Extension Employee News

August 2024: Monthly Director’s Letter

Posted on August 28, 2024September 11, 2024 by dawnw

Dear Extension Family,

We are starting to put the dog days of summertime behind us, which means the South Carolina State Fair is right around the corner! We occupy a large exhibit space in the Ellison Building that we populate with as many Extension employees as possible to greet the endless stream of visitors throughout the 12 days of the Fair. This year, each program team has an assigned day for staffing our exhibit (please see the Blog post for the schedule). If you are not signed up to work a shift yet and would like to, please contact Ms. Becca Hedden at rthomp7@clemson.edu as soon as possible. We are especially in need of volunteers for Sunday, October 13 and Thursday, October 17.

In the meantime, the University campus is buzzing again with the start of classes, and we have some exciting events coming up in September that will help highlight the impact of our work in Cooperative Extension. Our first Land-Grant Awareness Week will coincide with the “land-grant day” designation for the September 21 home football game against NC State, and the South Carolina Farm Bureau CAFLS Alumni Tailgate 2024 will be held on September 28. The awareness week campaign will be driving messaging around campus about the history, mission and work of Clemson Cooperative Extension with vibrant displays at the Watt Family Innovation Center. If you would like to contribute photos that feature “Extension at work” to be included in the campaign media, please upload them to the campaign Box folder. We will be sure to capture a gallery of visuals to share with everyone.

Whether you are attending the home Clemson football game against Stanford on September 28 or not, please consider joining us at the CAFLS Tailgate event! Although the game time has not yet been announced, our tailgate space in Fike Recreation Center will open three hours before kickoff. Everyone is welcome. Meal tickets are $12 and should be pre-purchased through the Marketplace Store by September 20. Please email Ms. Taylor Hutchens at tmhayne@clemson.edu if you have additional questions about the tailgate event.

4-H and FFA National WHEP Competition

I am very proud to share that our South Carolina FFA and 4-H WHEP (National Wildlife Habitat Education Program) Teams gave exemplary performances at the National WHEP Competition in Texas last month. WHEP is a youth natural resource program for teaching wildlife and fisheries habitat management to junior- and senior-level (ages 8-19) youth in the United States. Out of 16 teams from across the United States, our FFA WHEP Team once again earned the honor of National Champions, and our 4-H WHEP Team also earned high honors. I would like to recognize Ms. Mallory Maher for her service on the National WHEP Committee, and I am very proud that the success of our WHEP teams has earned us the opportunity to host the 2026 National WHEP Competition. Please read the full story in the Blog post.

SC FFA WHEP Team
SC 4-H WHEP Team

Salesforce

Please be sure to mark your calendars with the dates for the in-person Salesforce trainings for districts:

Pee Dee: Wednesday, September 25, at the Pee Dee REC
Midlands: Friday, September 27, at the Lexington County Extension Office
Savannah Valley: Thursday, November 7, at TEACH Center in Charleston

Our Salesforce leads would also like to continue to emphasize the following points:

Interactions: Please make sure to select the County, the affiliated CUMIS project on the record, and contact hours. You may add an Assisting Agent or Referred Specialist in the Team Member section of the record.
Program Events: Program events must be entered through the approved Eventbrite account for each team.  Please be sure to change the owner of your event, select the County, appropriate CUMIS Project, and hours of instruction.  You may add Team Members to your Program Events.

The Salesforce Advisory Group continues to host office hours on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. via the Zoom link.

Conference News

Thanks to support from the USDA Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education Program (Southern SARE), Extension personnel and agriculture specialists at Clemson University and SC State University may access a limited number of travel scholarships for the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s 39th Annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference November 2-4 in Durham, North Carolina  Please see the Blog post for details. The Call for Proposals for the 2025 SCWAgN Women in Agriculture Conference is open. The conference will be held in Aiken from February 28 to March 1. Please use the Google Forms link to submit your proposal for a presentation.

