Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:1. Student hands-on learning with programrams: 11 college students from Navajo Technical University, 45high school and middle school students, 4veterinary students from Colorado State University, and 3 pre-veterinary students from New Mexico State University, University of Puerto Rico, Colorado State University, and Southern University A & M gained experience in shearing, handling, vaccinating, deworming, hoof-trimming, physical exams, and animal husbandry throughout the year utilizing the program's rams. Navajo Tech students were also involved in breeding soundness exams with veterinarians in the fall and spring before and after the ram leases. 2. Ram lease: 20Navajo families from across the Navajoreservation leasedMerino rams from NTU to breed the ewes in their flockto improve the quality of wool and meat. The families were interested in increasing flock numbers for multiple purposes. The lesses also took part in informational seminars regarding proper care, nutrition, and husbandry of their ewes and rams. All rams underwent breeding soundness exams before leasingincluding testing for Brucella ovis.All rams were scrapie resistant,fully vaccinated and dewormed.NTU Veterinary Technology,Animal Science, Biology and otherstudents assisted with all of the ram preventative medicine and care, breeding soundness exams, and daily feeding/watering/care of the livestock as part of their experiential learning of large animal veterinary procedures. 3. Herd Health: 1NTU college student, 1student from Colorado State University, 1 student from University of Puerto Rico, 1 student from New Mexico State University, 1 student from Southwestern University A&M College, 4vet students from Colorado State University, and 1 USDA APHIS Veterinary Medical Officer, 1 Assistant State Veterinarian, and Land Grant staff provided a free physical exam wellness, vaccination and deworming campaign for sheep and goats owned by Navajo elders in the Navajo eastern agency community during the summer of 2023. Over 79 elderly families received this community service and outreach with flocks ranging from 1 - 65 sheep and goats for a total of 2,252 animals. Community members received information of importance for herd health, vaccination, parasite control,husbandry, and scrapie disease. 4. Responsible pet ownership: 6NTU vet tech students and Veterinary Hospital staff visited 8local elementary and middle school classes and 5 childcare facilities throughout the fall and spring semesters. The vet tech students talked to children about preventative care and husbandry for pets, and they raised awareness of the canine overpopulation in the area and the importance of spaying and neutering. 5. Sheep conference: Over 75Navajo men and women sheep producers attended a one-day sheep conference held in the NTU Wellness center. At the conference, attendees learned about sheep housing, vaccination, deworming, breeding, reproductive physiology, reproduction practices, herd health, and poisonous plants. 6. Beef Quality Assurance: Over 60 producers attended 2seminars held in the fall and springcovering basic animal husbandry, nutrition, and herd health preventative care including vaccinations and parasite control. Producers were certified in their state of residence for New Mexico and Arizona. 7. Garden workshops and training: NTU Land Grant extension staff offered 18workshops in the fall and spring.180participants attended and learned about gardening, horticulture, home economics, healthy eating, soil health, permaculture, garden management skill, integrated pest management, and others. 8. Sheep Shearing project: 20 Navajo sheep producers learned how to shear sheep with electric shearers during a 2 day workshop. Producers were of all ages from mid 20 to 65 years from across the Navajo Nation. 9. School garden project: NTU Land Grant extension staff worked with four schools and one after school program on gardening, agricultural, and plant science education. Estimated that 125 Navajo students were served. 10. Community Agronomic Outreach: NTU Land Grant extension staff provided agricultural discovery experience at four regional fairs and expo's on the Navajo Nation. 2,000participants were provided with seed ball ingredients for them to construct and learn about the importance of rangeland management and conservation. Participants incorporated native seeds into their seed balls and were instructed on areas to concentrate planting. 11.Financial Literacy Training: NTU Land Grant extension staff provided financial literacy training to 20youth students. Participants learned the importance of budgeting, money management, and predatory loan practices. 12. Agriculture Youth Camp: 20Navajo middle and high school students participated in a 2 week Ag overnightyouth camp on the NTU campus. Students had varying background in agriculture from none to working with livestock experience. Allkids were interested in veterinary medicine, animal science, environmental science, natural resources,wildlife biology, plant science, and agriculture-related subjects. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two Land Grant staff were able to attend the annual FALCON conference to learn about the 1994 land grant university system, network with other 1994 land grant faculty, staff, and students, and USDA NIFA grants and updates. They also received one-on-one mentoring from other staff members to learn more about their positions, and increase productivity and efficiency. The newly trained staff were able to utilize the knowledge and skills in furthering the Land Grant program at NTU in providing additional workshops and events for community members. NTU student workers also received furthering training in job knowledge and skills to assist with providing workshops and presentations such as GPS/GIS. They received one-on-one training in using our program software for record-keeping of livestock records then trained commuity members in using the system. They worked with community members in helping producers utilize the record software and in using GPS/GIS for the ram program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Ram program metrics were collected and compiled and shared with producers at the ram lease presentation during ram day. Results were also shared with sheep conference and sheep shearing participants. Fall BQA participating producer metrics were compiled and used in future programsand shared in the spring BQA training/certification