College of Agriculture & Natural Resources



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|Lenawee County | |

|Lenawee County Extension |P: 517-264-5300 |E-mail: msue.lenawee@county.msu.edu |

|1040 South Winter Street, Suite 2020 Adrian, MI |F: 517-264-5317 |Web: msue.msu.edu/Lenawee |

|49221-3867 | | |

|September 2007 |

|4-H members give back through small animal auction |4-H’ers benefit from the generosity of businesses and individuals through |

| |their 4-H program such as the animal auctions. The Check Charity campaign is |

|Each year more than 275 lots of poultry, rabbits and goats are sold at the |just one small way Lenawee County 4-H members can give back to their |

|Lenawee County Fair 4-H Small Animal Auction. Prior to 2006, buyers had a choice |community. |

|of processing the animal, taking it home or giving it back to the youth | |

|exhibitor. |Contact: Janelle Stewart, Youth Educator |

|In 2006, the youth-lead Small Animal Board decided to add a community service | |

|option to the sale by initiating the Check Charity. This option allows small | |

|animal auction buyers to donate their purchases to the Salvation Army. When |[pic] |

|buyers choose this option, the 4-H’er arranges for processing and delivers the | |

|meat to the Salvation Army. | |

|Since the start of the Check Charity campaign, more than 400 fresh, locally grown| |

|small animal livestock projects have been donated. More than $600 in cash derived| |

|from the sale of donated goats was given to help needy families in Lenawee | |

|County. | |

|When the youth delivers the meat to the Salvation Army, they learn about their | |

|organization and how their donations are used. Often this motivates the youth to | |

|make personal donations to the charity | |

|Jameson Near, an 11-year-old, first-year poultry member, told his mother after | |

|making his first delivery to the Salvation Army that he wanted to raise more | |

|chickens next year so he would have more to donate to charity. | |

|Hunter Stewart, a 13-year-old 4-H member, sold his chickens at auction, but when | |

|the buyer gave them back to him, he processed the chickens himself and then | |

|donated them to the Salvation Army. | |

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|[pic] |Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) helps people improve their lives through an educational|[pic] |

| |process that applies knowledge to critical issues, needs and opportunities. Offices in counties | |

| |across the state link the research of the land-grant university, MSU, to challenges | |

| |facing communities. Citizens serving on county Extension councils regularly help select focus | |

| |areas for programming.  MSUE is funded jointly by county boards of commissioners, the state | |

| |through Michigan State University and federally through the US Department of Agriculture. | |

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|Sustainable agricultural and land use tour builds understanding in officials |County employees walk around the world for better health |

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|MSU Extension and the Lenawee Rural Land Use Committee conducted a 2007 |Nearly 120 Lenawee County employees started 2007 on the right foot by joining |

|Agricultural and Land Use Tour on August 7. The tour was sponsored in |in the Walking Challenge in an effort to improve their health by increasing |

|collaboration with Lenawee County Farm Bureau and the Lenawee County Conservation|their physical activity. |

|District. |In 12 weeks, the team walked a combined 26,263 miles, a distance greater than |

|Forty eight elected and appointed officials were among the participants. Others |the circumference of the Earth at the equator. |

|included those involved in agriculture or land use planning. The tour was |The challenge was sponsored by the Healthy Lenawee Coalition. An initiative |

|intended to: |coordinated by MSU Extension’s Food and Nutrition Educator Gretchen Hofing, |

| |the coalition engages families in activities that focus on the prevention of |

|Help elected and appointed officials understand the importance of agriculture in |weight problems and related chronic diseases. |

|the local economy. |The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that adults walk 10,000 steps a day to |

|Educate the audience on how the suburbanization of agricultural areas often |maintain a healthy weight. Most adults need to take 2,000 steps to equal one |

|contributes to conflicts between agricultural and residential uses. |mile, or 5 miles per day to reach 10,000 steps per day. |

|Explain how land use planning tools can prevent conflicts between agricultural |Nearly 60 percent of participants stated they didn’t exercise at all before |

|and residential uses caused by the suburbanization of agricultural areas. |entering the challenge. Many said they were exercising less than four times a |

|Highlight businesses that make a contribution to the local economy, such as the |week. At the conclusion of the challenge, the majority of participants stated |

|Global Ethanol Plant in Riga Township. |they were exercising at least four times a week. |

|Provide information about environmentally sustainable farming through the use of |Almost one quarter of the Walking Challenge participants reported feeling |

|technology and the best management practices. This included education on manure |better, having increased energy, better weight control and improved sleep. |

|management at the Bruinsma Dairy, the use of global positioning systems and |Most participants reported that they also made positive improvements in their |

|genetically modified seeds to reduce chemical and fertilizer use, and the use of |diet by increasing their fruit and vegetable consumption along with decreasing|

|sub-irrigation systems to prevent water run off at the Raymond and Stutzman Farm.|fat and calories. |

|Show an innovative, mixed-use development (Mayberry Village, Sylvania, Ohio) |Many Lenawee County staff members had great success stories to share as a |

|designed to limit urban sprawl and promote a sense of community among residents. |result of their participation in the Walking Challenge. Comments from |

|Promote collaboration between local units of government through a presentation by|participants included: |

|the Ottawa County Planning and Grant director on “Working Across Community | |

|Boundaries.” |“The Challenge really motivated me to move. I wouldn't be doing as much |

| |without it." |

|Sixty nine percent of the attendees rated the overall organization of the tour | |

|and the keynote speaker and presentation as ‘excellent’ and a similar percent |"I brought my triglycerides down in February to 162 from 2148 in January; my |

|indicated that the tour had successfully met their expectations. One participant |cholesterol in February was 201 (down), from 415 in January." |

|stated “the site speaker and presentation was top notch and the Mayberry Village | |

|was very interesting.” |"I dropped my cholesterol by 43 points and can wear a smaller pants size." |

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|Contact: Jasneet Sharma, Land Policy Educator | |

| |Contact: Gretchen Hofing, Food and Nutrition Educator |

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|MSU is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity employer, Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, |

|color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Issued in furtherance of |

|MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Thomas G. Coon, Extension Director, Michigan State |

|University, E. Lansing, MI 48824 |

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Hunter Stewart, from the Rome Blue Ribbons 4-H Club, and Ron Bailey from The Mill in Onsted, MI, are recent participants in the Check Charity campaign.

o Promoting positive youth development through leadership and educational opportunities.

o Addressing land use issues through collaborative planning and smart growth initiatives.

o Promoting healthy lifestyles through nutrition and physical activity education.

o Helping to improve the agricultural economy by encouraging entrepreneurship and innovative marketing techniques.

o Promoting positive youth development through leadership and educational opportunities.

o Addressing land use issues through collaborative planning and smart growth initiatives.

o Promoting healthy lifestyles through nutrition and physical activity education.

o Helping to improve the agricultural economy by encouraging entrepreneurship and innovative marketing techniques.

Debbie Lakatos, member of the Fairfield Twp. Planning Commission, feeds the cows at the Bruinsma Dairy during the 2007 Agricultural and Land Use Tour.

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