ADA Digital File Remediation

APEX is the new University vendor contract in place for the remediation of digital files to ensure ADA accessibility. If you are asked to have a file remediated for online posting, please email the file to Ms. Walker Massey (CCIT Document Accessibility Specialist) at emassey@clemson.edu for a quote appraisal from APEX.

New Employees

Please help me welcome the newest member of our Extension family: Olivia Vasquez, 4-H Youth Development Agent for Aiken and Edgefield Counties.

Job Openings

We have new openings to fill with talent. The following positions with their job ID numbers are currently posted on the Clemson Careers website.

Rural Health Agent, Laurens, 109104
Livestock and Forages Agent, Aiken, 109175
Administrative Assistant, Abbeville, 109174
Forest Management Specialist, 109167

In Closing

Members of your Extension Leadership Team and I spent several days last week at the Southern Region Program Leadership Network (SR-PLN) Cooperative Extension System Joint Meeting in Charlotte. Many of our program team and district Extension directors serve on half a dozen SR-PLN committees that meet throughout the year to work on initiatives that will strengthen Extension educational programming by promoting multi-state engagement. The conference agenda is mainly comprised of committee sessions with set purposes. We realized the culmination of the past year’s committee work through final reporting of decisions and accomplishments, and the committees put forth their next plan of work. It is a working conference that gives a lot back in return, and I appreciate the service of all of our members.

As always, please take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Cooperative Extension.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

September 16–21: Land-Grant Awareness Week
September 20: Deadline to pre-purchase CAFLS Tailgate Meal Tickets
September 27: Deadline to apply for the CFSA Travel Scholarship
September 28: South Carolina Farm Bureau CAFLS Alumni Tailgate 2024
October 9–20: South Carolina State Fair (Columbia Fairgrounds)
October 15–17: Sunbelt Ag Expo (Moultrie, GA)
December 2: Deadline to submit Presentation Proposal for 2025 SCWAgN Women in Agriculture Conference

Posted in From the DirectorTagged 2024AugLeave a Comment

July 2024: Monthly Director’s Letter

Posted on July 26, 2024July 29, 2024 by dawnw

Dear Extension Family,

I am proud to announce the completion of the final stage of our Strategic Plan regarding our administrative structure. We have successfully established five equal-sized regions, and we are pleased to welcome Ms. Terasa Lott as the 5th full-time District Extension Director. In line with this structural enhancement, I have also implemented the following changes to the roles and responsibilities of our Extension Associate Directors:

Ms. Deon Legette
– Coordinate with SC State Extension on our programs, joint initiatives and future collaborations.
– Direct the EELI program and collaborate with others to expand its reach.
– Collaborate with Vice President Julio Hernandez on University Outreach initiatives involving Cooperative Extension.

Dr. Matt Burns
– Supervise and coordinate Extension Program Development and County Operations with District Extension Directors and Program Team Directors.
– Lead assessment and evaluation efforts, including the Salesforce implementation.
– Facilitate CAFLS departmental collaboration across programs with Department Chairs and Research Center Directors.

Mr. Blake Lanford
– Develop and implement comprehensive state and county Extension budgets.
– Oversee County Advisory Committees and priority Extension initiatives.
– Lead policy review, development and strategic planning efforts.

These strategic actions are designed to strengthen our organizational structure, enhance our collaborative efforts and ensure the continued success of our programs. With them, we are well-positioned to achieve our goals and serve our communities more effectively as they were created with one goal: “How can we make Extension better to serve our stakeholders?” As you begin each day, I encourage you to ask yourself how you can make Extension better for your stakeholders. I would like to thank all of you for your continued dedication to and support for our efforts to continuously evaluate, enhance and grow our efforts externally and internally.

NACAA Conference Awards

I can’t complain about the heat in Dallas last week—our representation and awardee numbers were on fire at the National Association for County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Conference. We had a total of 58 agents recognized across 19 award categories. It is truly inspiring to have an abundance of talent from Clemson recognized in one forum. Please visit the Blog post to view the complete list of awards.

