February 2024: Monthly Director’s Letter

Dear Extension Family,

I am well aware of and humbled by the devotion so many have for their Extension responsibilities because of the amount of time put in and when it is put in–often outside of the regular Monday through Friday work week for many. I am touched when those of you who are able can adjust your schedules to not only give more but also give back. Dr. Martin Hamilton, South Carolina Botanical Gardens (SCBG) Director, sent a message of thanks and provided pictures from the December 12 “Extension Day of Service” at the SCBG, during which 25 of you worked with a dozen SCBG staff members to remove invasive plants, mulch and make winter bed preparations. He and the SCBG team are extremely grateful for all the hard work and collaboration, and I am, too.

We have a new opportunity for those who would like to volunteer to give back, this time for the 4-H Youth Development Natural Resources Program’s Forest Fest, which will be held on April 6 in Clemson at the North Forest (Issaqueena). This event engages Clemson University students, 4-H youth and community partners in collaborative, hands-on, experiential learning activities. Please contact Ms. Patricia Whitener at pwhiten@clemson.edu for more details.

There is no doubt I am excited about the pace we are setting for 2024. We haven’t even closed out the second month of 2024, yet we have organized various large-scale events for a wide range of stakeholders. I would like to recognize Ms. Charley Maxwell of the Agribusiness Program Team and the committee members of the South Carolina Women’s Agricultural Network (SC WAgN) for their work to make the 2nd Annual SC Women in Agriculture Conference an ongoing success. One attendee shared a memorable statement in their evaluation, “This conference refocused me. More importantly, I’d given up on my homestead plan. I feel re-energized. Farming is pretty isolating. This was a big boost for me.” Congratulations to Ms. Lindsey Craig of the Livestock and Forages Program Team for her management of the 48th Annual Bull Test Sale earlier this month. Ms. Craig was named the director of the Bull Test Program last year, and her dedication to the program ensured that the event would continue to be highly regarded. The top-selling bull went for $12,000. This past Saturday, Ms. Rushawnda Olden, Program Director of the South Carolina 4-H Pinckney Leadership Program, organized the largest Leadership Roundup event yet, with 260 youth and adult leaders representing 20 of the 46 counties of South Carolina. The Agronomic and Horticulture Program Teams have also stayed busy with Grower Meetings for cotton, peanut and vegetables and have half a dozen Field Days planned later in the year.

Salesforce Update

Beginning next week, the virtual Change Ambassador meetings will be held every other week via the Zoom link. Ms. Amber Starnes will lead the group through the Eventbrite setup process during the next meeting on February 27, and the March 12 meeting will focus on Dashboards. Please contact Ms. Becca Hedden at rthomp7@clemson.edu with training topic requests or other questions. Salesforce virtual office hours are held on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. via the Zoom link. Please note there are two separate Zoom links for the Change Ambassador meetings and the office hours.

Other updates include:

• The Agent Activity Dashboard can be accessed under “All Dashboards.” This will provide a snapshot of an Agent’s activity in Salesforce. 
• Schools and school districts have been entered into Salesforce courtesy of Trailblazer Ms. Tammy Morton. Please search for an institution before creating a new account. 
• We now have more than 26,000 contacts in Salesforce. The team runs duplicate reports weekly, but please remember to search for contacts before adding them.

County Agent Promotion Work Session (In-Person)

A County Agent Promotion Work Session will be held on Tuesday, March 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Lexington County Extension Office (605 West Main Street, Suite F). This work session is intended for eligible agents who have started working on their promotion packets, have reviewed the instructions and PowerPoint presentation, and would like additional assistance. Samples and strategies for successful packets will be shared. If you plan to attend, please contact Mrs. Alivia Gunter at aliviag@clemson.edu by March 6 to pre-register.

