SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Dr. Jim Wirth, a human development specialist for Greene County Extension, is being moved from Greene County to Taney County in response to budget cuts from the Greene County Commission. According to Jay Chism, Southwest Region director for MU Extension, Wirth’s move will be final in July.

“He is being moved to a county where the County Commission provides adequate funding for the local office and is able to provide the support he needs to be able to do his job,” said Chism. “Greene County has had a great interest in programs related to families, elderly and human development. But, this move makes meeting those needs much more difficult and creates a lot of challenges for our volunteer council.”

The announcement was made on May 27 during the monthly meeting of the Greene County Extension Council. “I want to thank the Council for doing everything possible as a volunteer group to survive from financial drowning,” said Wirth. “I’ve been in Greene County for 16 years.

Wirth is in the process of canceling most of his scheduled late summer, fall and winter programs in Greene County. One exception will be the four training sessions he has planned for childcare providers in Springfield.

During his time in Greene County, Wirth offered programs related to childcare, marriage, parenting, seniors, aging, personal, professional and workforce development, interpersonal relations, leadership development, citizen engagement, diversity and healthy living.

Since 1999, Wirth has delivered 2,519 programs on 137 different topics in Greene County to 60,052 attendees. “Besides the breadth and depth of program offerings, there is the impact of reaching over 60,000 program attendees in face-to-face programs,” said Wirth. “And the conference presentations were multiple and they show that Extension impact is broader than the local area.”

HISTORY OF FUNDING CUTS

The Greene County Extension Center is maintained as a partnership between the Greene County Commission and the University of Missouri. But in recent years, funding from the Greene County Commission has fallen far below the amount needed to maintain a local office even though the county office provided educational programs for over 25,000 people during 2011.

“The budget reduction by the Greene County Commission to the state minimum of $10,000 for Extension in 2012 has forced the council to make additional, dramatic, changes,” said Carl Allison, chairman of the Greene County Extension Council. “This is the type of thing we said would happen when the county announced a second year of minimum funding back in January.”

University of Missouri fully funds the salaries, benefits, training, and computer support, for the five specialists headquartered in Greene County. County funds are used to pay administrative assistants and office expenses like the telephone, copies, office supplies, some postage and travel for specialists conducting programs.

“For three years now we have pulled from our reserves to fulfill our mission after the Commission cut our budget. But, we also know we can’t cut ourselves to prosperity, we need additional county funding to survive,” said Allison.

In 2009, the County allocated $95,000 to the publically elected Greene County Extension Council. The local office also generated about $25,000 as part of an annual office budget of $115,000.

In 2010, the County Commission voted to allocate $27,000 to the local office as a savings measure and the local office began to draw heavily from reserve funds, even after making cuts. The Commission repeated the allocation of $27,000 (a 72% percent cut from previous years) with the 2011 budget. The 2012 and 2013 budgets were a 90% cut to the amount requested by council.

By state law, every first class county funds an Extension office with a minimum of $10,000. That amount was set in 1961 and would need to be $72,000 now to have the same buying power. Those funds are used to pay office costs and fund an administrative assistant. Funding from the Greene County Commission for Extension has not been at or below $10,000 since the 1950s.

CUTTING TO THE BONE

“The local Greene County Extension Council has instituted many cuts and revenue generating ideas over the past five years in an effort to balance the budget,” said Allison. “Those cuts have kept this county office open but the reserves are running out.”

Educational programs at the Greene County Extension Center draw people from other counties in to Greene County where they spend money and then take what they have learned back home to improve their own communities. The regional specialists in the Greene County office conduct programs that impact the entire region but they also do good work for Greene County.

Wirth told the council that he thought Extension could be compared to a “full menu shop.”

“But, we are becoming less than a full-menu even though the demand is still there. Because of county budget cuts, the infrastructure does not exist to continue as a full menu operation which means we end up only partially supporting things like 4-H, health programs, gardening programs. My fear is that with limited menus offered, perceptions begin to follow the reality that Extension is a limited menu,” said Wirth.

Many volunteers are involved with raising funds and awareness to prevent the extincition of Extension in Greene County.