Ag + Art Tour Wrap-Up

We are hearing lots of great news and feedback about the outcome of the 2024 Ag + Art Tour, which wrapped up in June. Early indications are that over 30,000 people experienced our state’s farms in 20 counties and the artistic heritage of our rural culture. The Tour’s success has encouraged five additional counties to participate in 2025, which means we will have half of the state’s counties on board.

Summertime Youth Engagement

We all know how much kids love summer, and our Extension youth make the absolute most of it. Kudos to our Agricultural Education and 4-H Youth Development Program Teams! There is no doubt they are hitting it out of the park this summer.

The SC FFA (Future Farmers of America) is on a record-breaking streak in its mission to provide youth with a path to achievement through agricultural education. The state FFA convention in June drew a record number of students and guests, which is a bonus on top of having record membership for the year at over 13,000 and an increase in state officer candidates. Four students received over $26.5K in scholarships from the National FFA which was another record number. And to top it all off, for the first time in SC FFA history, a seventh delegate was acquired for the National FFA Convention. Congratulations to Mr. Troy Helms, Ms. Jillian Lasch and the devoted team members for their incredible efforts. I invite everyone to visit the photo gallery they have shared.

The 4-H Pinckney Leadership Program continues to excel in cultivating leadership skills among middle and high school students, empowering them to make a positive impact in their clubs, communities and beyond. This summer, the program’s commitment to developing tomorrow’s leaders was showcased across three dynamic programs: Conference, Camp, and Conference 2.0. They proudly hosted 204 youth leaders representing 27 South Carolina counties and celebrated their largest middle school camp to date. That is a true testament to the growing interest in and impact of the 4-H Pinckney Leadership Program initiatives and the outstanding efforts of the program director, Ms. Rushawnda Olden, her team members and volunteers. Please take the time to visit their photo gallery and get a glimpse of the experiences.

Land-Grant Awareness Week

September will bring monumental recognition for the work of Cooperative Extension when we celebrate our first Land-Grant Awareness Week campaign with the entire Clemson family. The campaign will coincide with the “land-grant day” designation for the September 21 home football game against NC State. There will be large-scale, vibrant messaging tactics across campus to educate students, faculty, staff and visitors about the University’s land-grant history and the Cooperative Extension mission. If you would like to contribute photos or images that feature our Extension team members, projects and stakeholders, please upload them to the campaign Box folder. If you have additional questions about Land-Grant Awareness Week, please contact Ms. Mallory Maher at mallord@clemson.edu.

Salesforce

The adaptation of Salesforce has given us the ability to report remarkable metrics for the success of your efforts. You are the drivers of world-class outcomes. In the month of June, Extension staff and faculty hosted over 700 programs across our system, and for the month of July, we are closing in on a total of 600 programs! It is beneficial for you to understand how these metrics are calculated through your use of Salesforce. Please read the insightful overview provided by Dr. Matt Burns in the Salesforce Blog post.

A graph chart showing an increase in contacts. — DASH Extension Program Events Created

New Employees and Milestones

I would like to introduce the newest members of our Extension family: Ms. Christina Dykstra, Administrative Assistant for the Aiken County office; Ms. Kathryn Flynn, Rural Health Agent for Oconee County; Mr. Broughton Goodson, Agronomic Crops Agent for Kershaw, Chesterfield and Lancaster Counties; Ms. Rachel Horne, Administrative Assistant for Newberry County; and Ms. Caroline Saathoff, Livestock and Forages Agent for Georgetown, Horry and Clarendon Counties. We are excited to have you join us in our mission to serve the citizens of South Carolina. Additionally, I would like to recognize Ms. Patricia Whitener, 4-H Natural Resources Program Leader, for her 10-year milestone with Cooperative Extension.

Christina Dykstra
Kathryn Flynn
Broughton Goodson
Rachel Horne
Caroline Saathoff
Patricia Whitener

Job Openings

We have openings to fill with talent. The following positions with their job ID numbers are currently posted on the Clemson Careers website.

