The year is quickly passing by. We have a new process for announcing the county office reopening stages. SCDHEC’s data will now be released on Fridays, and your supervisor will contact you to confirm your office’s status based on that data. The status of office stages will continue to be updated weekly on the County Reopening Stages webpage. Even though we’re seeing another spike in cases as we head into winter, we are hopeful that we can get more offices open to staff and the public. I know the frustration over this situation has carried on for many months. However, we must do what we can to continue showing the impact we are having regardless of whether our offices are open or not.
A new guidebook for Clemson Online has been published and is available on the For Employees website under the Personnel Resources tab. I want to thank Dr. Callahan for his work to support and enhance online programs and courses for our stakeholders. This is a tremendous resource, and I encourage everyone to reach out to Dr. Callahan for more information. Speaking of online programming, the Horticulture team is gearing up for their new virtual Master Gardener Training Class, which will begin in January. An additional highlight to mention is that the process of updating the Master Gardener Manual has picked up speed thanks to the new partnership between the Horticulture team and Clemson University Press. I am looking forward to having a new edition published in 2021.
While things may slow down for some heading into the holiday season, that’s not the case in Extension. Although this year has been the roughest many of us can remember in our lives, we should focus on what we do have and always remember that our stakeholders are grateful for Extension. Your work matters and even more so as we enter November. I am proud of all of you for your efforts to continue with your diligent work to serve our stakeholders through what may be a challenging holiday season. The Livestock and Forages team is preparing for their first annual virtual Southeast Cow-Calf Conference this week, and with Thanksgiving only two weeks away, the HGIC team has been cranking out lots of recipe ideas for the holiday season. Additionally, the 4-H team is preparing for a Coding Challenge for December to keep youth engaged. Since March, nearly all program teams have contributed publications to the Land-Grant Press repository. We are nearing one hundred, and the submittals keep coming, including those from agents who are first-time authors.
I want to tell everyone about two important stakeholder surveys that have been launched, including one from the Agribusiness team to understand the effects of COVID-19 on SC farms and another coming from the SC Women’s Agricultural Network (WAgN) to identify critical resources needed by women in agriculture in our state. At Clemson, we have several programs for women in agriculture, including SC WOW (Women Owning Woodlands), LEAD (Ladies Engaged in Agricultural Development), and SC Annie’s Project. I am excited about the new committee formed to reenergize WAgN that includes female leaders in agriculture Extension, and I want to thank this committee for the work they are doing.
In lieu of all that has happened over the past week, I want to emphasize how important it is to treat everyone around us with respect. We need to learn to get along. Compromise is not bad. In fact, our country was built on compromise. Please remember to conduct yourself professionally and respectfully, especially when posting on social media. The next few weeks are going to be crucial for how our country adjusts to everything that 2021 will bring.
As always, please take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Extension.
