Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this reporting period included: 1. Student hands-on learning with programrams: 15college students from Navajo Technical University, 20 high school and middle school students, 4veterinary students from Colorado State University, and 4pre-veterinary students from New Mexico State University, Cornell University, and Texas A & M 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: 15Navajo families from across the Navajoreservation utilized Merino 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, fertility testing, etc.All rams were scrapie resistant,fully vaccinated and dewormed.NTU Veterinary Technology,Animal Science, Biology, Welding, and Construction Technologyand 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 Cornell University, 1 student from Texas A&M Univeristy, 1 student from New Mexico State University,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 2024. Over 65elderly families received this community service and outreach with flocks ranging from 1 - 120sheep and goats for a total of 2,500animals. Community members received information of importance for herd health, vaccination, parasite control,husbandry, and scrapie disease. 4. Responsible pet ownership: 4NTU vet tech students and Veterinary Hospital staff visited 8local elementary and middle school classes and 4childcare 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 80Navajo 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 65producers 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 12workshops in the fall and spring.120participants 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: 25Navajo sheep producers learned how to shear sheep with electric shearers during a 2 day workshop. Producers were of all ages from mid 20 to 60years 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 200Navajo 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. 13. Internships: 25 NTU 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 received training in Accomodating Higher Ed Students with Disabilitites, sexualharrassment 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. They also received training on federal job application submission, creating resume and letter of interest, 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?The Project Director will continue recruiting efforts to fill vacant positions.
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. 320 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 25 college students completed agriculture focused internships to help them pursue degrees and further their education and to give them job experience and to network with others in their chosen field of study 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. 120 community members attended 12planting/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. 40 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 breeding program. 20 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. 80 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. 20 sheep producers learned how to shear and maintain electric shearing equipment during our annual shearing clinic. 65cattle 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.
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project included: 1. Indigenous youth through pre-kindergarten, primary and secondary school presentations, agriculture youth camp, boys and girls club, etc. 2. Indigenous ranchers through livestock related events and programs 3. Indigenous producers through livestock related programs and workshops 4. Indigneous community members through gardening and planting workshops 5. College students through agriculture related internships 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 receivedtraining 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 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. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the youth activities and programs were shared with the parents and administrators of NTU during the end of the program presentations on what they learned and what new learned knowledge and skills they will apply. Our USDA partners wereinformed of the results. The results of the events, workshops, programs, and outreach have been shared with thecommunity members to encourage future promotion and recruitment. 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.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: The Project Director, Land Grant staff and 4 hired summer interns organized and hosted a 2 week youth summer enrichment program for 20 junior and high schoolers (12-17 years of age) from across the Navajo Nation at NTU. During their stay on main campus, students experienced college life including living in the dorms, doing weekly laundry, eating in the cafeteria, jogging/walking every morning, playing sports every evening, and networking with other students. They learned the importance of herd health and preventative medicine for livestock and companion animals;soil health, planting, soil and water testing; erosion control on the reservation and rain water conservation; wildlife biology and management and human-wildlife coexistence, etc. Students heard from USDA APHIS personnel on the Wildlife Service, Veterinary Service, Animal Care, and Plant Protection and Quarantine programs, federal employment requirements, and academic preparation and educational background for federal careers. Students completed lab work as well. Students heard the importance of culture and tradition pertaining to livestock and wildlife. A 4-day youth summer cattleranch management campforhigh school students. Due to low participation, this camp was postponed to the next summer to have ample time to recruit 30 students. Five-day summer youth enrichment STEM programs for high school students. The Project Director and Land Grant staff are still organizing this program with other faculty at NTU. The plan is to begin this in the next project period. Afterschool family and consumer science, health, and nutrition programming for 6 - 12thgrade students. Due to not having hired a Youth Development Program Coordinator, Horticulture