Volume 11, Issue 03 - Summer 1997
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Transcript of Volume 11, Issue 03 - Summer 1997
EXTENSION
Communities work to retain businesses • Bv JERRY KEsSEL
When Scott Loveridge took
leave without pay in January 1996
to sell his house in Minnesota, he
]"'eft Morgantown with a home
work assignment: Write a commu
nity manual on how to implement
Business Retention and Expan
sion (BR&E) programs.
Loveridge, division director for
the West Virginia University
Extension Service Community
and Economic Development Unit,
also directs the West Virginia
BR&E Program. Over the past
six years, he has done extensive
evaluation research on the
program's impact. The
findings have led to a
number of changes in the
approaches
BR&E professionals and commu
nity leaders use.
"We had shown that this
program could be successful in
West Virginia," Loveridge said.
"Eric Thompson's work with the
program generated some real
success stories."
For example, in Logan County,
the task force learned that a wood
products company was planning
to leave because it didn't have
enough electricity. So, the leaders
contacted the utility company,
which ran another line to the firm.
Not only did the company stay,
keeping 50 jobs, it also added
25 new jobs.
"One thing we see over and
over in the results of a business
survey conducted by a local
BR&E task force is that West
Virginia workers lack math
skills," Loveridge said. "When
we can involve the local educa
tional institutions in helping to
continued on Page 3
We are pleased to deliver the
second of our three annual Extension
Vision publications for 1997. Still in
my first year with the WVU Exten
sion Service (and a new West
Virginian to boot!), I have continued
to be quite astounded by two condi
tions: (I) the dazzling variety and
enormous volume of substantive
impacts that WVU Extension agents
and specialists have on the day-to
day lives of individuals, communi
ties, and for-profit, nonprofit, and
membership organizations throughout
our state; and (2) how little our
fellow citizens and leaders across the
state and within our own university
community know about the programs
and services the Extension Service
provides.
Well, shame on us; we aim to
better inform in the future. This
publication is one of many ways we
will be reporting to you about how
this unique partnership between
county, state, university, and federal
government - the National Exten
sion Service System - is meeting
our needs in West Virginia and
other states.
Did you know that the essential
idea of "university extension"
2
remains intact and every bit as viable
and as targeted to the public interest
as it did more than 80 years ago when
this national system was founded?
• . . • to aid in diffusing among the people of the United States useful and pradlcal information . .. . "
-Smith-Lever Act of 1914 creating the Cooperative Extension Service
Does this still sound important
today? In West Virginia, we are
focusing on providing programs and
services that respond to three major
areas of need that you have indicated
to us. They are: (I) enhancing
community capacity for economic
viability, (2) strengthening families,
and (3) helping youth have
productive futures.
"The success of the land· grant tradition lies In Its combination of high-quality, affordable education, worldclass research, and public service; In its practical real· life orientation; and In Its deep sense of responsibility for the society that supports H. As we face the future, that tradition can serve as our guide."
-Returning to Our Roots: The Student Experience by the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities.
Over the remainder of 1997 and in
the next year, we also will be working
to move toward a WVU-wide,
statewide system of extension,
outreach, and public service pro
grams that meet local needs, are
readily available throughout the state,
and include our traditional partners
and many new ones. We are making
steady headway toward better
supporting our county-based exten
sion staff and better coordinating
West Virginia University's many
outreach services.
The stories that follow are simply
examples of the literally thousands of
ways in which your state's flagship
land-grant university and its Exten
sion Service are meeting your needs
now and anticipating your needs in
the new century. Sample these
services ... and call your local
County Extension Office for informa
tion about more services or to simply
let us know specific areas in which
you need our assistance.
Lawrence S. Cote Associate Provost & Director
Extension 5ervice is to form
learning partnerships with the
people of West VIrginia to enable
them to improve their lives and
communities. To these partnerships,
we bring useful research- and
experience-based knowledge that
facilitates critical thinking and sklll
development.
Extension Vision: Summer 1 997
continued from Page 1
implement the survey and look at
the results, there is a much better
chance that the community will be
able to respond to problems.