class. Information regarding the youth camp was disseminated via radio announcements, flyers, applications, program brochures, and social media and shared with USDA APHIS ONTL program. Land Grant stafftraveled to over 120 local schools to share important youth Agriculture enrichment program and academic programswith teachers, counselors, principals, and students regarding the success of the youth camp. The ram project information was provided to the public via flyers in local stores as well as in the local newspaper. Responsible pet ownership presentations were promoted by NTU vet tech students reaching out to local schools via phone calls and physically visiting the schools. Sheep conference information was disseminated via flyers and local newspaper advertisements. NTU Gardening extension materials are freely available at select locations on NTU Crownpoint campus. Press releases and newsletters were also utilized to disseminate the above information by the NTU Marketing team. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Support informal education to increase food and agricultural literacy of youth and cultural preservation through youth development programming, and education and science literacy Twenty 12-17 year old youth completed our annual Agricultural (Wildlife, Animal, and Plant camp) enrichment summer program. All learned about common agricultural issues, concerns, and fields of study. Students are interested in pursuing agricultural fields of study while in college. 340 daycare, childcare, and elementary school students learned about preventative care and husbandry for pets, and the importance of spaying and neutering to reduce the dog overpopulation in the Navajo Nation. Students learned about the benefits of providing these preventative services for their pets. All other objectives were not met due to short-staffing Goal 2: Promote food security through gardening. Three families were supported in continuingthe box gardening project and raised produce for their families including squash, melon, tomatoes, onions, pumpkin, and corn. Maintenance was provided on the fencing to keep rodents and rabbits out of the garden area, and on the irrigation to water the gardens. 125 students in classrooms from preschool to 5th grade learned how to plant and garden. Planting and composting supplies were provided to classroom students and teachers to learn how to and maintain a garden. Over 2,000 youth learned how to plant using a basic kit to grow squash, pumpkin, and corn. The children attended area fairs where they were provided the gardening information and were provided the basic supplies. 180 community members attended 18 planting/gardening workshops held over the year. All learned about composting, soil health, permaculture, management, pest management, irrigating, planting, gardening, winterizing, etc. Producers provided food for their families. Goal 3: Promote financial literacy. 50 youth learned about financial terms, budgeting, spending, importance of saving, and loan sharks. Ages ranged from 5 to 18 years of age.Students learned about budgeting for the future while in college. Students were empowered with financial literacy. Goal 4:Promote optimization of agriculture production by providing farm and ranch education through conferences and hands-on workshops for Navajo communities and operating a ram lease program. 30 sheep producers utilized a ram from our program for breeding to raise lambs to provide food for their families, community, and traditional events. The ram helped improved genetics for improved viability and birth weights of their lambs. All of the families utilizing a ram had lambs whether singles, twins, or triplets. 75 sheep producers and community members attended the sheep conference we hosted in the spring and learned to provide preventative medical care, herd health services, improved husbandry, and improved fencing techniques. Presenters included NMSU, USDA, and NTU. 60 cattle ranchers attended our annual beef quality assurance seminars and learned about the requirements for certification in New Mexico. They learned about herd health including vaccinations, deworming, assessments, etc. They also learned about record-keeping, improving quality of meat production, and nutrition. During our annual Agricultural enrichment youth program, the students learned about meat processing through tour and demonstration provided by the owner. They saw the importance of vaccinating in a certain area to avoid bruising and tissue damage. Goal 5:Promote family and consumer science, health, and nutrition in the Crownpoint community. 20 community members learned about healthy home food preparation and canning for food storage. They learned the step by step process and were able to make their starter kits for home. Diabetes and prevention were discussed during the workshops.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this reporting period included: 1. Student hands-on learning with program rams: 10 college students from Navajo Technical University,6 veterinary students from Colorado State University, and 4 pre-veterinary students from New Mexico State University, University of Idaho, and Colorado State University gained experience in shearing, handling, vaccinating, deworming, hoof-trimming, physical exams, and animal husbandry throughout the year utilizing the program's rams. Navajo Tech students were also involved in breeding soundness exams with veterinarians in the fall and spring before and after the ram breeding season. 2. Ram Program: 25 Navajo families from across the Navajo reservation utilized Merino rams from NTU to breed the ewesin their flock to improve the quality of wool and meat. The families were interested in increasing flock numbers for multiple purposes. The lesses also took part in informational seminars regarding proper care, nutrition, and husbandry of their ewes and rams. All rams underwent breeding soundness exams before leasing including testing for Brucella ovis, fertility testing, etc. All rams were scrapie resistant, fully vaccinated and dewormed. NTU Veterinary Technology, Animal Science, Biology, and other students assisted with all of the ram preventative medicine and care, breeding soundness exams, and daily feeding/watering/care of the livestock as part of their experiential learning of large animal veterinary procedures. 