4-H Youth Development Agent, Berkeley, 108968
4-H Youth Development Agent, Greenwood, 108760
4-H Youth Development Agent, Williamsburg, 108887
4-H Youth Development Agent, Newberry, 108763
Rural Health Agent, Laurens, 109104
Rural Health Agent, Greenville, 109103
Invasive Species Removal Specialist – South Carolina Botanical Garden, 109111
Consumer Horticulture and State Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Various Counties, 108698
Urban Horticulture Agent, Spartanburg, 108606
Urban Horticulture Agent, York, 108886
Urban Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator, Charleston, 109120

In Closing

Last month, I was fortunate to be present to watch Mr. John Parris recognize his friend, Governor David Beasley, as the newest recipient of the John W. Parris Agricultural Leadership Award. Mr. Parris was a true champion for South Carolina, and his vast list of accomplishments and experiences provides evidence of his passion for agriculture and conservation. I am comforted that his legacy will continue to be honored through the Agricultural Leadership Award in his name and that it will inspire many others.

As always, please take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Cooperative Extension.

Posted in From the DirectorTagged 2024JulyLeave a Comment

October 2024: Monthly Director’s Letter

Posted on November 15, 2024November 18, 2024 by ccampb3

Dear Extension Family,

As we embrace the changing of seasons this October, we have much to celebrate and reflect on. From our successful presence at the State Fair to the outstanding representation at the Sunbelt Ag Expo, the past month has been full of opportunities to showcase the impactful work we do every day in communities across South Carolina. This month’s Director’s Letter highlights these events, as well as exciting updates on new staff, training opportunities, and service milestones. I am proud to share these achievements with you and express my deep appreciation for your continued dedication to Clemson Cooperative Extension.

State Fair:

This year’s State Fair proudly celebrated all 46 counties of South Carolina, highlighting the unique qualities and distinct characteristics that each county brings to our vibrant state.

Clemson Extension showcased the invaluable contributions of its 10 program teams, emphasizing their diverse initiatives that enrich communities throughout the state. Highlights also included the Grain Bin Simulator and Tractor Safety displays from the Ag Mech team. Thank you to all the program teams and agents that volunteered and visited with Stakeholders! Thank you to Becca Hedden and Lance Beecher for organizing and making sure the State Fair was a success!

As we reflect on this year’s success, we’re already gearing up for next year’s State Fair, which is scheduled for October 8 through October 19. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the remarkable work of our program teams in 2025.

Sunbelt Ag Expo, Moultrie, GA

2024 provided for yet another outstanding year at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA. From ag exhibits and simulators, food safety demonstrations, to Madagascar hissing cockroaches, the 2024 Clemson building truly had something for everyone – from students to hobbyists to professionals. Thanks to special funding from Extension administration, the 2024 Clemson building featured several updates and improvements including the addition of a porch and concrete pad. These updates were certainly noticed and appreciated by many, including Sunbelt Executive Director, Chip Blalock, who made it a point to stop by on the opening day!

Each member of the Clemson Sunbelt team did a phenomenal job and devoted numerous hours ensuring our building would be amazing in 2024. Aside from representing Clemson at the Expo with their exhibits, our Sunbelt team members spent weeks in preparation, transport, set-up, and tear-down. The same thing can be said for Hunter Massey and the Ag Mech students that travel to Clemson. Thank you to each of you for all your efforts. For those who have interest in participating in the 2025 Sunbelt Ag Expo exhibit, please reach out to Millie Davenport or Brian Callahan.

2024 SC Sunbelt Farmer of the Year winner, Ty (and Tracy) Woodard surrounded by supporters at the 2024 Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA.