Economic developers who work
by themselves don't have much
influence on what gets taught in
schools, but what gets taught in
schools has a dramatic effect on
economic development."
The task force in Taylor
County noticed that math skills
needed a boost. They responded
by creating a business and educa
tion partnership with the area
Regional Educational Services
Agency (RESA) to help busi
nesses upgrade their workers'
math skills. The first to partici
pate was the Mountain State
Greenhouse in Flemington.
Workers who completed the math
course got a raise. The company
benefited because workers were
better able to correctly apply
chemicals, saving the
company money.
Production worker Nancy
Bray, now in her 11th year at the
greenhouse, believes the math
class was helpful. "I didn't like
the fractions," she said with a
laugh, "and it had been a while
since I'd been a student, but then I
didn't like fractions when I had
them in school."
The task force also assisted a
prefabricated home manufacturing
company that was going to move
to Winchester, Va. Bruce Miller,
executive director of the Taylor
County Economic Development
Authority, explained, "The
Extension Vision: Summer 1997
Greenhouse production worker Nancy Bray prepares to mix fertilizer for bedding plants. She participated in the BR&E-arranged math class and found it helpful in her job assignments.
Knee-deep in baskets of impatiens at Mountain State Greenhouse in Flemington, a BR&E participant, are, left to right, Heidi Warner, general manager; Deanna Felton, head grower; Bruce Miller, executive director of the Taylor County Economic Development Authority; and Ronnie Helmondollar, extension agent in Taylor County.
3
company was getting ready to
expand and thought there was no place to go here."
Instead, the task force inter
vened, saving 50 jobs in Taylor
County. And, the company added
a new line of products, creating 25 additional jobs.
Another product line-trusses for buildings-will create addi
tional jobs at the company.
The firm's retention and
expansion presents other opportunities for economic growth,
according to Miller. This spring
he was actively recruiting a door
manufacturer to locate in
the county.
Ronnie Helmondollar, exten
sion agent in Taylor County,
noted that the economic develop
ment authority was a major
partner within the task force.
"Information about the BR&E
program is available through
extension agents, Chambers of
Commerce, the Association of
Counties, and civic groups,
among others," Loveridge said.
BR&E involves research
"The BR&E program involves
active research; we talk to leaders,
draw lessons from what's worked in their communities, and trans
late those lessons into programs,"
he said.
The fee averages about $1,000,
he continued. Nationwide, fees
range from zero to $15,000 per
program, depending on the
various interacting groups.
Studies show that 49 percent to
80 percent of all new jobs are
created by existing firms rather
than through attracting new
businesses to community.
BR&E is a community pro
gram involving a local network
for development, which brings a
variety of people together. It's
also an educational program for
community members about the
needs businesses have and how to
address those needs. After the
BR&E program is over, the
network can continue and the
group may work on an
action plan.
"When Eric left, we needed to
find an effective way to reach out
to local people about this style of
BR&E program," Loveridge said.
"The result was my homework
assignment." Implementing Local
Business Retention and Expansion
Programs by Scott Loveridge and
The program encompasses four phases:
and concerns of businesses, and provides firms information on state and federal assistance.
3. Survey results are tabulated at WVU by Alison Hanham, specialist in socioeconomic data, who also does the preliminary analysis; a draft report is prepared, which includes data analysis and recommendations for economic development. The task force prepares final report.
I. Leaders are trained and volunteers are
trained to conduct business visita
tions.
2. Local task force reviews survey results, responds to immediate needs
4. Based on findings, the community develops economic development plan and implements recommendations.
George Morse was published this
spring by the Northeast Regional
Center for Rural Development.
Prior to publication, the
manual was used at a training
seminar in Blacksburg, Va., that
attracted economic developers
from West Virginia, Virginia, four other states, Canada, and Norway.
When the editor sent a draft
version out for peer review, word
spread. Similar seminars using
the manual are planned later this
year in New Mexico, Minnesota,
Nebraska, and Georgia.
The manual recommends a
leadership team approach with
four people in charge of specific
components. Loveridge conducts
a four-session training program,
mostly via telephone conference
calls. Local folks are trained via
videotapes to visit businesses and
to interview owners, using a
survey tailored to West Virginia
communities. The local task force
chooses the "have to visit"
businesses, and the rest are
selected randomly.
