Newsline for the College of Agricultu re and Life Sciences

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IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED NOVEMBER 30, 2004:

  1. REPORT ON ARIZONA AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC IMPACT
  2. GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN SIMULATION WORKSHOP
  3. URBAN EROSION CONTROL AND STORM WATER HARVESTING IN NORTHERN MEXICO
  4. RACE TRACK INDUSTRY AND GAMING SUMMIT PROGRAM
  5. OLD MAIN ORNAMENT FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT PHASE
  6. HEALTHY EATING HABITS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
  7. GREENHOUSE CROP PRODUCTION COURSE
  8. MONEY MANAGEMENT TRAINING IN MARICOPA COUNTY

1 REPORT ON ARIZONA AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

The total output of Arizona agriculture and its related effects has achieved a record $6.6 billion annually, ranking the food and fiber sector as a major component of Arizona's economy.

This is reported in a University of Arizona study published in November 2004 by the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC). The report, "Economic Impact from Agricultural Production in Arizona" was based on research conducted by research specialist Jorgen Mortensen.

"The study shows that the economic activity associated with agriculture remains important to Arizona's economy," said Alan Ker, AREC department head. 

The direct, induced and ripple effects of Arizona's agricultural output amount to $6.6 billion. More than 72,000 jobs are created by the Arizona's agricultural industry. For every one job in production agriculture, almost 2˝ jobs are created in the rest of the state.

Alan Ker, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics 

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/arec/pubs/econimpacts/economicimpactsforprint.pdf

2 GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN SIMULATION WORKSHOP

Arizona is ranked 4th in the nation for homes where grandparents are the sole support of their grandchildren. The 2000 census revealed a 73.8% increase in grandparent-headed households in Arizona with Coconino County numbers at 1,700. 

Elders are faced with a lack of both resources and the knowledge necessary to navigate children's social and health services, schools and legal systems. Public service agencies are challenged with how to effectively respond to grandparent needs. 

In order to allow personnel at these agencies to experience and see issues through the eyes of grandparent-headed households, the Grandparent Raising Grandchildren Simulation Workshop is being organized for December 8, 2004 from 7:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Flagstaff Elks Club.

"This is a first workshop of this type in the on this topic," says Beth Tucker, Coconino County Cooperative Extension director. "It's open to all agencies in Arizona." 

This is an interactive workshop. Agency representatives will shed their professional role to join a made-up grandparent family (consisting of 4 family roles) for role-playing and problem-solving. 

Beth Tucker, Coconino County Cooperative Extension

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/4.18.html

3 URBAN EROSION CONTROL AND STORM WATER HARVESTING IN NORTHERN MEXICO

The twin cities of Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Arizona share a common watershed. They are laid out on steep hillsides on the fringe of the Sonoran Desert. Located along the Arizona-Mexico border, problems with water allocation, water rights, overdrafting, surface and groundwater pollution, soil erosion and wastewater collection and treatment are of major concern to the governments and citizens of the two cities. 

The backbone of these two cities is the Nogales wash, which is the major drainage system for both cities whose flow is from south to north joining the Santa Cruz river about 18 miles north of the border. 

A demonstration project is in the works to illustrate structurally sound management of erosion from steep slopes, use of appropriate vegetation to restore degraded hillsides, the incorporation of water harvesting to irrigate the vegetation and augment scarce water resources and the safe management of used tires which will be used to construct the erosion control structures in combination with vegetation aimed to the stabilization of slopes. 

The project will be led by the University of Arizona with technical cooperation from the US Forest Service and the Instituto Tecnológico de Nogales and local cooperation from Escuela Secundaria General 3, and residents of Nogales, Sonora.

Donald Slack, Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering  

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/14.5.html

4 RACE TRACK INDUSTRY AND GAMING SUMMIT PROGRAM

More than 400 leading racetrack and gaming executives, horsemen, government and lottery officials, and Wall Street analysts attended each of the first two Racing & Gaming Summits. This full-day conference addressing the convergence of racing and electronic gaming devices returns for its third installment on December 7. 