The 2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo Farmer of the Year was Ty Woodard of Woodard Farms in Darlington, SC, and was nominated by David DeWitt. Ty and his wife, Tracy, did a truly wonderful job of representing farming, family, and agriculture for our state. It was truly an honor for our entire team to get to work with them and know them a little bit better this year. To learn more details about Woodard Farms, check out the official press release at https://sunbeltexpo.com/2024-farmer-of-the-year-ty-woodard-south-carolina/. Special thanks to David DeWitt for serving as the nominator for our 2024 Sunbelt Farmer of the Year. We are already brainstorming nominees for the 2025 Sunbelt Farmer of the Year program. For anyone interested in potentially making a nomination, please feel free to reach out the Brian Callahan for more information.
Special thanks to the Millie Davenport for coordinating the building and so many of the small details that come along with it. Thank you as well to Extension and CAFLS administration for the continued financial investment in Sunbelt activities, and to Dr. Dobbins, Dr. Privette and Dean Holt for visiting the Sunbelt Ag Expo.
Go Tigers!
Brian Callahan

5 K Day at the Union County Agricultural Fair

In 1996, Union County Clemson Extension Office started the 5K Day at the Union County Agricultural Fair and we have continued that tradition since. 5K Day is designed to teach kindergarten students about agriculture and how our food is produced. The program has grown throughout the year, and we are fortunate to be able to offer this to all the kindergarten classes in Union County. In total we have all 4 elementary schools attend the program. Each year we have between 250 to 300 kindergarten students attend the program, along with chaperones and volunteers.

Each class rotates through nine stations where they spend five minutes learning about the specific agricultural commodity. The stations consist of beef cows, dairy cows, goats, horses, chickens, rabbits, bees, and crops. The crops station focuses on cotton, corn, soybeans, and vegetables that are planted by the Union Clemson Extension Office as a demonstration garden for the fair.

This program would not be possible without the help of agents from neighboring counties and several local volunteers.

Salesforce:

Helpful Tips:

Please bookmark the salesforce link https://clemson.my.salesforce.com
You may add a Team Member to an Interaction or a Program Event. To do so, create the interaction and save and then view the interaction. Once you scroll you will see a box for “Team Members” where you can add assisting users. For program events, view the Details tab on Program Event record and you can add an assisting user as well.
Please see the “Agent Activity – EPMS Summary” for a snapshot of your activities. You may clone this report and save it to make edits and learn how the report works.

The Salesforce Advisory Group continues to host office hours on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. via https://clemson.zoom.us/j/96691555805?from=addon

Service Milestones:

I would like to congratulate the following on their service milestones to Clemson University:

Terri Sumpter, Sumter County 4-H Youth Development Agent, 30 Years
Becca Hedden, Reporting and Staff Development Coordinator, 10 Years

Congratulations!

Becca Hedden graduated in the fourth cohort of CU Grow participants!

Project: Civil Rights Compliance Course – A collaboration between Clemson Cooperative Extension Service and CU Online for all Extension staff to complete that will enhance staff knowledge and awareness of civil rights compliance.

New Employees

Please help me welcome the newest members of our Extension family:

Robert Carter: Forestry & Wildlife Agent, Kershaw County
Cateya Davis: Administrative Assistant, Abbeville County
Allie Trotter: 4-H Agent, Greenwood County
Toni Heriot: 4-H Agent, Kershaw and Lee Counties
Dr. Maria Bowie: Director of Extension Center for Health Outreach Center (ECHO)
Katie Silver: livestock and Forages Agent, Aiken and Edgefield Counties
Mallory Fulmer: 4-H Youth Development Agent, Newberry County

Job Openings

We have new openings to fill with talent. The following positions with their job ID numbers are currently posted on the Clemson Careers website. http://www.clemson.edu/careers

South Carolina Botanical Garden Visitor Services Assistant Manager, Clemson, 109366
Extension Wildlife Damage Associate, Clemson, 109367
4-H Agent, Charleston County, 109420
Forest & Natural Resource Agent, Dorchester County, 109419
Extension Wildlife Damage Specialist, Extension Assistant Professor, Clemson, 109411
4-H Youth Development Agent, Laurens, 109381
Extension Educator, Climate Smart, Florence, 109382
Horticulture Agent, Sumter, 109281
Account & Fiscal Analyst, Sandhill REC- Columbia, 109418

IN CLOSING …

Thank you for your tireless commitment to Extension’s mission and the communities we serve. Whether you’re preparing for the next event, engaging with stakeholders, or celebrating milestones, your work is vital and truly appreciated. Please take time to rest and recharge as we head into the remainder of the year and continue making a difference in the lives of those around you. I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the coming months.As always, please take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Cooperative Extension.

