Hold the Date: April 12 Delegate Meeting Will Focus on Extension Programming

The Spring PSAC Delegate Meeting will be held on April 12 at Celebration Hall. The program will focus on the new Penn State Extension programmatic model and will include presentations by the newly assigned Extension Program Leaders. It will also include breakout sessions with the various program team leaders, providing attendees an opportunity to review current programming around the topic areas now under the purview of  the new teams and offer input into current and future program offerings.

This is a unique opportunity to provide detailed feedback into Extension programming, and we encourage you to invite members of your associations with appropriate expertise to represent your industry sector's needs in this session. Attendees will be provided an opportunity to participate in more than one breakout session and provide feedback to more than one Extension Team. Information on the new program model can be found at:

 http://tinyurl.com/74dl8mh

Registration emails for the delegate meeting will be sent out the first week of March.

Register Now! College Capitol Day Scheduled for March 14

Registration emails have been sent out for the 8th annual College Capitol Day, which will be held in Harrisburg on March 14, 2012. The event is sponsored by the Penn State Ag Council and the  Penn State Extension Council.

Once again, the college is facing a unique and challenging budget year and it will be critical for stakeholders to communicate with legislators the importance of agricultural research and Extension and the need to continue funding.

If you have not already registered, you can do so at http://www.cvent.com/d/9cq832

College Budget Update

The Governor presented his proposed budget on February 7, and the House and Senate are currently holding budget hearings in preparation of introducing the appropriation bills. The college agricultural research and Extension lines, moved into the Land Scrip Fund last budget cycle, are flat in the Governor's proposal.  However, the appropriation for the Land Scrip Fund, previously found in the state’s general fund as a line item in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), was transferred to the Race Horse Development Fund in the Governor’s proposal. Find more details at http://tinyurl.com/7gjh2q5.

Penn State Extension Implements New Business Model

Penn State Extension is in the process of implementing a new business model consisting of two major operational components: a new program team approach to program development and delivery and a new district model to provide Extension county administrative services. Details on the new model can be found on the College AG Futures site at http://tinyurl.com/7g9sh3c

College Academic Restructuring Proposal Approved

The University Faculty Senate and the Penn State Board of Trustees have approved the college's proposal for the new academic department structure, and the College is working to implement the proposal, which should by official on July 1, 2012. The full proposal can be viewed at:

http://agsci.psu.edu/ag-futures/academic-restructuring-proposal.pdf/view

The department heads of the new departments will be named shortly.

Status of Blue and White Training Event to be Announced Shortly

The status of the annual training session for college advocates normally held in conjunction with the Blue and White football game has not been confirmed. The Blue and White game is scheduled for April 21, 2012. Stayed tuned for an announcement shortly.

Be Sure and Renew Your 2012 Membership

If you have not already renewed your 2012 membership, please go to the following link to do so today!
http://tinyurl.com/87ocqrk 

Ag Council Election Results

Elections were held at the fall delegate meeting to fill three board of director vacancies for a three year term that expires 12/31/14. Congratulations to these newly appointed board members:

Matt Ehrhart, Chesapeake Bay Foundation (2nd term)

Ken Martin, Furmano Foods, Inc. (1st term)
Lisa Schaefer, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (1st term)

To see a complete listing of the Board of Directors for the Penn State Ag Council, visit http://agsci.psu.edu/business/agcouncil/board-of-directors

Penn State Ag Council 2011 Leadership Award Recipients

The Penn State Ag Council presented the ninth series of leadership awards at the fall meeting. Each recipient received a lion statue and their names will be on a permanent display in the Agricultural Administration Building.

Congratulations to the following recipients:

Leadership Award, C. Eugene Wingert
Youth Leadership Award, Douglas Masser
Leadership in Action Award, The WoodMobile

To learn more about the Penn State Ag Council Leadership awards, to see past recipients, and to submit a nomination for 2012 please click on the link below.

http://agsci.psu.edu/business/agcouncil/leadership-awards

2011 Deans Tour Hosted by PVGA and PFPA

The Pa Vegetable Growers Association (PVGA) and the PA Forest Products Association (PFPA) hosted a dean's tour in 2011. The tours included stops at vegetable grower operations, a vegetable auction, Furmano Foods, Inc., Kuhns Brothers Lumber Co., Woodmode, Bingaman and Son Lumber, Inc, and included a reception for alumni and industry at the Lewisburg Inn.

If you or your member organization would like to host a tour, please contact the college relations office at mbs13@psu.edu.

2011 College Research Tour Held

The twelfth annual college of ag sciences research tour was held in the fall and focused on a number of environmental and agricultural production challenges, including stink bugs and native pollinators,  Marcellus Shale and water quality, pasture management, animal disease tracking and identification, and more.

The tour was hosted by the Penn State Ag Council and made possible by the generosity of the following sponsors:

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau

PennAg Industries Association
Pa Pork Producers Council
Northeast Equipment Dealers Association
American Mushroom Institute
Dairy One-Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Association of Milk Dealers

Thank you for your support!

Upcoming Events

College Capitol Day, March 14, 2012

PSAC Board Meeting, April 11, 2012

PSAC Legislative Committee Meeting, April 11, 2012

PSAC Program Committee Meeting, April 11, 2012

Spring Delegate Meeting, April 12, 2012

Blue and White Legislative Training, April 21, 2012 (Tentative)

Ag Progress Days, August 14-16, 2012

College Budget Update

The Pennsylvania House sent their state budget proposal to the Senate on May 24th. The proposal includes separate Ag Research and Ag Extension line items to be included in the Penn State appropriation bill with funding levels at 25% less than the 2010/2011 funding level.

Majority Chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, John Maher, authored an amendment to separate and fully restore the Ag Research and Ag Extension lines items, but the budget process resulted in most amendments being pulled before consideration.

On the Senate side, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Jake Corman, has introduced the Penn State appropriations bill (SB1122), restoring funding to 85% of last year's funding level. The agricultural research and extension lines are not included in the bill, as Senator Corman is still working on a proposal to restore the lines to 90% of last year's funding and shift the location of the lines into the state Department of Agriculture. Click here for more information.

Please continue to communicate your support and appreciation of these efforts to your legislators. It is expected the legislature will act on the budget before end of the fiscal year on June 30th.

Ag Futures Process Moving Forward

The Ag Futures process, designed to develop and implement a new business model for the college, is moving forward. Dean Bruce McPheron presented a draft proposal for a new academic unit structure in a webinar to college faculty and staff on June 10, 2011. Details of the proposal can be found on the college Ag Futures website. Stakeholders can provide comments and feedback on the proposed structure between June 13-July 5. The Penn State Ag Council college strategic planning committee will be meeting to review the proposal and provide feedback as appropriate. We encourage council members to provide feedback on this important proposal.

College Names Interim Associate Dean of Undergrad Education

The College of Agricultural Sciences has named Tracy Hoover, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, as the interim Associate Dean of Undergrad Education.

She will serve in that post while a national search is conducted to replace J. Marcos Fernandez, who will become Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs for the College of Agriculture at Purdue University, effective July 1.