At times, the results may seem
less tangible. Task force members
in Harrisville learned that local
firms were losing business and
missing shipments because the
road into town was poorly
marked. Firms had been com
plaining for years. So the Ritchie
County BR&E team, working
Extension Vision: Summer 1 997
Neva Workman, whose greenhouse production duties include moving plants onto carts and then to retailers' vehicles, uses her updated math skills in the
mixing of sprays she applies to the plants when she's not carting them.
with state government, got some
signs erected. "It's a little thing,
but it can make a big difference in
businesses' attitude about stay
ing," Loveridge said.
Ritchie has long-term plans,
too: looking into regulatory
problems that concern some
businesses.
"While immediate success
stories are important, the true
impacts of BR&E come later,"
Loveridge emphasized. "The
program serves to educate a wide
cross section of the community
about the problems faced by local
businesses, and helps to create a
local response network to address
those issues."
•
Copies of Implementing Local Business Retention anti Expansion Visitation Programs can be ordered for $35 from:
Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development Pennsylvania State University 7 Armsby Building University Park PA 16802-5600
Phone: (8 14) 863-4656
5
Researchers study mound ant remedies • Bv JERRY KEsSEL
Almost anyone can make a
mountain out of a molehill, but it
takes a colony of Allegheny
mound ants to make mountainous
land virtually useless.
Because Allegheny mound ants
are found on nearly all Grant
County farms, numerous requests
for recommendations to control
the ants in pastures prompted
WVU Extension Ser-
vice Agent Brad D. Smith to
probe for answers.
Cattle grazing on the infested
pastures steer clear of the
mounds. They are wary of the
ants' bites when the mounds are
disturbed.
"Wild turkeys, however, will
forage in the mounds looking for
ant larvae," Smith said.
The Allegheny mound ant calls
more than pastures home. The
pest also builds its mounds in
forested areas and lawns. Earlier
research by others documented
that the ants can be a serious pest
of young pines in the eastern and
northeastern states. They may
destroy all vegetation, except
large trees, within an area of 40
feet to 50 feet from large mounds.
The ants kill small trees,
shrubs, and other plants in the
immediate vicinity of their nests
by injecting formic acid into
tissues of the plants.
In West Virginia the Allegheny
mound ant is considered a serious
pest in Christmas tree plantations,
where as many as 75 to 200
mounds have occurred on three to
four acres. When high-value trees
such as grand fir are killed, the
dollars lost can be substantial.
Ants hibernate in the mound
tunnelways below the soil surface.
To construct a new mound, a few
worker ants will begin excavation
of soil into irregular heaps. When
the cone-shaped mounds reach a
diameter of 8 inches to 13 inches,
the workers will escort a queen
from an existing mound to estab
lish a new colony. The workers
also may relocate eggs, larvae,
and pupae to the new mound.
Foraging for two types of food
begins when the colony becomes
active in the spring, usually late
March or early April. Attacking
worker ants dismember beetles,
sowbugs, spiders, small caterpillar
larvae, and other arthropods they
can subdue. Also, they seek
honeydew produced by sap-
sucking insects such as aphids,
scales, and treehoppers.
To develop recommendations
to control the Allegheny mound
ant, Smith enlisted the expertise
of many individuals, including
John F. Baniecki, extension
specialist in plant pathology and
entomology; Joseph W. Weaver,
WVU associate professor of
entomology; other WVU Ento
mology Department personnel;
and extension agents and farmers
from the area who had been
dealing with this pest for
many years.
Control measures not identified
One stumbling block involved
the various pesticides labeled for
use in controlling the ants in lawn,
landscape, and forest situations.
The problem, Smith recognized,
was no one seemed to have a
good understanding of the effec
tiveness of these products on the
Allegheny mound ants.
Control recommendations for
the ants in pastures were not
identified.
Without insecticides labeled or
registered for control of the ants
specifically in pastures, it was
impossible for landowners to
control the mound ants in pasture
situations in an environmentally
Extension Vision: Summer 1 997
acceptable and legal
manner.
Thus, the problem of
controlling the
Allegheny
mound ants
became not
only a manage
ment concern but an
environmental concern
as well.
Not surprisingly, the research
project identified additional
questions about the Allegheny
mound ant and its control. None
theless, the project identified
undetected," Smith
said. "During the first trials and
subsequent ones, this occurred.
"Where the ant has been
treatment methods and products to established for years, and colonies
use in controlling the ants.
The recommendations are
available from WVU Extension
Service county offices in a fact
sheet titled "The Allegheny
Mound Ant and Its Control."
When trials began in 1992,
Smith encountered another
barrier. Many mounds were in
places inaccessible to vehicles.
Because the seven insecticides
selected for the trials were mixed
to a given concentration with
water, it was impractical to carry
large quantities of water several
hundred yards up a steep hill.
"While all obvious colonies in
an area may be treated, other
small, new colonies can go
Looks can be deceiving. Undisturbed mounds are
alive with ant colonies roaming interior
tunnelways.
in surrounding areas are not
treated," Smith said, "landowners
may need to conduct annual
examinations and treat areas
where control is desired if they
intend to keep the ant in check."
As a result of Smith's research,
landowners in the mountainous
counties of eastern West Virginia
who are plagued by the Allegheny
mound ant colonies have remedies
that are environmentally safe.
They also have found that
control of the Allegheny mound
ant can lead to increased income
from the land, increased property
values, or increased opportunities
to more fully enjoy recreational
activities.
•
7
WVU helps producers manage fowl waste • Bv GRAcE TRUMAN
Chicken, turkey, and eggs are
nutritious food choices. It's
ironic, therefore, that the industry
that produces them is being
accused of endangering
public health.
At issue are not the foods
themselves but the waste created
in raising them. But, is it really
waste?
Farmers look at poultry
manure and used litter as valuable
resources that enrich soil, supple
ment livestock feed, and keep
8
pastures lush and green. To
environmentalists, these sub
stances are pollutants that can
threaten drinking water safety,
recreation, and the health of
millions of people. The battle lines are forming,
and the poultry producers of West
Virginia's Eastern Panhandle are
standing right in the line of fire.
"All the fingers are pointing at
poultry farmers. It's unfortunate
because so many other things
going on are being ignored," says
Rodney Branson, a Hardy County
turkey and beef producer.
Branson serves as co-chairman
of the West Virginia Poultry Water
Quality Advisory Committee. His
farm sits near Lost River, one of
dozens of waterways collectively
called the Potomac headwaters,
which flow into the Potomac
River and, eventually, the Chesa
peake Bay.
Concern over the region's
water quality has been growing,
particularly in light of recent
warnings from federal agencies.
The U.S. Department of Agricul
ture noted in June 1996 the "high
potential" for contraction of
waterborne illnesses in the
Potomac headwaters "because of
the widespread presence of
bacteria throughout the watershed
and heavy dependence on the
streams for drinking water and for water contact recreation." U.S.
Geological Survey researchers
found that high bacterial counts
correlated with the density of
poultry houses and cattle feedlots.
This spring, the nation's largest
river conservation group, Ameri
can Rivers, named the Potomac
on its list of the 10 most endan
gered rivers in North America.
Farmers contend that other
factors besides poultry production
have more of a negative impact on
water quality. How about faulty
private septic systems, inadequate
municipal sewage treatment, and
Extension Vision : Summer 1997
overpopulation of geese, deer,
raccoon, and other wildlife, just to
name a few?
Just how polluted the waters
are and how much of the contami
nation can be blamed on poultry
operations are questions still unanswered. Meanwhile, poultry
farmers, stung by criticism they
feel is undeserved, are working
with West Virginia University
extension educators and state and
federal agricultural officials to
comply with water protection
guidelines. At the same time,
increased federal funding is
reducing the farmers' costs to
invest in facilities and equipment
for proper waste handling and
storage.