3. Herd Health: 4 pre-veterinary students from NewMexico State University, University of Idaho, and Colorado State University and4 vet students from Colorado State University, 1 USDA APHIS Veterinary Medical Officer, 1 Assistant State Veterinarian, 1 New Mexico Livestock Brand Inspector, and Land Grant staff provided a free physical exam wellness, vaccination and deworming campaign for sheep and goats owned by Navajo elders in the Navajo eastern agency community during the summer 2021. Over 70 elderly families received this community service and outreach with flocks ranging from 1 - 120 sheep and goats for a total of 2,500 animals. Community members received information of importance for herd health, vaccination, parasite control, husbandry, and scrapie disease. 4. Responsible pet ownership: 4 NTU vet tech students and Veterinary Hospital staff visited 2childcare facilities and1 ODY program.The vet tech students talked to children about preventative care and husbandry for pets, and they raised awareness of the canine overpopulation in the area and the importance of spaying and neutering. 6. Beef Quality Assurance: Over 40producers attended 2 seminars held in the fall and spring covering basic animal husbandry, nutrition, and herd health preventative care including vaccinations and parasite control. Producers were certified in their state of residence for New Mexico and Arizona. 7. Garden workshops and training: NTU Land Grant extension staff offered 6workshops in thespring. 80 participants attended and learned about gardening, horticulture, home economics, healthy eating, soil health, permaculture, garden management skill, integrated pest management, and others. 8. Sheep Shearing project: 15Navajo sheep producers learned how to shear sheep with electric shearers during a 2 day workshop. Producers were of all ages from mid 20 to 66years from across the Navajo Nation. 9.10. Community Agronomic Outreach: NTU Land Grant extension staff provided agricultural discovery experience at four regional fairs and expo's on the Navajo Nation. 1,000 participants were provided with seed ball ingredients for them to construct and learn about the importance of rangeland management and conservation. Participants incorporated native seeds into their seed balls and were instructed on areas to concentrate planting. 11. Financial Literacy Training: NTU Land Grant extension staff provided financial literacy training to 20 youth students. Participants learned the importance of budgeting, money management, and predatory loan practices. 12. Agriculture Youth Camp: 10Navajo middle and high school students participated in a 2 week Ag overnight youth camp on the NTU campus. Students had varying background in agriculture from none to working with livestock experience. Allkids were interested in veterinary medicine, animal science, environmental science, natural resources,wildlife biology, plant science, and agriculture-related subjects. 13. Internships: 10NTU Ag-related majors completed internships over the year in their respective fields of study. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Land Grant administrative assistant attended the annual FALCON conference to learn more about the land grant university system and programs offered by other institutions. The staff received training in CPR/1st aid, excel program, and human resource such as sexual harrassment, customer service, creative thinking and problem solving, and adversity intelligence for leaders. The Project Director and staff received training in Accomodating Higher Ed Students with Disabilitites, sexual harrassment prevention, Title IX Final Rule for Faculty & Staff, and FERPA for Staff in Higher Education. Interns received CPR/1st aid training and became certified for 2 years. T How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Ram program metrics were collected and compiled and shared with producers at the ram lease presentation during ram day. Results were also shared with sheep conference and sheep shearing participants.BQA participating producer metrics were compiled and used in future programs and shared in futureclasses. Information regarding the youth camp was disseminated via radio announcements, flyers, applications, program brochures, and social media and shared with USDA APHIS ONTL program. Land Grant staff traveled to over 20 local schools to share important youth Agriculture enrichment program and academic programs with teachers, counselors, principals, and students regarding the success of the youth camp. Responsible pet ownership presentations were promoted by NTU vet tech students reaching out to local schools via phone calls and physically visiting the schools. Press releases and newsletters were also utilized to disseminate the above information by the NTU Marketing team. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Project Director will continue recruiting efforts to fill vacant positions. As Covid restrictions relax and normalcy is achieved, the Land Grant program staff will pursue regular programming.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Support informal education to increase food and agricultural literacy of youth and cultural preservation through youth development programming, and education and science literacy Ten12-17 year old youth completed our annual Agricultural (Wildlife, Animal, and Plant camp) enrichment summer program. All learned about common agricultural issues, concerns, and fields of study. Students are interested in pursuing agricultural fields of study while in college. 60 daycare, childcare, and elementary school students learned about preventative care and husbandry for pets, and the importance of spaying and neutering to reduce the dog overpopulation in the Navajo Nation. Students learned about the benefits of providing these preventative services for their pets. All other objectives were not met due to Covid restrictions across the Navajo Nation Goal 2: Promote food security through gardening. Four families were supported in continuingthe box gardening project and raised produce for their families including squash, melon, tomatoes, onions, pumpkin, and corn. Maintenance was provided on the fencing to keep rodents and rabbits out of the garden area, and on the irrigation to water the gardens. 80 community members attended 6 planting/gardening workshops held over the year. All learned about composting, soil health, permaculture, management, pest management, irrigating, planting, gardening, winterizing, etc. Producers provided food for their families. All other objectives were not met due to Covid restrictions across the Navajo Nation Goal 3: Promote financial literacy. 10 youth learned about financial terms, budgeting, spending, importance of saving, and loan sharks. Ages ranged from 12to 17years of age.Students learned about budgeting for the future while in college. Students were empowered with financial literacy. Goal 4:Promote optimization of agriculture production by providing farm and ranch education through conferences and hands-on workshops for Navajo communities and operating a ram lease program. 30 sheep producers utilized a ram from our program for breeding to raise lambs to provide food for their families, community, and traditional events. The ram helped improved genetics for improved viability and birth weights of their lambs. All of the families utilizing a ram had lambs whether singles, twins, or triplets. 40 cattle ranchers attended our annual beef quality assurance seminars and learned about the requirements for certification in New Mexico. They learned about herd health including vaccinations, deworming, assessments, etc. They also learned about record-keeping, improving quality of meat production, and nutrition. During our annual Agricultural enrichment youth program, the students learned about meat processing through tour and demonstration provided by the owner. They saw the importance of vaccinating in a certain area to avoid bruising and tissue damage. Goal 5:Promote family and consumer science, health, and nutrition in the Crownpoint community. All other objectives were not met due to Covid restrictions across the Navajo Nation
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The majority of the Navajo Technical University Land Grant Program events, activites, and outreach were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the request of the NTU administrators, only the ram leaseprogram was allowed to continue as food production and food insecurity increased during the pandemic. Twenty-nineNavajo families from across the reservation leased and purchased Rambouillet/Merino rams from NTU to breed the ewes in their flock in attempts to improve the quality of wool and meat in their own flocks. The Land Grant Program staff created a presentationfor leasees which were viewed individually in a safe manner for all. The presentation included theproper care, nutrition, and husbandry of their ewes and leased rams. All rams underwent breeding soundness exams before leasing/purchasing including testing for Brucella ovis, which were all negative before lease/purchase. All rams were scrapie resistant and fully vaccinated and dewormed according parasite testing results. Rams were picked up and returned in a no-contact manner. NTU Veterinary Technology students assisted with all of the ram preventative medicine and care, breeding soundness exams, and daily feeding/watering/care of the livestock as part of their experiential learning of large animal veterinary procedures. Due to the increase in COVID cases across the Navajo Reservation, all Spring 2021 events have been canceled. Changes/Problems:The following projects and activities had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic: Spring Beef Quality Assurance fall 2020 and spring2021 Garden Conference spring 2021 Sheep Conference spring 2021 NTU Ranch Camp summer 2021 Safeguarding Natural Heritage Youth Camp summer 2021 - still pending and may be a virtual camp for kids Innoventure Native Ag Youth Camps: Virtual Cattle and Sheep Management Camps summer 2021 What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all of the opportunities for training and professional development were canceled due to travel restrictions imposed by NTU, State of New Mexico, and Navajo Nation. The Land Grant Program staff were able to attend several of the trainings including producing online flyers, brochures, etc. during the virtual FALCON conference in fall 2020. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff havenot had the opportunity to share results of the success of the ram lease program with other communities of interest. All other programs were canceled. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Land Grant Program operation dependson the status of the COVID pandemic and if it will receive NTU and Navajo Nation authorization to organize in person, face to face events, outreach, activities, etc. The programwill continue to accomplish itsgoals by preparing pre-recordedcamp presentations for the virtual youth events and organizing the virtual camps.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all programming events, projects, outreach, and activities have been canceled except the ram lease program.This program addressed food insecurity and food production on the Navajo Nation especially in the midst of the pandemic. Twenty-nineNavajo families from across the reservation leased and purchased Rambouillet/Merino rams from NTU to breed the ewes in their flock in attempts to improve the quality of wool and meat in their own flocks. The Land Grant Program staff created a presentationfor leasees which were viewed individually in a safe manner for all. The presentation included theproper care, nutrition, and husbandry of their ewes and leased rams. All rams underwent breeding soundness exams before leasing/purchasing including testing for Brucella ovis, which were all negative before lease/purchase. All rams were scrapie resistant and fully vaccinated and dewormed according parasite testing results. Rams were picked up and returned in a no-contact manner. NTU Veterinary Technology students assisted with all of the ram preventative medicine and care, breeding soundness exams, and daily feeding/watering/care of the livestock as part of their experiential learning of large animal veterinary procedures. Due to the further increase in COVID cases across the Navajo Reservation, all Spring 2021 events have been canceled.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience: Student hands-on learning with program's rams: 11 college students from Navajo Technical University, 24 high school and middle school students, and 10 veterinary students from Colorado State University, Washington State University, and Sam Houston State University gained experience in shearing, handling, vaccinating, hoof-trimming, physical exams, and animal husbandry throughout the year utilizing the program's rams. Navajo Tech students were also involved in breeding soundness exams with veterinarians in the fall and spring before and after the ram leases. Ram lease: 27 Navajo families from across the reservation leased and purchased Rambouillet/Merino rams from NTU to breed the ewes in their flock in attempts to improve the quality of wool and meat in their own flocks. The lessesalso took part in informational seminars regarding proper care, nutrition, and husbandry of their ewes and leased rams. All rams underwent breeding soundness exams before leasing/purchasing including testing for Brucella ovis, all of which were negative before lease/purchase. All rams were scrapie resistant and fully vaccinated and dewormed according parasite testing results. Herd Health: 2 NTU college students, two students from Washington State University, one student from Sam Houston State University, and four vet students from Colorado State University provided a free vaccination and deworming campaign for sheep and goats owned by Navajo elders in the Navajo eastern agency community in the summer of 2019. Over 79 elderly families received this service with flocks ranging from 1 - 65 sheep and goats for a total of 2,252 animals. Community members received information of importance of vaccinations and parasite control. Responsible pet ownership: 11 NTU vet tech students visited 5 local elementary and middle school classes and 5 childcare facilities throughout the fall and spring semesters. The vet tech students talked to classrooms about preventative care and husbandry for pets, and they raised awareness of the canine overpopulation in the area and the importance of spaying and neutering. Sheep conference: Over 67 Navajo men and women attended a one-day sheep conference held in May at the NTU Wellness center. At the conference, attendees learned about sheep housing, vaccination, deworming, breeding, and poisonous plants, and were given the opportunity to visit the NTU veterinary facility to take part in a hands-on demonstration regarding proper vaccination, deworming, aging by teeth, and body condition scoring. Beef Quality Assurance: Over 60 producers attended a seminar covering basic animal husbandry, nutrition, and herd health preventative care including vaccinations and parasite control. Producers were certified in their state of residence for New Mexico and Arizona. Garden workshops and training: NTU Land Grant extension staff offered six workshops and one presentation at a beginning farmer/rancher workshop. 132 participants attended and learned about gardening, horticulture, home economics, healthy eating, soil health, permaculture, garden management skill, integrated pest management, and others. Healthy Eating and lifestyles: NTU Land Grant extension staff offered five healthy cooking demonstrations that included NTU students/staff, community members, and surrounding senior center members. 58 Participants learned about healthy menu's and healthy ingredient substitutions in conventional recipes. Menus were centered around crockpots, mugs, and outdoor grilling. School garden project: NTU Land Grant extension staff worked with four schools and one after school program on gardening, agricultural, and plant science education. Estimated that 125 Navajo students were served. Community Agronomic Outreach: NTU Land Grant extension staff provided agricultural discovery experience at four regional fairs and expo's on the Navajo Nation. 1,763 participants were provided with seed ball ingredients for them to construct and learn about the importance of rangeland management and conservation. Participants incorporated native seeds into their seed balls and were instructed on areas to concentrate planting. College students: NTU Land Grant Extension is working on developing a 4 year degree program in agribusiness with a concentration in horticulture and indigenous agriculture, and a 2 year degree program in soil health. Financial Literacy Training: NTU Land Grant extension staff provided financial literacy training to 266 youth, students, and community members locally and regionally. Participants learned the importance of budgeting, money management, and predatory loan practices. Changes/Problems:The following projects and activities had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic: Spring Beef Quality Assurance April 18, 2020 Garden Conference April 24, 2020 Sheep Conference May 1, 2020 Safeguarding Natural Heritage Youth Camp July 5-17, 2020 NTU Ranch Camp July 19-24, 2020 What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1. A tangible and usable product of the COVID shutdownhas been the creation of a Ram Lease Program video that allows Lessees to learn about the ram lease requirements virtually. 2. Create virtual Seed Ball presentations and demonstrations to promote remote community participation. Create Seed Ball ingredient list and instruction flyers to post on social media outlets to encourage global community participation. 3. Youth Development Program Coordinator and Land Grant Program Assistant attended the FALCON Conference to learn about tribal college extensions activities across the US, and network with tribal college extension and land grant professionals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?1. Ram lease metrics were collected and compiled and shared with producers at the 2019 ram lease powerpoint presentation durring ram pick up day. 2. 2020 Wool data has been collected (pounds per head), grade and sale price has been placed on hold because of COVIDand soft markets at the Wool Warehouse. 3. Fall BQA participating producer metricswere compiled and will be used in future program planning and advertising programs similar in nature. Information regarding the youth camp was disseminated via radio announcements, flyers, applications, program brochures, and social media. A staff member also traveled to over 110 local schools to talk to teachers, counselors, principles, secretaries, and classrooms regarding the youth camp. The ram lease project information was provided to the public via flyers in local stores as well as in the local newspaper. The beef quality assurance and cattle conference information was provided to the public via flyers in local stores as well as in the local newspaper. Responsible pet ownership presentations were promoted by NTU vet tech students reaching out to local schools via phone calls and physically visiting the schools. Sheep conference information was disseminated via flyers and local newspaper advertisements. NTU Gardening extension materials are freely available at select locations on NTU Crownpoint campus. Purchased gardening and planting supplies needed to present hands-on demonstration to youth at county fairs, exhibits, workshops, and in school presentations. Press release and newsletters were also utilized to disseminate the above information. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Will explore presenting youth wellness program to after-school programs with the local Office of Dine Youth program. The "Safeguarding Natural Heritage" annual agriculture youth camp is scheduled for the beginning of June, and many materials needed for the camp have already been purchased. The youth ranch campis scheduled for June and materials have been purchased. Recruitment efforts have already been developed along with application packets. After school programming for children have already been schedule during the fall and spring semesters and supplies have already been purchased. Recruitment efforts have already been developed. Fitness wellness and language, arts and crafts camps will be scheduled throughout the year for youth. We intend to hold another annual sheep conference in the next academic year, encouraging proper husbandry throughout the community and giving our NTU vet tech students an opportunity for educational community outreach experience. The cattle conference will be held in fall for producers to learn about husbandry, nutrition, reproduction and best breeding practices, herd health preventative care. Vet Tech and Animal Science students, staff, and guest speakerswill present on some of the topics and assist with demonstrations during the workshops. The Rambouillet/Merino rams will be leased out to the Navajo community sheep producers again in the fall after they have been tested for breeding soundness and Brucella ovis. The people who lease the rams will attend an informational seminar regarding ideal breeding practices, nutrition, and preventative care for their flocks. The NTU vet tech students will continue to provide responsible pet ownership educational outreach to the local youth at elementary and middle schools throughout the next academic year. We are planning our annual herd health campaign in which we provide vaccination and deworming services and outreach education to Navajo elders in the community. This is planned to occur in July. School garden project will continue, and expand to 2-3 additional schools. Garden workshop program will continue, and a fall workshop series will be offered September-October. In 2020, a new cohort of local producers will be trained in the advanced garden training. In summer, the NTU demonstration garden site will be expanded to include container gardening and a berm and swale. Financial literacy education will be provided locally and regionally for students, community members, and youth.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Over 79 elderly families received this service with flocks ranging from 1 - 65 sheep and goats for a total of 2,252 animals. 2 NTU college students, two students from Washington State University, one student from Sam Houston State University, and four vet students from Colorado State University provided preventative measures includingfree vaccination and deworming for sheep and goats owned by Navajo elders in the Navajo eastern agency community in the summer of 2019. Community members received information onimportance of vaccinations, parasite control and other herd health measures. Eleven (11) college students from Navajo Technical University, 24 high school and middle school students, and 10 veterinary students from Colorado State University, Washington State University, and Sam Houston State University gained experience in shearing, handling, vaccinating, hoof-trimming, physical exams, and animal husbandry throughout the year utilizing the program's rams. Navajo Tech students were also involved in breeding soundness exams with veterinarians in the fall and spring before and after the ram leases. Twenty-four (24) middle and high school students attended a 2-week long camp, which included educational experiences onUSDA, zoo and wildlife animals, veterinary medicine, plants, and environmental education. Items were purchased for the annual youth camp (Safeguarding Natural Heritage Youth Camp) held June 2019. Afterschool youth wellness program was provided to local secondary leadership to begin implementation. No response received from school leadership after repeated follow-up. NTU vet tech students visited 5 local elementary and middle school classes and 5 childcare facilities throughout the fall and spring semesters. The vet tech students talked to classrooms about preventative care and husbandry for pets, and they raised awareness of the canine overpopulation in the area and the importance of spaying and neutering. Ram lessees attended a sheep husbandry seminar before leasing that focused on nutrition, ideal breeding practices, housing, and preventative medicine to promote flock health. 19 rams were leased to local Navajo families to breed their ewes in attempts to improve wool and meat quality in their flocks. Over 67 Navajo men and women attended a one-day sheep conference held in May at the NTU Wellness center. At the conference, attendees learned about sheep housing, vaccination, deworming, breeding, and poisonous plants, and were given the opportunity to visit the NTU veterinary facility to take part in a hands-on demonstration regarding proper vaccination, deworming, aging by teeth, and body condition scoring. Over 60 producers were Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)-certified in their state of residence for New Mexico and Arizona. Producers attended a seminar covering basic animal husbandry, nutrition, and herd health preventative care including vaccinations and parasite control. 132 participants attended and learned about gardening, horticulture, home economics, healthy eating, soil health, permaculture, garden management skill, integrated pest management, and others. NTU Land Grant extension staff offered six workshops and one presentation at a beginning farmer/rancher workshop. 58 Participants learned about healthy menus and healthy ingredient substitutions in conventional recipes. Menus were centered around crockpots, mugs, and outdoor grilling. NTU Land Grant extension staff offered five healthy cooking demonstrations that included NTU students/staff, community members, and surrounding senior center members. 125 Navajo students were served. NTU Land Grant extension staff worked with four schools and one after school program on gardening, agricultural, and plant science education. 1,763 participants were provided with seed ball ingredients for them to construct and learn about the importance of rangeland management and conservation. NTU Land Grant extension staff provided agricultural discovery experience at four regional fairs and expo's on the Navajo Nation. Participants incorporated native seeds into their seed balls and were instructed on areas to concentrate planting. NTU Land Grant extension staff provided financial literacy training to 266 youth, students, and community members locally and regionally. Participants learned the importance of budgeting, money management, and predatory loan practices. Wool buying program was created to assist herd owners with making connections and selling wool to areas outside of the Navajo Nation. Assisted grade school students with winter box gardening at local elementary schools to teach winter gardening techniques. Purchased and planted fruit trees to be used in gardening presentations which will also assist in providing fresh produce to the local childcare center.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Student hands-on learning with program's rams: 8 college students from Navajo Technical University, 24 high school and middle school students, and 7 veterinary students from Colorado State University and Ohio State University gained experience in shearing, handling, vaccinating, hoof-trimming, physical exams, and animal husbandry throughout the year utilizing the program's rams. Navajo Tech students were also involved in breeding soundness exams with veterinarians in the fall and spring before and after the ram leases. Ram lease: 24 Navajo families from across the reservation leased and purchased Rambouillet/Marino rams from NTU to breed the ewes in their flock in attempts to improve the quality of wool and meat in their own flocks. The leasers also took part in informational seminars regarding proper care, nutrition, and husbandry of their ewes and leased rams. All rams underwent breeding soundness exams before leasing/purchasing including testing for Brucella ovis, all of which were negative before lease/purchase. All rams were scrapie resistant and fully vaccinated and dewormed according parasite testing results. Herd Health: 3 NTU college students, one vet student from Alaska, and 4 vet students from Colorado State University provided a free vaccination and deworming campaign for sheep and goats owned by Navajo elders in the Navajo eastern agency community in the summer of 2018. Over 75 elderly families received this service with flocks ranging from 1 - 65 sheep and goats. Community members received information of importance of vaccinations and parasite control. Responsible pet ownership: 8 NTU vet tech students visited 5local elementary and middle school classes throughout the fall and spring semesters. The vet tech students talked to classrooms about preventative care and husbandry for pets, and they raised awareness of the canine overpopulation in the area and the importance of spaying and neutering. Sheep conference: Over 75 Navajo men and women attended a one-day sheep conference held in May at the NTU Wellness center. At the conference, attendees learned about sheep housing, vaccination, deworming, breeding, and poisonous plants, and were given the opportunity to visit the NTU veterinary facility to take part ina hands-on demonstration regarding proper vaccination, deworming, aging by teeth, and body condition scoring. Beef Quality Assurance: Over 30 producers attended a seminar covering basic animal husbandry, nutrition, and herd health preventative care including vaccinations and parasite control. Producers were certified in their state of residence for New Mexico and Arizona. Garden workshops: NTU extension staff offered seven workshop series and a total of 35 workshops, including one-offs and special events. From 8/2018-12/2018, 52 farmers and gardeners were served by this project. From 1/2019-6/2019, 128 farmers and gardeners were served by this project. Participants learned about gardening, horticulture, home economics, and healthy eating. Garden training: Two cohorts of local producers were trained in topics including: soil health, permaculture, garden management skill, integrated pest management, and others. Total, 8 participants were trained. School garden project: NTU extension staff worked with five schools and one afterschool program on gardening, agricultural, and plant science education. Estimated that 170 Navajo students were served. College students: NTU Extension is working on developing a 4 year degree program in agribusiness with a concentration in horticulture and indigenous agriculture, and a 2 year degree program in soil health. Youth, students, and community members: Land Grant staff are working to provide financial literacy training to youth, students, and community members locally and regionally. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?NTU Horticulture Extension Manager, an NTU faculty, and PD attended a four-day USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Health training in Albuquerque, New Mexico that included lecture, demonstrations, hands-on learning, and farm tours. The training focused on soil health principles, and how to practically build an agrisystem with healthy and robust soil. The Horticulture Extension Manager also traveled to Jacksonville, Florida to attend and present at the 2019 1890 ARD Soil Health Research Symposium.She also attended multiple one day meetings and events across the Navajo Nation and surrounding area with stakeholders and change-makers in the agriculture sector to learn about local government systems and local infrastructure pertaining to horticulture. PD and staff attended a financial literacy train-the-trainer training in Oklahoma City, OK. Training has allowed the Land Grant department staff to provide financial literacy training for 88 middle and high school students in the local community. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information regarding the youth camp was disseminated via flyers. A staff member also traveled to over 40 local schools to talk to teachers and classrooms regarding the youth camp. The ram lease project information was provided to the public via flyers in local stores as well as in the local newspaper. Responsible pet ownership presentations were promotedbyNTU vet tech students reaching out to local schools via phone calls and physically visiting the schools. Sheep conference information was disseminated via flyers and localnewspaper advertisements. NTU Gardening extension materials are freely available at select locations on NTU Crownpoint campus. In future, they, as well as select slides and other materials, will be available online. Agribusiness and Soil Health degree curricula are in progress and will be disseminated to the Navajo Nation via online measures, and through local community government. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The "Safeguarding Natural Heritage" annual agriculture youth camp is scheduled for the beginning of June, and many materials needed for the camp have already been purchased. The youth ranch camp and STEM camps are scheduled for June and July and materials have been purchased. Recruitment efforts have already been developed. After school programming for children have already been schedule during the fall and spring semesters and supplies have already been purchased. Recruitment efforts have already been developed. Fitness wellness and language, arts and crafts camps will be scheduled throughout the year for youth. We intend to hold another annual sheep conference in the next academic year, encouraging proper husbandry throughout the communityand giving our NTU vet tech students an opportunity for educational community outreach experience. The cattle conference will be held in fall for producers to learn about husbandry, nutrition, reproduction and best breeding practices, herd health preventative care. Vet Tech and Animal Science students will present on some of the topics and assist with demostrations during the workshops. The Rambouillet/Marino rams will be leased out the to Navajo community again in the fall after they have been tested for breeding soundness and Brucella ovis. The people who lease the rams will attend an informational seminar regarding ideal breeding practices, nutrition, and preventative care for their flocks. The NTU vet tech students will continue to provide responsible pet ownership educational outreach to the local youth at elementary and middle schools throughout the next academic year. We are planning our annual herd health campaign in which we provide vaccination and deworming services and outreach education to Navajo elders in the community. This is planned to occur in July. School garden project will continue, and expand to 2-3 additional schools. Garden workshop program will continue, and a fall workshop series will be offered September-October. In 2020, a new cohort of local producers will be trained in the advanced garden training. In summer, the NTU demonstration garden site will be expanded to include container gardening and a berm and swale. Financial literacy education will be provided locally and regionally for students, community members, and youth.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Ram leasees attended a sheep husbandry seminar before leasing that focused on nutrition, ideal breeding practices, housing, and preventative medicine to promote flock health. 24 rams were leased to local Navajo families to breed their ewes in attempts to improve wool and meat quality intheir flocks. 24 middle and high school students attended a 2 week long camp, which included educational experiences with USDA workers, zoo and wildlife animals, and environmental education. - Items were purchased for the annual youth camp (Safeguarding Natural Heritage Youth Camp) held June 2019. 28 middle and high school students attended the camp. NTU vet tech students traveled to 5 local schools to present to elementary and middle school students regarding responsible pet ownership and local canine overpopulation. The elementary and middle school students received developmentally appropriate informational handouts during presentations. Over 75 men and women from the local Navajo community attended an annual sheep conference held at NTU, which covered many subjects including preventative care, poisonous plants, breeding, and hands-on opportunities to body condition score and observe proper vaccination and hoof trimming procedures on live sheep. The NTU vet tech students were also involved in the presentations and hands-on demonstrations. Over 30 cattle producers attended a beef quality assurance certification seminar and achieved certification in New Mexico and Arizona. Producers gained knowledge in husbandry, nutrition, herd health preventative care including vaccinations and parasite control. 28 middle and high school students completed a 2 week youth program exposing them to agriculture related fields including animal science, veterinary medicine, wildlife biology, environmental science, natural resource, plant science, and soil science. Horticulture program: 150+ farmers and gardeners served, 250+ youth served, 70+ campus students served. Completed 35 garden workshops, achieved record attendance (150+) Completed healthy cooking demonstrations and workshops Engaged students at 5 schools and one youth program in gardening and plant science (150+ youth served) Built 3 new school gardens Provided hands-on, technical training to individual growers (8 participants/families/groups) Participated in multiple reservation-wide community events, including fairs, STEM student days, and community stakeholder meetings (100+ participants) Trained teachers on garden maintenance, education, and plant science concepts (6 participants) Created 19 curricula focused on small-scale faming, gardening, and other horticultural topcis Built a chicken coop for use as an extension and education tool to promote poultry production Maintained demonstration site, and created plans for expansion to include additional growing techniques Horticulture Extension Manager is developing a 4 year degree program in Agribusiness with concentration in Horticulture and 2 year degree program in Soil Health. Graduates will be able to earn their bachelor's degree and associate's degree in these areas. Soil Health program graduates would be able to apply for employment with USDA NRCS as technicians ready to perform the necessary field work. Agribusiness program gradudates would be able to pursue their own business, seek employment with private and public companies, and master's degrees in horticulture or related field. Land Grant department staff have provided financial literacy training for 88 middle and high school students from the local community. Students learned about budgeting and developing commonsense spending plans. Awareness of predatory lending was provided.
Publications
|
|