NOTE: We will send individual exclusives to program area mailing lists on a permanent basis since county agents favor receiving their exclusives in this matter. We also will send the complete packet to the exclusives mailing list as an agent back up and archive.

March 13, 2003

Please do not delete this message. It is the only complete copy your office will receive of exclusives for Agricultural and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences and

4-H/Youth Development. This packet is for the week ending March 14, 2003.

AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Agri-Vision 2003 Exhibit

At Home and Garden Show

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

Tips To Safely Send Packages

To Military Personnel Overseas

4-H/YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

CHARACTER COUNTS! Important Part

Of Kentucky’s 4-H/Youth Development Program

***

Agri-Vision 2003 Exhibit

At Home and Garden Show

Source: Jerry Hash

If you’re going to the Central Kentucky Home and Garden Show, be sure to visit “Agri-Vision 2003.” This 5,000-square-foot exhibit features research activities and service efforts of the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture.

The UK COA has many interests in common with the citizens of Kentucky.

If you’re interested in home ownership, family development, children’s nutrition, health and other youth issues, farming, rural and community development, and lawn and garden topics, you’ll enjoy exploring “Agri-Vision 2003.” This is a great opportunity to learn more about what’s going on at the College, because you might not be able to see these efforts and research projects elsewhere.

The Central Kentucky Home and Garden Show is April 3 through 6 at the Lexington Civic Center, which is located between the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington. The show will have more than 600 exhibits, comprising more than 150,000 square feet. Adult admission is $7.50; children under age 14 are admitted free.

Nearly every UK COA department is participating in the exhibit, which has more than 30 subject areas. These include a driverless tractor prototype, an award-winning, quarter-size pulling tractor, soil compaction sensor, global positioning system cattle tracking, sub-surface drip irrigation, precision agricultural weather forecasting, small farm operation, farm safety, livestock diagnostics, lawn care and flower and vegetable gardening. Other topics are agricultural economics, agricultural regulatory services, architectural landscaping, plant pathology, horticulture, veterinary science, entomology, animal sciences and forestry.

Kentucky State University programs are featured in the “Agri-Vision 2003” exhibit.

The exhibit also includes information on such topics as radon, lead poisoning, health and wellness, indoor air quality, children’s environmental health, home safety, dietetics, interior decorating, home and family finances, meal planning and energy efficiency. An award-winning quilt exhibit is part of “Agri-Vision 2003.”

The 4-H/Youth Development Program will have a display on its national centennial, as well as future educational opportunities for youth ages nine through 19.

For more information about the Central Kentucky Home and Garden Show, call toll-free1-800-347-2902, or visit the CKHGS Web site at www.ckyhomeshow.com.

Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

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Tips To Safely Send Packages

To Military Personnel Overseas

Sources: Sandra Bastin and federal government and military sources
Writer: Janet Eaton

Do you know any servicemen or women who have been sent overseas? If so, you might want to send them a package filled with goodies as a reminder of home. When choosing the items for your package, remember to follow proper food handling and food safety practices.
Avoid highly perishable items such as meats or cheeses. Also pass up high-moisture baked goods due to possible mold growth. Pack fragile home-baked cookies in rigid containers to keep them from arriving in crumbs after a long trip across the sea. Commercially packaged baked goods will hold up better than homemade ones since they are packaged for shipment.
Good choices include hard candies, angel food cake, and deer and beef jerky. Raisins, apricots and other dried fruits, canned nuts and fruit, and commercially prepared trail mix also are recommended. If you want to send meat, select canned items like tuna, chicken, and franks and beans.
Remember many locations where military personnel are deployed are very hot and packages containing chocolate, chocolate chips and other items that melt are not a good idea.
Other items you might include in your package are all-occasion or blank greeting cards, writing paper, envelopes, pens, toiletry items, batteries, small board games, puzzles, playing cards, paperback books, magazines and puzzle books. Videos, music compact disks and cassettes are also appreciated, but you need to put "Do not x-ray - magnetic recorded tape enclosed” on the outside of packages containing these.

Use the local newspaper to wrap up the contents of your package since people serving in the military love to read about what is going on at home. Because there is no way to dispose of them, do not use Styrofoam peanuts as packing material.
Mailing tips include clearly addressing your package with a permanent ink pen. Do not use wrapping paper and string on the outside of the package since both may come apart during shipping. Include the address on a card inside the package so it can reach its destination if the address outside becomes unreadable. Due to security concerns, a package addressed to “any soldier” or “any sailor” is no longer accepted.
Know that any packages you send will be greatly appreciated. Packages create a lot of excitement when they arrive, so be sure to pack a little extra to share.
For further information contact the (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

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NOTE: We post Exclusives to program areas for county agents’ convenience. Exclusives are news articles written solely for county agents’ uses in newspaper columns, newsletters and other written and oral communications with their clients. Please reserve sole use of the information below for county agent use.

CHARACTER COUNTS! Important Part

Of Kentucky’s 4-H/Youth Development Program

Source: State 4-H Office and CHARACTER COUNTS! Web Site

Many Kentucky youth participate in CHARACTER COUNTS! as part of their 4-H educational programs. Through this character development opportunity, youth use their heads, hands, hearts and hands to develop into model citizens.

Citizenship and leadership are among the integral parts of our 4-H program.

CHARACTER COUNTS! is a nationwide coalition of schools, communities, and non-profit organizations and county Extension agents and other individuals interested in character education. They are involved in the education, training and care of youth, among other youth issues.

It is based on six character pillars: caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness.

This character education program is (can be) involved in local 4-H programs through special interest groups, club meetings and school enrichment programs.

NOTE COUNTY 4-H AGENTS: If CHARACTER COUNTS! is a part of your 4-H Program, please describe what you all do in your county here. If not, skip to the next paragraph.

Participants develop positive youth advances and citizenship skills, among other important traits, by taking part in CHARACTER COUNTS! during their 4-H experiences. The variety and scope of this character education program enable 4-H leaders and volunteers to reinforce the six character pillars throughout members’ lives.

The CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition is a project of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. The common interest of this national partnership is concern about the character of our youth today.

For more information on youth educational projects and activities available through 4-H, contact the (County Name) Cooperative Extension Service.

Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

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