Posted in Extension Update Newsletter, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

September 2024: Monthly Director’s Letter

Posted on October 2, 2024November 12, 2024 by ccampb3

Dear Extension Family,

I want to thank you all for your dedication and passion for Extension work. This became very clear during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. I have witnessed our folks helping their neighbors and our stakeholders, as well as working with other agencies to assist however we could to help our communities get through this catastrophic event. This is what we do, this is who we are, this is our mission to help our communities to become better to get through tough times. Once we get through this, we will assess what we did, how we did it, and how to improve what we do. I could not be prouder of our folks- thank you!

The beginning of Fall is always a busy time for us – fairs, harvest, Sunbelt Expo, Extension Programs of all types and planning for 2025. It seems like an Extension Agent, Associate and Specialists work is never ending. We will have teams at Sunbelt Expo, SC State Fair, and the National FFA Convention. At the same time, we will have teams determining the economic cost to our stakeholders of Hurricane Helene. However, in all this time of work, we need to remember our families and reflect on what is most important in our lives. We need to take time and reflect on how we balance our lives and how we make the “Best, Better”.

State Fair:

The State Fair begins Wednesday, October 9 through Sunday, October 20. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Booth is located in the Ellison Building. If you are working in the booth, please know the fair has a clear bag policy and we will be providing light refreshments. If you would like to work a shift or have any questions, please contact Becca Hedden at rthomp7@clemson.edu.

University NDEAM Disability Awareness Month:

Oct 9 – accessible design with Canva, Adobe Express, and Friends (also refer readers to other events listed on website): https://calendar.clemson.edu/search/events?event_types%5B%5D=128818

New Accessibility portal website launched with digital accessibility resources: https://www.clemson.edu/accessibility/digital/index.html

Salesforce:

Updates from Matt/Becca in addition to below training dates

We have in-person Salesforce trainings for districts coming up on the following dates:

Midlands: Friday, September 27 at the Lexington County Extension Office (Will be rescheduled soon)

Savannah Valley: Thursday, November 7 at TEACH Center in Charleston

Piedmont: Wednesday, December 4 at Anderson Extension Office

The Salesforce Advisory Group continues to host office hours on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. via zoom at https://clemson.zoom.us/j/96691555805?from=addon

Service Milestones:

I would like to congratulate the following on their service milestones to Clemson University:

Christopher LeMaster, Area Livestock and Forages Agent for Spartanburg and Union Counties, 10 years; and Jennifer Weaver, Urban Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator Lexington and Aiken Counties, 10 years.

Congratulations to Ben Boyles!

I would like to congratulate Ben Boyles for being a recipient of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for their Reciprocal Exchange.

“The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders—the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)—was created in 2014 to invest in the next generation of African leaders. The Reciprocal Exchange component provides U.S. citizens with the opportunity to build upon strategic partnerships and professional connections developed during the Fellowship through collaborative projects with Fellowship Alumni. As a Reciprocal Exchange Participant, you have the unique opportunity to implement a co-designed project with Stephane Okou and Sosthene Auguste Guei that will help you form lasting partnerships, expand markets and networks, and increase mutual understanding between the United States and Africa.

Congratulations again on being selected for the Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange component. We look forward to hearing about the results of your collaboration with your Fellowship Alumni Collaborator.

Sincerely,

The Mandela Washington Fellowship Team”

He will be heading to Africa in about a month.

New Employees:

Please help me welcome the newest members of our Extension family:

Savannah McKenzie: Administrative Assistant, Georgetown County

Nicole Goodman: Urban Horticulture Agent, Spartanburg County

Mallory Maher: Master Naturalist Program Coordinator and Natural Resources Extension Associate

Job Openings:

We have new openings to fill with talent. The following positions with their job ID numbers are currently posted on the Clemson Careers website. http://www.clemson.edu/careers

Agriculture/Forestry Associate, Clemson, 109320

Natural Resources Extension Associate, Charleston, 109326

Food Systems and Safety Agent, Berkeley, 109327

Area Water Resources Agent, Bamberg, 108889

Office Assistant, Colleton, 109301

Horticulture Agent, Sumter, 109281

Nutrition Educator, Greenville, 109272

Nutrition Educator, Richland, 109268

Nutrition Educator, Williamsburg, 109267

4-H Agent, Greenwood, 108760

Area Agronomic Agent, Kershaw, 109211

Forest Management Specialist, Various Counties, 109167

IN CLOSING …

We would like to congratulate and welcome Dr. John Andrae named as the director of Edisto REC. As he transitions into his new role, we in Extension will support him in any way possible as he continues to improve Edisto REC for our stakeholders.

Clemson names Andrae director of Edisto REC

As always, please take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Cooperative Extension.

Posted in From the DirectorTagged 2024SeptLeave a Comment

CFSA Extension Educator Travel Scholarship

Posted on August 28, 2024August 28, 2024 by dawnw

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s 39th Annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference will be held November 2–4 at the Durham Convention Center in Durham, NC. Thanks to support from the USDA Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education Program (Southern SARE), Extension personnel and agricultural specialists at Clemson University and SC State University may access a limited number of travel scholarships for this event.

Scholarship

The scholarship will provide registration for the conference (includes all meals starting Saturday breakfast through Sunday lunch), optional whole or half-day intensives on Monday, November 4, and hotel for up to two nights if needed. Hotels will be provided on a reimbursement basis. Mileage will not be reimbursed unless essential.

About the Conference

The conference boasts a premier event featuring local farmer-mentors as well as experts from various sectors of our agricultural system tackling the challenges of building resilient regional food systems, from the big ideas to the particulars of production.

Over 60 workshops on timely topics
Full and half-day on-farm intensives
Keynote presentation
Exhibit hall highlighting products and services for small farms
Amazing local and organic meals
Regional gatherings and networking opportunities
Policy updates
Advocacy opportunities
Seed exchange
Book signing and much more!

How to Apply

Scholarships will be provided until allotted funding is depleted or the deadline to apply (September 27) has passed. If you wish to apply for a travel scholarship, please complete the Google Form before Friday, September 27th.

Please do not complete the form until you are sure you plan to attend the conference.

For questions, please contact:

Kelly Flynn, SC SARE Program Assistant – kgilker@clemson.edu
Dr. John Andrae, SC SARE Coordinator (CU) – jandrae@clemson.edu
Dr. Joshua Idassi, SC SARE Coordinator (SCSU) – jidassi@scsu.edu

Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2024AugLeave a Comment

2024 4-H / FFA National WHEP Competition

Posted on August 28, 2024 by dawnw

The South Carolina 4-H and FFA Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) Teams traveled to the National WHEP Competition in Brownwood, Texas, at the end of July.

WHEP is a 4-H and FFA youth natural resource program designed to teach wildlife and fisheries habitat management to junior- and senior-level (ages 8-19) youth in the United States. It also allows participants to test their wildlife knowledge in a friendly competition, as each state supporting WHEP conducts an annual contest, and the winning senior (14-19 years of age) WHEP team from each state earns the right to attend the annual National WHEP Contest.

This year, 16 teams from across the United States competed in the National Contest. Participants had to identify wildlife and write a management plan for the woodlands ecoregion, including species like Northern Bobwhite, white-tailed deer, American widgeons and monarch butterflies.