Transfers, New Employees and Job Postings

We are pleased that Ms. Terasa Lott will join the Extension Leadership Team as the Midlands District Director. She will lead county staff in the newly established district, which includes Calhoun, Clarendon, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland and Sumter Counties. All county transitions will be effective April 15. Passionate about natural resources stewardship, Ms. Lott has been responsible for water resources programming in Florence and Darlington Counties since April 2010 and was named State Coordinator of the South Carolina Master Gardener Program in January 2018. During her career, environmentally friendly landscaping has been a major program focus. Her outreach efforts via television (Making It Grow) have made her a recognizable and trusted source of both horticulture and water resources information across the state. Mr. Drew Jeffers has accepted the role of Horticulture Agent for Greenville County and will serve as the County Coordinator. Previously, Mr. Jeffers was serving Spartanburg County since he joined Cooperative Extension in 2016 as part of the Horticulture Program Team. He is also the Program Coordinator for the South Carolina Certified Landscape Professional Program and a well-known contributor to HGIC and Land-Grant Press. His expertise in integrated pest management (IPM) and ornamentals greatly benefits various stakeholders.

Please help me in welcoming the newest members of our Extension family: Ms. Roxane Cummings, Rural Health and Nutrition Agent for Orangeburg and Bamberg Counties; Mr. Dylan Mott, Rural Health and Nutrition Agent for Greenville County; Ms. Anna Sara Hill, Commercial Horticulture Agent for Barnwell County; and Ms. Tara Turner, 4-H Pinckney Leadership Program Coordinator. 

Additionally, we have one job posting to share at this time, the Spartanburg Urban Horticulture and Master Gardener Coordinator (Job ID: 108606). View the entire position description on the Clemson Careers website.

In Closing …

I highly encourage nominations for the Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Award. This award is open to any farmer or member of a farming family actively involved in the agriculture industry and at least 21 years of age. Please consider nominating a deserving stakeholder or supporter of Clemson Cooperative Extension and contact Dr. Brian Callahan at bcallah@clemson.edu for nomination forms or questions.

Our next ‘Drop-in with the Director’ Zoom session will be held on Wednesday, March 6 at 8:00 a.m. A reminder email with the Zoom link will be sent out the day before. Everyone is invited to join and bring questions and feedback to our forum or just listen in.

I hope I always take the time to express the extreme gratitude I have for the contributions everyone makes in their Extension roles. I believe that we all perceive a personal benefit in making a profound difference for others through our work. We may value different benefits and have different perceptions of how we prioritize those benefits. I wanted to share the following quote from a recent news story that reminded me about the benefit of stability. “One of the biggest benefits, especially in this difficult market, is the job security. People in private sector jobs are three times more likely to lose their jobs than people in federal government jobs.” There are positive returns for investing your expertise and time to carry out our mission. Still, I want to emphasize that I will prioritize continuing to examine ways we can bolster retainment and express recognition for the value of your commitments.

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

Free registration is available for up to ten Cooperative Extension employees per workshop for the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program. Use code “extension” during online registration. Please only sign up if you are certain you can attend. Visit the workshop website for additional information. The workshops are designated with an * below.

• *February 29, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Leaping into Creative Conservation: Issues and Techniques for Farmers, Aiken County Agricultural Services, 1555 Richland Ave East, Aiken.
• March 6, Drop-In with the Director Zoom, 8:00 a.m. Access through the Zoom link.
• *March 6, 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., On-Farm Water Management Clemson University Edisto Research and Education Center, 64 Research Road, Blackville.
• March 12, County Agent Promotion Work Session, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Lexington County Extension Office (605 West Main Street, Suite F). Please contact Mrs. Alivia Gunter at aliviag@clemson.edu by March 6 to pre-register.
  
• *March 14, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Getting Out of Nature’s Way: Soil Health in Practice for Grazing and Vegetables Augusta Road Ruritan Club, 7788 Augusta Road, Piedmont.
• *March 20, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Advanced Soil Health: Alternative Crop Nutrition Sources and Bio-Stimulants Clemson University Coastal Research & Education Center, 2700 Savannah Hwy, Charleston.
• *March 28, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Best Agricultural Management Practices for Forage-Livestock Systems Clemson University Edisto Research and Education Center, 64 Research Road, Blackville.
• *April 1, online via ZOOM, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Website Development and Analytics.
• *April 11, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Good Agriculture Practices and FSMA Produce Safety Rule Location TBD, Charleston County.
• *April 22, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Labor Issues and Personnel Management for the Small & Beginning Farm SC Farm Bureau Federation, Main Conference Room, 724 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce.