Editor: Julie Fox, Direct Marketing & Tourism Community Development Specialist

Greetings from John and Greg,

The Community Development Program Area has a new home.  The offices moved from Mount Hall to the Agricultural Administration Building in January.  The new address is 25 Agricultural Administration Building, 2120 Fyffe Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210.  Contact phone numbers remain the same.  In addition to space for support staff and the CD Assistant Directors, four work stations and two meeting rooms are available for folks in the field at times when you are traveling to campus and could use a place to hold a meeting or work between meetings.  To reserve a workstation or meeting room call the CD office at 614-292-8436. Shirley Cook, Kathy Wills and Kim Bahnsen along with Don Ordaz have been working very hard during the move packing, unpacking and setting up shop.  We are still not entirely settled in, but we’d enjoy a visit to say hello and provide a tour of the new facilities.    

Thirty-five educators and specialists spent January 30^th and 31^st at the University Plaza Hotel attending the CD Program Area Retreat.  Participants identified linkages, program goals, and promotion and tenure goals.  The use of logic model, revenue generation and impact reporting concepts were discussed. The event also provided a great opportunity for folks to gather, network and reconnect in a lot of ways.  A team building discussion also took place utilizing Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2005). 

A great deal of sharing took place at the Retreat.  This information is being summarized and will be used to more clearly define the focus of CD programming, how program resources will be allocated, and to feed into the OSUE strategic planning process currently underway.  Evaluations from the event were very positive with some indicating that they’d like to meet more often as a group; perhaps attending an event like this on an annual basis.  Several individuals have contacted both of us personally about implementing things that were learned during the two-day event.  Future editions of this newsletter will provide updates as work progresses. 

Finally we would like to remind folks, as discussed during the retreat, that we are looking for volunteers to host one of four meetings in 2008 designed to foster sharing, communication and teamwork.  If you are interested in hosting (or co-hosting) one of these meetings, please contact Shirley Cook at 614-292-6232 or cook.22@osu.edu. 

Community Development Opportunities for Youth

Tomorrow's future depends on youth who can see themselves completing career goals and fostering new businesses.  Through the Mini Society Program over 500 4th and 5th graders in BrownCounty have been engaged in developing their own business.  The students develop their own country, flag and plan out their business strategy by doing market surveys.  Mini Society is an excellent opportunity to help younger youth realize their potential as entrepreneurs.  Recently Faculty in Clinton, Lawrence, Scioto, Logan, Butler and HighlandCounties became trained to present the program.  The curriculum was developed by the Kauffman Foundation and is an excellent method to teach basic economics in an experiential way.  For additional information contact Becky Cropper (BrownCounty) at cropper.1@osu.edu

A New Report -

"Growth and Change: Employment Growth, Future Prospects, and Change at the Ohio Rural-Urban Interface"
From the Exurban Change Program, http://exurban.osu.edu/growth_change08.htm

The OSU Exurban Program and the Swank Program on Rural-Urban Policy joined together again to report on growth and change in Ohio.  This policy brief aims to describe the state's entrepreneurial capacity by examining trends in self employment and innovation. How Ohio fares, compared to its neighbors and to the nation is appraised. The report assesses how different regions of the state are faring in terms of supporting self employment. How well the state is doing in terms of supporting innovation is also reported. The brief concludes with some policy recommendations.

From the Center for Farmland Policy Innovation: 

1. Planning is underway for the 9^th Annual Ohio Farmland Preservation Summit.  To make this Summit relevant to attendees, we are soliciting ideas for themes, speakers, and session topics.  Please contact Jill Clark,  clark.1099@osu.edu with any idea.

2.  The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Office of Farmland Preservation’s advisory committee is examining ways to make the Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program more locally-driven.  If you would like to review a draft of the advisory board’s working concept paper, please contact Jill Clark, clark.1099@osu.edu.

3.  Did you know that there is an Ohio Farmland Preservation list serve?  This list is a great way to stay up-to-date on things like the renewal of the Clean Ohio fund, educational events, and legislation.  To join, go to the following web page:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ohio_farmland_pres/

USDA Grant Funding for Training and More

USDA Rural Development invites applications for business loans and grants.

If you are looking for grant dollars targeted for training and technical development or cooperative development/enhancement, check out the invitation from USDA Rural Development to apply for these four no-interest loan and grant programs to support businesses and small minority producers in rural areas. 

USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Thomas C. Dorr today invited applications for four programs to support businesses and small minority producers in rural areas.“These programs are vital to rural economies because they promote entrepreneurship and help local businesses get access to capital, technical assistance and new markets for their products and services,” Dorr said. “Helping rural businesses succeed is a fundamental part of USDA Rural Development’s mission.” The four programs under which applications are being accepted are:

• Rural Economic Development Loans
• Rural Business Opportunity Grants
• Rural Cooperative Development Grants
• Small Minority Producer Grants

The Rural Economic Development Loan program provides zero-interest loans to Rural Development utility program borrowers, which in turn re-lend the money at zero interest to local entities to promote economic development and job creation projects. The Rural Business Opportunity Grant Program finances training and technical assistance for business development.

Small Minority Producer Grants are provided to cooperatives or associations of cooperatives with at least 75 percent minority representation among their membership and/or governing board. The Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program helps rural residents form new cooperative businesses and improve the operations of existing cooperatives.

(1) Deadline for 3rd Quarter Applications
(2) Deadline for 4th Quarter Applications

For further details about eligibility rules and application procedures for Rural Cooperative Development and Small Minority Producer grants, see the February 8, 2008, Federal Register. For further details about the Rural Economic Development and Rural Business Opportunity programs, see the February 5, 2008, Federal Register.

Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ .

Tourism Development

The Ohio Tourism Team welcomes new core, affiliate or information team members who are interested in networking, developing new resources, and other activities that drive economic development by collaboratively leveraging resources to provide research and education focused on tourism.  The team includes members from OSU, The Division of Travel & Tourism, the Ohio Travel Association, the Dept. of Agriculture and more. A couple of special interest groups that involve the tourism and direct marketing teams, include culinary tourism/local foods and ag & nature-based tourism.  For further information, contact Julie Fox, fox.264@osu.edu

Local Foods

“The word of the year in 2007 for the New Oxford American Dictionary was locavore - a person who does all they can to eat locally grown food,” reported Eric Barrett, Community Development educator from WashingtonCounty.  People throughout Ohio are organizing to address consumer demand and community opportunities.  There are county specific programs, such as those in Knox, Montgomery, Cuyahoga and Carroll counties. There is a listserv from the Social Responsibility Initiative in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences about what’s happening in and around the state of Ohio related to local food and farming, https://webmail.osu.edu/frame.html?rtfPossiblejava-script:main.compose('new','t=locfood@osu.edu').  Members of the Urban-Metro Advisory Team are exploring opportunities. Many CD educators mentioned other local food interests at the January CD Retreat. The Ohio Food Policy Council is forming, http://www.ohioagriculture.gov/Admn/News/2007/news_gov_080707_OhioFoodAdvisory.pdf. 

Later this month, there is a Local Food Distribution and Infrastructure Workshop resulting from the 1^st Annual Stinner Summit.  The Ohio Survey reports on consumer interest in local foods, http://ohiosurvey.osu.edu/publications/food.html.  If you would like to be involved in a developing group of individuals interested in local foods, please contact Julie Fox, fox.264@osu.edu

MarketMaker-New food industry resource available in Ohio, March 2008

Ohio has joined a national network of state Web sites connecting farmers with food retailers, grocery stores, processors, caterers, chefs, and other food supply chain contacts.

Ohio Market Maker is supported through the collaboration of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), Ohio Farm Bureau and the Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT).

MarketMaker has one of the most extensive collections of searchable food industry-related data in the country. Each state’s site allows users, free of charge, to query, map and locate data that helps connects buyers and sellers.  Census data is incorporated into the program and is available in an easy-to- use format, which will benefit more than just food industry professionals.  Community and economic development professionals will find this invaluable.  For more information on Ohio MarketMaker, contact Julie Fox at OSU South Centers at Piketon at (740) 289-2071 or fox.264@osu.edu, or log on to http://directmarketing.osu.edu/ohiomarketmaker. After the formal launch on March 18^th, the website is: http://www.ohiomarketmaker.com/

About CDI East

CDI East was created to train community officials and volunteers in the techniques of modern leadership and management of community development efforts. The Institute focuses on building alliances and infrastructures to increase a community's economic and social growth by expanding an individual's ability to identify community and economic problems, set goals, encourage liaisons with outside agencies, stimulate community interaction, and bring groups together to respond to a wide range of economic and quality of life issues.

The comprehensive program curriculum is designed to meet the increasing challenges facing community developers in today's fast paced society and is applicable for community leaders from towns and cities of all sizes. CDI East approaches community development as both a process and a program. It seeks to:

• Develop an individual's ability to identify community problems
• Set goals
• Encourage liaison with outside agencies
• Stimulate community interaction
• Bring groups together to support competitive economic development, human resource development and quality of life issues.

The CDI East is an affiliate program of West Virginia University. The total program consists of three one-week long training seminars that are endorsed by the  Community Development Council (CDC), a professional certification organization.  For more information visit the CDI-East Website at: http://www.ext.wvu.edu/cdi-east/

Important Dates

Travel Support Available for 25^th Anniversary SARE Conference - Applications will be received through February 22 (so that those chosen will be able to register by March 1 to pay the reduced conference fee.) 

SARE is celebrating its 25^th anniversary conference in Kansas City March 25-27, 2008.  http://www.sare.org/2008Conference/index.htm 

In order to increase the collaboration between sustainable agriculture and community development, the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development is awarding five travelships of $750 each to community development educators in the region to help them form new partnerships.  There will be an obligation of those supported:

1. to participate in a conference call prior to the meeting to discuss strategies to maximize the benefit of participation,
2. to meet as a group briefly during the meetings,
3. to write a report of the actions they plan as a result of what they learned and who they met at the meetings which will be shared within the region, and
4. to participate in a final phone conference to discuss progress on those actions and suggestions for further regional activities to build stronger partnerships.

Applications should include:

1. Name
2. Current position
3. Past experience with SARE or other sustainable agriculture groups
4. Potential of more fully integrating community development with sustainable agriculture in their Extension work.
5. A letter supporting their attendance and program integration from their state program leader.

Please send the applications to Cornelia Flora (cflora@iastate.edu) with a copy to Pam Cooper pkcooper@iastate.edu.  For more information, contact Cornelia Butler Flora, Director, NorthCentralRegionalCenter for Rural Development, 515 294 1329, cflora@iastate.edu, http://www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu/.

9th Annual Outreach Scholarship Conference  Proposals Due: February 25, 2008
http://www.outreach.psu.edu/outreach-scholarship/.  Conference Dates: Oct 7-9. 2008 

NACDEP Ohio Awards - " Application Due March 1, 2008
Categories:Outstanding community development work deserves to be recognized and as such, state and national recognition opportunities for members of NACDEP and OAEP are currently available in the following categories.  (NOTE:  New as of 2008, NACDEP Awards categories and application forms also serve as OAEP-CD award categories and application forms.  Apply once for both state and national recognition.)

1.      Specialty Awards (Individual and Team) - " Diversity, Educational Technology, Excellence in Teamwork and 
         Excellence in Community Development Programming

2.      Communicator Awards (Individual and Team) - " Media Presentation, Educational Package, and Educational Piece 

3.      Service Awards - " Distinguished Service Award (one per state), and Distinguished National Service Award

Application Process:

1.      Go to the NACDEP web site at http://nacdep.net/Recognition/awards.htm

2.      Use the NACDEP forms to apply.

3.      DO NOT send (as instructed at the NACDEP website) to NACDEP.  Instead, send your completed form to your OAEP-CD 2^nd Vice President, Jim Wiedenheft.  OAEP-CD Board Members, V-Ps, and the CD Assistant Director will review and choose state winners.  (NOTE:  CommTech will review and choose state Communicator Award winners.) 

4.      The OAEP-CD 2^nd V-P will forward all applications on to the NACDEP Awards Committee for NACDEP review prior to the NACDEP deadline, March 15, 2008.

Deadline: Award applications must be received by Jim Wiedenheft by March 1 for consideration for Ohio recognition, wiedenheft.1@osu.edu

Tri-State Study Tour- April 1-3 (Registration deadline: March 15, 2008)
Registration for the 2008 Tri-State Study Tour (Western PA, Apr 1-3) is now open!  With our WV and PA colleagues, we'll be heading to Greensburg, Mercer, and DuBois and focusing our learning and potential team efforts around workforce, tourism, and entrepreneurship development, as well as community-based Ag development, leadership, strategic planning and local government.  We'll also be talking about how to best work across state lines.

How much will it cost?  Tour registration is $65 and covers meals and material costs for the three days.  You can pay via check, purchase order or credit card when you register at this site: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=188f32ee-bbc9-45d5-890
(9-853b83be81e9).   

Lodging costs are approximately $60/night at the BestWesternConferenceCenter.  Reserve a room at 814-371-6200.

Transportation costs will add up quickly (its 570 miles roundtrip from Columbus) so we'll try to carpool as much as possible.  If you are planning to participate, please let Shirley Cook know ASAP so we can begin to identify how many Ohioans will be participating and coordinate travel logistics.

NOTE:  CD unit funds will reimburse tour registration and lodging costs for folks interested in actively engaging in multi-state programming efforts around these topics.  Financial assistance will also be available to help offset travel costs.  If you are interested in actively engaging in multi-state programming efforts around these topics, please make every effort to attend this tour.  Financial resources will be made available to initiate such multi-state activities. 

Remember the most important part of all.... You will need a Travel # for this trip!  If you had one for the dates originally scheduled for last fall, that request should still be 'good' (check with Extension Business Office to be sure).

Questions? Contact any of the following Ohio planning committee members:  Mike Lloyd, John Conglose, or Greg Davis  or read the complete details of the trip under 'Programs - Upcoming Events' at the OSUE-CD website, http://comdev.osu.edu/

Multi-County Business Development Seminar: March 25, 2008
When: March 25, 2008 9:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. (Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.)
Purpose:  Raise the awareness of business/individuals in Wyandot, Hardin, Hancock, Seneca, Crawford, Marion, and WoodCounties to resources that are available to assist them with workforce and business development. 

Where: Upper Sandusky High School
Target audience: Businesses and individuals thinking about starting a business, Educators, Economic Development, and Government.
Cost: $15.00 (includes lunch)

Host/Sponsor: The Wyandot County Workforce Development Committee (The purpose of the Workforce Development Committee is to improve/enhance the workforce in WyandotCounty for; (1) existing businesses and (2) attraction of new businesses.) Contact Frank Gibson, The Ohio State University at Marion, AlberEnterpriseCenter, 740-725-6348, gibson.363@osu.edu, http://www.osutrainingtogo.com/

Foundations of Practice: Participatory Community Change - Creating Sustainable Change by Engaging a Whole Community in the Change Process - April 8, 2008 at the new 4-H Center.  This training program will be presented by Chester Bowling, State Specialist, Community Development.  Registration is $25 and is limited to 30 participants.  See CD web page http://www.comdev.osu.edu/ and click on Upcoming Events for more info on this program and to register. 

Community Development Website: http://www.comdev.ohio-state.edu/
Director Smith's Communique:   http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~intranet/news_matrix.php?newsletter=1
Intranet :   http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~intranet/
Intranet Calendar:   http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~intranet/calendar/
Human Resources:   http://hr.ag.ohio-state.edu/
Business Office: http://osuebusiness.ag.ohio-state.edu/
Technology Resource Center:   http://help.ag.ohio-state.edu/wp/
Faculty and Staff Resources:  www.osu.edu/facultystaff