Our FFA Team from Aynor High School, coached by Mr. Nate Bellamy, clinched a 4th national championship. For the individual portion of the FFA Division, Mason King, Ethan Buffkin, Chase Squires and Levi Dickerson also finished 1st-4th place. Mason King had the highest score of the entire contest (both FFA and 4-H). Our 4-H WHEP Team from Lexington, including Hennelly Gavin, Mya Chapman and Emma McCaffrey, performed exceptionally as well. Hennelly Gavin finished 9th place in the 4-H individual division.

Since 2019, approximately 600 South Carolina youth have participated in WHEP. South Carolina has sent WHEP teams to all the National WHEP Competitions (Kansas, Virtual, Kentucky, Iowa and Texas) and has won a total of 5 National WHEP Championships (four FFA and one 4-H) and two third place finishes (4-H).

Ms. Mallory Maher serves on the National WHEP Committee and helps conduct the annual National Competition. Due to our success on the state and national level, South Carolina will be hosting the National WHEP Competition in 2026. It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase South Carolina’s natural resources to the rest of the country.

Posted in 4-H, Awards Announcement, SC FFATagged 2024AugLeave a Comment

2024 State Fair Assignments

Posted on August 27, 2024August 29, 2024 by dawnw

The 2024 SC State Fair runs from Wednesday, October 9, through Sunday, October 20. Each program team has an assigned day for staffing the Cooperative Extension exhibit space, which will be located in the Ellison Building (view the fairgrounds map).

If you are not signed up to work a shift yet and would like to, please contact Ms. Becca Hedden at rthomp7@clemson.edu as soon as possible. We are especially in need of volunteers for Sunday, October 13 and Thursday, October 17. There are different shift times, but the exhibit hours typically run from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 9: Horticulture
Thursday, October 10: Livestock and Forages
Friday, October 11: 4-H Youth Development
Saturday, October 13: Agribusiness
Monday, October 14: Agricultural Education
Tuesday, October 15: Forestry and Natural Resources
Wednesday, October 16: Rural Health and Nutrition
Friday, October 18: EFNEP
Saturday, October 19: Agronomic Crops
Sunday, October 20: Food Systems and Safety

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a Comment

July 2024: Salesforce Update

Posted on July 26, 2024July 26, 2024 by dawnw

A Net Promoter Score image showing a score of 81.60.

Many of you may be aware we have a generic survey that is automated and connected to each of your programs. When your program is marked as “complete” within Salesforce, Qualtrics will send a general survey to the participants who attended. Although we have just started collecting this information, your hard work and service to your constituents are clear, with a net promoter score (NPS) of 82.

About NPS

The NPS is a widely used metric for gauging customer loyalty and satisfaction. Developed by Fred Reichheld, Bain & Company, and Satmetrix in 2003, NPS measures how likely customers are to recommend a company’s products or services to others.

How NPS Works

Survey Question
The core of NPS is a single question: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company/product/service to a friend or colleague?”

Scoring
– Promoters (9–10): These are loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and also refer others, therefore fueling growth.
– Passives (7–8): These are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.
– Detractors (0–6): These are unhappy customers who can damage your brand through negative word-of-mouth.

Calculation
NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. The formula is

NPS = %Promoters − %Detractors

The score can range from -100 (if every customer is a Detractor) to +100 (if every customer is a Promoter).

Interpretation of NPS

NPS > 0: More Promoters than Detractors, generally considered good.
NPS > 50: Excellent, indicating a high level of customer loyalty.
NPS > 70: World-class, representing exceptional customer satisfaction and loyalty.

As you can see, an NPS of 82 is world-class customer satisfaction. Thank you for your diligent use of Salesforce, and keep up the great work!

Ongoing Training

Speaking of work, we still have more to do as we learn to better utilize the tool of Salesforce. The Salesforce team will be visiting each District in person this fall to provide hands-on training. We are also continuing to offer Salesforce office hours every Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. If you don’t have the link, please reach out to Becca Hedden at rthomp7@clemson.edu, and she will make sure you get the calendar invitation.