In its brief history, the Racing & Gaming Summit has earned a reputation for tackling the hottest issues of our time, presented by a stellar lineup of industry-respected speakers and panelists. This year is no exception, led by keynote speaker Thomas Meeker, President and CEO of Churchill Downs, Inc.  

This is the only conference that brings together racing, casino, and lottery industry executives in a common forum to address the emergence of gaming at racetracks. 

Doug Reed, Race Track Industry Program 

To learn more: http://ua-rtip.org/Symposium/Symposiuminfo.html

5 OLD MAIN ORNAMENT FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT PHASE

Project for Homemakers in Arizona Seeking Employment (PHASE) is offering a numbered, limited edition ornament depicting the Old Main building on the UA campus. 

Proceeds will go to support PHASE, a community outreach program, with its ongoing efforts to help women enter the workforce. For further information about PHASE and this special fundraiser, please go to the website. 

Julie Castro, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences 

Bruce Tabashnik, Entomology 

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/fcs/phase

6 HEALTHY EATING HABITS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The holiday season has begun, and so has the tendency to overeat. Realize that you might eat more than usual so make regular meals and snack as healthy as possible. Eating on the run can be a calorie buster. Make sure your snacks are as healthy and low calorie as possible.

Planning daily physical activity to balance the extra holiday food -- 30 minutes of walking, aerobic exercise, hiking, tennis or other fun activity -- can head off the extra pounds. 

Watch serving sizes. If you can't pass up the dessert, split a serving with a friend. Actually measure a 1/2-cup serving and a 1/4-cup serving on a small plate so you remember how big a serving really is. 

Drink lots of water instead of sweet or high calorie drinks. Add a lemon slice if you need a little flavor.  

Buying, thawing and cooking a turkey is an American tradition. Print out a
few of these handy tip sheets to keep in a convenient place for a
stress-free holiday meal:

Sharon Hoelscher Day, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/fcs/holiday.html

7 GREENHOUSE CROP PRODUCTION COURSE

By controlling all the aspects of a growing environment -- including temperature, air circulation, water and nutrients -- growers can often better predict their harvest success.

The 2005 Greenhouse Crop Production and Engineering Design Short Course, January 16 - 19, 2005 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tucson will provide interested greenhouse growers with the tools they need to set up and maintain a controlled environment agriculture system. The shortcourse is designed for growers of all levels. 

Sponsored by the Controlled Environment Agriculture Program (CEAC), of the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the shortcourse includes three days of plant science, engineering, and marketing presentations in an environment where both nonprofessionals and professionals in industry and education can interact in an educational setting. An Exhibitor's Gallery will showcase the latest in products and tools for a controlled environment agriculture setting. 

Priscilla Files, Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/ceac/extension/shortcourse.htm

8 MONEY MANAGEMENT TRAINING IN MARICOPA COUNTY

How do families learn about managing money, getting the most for their limited dollars and saving for the things they want and need? One way is through Money Management Advisor volunteers trained by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.

Money Management Advisor volunteers teach money management skills to limited income families in neighborhood centers, churches, community sites and parent programs. The program is geared to adults interested in teaching limited income families how to improve their financial status and money /budgeting skills.

The Money Management Advisor training focuses on identifying values and needs, how to stop spending leaks, planning spending, budgeting, using credit and banking wisely and teaching adults. The next 2 day training session will be December 2 & 9, 2004 at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix.

The registration for the train-the-trainer workshop is $25, which includes a notebook of lessons, handouts in English and Spanish and the 2-day training. 

Sharon Hoelscher Day, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/fcs/mm.html

To find out about available CALS publications and upcoming events, go to http://cals.arizona.edu/ If you have questions or comments about NewsLine, send an email to newseditor@ag.arizona.edu. Previous issues can be viewed at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/newsline/previous-issues.html

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