Extension Manager, and Family and Consumer Science Specialist, this program will have to wait unitl more staffing is hired. Afterschool traditional arts and crafts and cultural preservation workshops will be provided for K-5thgrade students.Due to not having hireda Youth Development Program Coordinator, Horticulture Extension Manager, and Family and Consumer Science Specialist, this program will have to wait unitl more staffing is hired. A tribal college internship program will help tribal college students gain knowledge and skills in agriculture-related fields while working for a USDA program in an internship. Eight NTU students majoring in Biology, Veterinary Technology, Animal Science, Environmental Science & Natural Resources, Hotel and Restaurant Administration, and Information Technology - New Media, completed 8 week internships across the U.S. in USDA Forest Service Wild Horse and Burro Program, USDA APHIS Veterinary Service, Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Center, and NTU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Four college students majoring in Animal Science, Environmental Science and Sustainability, Masters in Animal Science, and Biology,completed internships at NTU Veterinary Teaching Hospital; students attended Cornell University, Texax A&M University, New Mexico State University, and Navajo Technical University. These students mentored the youth in the camp, served as chaperones, trained the youth in performing animal physical exams, administering vaccines and dewormer, trimming sheep hooves and horns, and coordinated a 2 week small ruminant (1,600 head) herd health activities with the elderly in the Eastern Navajo Nation. Responsible pet ownership presentations and workshops will be provided for preschool to 6thgrade students at area schools. Eight in-classroom presentations were provided throughout the year by the NTU pre-vet tech and animal science students, NTU Veterinary Teaching Hospital interns,and Land Grant staff. The youth learned about importance of sheltering, feeding, watering, and caring for companion animals and livestock, spaying and neutering to decrease the number of unwanted litters across the Navajo Nation, and pursuing agriculture related degrees. Objective 2: Promote food security through gardening. The NTU Horticulture Extension Manager will continue community box gardening project empowering 6 new families each spring by setting up 2 box gardens with soil, compost, drip irrigation, seeds, and fencing. Due to shortage of staff, this was postponed. The Horticulture Extension Manager will work with area grade school science teachers to implement Ag in the classroom curriculumsupporting them with curricula, supplies, and hands-on workshops. Project Director has worked with area school teachers and Office of Youth Development in providing supplies andcurricula in planting, composting, and harvesting. A hands-on gardening workshop series on planting, composting, canning, seed-saving, harvesting rain water, drip irrigation, and harvesting will be provided for the community. 15 workshops were provided for community members. A landscaping and garden conferencewill address priority areas in food security, agricultural productivity, sustainable use of natural resources, food safety and renewable energy will be hosted. Due to shortage of staff, this was postponed. Objective 3: The Land Grant department staff will educate students and community members in financial education empowering them to make informed financial decisions in college and everyday life.The staff will educate students and community members in financial education empowering them to make informed financial decisions in college and everyday life. The Project Director and Land Grant staff provided a hands-on workshop for 20 youth ages 12-17 years to learn about financial literacy and budgeting. Students were given the challenge of being a college student with expenses and given a certain amount of money to pay their bills and budget for the upcoming months. Students learned about the challenges of stretching their dollars to make ends meet. They discussed how to better conserve each month to survivie on a fixed amount of dollars while being a college student. Objective 4: The Land Grant department has provided 20Merino rams during the breeding season to sheep ranchers to improve flock genetics for better viability and birth weights of lambs. Surveys indicate mostflocks had at least singles and twins exceeding expectations and only 1 had low number of lambs. A half day sheep conference addressing priority areas in cultural preservation, agricultural productivity, and sustainable use of natural resources was held for 20 attendees. A 2-day cattle conference and workshop will address priority areas in agricultural productivity, Indian food security, and sustainable use of natural resources. Due to shortage of staff, this was postponed. A 2daysheep shearing clinic washeld for 20 producers to be able to learn how to use electric shearers and maintain their equipment. The wool grading presentation was cancelled due to the presenter not being able to attend. Beef and sheep quality assurance courses were provided for 30 cattle producers whichcoveredherd health, husbandry, nutrition, reproduction, breeds, trichomoniasis testing, fencing, New Mexico and Arizona livestock board rules, etc. Most of the participants were successful in passing the exam and became certified for 2 years. Conduct research in promoting and improving flock and herd health.Due to staff shortage, this was cancelled. The Project Director and staffworked with USDA Forest Service, Wildhorse and Burro Program in performing outreach and services to inhibit the feral horse population from growing exponentially in relation to their habitat environmental factors, promote adoption of these horses, and promote responsible horse ownership. Objective 5: Four Hands-on workshops andpresentations on nutrition, diabetes & obesity prevention, food safety, physical fitness, healthy snack and meal preparation for community members were held in the NTU Land Grant workshop area.
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