“From a regional perspective, the Greene County office is one of our flagship so a cut of this magnitude is troubling for our organization, our staff and the people we serve,” said Chism. “The biggest concern is that these changes reduce services to the residents of Greene County.”

Since 1914, Greene County residents have sought help from Extension in areas related to agriculture, gardening, 4-H youth, nutrition, families, business and community development. Members of “Friends of Greene County Extension” contribute financially to make it possible for Extension to continue having a positive impact on the quality of life in Greene County, Mo. To learn how you can help go online to http://extension.missouri.edu/greene/giving.aspx or call the Greene County Extension Center at (417) 881-8909.

Greene County loses extension specialist to cuts
Human development specialist transferred to Taney County
Prepared by News-Leader staff, published News-Leader June 19, 2013

Article link: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20130618/NEWS01/306180097/Budget-cuts-Jim-Wirth-specialist-to-leave-Greene-County-extension-service

Information for both provided by MU Extension Southwest Region News Service

“Nature in the Park” Photo Contest

The Southwest Missouri Camera Club will again partner with Friends of the Garden to sponsor the “Nature in the Park” Photo Contest. Entries are due by 6 p.m. June 30 in both the adult and youth divisions (14 and younger). Results will be announced during the 5th Annual Friends of the Garden Butterfly Festival on July 20 at the Springfield Botanical Gardens.

This is the third year for the competition; entries are limited to one entry per person.

Sponsors include: Black River Imaging (www.blackriverimaging.com); Lawrence Photo (www.lawrencephotovideo.com); Mpix (www.mpix.com); National Art Shop (www.nationalartshop.com); TCI Graphics (www.tcigraphics.com); Southwest Missouri Camera Club (www.swmocameraclub.org); GREENE Magazine (www.GREENEMagazine.com); and Friends of the Garden (www.friendsofthegarden.org).

Prizes: All Winners will receive 2013 Family Memberships to the Southwest Missouri Camera Club. All entrants receive a valuable coupon to National Art Shop.

Adult Division:
1st place: $100.00 gift certificate to Black River Imaging.
2nd place: $50 gift certificate to Lawrence Photo & $25 gift certificate from Mpix.
3rd place: $25 gift certificate from National Art Shop & $25 gift certificate from Mpix.
Honorable Mention: $25 gift certificate from Mpix.

Optional Youth Division (Age 14 and younger)
1st place: $50 gift certificate to Lawrence Photo & $25 gift certificate from Mpix.
2nd place: $25 gift certificate to TCI Graphics & $25 gift certificate from Mpix.
3rd place: $25 gift certificate from Mpix.

Drawing: After the winners are announced, there will be a drawing for all participants for one (1) $25 gift card for National Art Shop.

Rules for entries:

1. All photos must have been taken within the confines of Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, including the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden located at 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield MO.

2. Digital or film cameras may be used.

3. Only basic corrections are acceptable for digital images: exposure, crop, contrast, sharpen.

4. All editing work must be done by the entrant.

5. Your image must be 8″ x 10″, mounted on 11”x14” foam core, with a black or white mat.

6. No frames or glass, please. We will add velcro on the back to display it in the Botanical Center.

7. Your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, division (specify adult or youth), must appear on the back of the entry. No identification should appear on the front of the entry. Entries are limited to one per person.

8. Photos may show natural habitat, plant life, landscapes, wildlife, or people interacting with nature during events and festivals. Photos are not restricted to a specific time of year.

9. If you include clearly identifiable people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary publication releases from the individuals depicted, and must be able to provide copies of those releases to Greene Magazine upon request.

10. Entries cannot be removed on July 20th. All entries will be proudly displayed at the Botanical Center through August 21st and the winning photos after that at Lawrence Photo. Selected winning photos will be published in GREENE Magazine. Winning entrants will be required to submit a digital copy of their image for publication.

11. Winners will be announced at 9:00 a.m. at opening of the Butterfly Festival on July 20, 2013.

12. There will be no entry fee, however donations will be accepted with proceeds going to Friends of the Garden Maintenance Fund.

13. Entries will be accepted through 6 p.m. on June 30th at The Botanical Center gift shop or mailed to:

Nature in the Park Photo Competition
Springfield/Greene County Botanical Center
2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, MO 65807

14. Entries must be collected at the gift shop between August 21st and August 30. Entries not collected by August 30th will be donated to an area non-profit organization.

Hilltop Newsletter – NEWS FLASH
Hilltop Farm, June 18, 2013

Hi everyone,

Our “official” closing date is 6/29 for the season. HOWEVER, we probably will extend the season one week until 7/6. That is not a sure thing yet, so check next week’s letter or the website. It will all depend on whether sales are still good and the weather is favorable.

But here is the news flash: We WILL have a fall event – but the dates and times are not set yet. The Missouri Master Gardener’s Conference will be in this area this fall. They asked to tour Hilltop Farm, so we might as well be open to you all as well. We are planning to offer them and you an interesting choice of perennials, pansies, violas, flowering kale and cabbage, some house plants, and more! Watch this spot for details!

This is a day late. Lightning keeps us off the computer, so you get it now.

You may receive a notice that this address is being phased out. Ignore that comment. Technology is up to its trouble, so I have to mail this out of an old (still functioning) address because my computer won’t let me mail it from the newer address. I’m sorry for the confusion.

Oscar writes:

What is this stuff on my hollyhocks???! It appears that all the hollyhocks on earth have been attacked by a rust (fungus) this year. Ugly raised orange spots on the leaves are its calling card. Comments:

1. It is too late to do much about it.

2. It typically does not kill the plant.

3. The hollyhocks will bloom anyway.

4. It may or may not reappear next year.

5. It needs constantly wet leaves to form.

Raised garden up-date:

Many of you have seen our new raised garden in the barn lot (overflow parking). If you haven’t seen it, check it out next time you are out.

The bed is raised with old railroad ties, approx. 8’ long each. It is 3 ties wide by 8 ties long by 2 ties high. It is filled with a mix of 1/3 river sand, 1/3 top soil, and 1/3 compost, all measured by volume, not weight.

In mid-March we sowed beets, spinach, and carrots by seed; potatoes by tubers; and cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, and onions by plants.

We are now harvesting beets, baby carrots, new potatoes, broccoli (huge heads!), chard, and onions. The spinach is finished but it was good!

Where the spinach was, we have re-planted with Red Ace beets. In the vacant part of the garden we also planted this week, parsnips, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, zinnias, and Swiss chard. When the other early veggies are finished, we will plant more of something in its place. In late June we will plant winter squash. In late August we plan to plant Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, and spinach. (Amy hasn’t planted her garden yet. L The tomatoes, peppers, eggplant are in gallon pots waiting for the poppies to finish and go to seed. She also needs to plant zucchini and cucumbers as well as a mass of zinnias. She is soooooo far behind!) These two not-so-big gardens keep us (and our neighbors) in lots of healthy eating. We love our veg!

If you have a question that you want discussed here or have a topic for us to cover, let us know.

Have a blessed week,

Amy & Oscar Cross
hilltop@ipa.net

If you would like to be added to the email list for this regular newsletter let Amy & Oscar know. GD

The workshop series

The workshop series, June 22, June 26 and June 29, 2013, includes basic photography, a focus on flowers, matting and framing techniques. Classes will be held at the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center located in the 114 -acre Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, 2400 S. Scenic Ave. Seating is limited; reserve your space TODAY by calling 417.891.1515.

The workshops are designed for adults and teens accompanied by a parent. Here is information about the three classes:

· Digital SLR Photography Basics, Saturday, June 22, 9 a.m. until noon. Terry Burnes will begin with thirty minutes of instruction followed by outdoor picture-taking in small groups, and assisted by Southwest Missouri Camera Club members. Bring your camera, manual, tripod and questions. Fee: $20.

· Flower Photography, Wednesday, June 26, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Alan O’Neal begins his class with non-technical suggestions on how to take flower photos followed by an outdoor picture-taking session, ending with a return to the classroom to critique your photos. Participants should have a working knowledge of their camera. Bring a digital camera (can be a point and shoot), telephoto lens, if you have one, camera manual and sack lunch. Fee; $20. Rain date is June 27.

· Basic Matting and Framing Techniques for Photographs, Saturday, June 29, 10 until 11:30 a.m. Gordon Stump will facilitate this class; Learn why and how to preserve your photos, the types of pre-cut mat and frames and watch a demo of how to cut a mat, mount and frame a photo. Fee: $10.

‘Nature in the Park’ Photo Contest

“Just in time for the annual ‘Nature in the Park’ Photo Contest, the Southwest Missouri Camera Club is offering a series of three workshops to sharpen your photography skills,” said Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center Coordinator Katie Steinhoff.

Prizes will be awarded in the “Nature in the Park” Photos Contest by its co-sponsors, Friends of the Garden and Southwest Missouri Camera Club. At the end of June, participants can submit a photo to be exhibited during the Friends of the Garden annual Butterfly Festival on Saturday, July 20, 2013. For a complete set of rules, visit: www.swmocameraclub.org

“The Botanical Center and Gardens are becoming a favorite photography location because of its dozens of outdoor collections and themed gardens,” said Steinhoff. “The gardens are a perfect picture in themselves, but also a wonderful backdrop for marking memorable moments and capturing family events.”

For more information, contact Sandra Letson, Southwest Missouri Camera Club Workshop Coordinator at sandragraves@mchsi.com or call 417.496.1838

THE BOTANICAL BLOG
By Peter Longley, Horticultural Interpreter
Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center and Gardens
2400 S. Scenic Avenue, Springfield MO, 65807
Tel: 417.891.1515

Monday, June 17, 2013

How long will it take us to achieve our goals? In a public garden I imagine we will never achieve our goals as we will always be a work in progress, but some milestones have been reached out at the Springfield Botanical Gardens for which we can justifiably be proud. In a space of little more than twelve years, and mostly within the last eight years, we have received considerable national attention, even international recognition. Last Friday, we received the wonderful news that our beautiful Hosta Garden tended by the Greater Ozarks Hosta Society currently under the dynamic leadership of Tom Lakowske, has been certified by the American Hosta Society as a listed national display garden for hostas, taking its place in a body of less than twenty such gardens in the nation. This announcement was made at the AHS National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This follows on an announcement earlier last week that informed us that the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden is now the newest member of the prestigious North American Japanese Garden Association. The association is a professional, non-profit membership organization dedicated to the advancement and sustainability of more than 250 Japanese Gardens located throughout the U.S, and Canada. Rules for membership are stringent and follow strict guidelines for purity in Japanese design. NAJGA is supported by The Japan Foundation’s Center for Global Partnership, and through that we gain not just national, but international recognition for our very fine garden in the ‘stroll garden’ design. NAJGA executive director, Diana Larowe, plans to feature the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden in their annual journal for 2014, which will give us considerable national and international exposure. Much of the credit for this recent accolade must go to Don and Nancy Schmidt who steer our Japanese Garden committee. All this good news follows on the great achievement last year when our daylily collection became certified by the National day lily Society acknowledging the collection as one of the top fifteen in the nation. In about two weeks don’t miss coming out to see this collection in full bloom. The continued great work here is due to our wonderful park partners in the Ozarks Daylily Club. All of this news is good for us as an American public garden, and helps to take us to the next level in our goals, but it is also great for our park board and great for the City of Springfield. We will become that third great botanical garden in the heartland triangle along with the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis and Powell Gardens outside Kansas City, if we have not already done so! Congratulations and thanks to all who are making this happen! There are many wonderful American public gardens with many years on us, who do not have such honors. We can be proud!

Following on the successful Asiatic Lily Show at the Library Center on Saturday, now is the time to come out to the garden and see our collection here. They are opening up fast now and should reach mass blooming by next weekend—a weekend that will be very busy for us in the park.

