Extension/Outreach
Jeff Ishee Presented with State Friend of Extension Award
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| Pictured from left to right: Extension Director Mark McCann, Jeff and Carol Ishee, and 1890 Extension administrator Alma Hobbs. |
Jeff Ishee, a Shenandoah Valley farm broadcaster, was awarded 2007 State Friend of Extension Award for his ongoing support of Virginia Cooperative Extension through his radio and television shows.
The award was presented during the annual awards ceremony of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Epsilon Sigma Phi, the Extension honorary organization, held this spring as part of the Virginia Extension Service Association annual meeting.
Ishee is the producer and host of “On the Farm,” a daily syndicated regional radio news program, and is the host and producer of “Virginia Farming,” a weekly production of Virginia Public Television that is also broadcast on RFD-TV.
“His programming has brought research-based information from Virginia Cooperative Extension to 2.5 million radio listeners and into more than 28 million homes through RFD-TV,” said Karen Poff, an Extension family and consumer sciences agent in Shenandoah County. “Based on advertising and sponsorship rates, the dollar value of the radio and television airtime he contributes to Extension is estimated to be approximately $26,000 per week or $1.3 million annually.”
Ishee often interviews area Extension agents several times a week on his radio program and Extension agents, specialists, and administrators are frequent guests on his television show. Tom Stanley, Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Augusta county, said, “Jeff has been instrumental in helping the general public, many of whom have limited knowledge about agriculture, understand the challenges and accomplishments of the agriculture industry.”
In addition to his radio and television shows, Ishee serves as the farm director at WSVA radio in Harrisonburg, Va., and is a regular columnist for the Daily News Leader in Staunton, Va., and the Virginia Gardener Magazine.
VCE Encourages Private Water System Management
Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) encourages better management of private water systems through the Virginia Master Well-owner Network (VAMWON).
“Ground water quality is a common concern for residents using private water supplies,” said Brian Benham, associate professor of biological systems engineering and Extension specialist. “Unlike homes served by public water, residents of homes that rely on a private water supply are responsible for all aspects of their water system, including routine maintenance, regular water testing, interpretation of test results, and addressing water-quality or -quantity problems. A lack of knowledge about private water-supply management and water quality issues may lead to system neglect and the consumption of poor quality water.”
According to Benham, the majority of households in 60 of Virginia’s 95 counties relies on private water supply systems. In 52 counties, the number of households using private wells is increasing faster than the number of households connecting to public water supply systems.
The VAMWON is patterned after a similar program conducted by Penn State Extension. The network consists of VCE agents and lay volunteers who are trained in the proper design, management, and maintenance of private water supply systems.
The trained professional educators and volunteers will be used to execute and expand the Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VAHWQP). The VAHWQP was launched in 1989 to help improve the water quality for Virginians using private water supplies by conducting county-based household water-sampling clinics coupled with a follow-up sample analysis/interpretation meeting where citizens learn about proper water-supply system care and water treatment methods. The program had been dormant since 2003 due to budget-driven VCE specialist and agent retirements.
The revitalization of the Virginia Household Water Quality Program and creation of the Virginia Master Well-owner Network are being partially supported by a grant Benham recently received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Support also comes from Virginia Cooperative Extension. Homeowners who participate in a VAHWQP clinic are charged $35 to cover the cost of the water-sample analysis that is performed on the Virginia Tech Blacksburg campus. Oftentimes the sample analysis fee is partially offset using grants obtained by local Extension agents involved in conducting a VAHWQP clinic.
While drinking water quality is a concern for all citizens, Benham also hopes to reach those rural citizens characterized as members of underserved communities, those who are impoverished, a minority, and/or elderly, for whom the quality of their drinking water often is not, by necessity, a primary concern.
“Unfortunately, these underserved citizens are often those with the poorest water quality,” says Benham. “Many underserved citizens may be apprehensive about getting their well water tested believing a health code violation may be discovered or expensive solutions may be needed. People who rely on private water-supply systems can benefit from learning about how to properly manage and maintain their system.” Benham’s USDA grant includes some funding to help offset water sample analysis costs for underserved citizens who participate in VAHWQP clinics.
More information about the Virginia Master Well-owner Network and the Virginia Household Water Quality Program is available from local Extension offices.
Two Receive Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension
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| Keith Balderson |
Keith Balderson, unit coordinator and agriculture and natural resources Extension agent for Essex County, and Michael Weaver (PPWS PhD. ‘82), professor of entomology and the director of the Virginia Tech Pesticide Program, were awarded the 2007 Alumni Awards for Excellence in Extension.
Balderson’s work involves on-farm research and demonstration-plot work with local farmers. The primary investigator for all such work sponsored by the Virginia Small Grains Board, Balderson is the author of “Virginia Tech On-farm Small Grain Test Plots” and has written 34 Extension publications on field-plot studies. He has also made 44 presentations on field research work and other farm topics since 1993.
For the past 18 years, Balderson has been a coordinator and presenter at the Five-county Agricultural Conference, which covers the counties of Essex, King and Queen, King William, Caroline, and Middlesex.
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| Michael Weaver |
As an Extension specialist, Weaver has consistently produced outstanding leadership to enhance the Extension pesticide safety education program with innovative education technology and more than $5 million in extramural funding to support his program.
His goals are to reduce the risks of pesticide use, protect health and food, and increase profitability. Weaver has written numerous publications and training manuals. In his research, he has examined the impact of lead arsenate residues in Virginia soils.
Weaver created one of the first pest management expert systems, and he was the first in his field to use distance learning to train more than 16,000 pesticide applicators in 25 states. He also was the first to develop an interactive video laserdisc-based system to train pesticide applicators, which has since been converted into video and Web-based media.