive a lot of cash donations and food. We are open every Tuesday from 3 to 4:30 in the afternoon, please spread the word to those in need. I continue to help individual

clients budget their food dollar. I usually meet each client one to two times per month. We also discuss things like food safety and how to eat healthier. I am hoping to start a class once a month where participants that are eligible for SNAP ED can join. It’s always fun to work in groups and learn from each other!

On the Move to Better Health Cooking SchoolStarting in April Kari Helgoe and I will be educating elementary children in grades third through sixth in St. Thomas a curricula based program called “On the Move to Better Health cooking school” this 8 week program will teach kids everything they need to know about cooking and baking. The children will cook every week. I am excited to get these programs rolling. We will also be offering this program in Drayton this summer. It will be part of the kaleidoscope classes that NDSU Ext offers. I also have been doing some programming at the Cavalier Public school. Kari Helgoe and I taught 26 fifth graders a program called “On the Move to Better Health” it is a five-week school based curriculum for fifth graders. It is based on MyPlate, the current icon for nutrition, and includes many challenges for the kids to earn beads by making their lifestyle healthier and lots of hands-on activities. The curriculum aims to improve the variety of healthful foods that children consume, especially the amount of fruits and vegetables they consume. It also aims to improve fitness habits. Parents receive newsletters

and participate in goal setting and other family-based activities. We always served them healthy snacks at the end of every lesson and gave them plenty of incentives to keep them motivated, eat healthy and exercise. Our hope is to change their behavior even when we are done with the program. Pre and post surveys are given to the students and their parents to gather impacts.

Head Start/Upper ValleyI got to visit Head Start and Upper Valley Special Ed pre-school in Grafton and pre-Kindergarten in Cavalier. I visit these locations once every

month. One of the three lessons I taught was on Protein. I dressed up as an egg yolk, brought a stuffed chicken (refer to picture) to start the discussion on why chicken and their eggs are both a great source of protein. This chicken sings the song “I don’t want to be a chicken I don’t want to be duck” and as the song goes on it starts to go goes faster and faster until it makes a beep noise, similar to the game hot potato, so we passed the duck

around to each kid explaining that you don’t want to be the one holding it when it beeps. The kids loved doing this activity and it was a great way to get them up

and moving. I also brought along with me some hard boiled eggs where I taught the children how to peel one. Every child peeled one and thought it was fun, you could hardly tell it was an egg when they were done, but practice makes perfect. We ended the lesson by sampling a yogurt covered raisin, since it resembled an egg and danced to the “chicken dance” song. It was very entertaining.