Saturday, June 22, is the Annual Springfield Watergarden Society Pond Tour, and the beautiful lakes within the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden will be a part of the tour this year. Altogether, there are some ten Springfield gardens that will be opened for public view featuring diverse water gardens. Tickets for the tour are only $ 5 and can be purchased at the Botanical Center Gift Shop any time this week. The Springfield Watergarden Society is generously donating 50% of the proceeds to Friends of the Garden, the umbrella organization at the Springfield Botanical Gardens that designs and maintains through an all-volunteer force most of our beautiful gardens in the park. Those who are on this tour will also have the opportunity next Sunday, June 23, for a small fee to join with pond hosts and members of the Springfield Watergarden Society for a great party out at president Pat Ware’s beautiful home with its gardens and ponds. Information about this is on your tour tickets when you purchase them. Membership in the Springfield Watergarden Society is only $ 15 and should you choose to join call Pat Ware 417 343 3878, or Peter Longley at the Botanical Center, 417 891 1512, or e-mail springfieldwatergardensociety@gmail.com

Saturday, June 22, also sees the Ozark Daylily Club exhibit of daylily varieties in the Atrium from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Botanical Center, and from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm there is a photography seminar in the Workshop on Beginning Photography with the digital SLR camera. This is in preparation for the annual Southwest Missouri Camera Club ‘Nature in the Park’ photography contest. Information on this can be found at: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20130613/LIFE06/306130041/southwest-missouri-camera-club-nature-park-photography-contest. There are two divisions, Adult and Youth (14 and younger), with gift certificates awarded to the top three finishers in each division. The contest includes both color and black-and-white photos. The winners will be announced at the Butterfly Festival here in the Springfield Botanical Gardens on Saturday, July 20. Please note that we permanently exhibit photos of our park partner, the Southwest Missouri Camera Club in the Atrium at the Botanical Center.

It is possible, too, that at 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 22, we will be holding the dedication of the Peace Garden in the park that unfortunately had to be cancelled last Saturday because of the torrential rain. However, those invited to the ceremony will no doubt be hearing more about this and I will keep you posted next Friday. The heavy rain on Saturday washed a few places in the park, but nothing that we can not quickly repair, I hope however, our plants survive without root rot. Nearly six inches fell in just under an hour! The result was an overflowing rain garden, but it was doing its job as it collected the massive flow of water from the swales in the Botanical Center parking lot. The water rapidly percolated in the Rain Garden and went through that cleansing process before being released in a flood down the Great Lawn. The geese were having a field day, but it soon soaked away.

Next Friday, June 21, at 6:30 pm, Patricia Tursi Ph.D., will present the long awaited program in the Master Gardener’s of Greene County public program Biochar, Earthing, Feel Good Bacteria and our Soil Food Web. Biochar was a hot topic at the May ‘American Public Gardens Conference’ in Phoenix, Arizona. A powerpoint presentation will present visual evidence of a world little known and focus on new methods of increasing our soil fertility, food production, and maintaining plant health without input. What are nutrient-dense foods and why should we be concerned? Patricia is a retired psychologist who specializes in mind-body issues. She joined Master Gardeners in 1987 and, in the early nineties, she and her late husband had a farm in Arkansas where they raised paddock contained grass-fed beef, tractor-pulled chickens, and used permaculture methods for water capture. Like Katie Steinhoff and myself, along with the remaining staff of the MU Extension of Greene County, Patricia works in the Botanical Center.

I think it fitting to close by acknowledging the fantastic evening on Friday, June 14, that Master Gardeners Michael and Jan Wooten gave for ‘Friends of the Greene County MU Extension’ at their home, Sunshine Valley Farm near Rogersville. The event raised $ 2500 in funds for the MU Extension that since 1914 has sought to help Greene County residents in areas related to agriculture, gardening, 4-H, nutrition, cooking, families, and business and community development. This will help keep this tremendous asset up and running in very difficult times, but there is still a long way to go! Please note that in 2012 alone, over 25,000 residents of Greene County received unbiased and research-based information, assistance or education through the Greene County Extension Center. They need your support. For more information, contact the Greene County Extension Center at: 417 881 8909 or e-mail: greeneco@missouri.edu