WVU is collaborating with
other agencies to accelerate and
refine testing programs to monitor
water quality in the Potomac
headwaters. Significant help is
coming from researchers in the
environmental technology divi
sion of the National Research Center for Coal and Energy, based
at WVU. That unit has volun
teered to help develop the proto
cols for a new water testing
program that will be administered
by the state Department of Agriculture at its new laboratory
complex in Moorefield. That
facility is scheduled to become
operational this fall. The WVU
College of Agriculture, Forestry,
and Consumer Sciences also is
supporting educational efforts to
help poultry farmers implement
waste management programs.
Growing pains Poultry has long been impor
tant in this rural area, which
includes the West Virginia coun
ties of Grant, Hampshire, Hardy,
Mineral, and Pendleton. It is also
an industry that has grown more
than 200 percent in the last
decade, thanks largely to the
expansion of processing opera
tions in Moorefield, the Hardy
County seat, and in surrounding
areas. Today, the industry pro
duces almost 90 million birds a
year-and more than 140,000
tons of waste.
The farmers work within a
"vertically integrated" agricultural
production system. That means
that poultry corporations, includ
ing Wampler, Rocco, and Perdue,
contract with local farmers to
raise chickens and turkeys pre
cisely to their specifications.
Individual producers number 340
to 360, many of whom raise
poultry within a diversified farm
operation, according to Casey
Ritz, poultry specialist with the
West Virginia University Exten
sion Service. Dr. Ritz estimates
the annual production value of the
area poultry industry at about
$210 million.
Extension Specialist Tom Basden, right, and Gretchen Riley, left, a WVU environmental protection student, advise Hardy County broiler producer George Leatherman on his farm's nutrient management plan.
Poultry and sheep farmer Johnny Taylor of Old Fields consults Extension Agent David Workman, right, on best management practices for his operation.
Extension Vision: Summer 1997 9
The corporations call most of
the shots because they own the processing plants, the hatcheries,
the feed mills-even the birds
themselves. They deliver the
chicks to the farmers, who feed
them to the prescribed weight,
then tum them back to the corpo
rations for slaughcer and
processing.
The farmers own the sprawl
ing, tightly controlled poultry
houses, which hold as many as
27,000 birds at a time. Each
facility represents an investment
of as much as $200,000; financing
the construction crimps profits for
at least the first 10 years that it is
muse.
"The profit margin is so thin
that a big jump in feed costs or a
disease problem can mean the
difference between making and
losing money," Ritz observed.
Protecting resources Extension agents and special
ists have traditionally worked
closely with farmers wanting to
improve their operations. With
the rapid expansion of the poultry
industry, these educators have
focused their efforts on promoting
voluntary land stewardship and
water quality protection.
Extension Crop Management
Specialist Tom Basden is based at
the Potomac Interagency Water
Quality Office in Moorefield. He
and Ritz are among the technical
advisers to the West Virginia
Poultry Water Quality Advisory
Committee, which is composed of
farmers, county commission
10
Enclosed liHer sheds, such as this one at Sonny Taylor's CoHage Hill Farm near Petersburg, helps prevent runoff and protect from nutrient loss.
representatives, and Soil Conser
vation District supervisors.
Basden helps farmers to
develop and write nutrient man
agement plans, which are indi
vidualized systems of best man
agement practices (BMPs) to
encourage plant growth and
minimize adverse impacts on
surface and groundwater. These
plans address the most critical
farm nutrient problems through
measures to manage fertilizers
and animal wastes and reduce soil
erosion. They also provide for the
safe disposal or use of all of the
litter and manure produced at each
poultry facility.
"Poultry litter has always been
looked at as a resource by produc
ers. They're not just dumping this
stuff; they are using the nutrients
to improve the productivity of
their farm," Basden said.
Brad Smith, WVU Extension
agent in Grant County, concurred.
"The nutrient composition in
poultry litter is fairly high, and
this is a much cheaper source than
conventional fertilizer. The
biggest expense is in hauling and handling it," he said.
Nutrient management plans are
field-specific, basing recommen
dations on the expected crop and expected yield for each site. The
farmer uses data from annual
production estimates, litter
nutrient analysis, and soil testing
to determine how much poultry
waste can be safely applied to
crop and pasture land to enrich the
soil. What's left can be hauled to
other farms for use in their
operations.
