Gilbert Michaud, assistant professor of practice at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
Gilbert Michaud, assistant professor of practice at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, has been selected as a co-principal investigator on a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office.
The project, “Mapping and Bridging Barriers in Knowledge Flows of How Solar Photovoltaics Affect Rural Community Economies,” will study information flows regarding utility-scale solar projects in rural communities in the Great Lakes region. The project will also investigate the adoption of zoning policies, as well as quantify the economic and workforce impacts of utility-scale solar in rural areas.
On-farm employee trainings available for Michigan dairy farms
Photo by Faith Cullens, MSU Extension Dairy Educator
Employee development and education are key components of successful farm management. Training is necessary so new employees learn how to perform their jobs, but re-training of more experienced employees also has benefits, such as preventing protocol drift. Additionally, providing training opportunities for employees can improve the work environment and reduce employee turnover.
The dairy team from Michigan State University Extension has multiple employee training programs available upon request for dairy farms in Michigan. The training sessions usually include a presentation followed by a hands-on demonstration, and all trainings can be taught in English and Spanish.
2021 “Virtual” Great Lakes Forage & Grazing Conference featuring keynote speaker Dennis Hancock
February 11, 2021
The Great Lakes Forage & Grazing Conference on March 11 is going virtual. Keynote topics include U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center: Focusing on Impact, and The Baleage Balance: Moisture, Fermentation, and Risks.
The annual Great Lakes Forage & Grazing Conference offered by the Michigan Forage Council with support from Michigan State University Extension is going virtual this year. This great educational event is free of charge and offered to forage producers and those with interests in agriculture. The virtual platform will hopefully attract even more graziers and forage producers to participate in this event. The conference is designed to help producers learn about new and innovative ideas, approaches, and solutions to challenges in the Great Lakes regions forage-based agriculture systems.
Wheat webinar series features Facebook live option
February 11, 2021
Facebook live options added to 2021 Wheat Wisdom Webinar Series, with first speaker Angie Setzer focusing on marketing.
Angie Setzer will talk about wheat marketing at the first Wheat Wisdom Webinar on Feb. 17. Photo by Dennis Pennington, MSU.
Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Wheat Program’s six-part Wheat Wisdom Webinar Series kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 at 8 a.m. via Zoom with a focus on wheat marketing for 2021 and beyond. Each Wednesday webinar begins at 8 a.m. and runs 90 minutes. The webinars will also be available via Facebook for live viewing and interaction. Check in through your Facebook account and watch at Michigan Wheat or MSU Extension Field Crops. Thanks to our partnership with Terry Henne and WSGW, you can also watch by viewing the Facebook pages of WSGW Radio, Farm Service 790 and 94.5 The Moose.
Agricultural professionals in extension services worldwide build new relationships between culturally diverse systems
February 9, 2021
Michigan State University and India’s National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management collaborate on a new book, “Innovations in Agricultural Extension.”
Jeff Dwyer, MSU Director of Extension, speaking with women working in agriculture outside of Hyderabad, India.
One of the key principles of extension services is to encourage people to take action through education. At a jointly organized conference in 2019, International Conference on Agricultural Extension: Innovation to Impact, extension programming staff and leaders from Michigan State University Extension and India’s National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management, or MANAGE, proposed the idea to write a collaborative book. In our age of information, extension services everywhere face a shared grand challenge: How to disseminate information and reach the people they s