Basden provides nutrient
management training for conser
vation agency officials and others
who work with farmers. He also
supervises college student interns
who spend the summer months
tending demonstration plots,
presenting educational programs,
and supporting interagency efforts.
Gretchen Riley was raised on a
farm in Old Fields (Hardy
County). Now a senior majoring
in environmental protection at the
WVU College of Agriculture,
Extension Vision: Summer 1 997
WVU Extension Poultry Specialist Casey Ritz, left, and producer George Leatherman confer outside of a broiler house at Leatherman's farm.
Forestry, and Consumer Sciences,
she enjoys working with area
farmers to help them develop
nutrient management plans.
"Most producers I've worked
with have been very receptive, as
long as they know that this is
something that will benefit them,"
she observed.
Riley helped her stepfather,
Hardy County broiler producer
George Leatherman, prepare a
nutrient management plan for his
farm last year. Leatherman says
he will continue to follow and
refine the plan, based on soil test
results and other information.
The effort is worthwhile, he feels,
as it will yield both environmental
and economic benefits.
"As far as economics go, we
want to know what we have here
and what we need to buy. We can
save by buying less commercial
fertilizer, especially phosphorus
but also nitrogen. I think most of
us producers are pleasantly
surprised by the amount of
potential savings," he said.
Extension Vision: Summer 1 997
Regular testing of cropland
soils and poultry litter and manure
has allowed area farmers to
reduce annual applications of
nitrogen by 524,700 pounds and
phosphorus by 265,700 pounds.
These excess nutrients did not
enter the ecosystem and saved
farmers a total of $600,000 over
the last four years.
Alternative uses and hauling
litter out of the watershed are
other initiatives promoted by the
Potomac Interagency Water
Quality Office. A toll-free
marketing hot line (1-888-
3LITTER) helps match poultry
producers with other agricultural
users of litter. Since its startup in
July 1996, this brokerage service
has facilitated the movement of
4,000 tons of litter out of the
watershed.
"Most of the litter distributed
through the hot line has been
going to corn producers in Berkeley and Jefferson counties, to
Preston County, and to grassland
counties in central West Virginia,"
Basden reported. "Farmers in
Ohio, Virginia, and North Caro
lina have purchased it as well."
Repeat calls to the hotline by
these buyers indicate the useful
ness of poultry litter as a fertilizer
and a feed supplement for cattle,
Basden added. "We have a group
of repeat buyers looking for litter
through our database. People do
not buy a product a second time if
it fails to satisfy."
Collaborative efforts also have
produced a poultry litter compost
demonstration site initiated in
1996. The composter uses litter
mixed with wood product waste
to produce valuable soil amend
ments. The agencies also have
promoted and demonstrated
composting of dead birds to
replace the once common method
of disposal in burial pits.
Composting is now the predomi
nant mortality management
method for area poultry farmers. David Workman, WVU
Extension agent in Hardy County,
says that most poultry farmers are
receptive to these new initiatives
and are doing what they can to
protect water quality. "A few mismanage, but most do not," he
observed. "Putting nutrients
through cattle, poultry, and other
intensive livestock operations
creates an imbalance of resources.
The farmers are adopting the
practices to put those nutrients
back into a balanced state. Water
quality improvement is just one of
the benefits."
• 11
The proof's in the beans-Green bean plants show the beneficial effects of using compost in a demonstration garden at Jackson's Mill 4-H Conference Center. From leh, Extension agents Ron Swope of Marion County and Jennifer Ours of Upshur County tend the thriving section where compost was added to the soil, while Bruce Loyd of Lewis County and Clint Hickman of Harrison County inspect a
control section where no compost was used. Yield data is being compiled to see whether actual yields are increased by the addition of compost. The garden is part of the WVU Extension Service's Residential Composting Demonstration Site. Visitors to the Mill can stop by the site, which boasts about 15 test compost piles and provides information on different composting techniques •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Lawrence S. Cote Associate Provost for Extension & Public Service; Director, Cooperative Extension Service P.O. Box 6031, Knapp Hall Morgantown, WV 26505-6031
Nonprofit Organization U.S . Postage PAID Morgantown, WV
Permit No. 34
Helping you put knowledge to work t.S97-042