February 28, 2012 ISU Scott County Extension Council Meeting, Scott County Extension Office-7:00 p.m.

 

March 1, 2012 Vermicomposting at Home, Vander Veer Botanical Park-6:30 p.m.

 

March 8, 2012 Ornamental & Turf Applicators CIC, Scott County Extension Office-9:00 a.m.

 

March 8, 2012 Cut Flowers, West Davenport Center-6:30 p.m.

 

March 14, 2012 Certified Handlers CIC, Scott County Extension Office - 9:00 a.m.

 

March 19, 2012 Insects & Pest Management, Rock Island County Extension Office-7:00 p.m.

 

March 23, 2012 Women In Agriculture (Overall Women), I Wireless Center, Moline-8:00 a.m.

 

March 26, 2012 Water Gardens & More, Rock Island County Extension Office-7:00 p.m.

 

March 27, 2012 ISU Scott County Extension Council Meeting, Scott County Extension Office-7:00 p.m.

 

March 30, 2012 Commercial & Private Pesticide Applicator Testing, Scott County Extension Office - 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

 

Visit our events calendar at our web site: http://dbs.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/

As a group, the Selective Mutism Treatment and Research Team has had experience with children with selective mutism and social anxiety that goes back nearly 20 years. The NYU Child Study Center, since its inception in 1997, has focused on research and practice with children who are selectively mute and socially anxious. Selective mutism and social anxiety usually become apparent in group settings and impair social functioning with peers and with adults outside of the nuclear family. They are often not noted until the child attends a daycare setting or school. Selective mutism and social anxiety impair a child's growth in many areas - social development, social acceptance, and academic achievement.

Therapy step-by-step

To improve a child's comfort level and help the child speak freely, we have been experimenting with several steps that seem to be effective. First, we set up play and game situations with the child and family members in our clinical setting. We let the child know that we will not interfere and not attempt to hear the child speak at the beginning. We ask parents to present questions and conversational statements and praise the child for speaking in that setting.

Second, we let the child know that we are interested in having the child talk to family members while we gradually move into the vicinity. With care, we very gradually decrease the distance between ourselves and the family group while providing the child with praise and small rewards for continuing to speak even though we are getting closer.

Reminders for parents and teachers

-Be patient

-Ask, wait, move on

-Ask "forced choice" questions

-Provide positive reinforcement

-Provide labeled, specific praise

-Rewards

-Provide graduated talking opportunities

-Be happy for progress

-Let the child "own" the anxiety

-Wait for responses

Don't

-Mind read

-Ask "yes/no" questions

-Ask open-ended questions

-Be overly excited

-Pressure to be among the "chosen few"

-Label the child as "shy"

-Repeat questions without waiting

-Rescue too soon

Contact Information:

Richard Gallagher, Ph.D, and Steven Kurtz, Ph.D, NYU Child Study Center, phone: 212-263-6622

Davenport, Iowa -- On September 6, Iowa State University Extension of Scott County, Lutheran Social Services of Iowa and Genesis Bright Beginnings will sponsor the parenting support and education program PACT (Parenting All Children Together) for an eight week series. The program is financially supported by Scott County Kids Early Childhood Iowa. The program is designed to educate and offer support to parents and caregivers of children age birth through five years old and reside in Scott County.

"Parenting is the most important job we will ever have. It is also the toughest! What we provide our children from birth through age five stays with them for the rest of their life. With this huge responsibility, we need to work together. This series will bring together parents and caregivers who want the very best for the children in their life," said Jennifer Best, Extension Educator and PACT instructor.

The upcoming PACT series will be the second time the program has been offered to the Scott County community. The last series ending in June was very successful. "It was very rewarding to watch the families open themselves up to the learning process," said Marisa Bloom, Families Program Assistant. "A lot of learning was happening and families were forming bonds and creating informal support systems with their peers. PACT is a needed resource for these very reasons."

For participating in the PACT program member will receive a free meal at every session, free childcare while adults are learning, a free gift at each session, bus tokens to get to the sessions if transportation is needed, $40 worth of items chosen by the participant if they attend at least 5 of the 8 sessions, fun and friendship with other families, and great information to help parents and caregivers help their children be all they can be.

For more information about PACT or to register, contact Marisa at the Iowa State University Extension office at 563-359-7577 or mbloom@iastate.edu.

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The overall appearance of a lawn is directly related to the maintenance provided. September is an ideal time for many lawn maintenance practices?such as weed control. To have additional questions answered, contact the horticulturists at hortline@iastate.edu or call 515-294-3108.

When is the best time to apply a herbicide to the lawn to control dandelions and other broadleaf weeds?

Fall (mid-September through October) is the best time to control perennial broadleaf weeds in the lawn with broadleaf herbicides. In fall, perennial broadleaf weeds are transporting food (carbohydrates) from their foliage to their roots in preparation for winter. Broadleaf herbicides applied in fall will be absorbed by the broadleaf weed's foliage and transported to the roots along with the carbohydrates, resulting in the destruction of the broadleaf weeds.

Broadleaf herbicides can be applied as liquids or granules. Before applying any herbicide, carefully read and follow label directions.

What is the proper way to apply broadleaf herbicides to the lawn?

Broadleaf herbicides can be applied as liquids or granules. Before applying any herbicide, carefully read and follow label directions. When applying liquid formulations, potential spray drift problems can be avoided by following simple precautions. Don't spray when winds exceed five miles per hour. Also, don't spray when temperatures are forecast to exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit within 24 hours of the application. Since coarse droplets are less likely to drift than fine sprays, select nozzles that produce coarse droplets and use low sprayer pressure when applying liquid broadleaf herbicides. When spraying, keep the nozzle close to the ground. If only a few areas in the lawn have broadleaf weed problems, spot treat these areas rather than spraying the entire lawn. Apply just enough material to wet the leaf surfaces.

Granular broadleaf herbicides are often combined with fertilizers. Apply granular broadleaf herbicides and fertilizer/broadleaf herbicide combinations when the weed foliage is wet. Broadleaf herbicides are absorbed by the weed's foliage, not its roots. To be effective, the granules must stick to the weeds and the herbicide must be absorbed by the weed's foliage. Apply granular products in the early morning when the foliage is wet with dew or irrigate the lawn prior to the application.

To ensure adequate leaf surface and herbicide absorption, don't mow the lawn two to three days before treatment. After treatment, allow three or four days to pass before mowing. This allows sufficient time for the broadleaf weeds to absorb the herbicide and translocate it to their roots. To prevent the broadleaf herbicide from being washed off the plant's foliage, apply these materials when no rain is forecast for 24 hours. Also, don't irrigate treated lawns within 24 hours of the application.

How do I control creeping Charlie in my lawn?

Ground ivy ("creeping Charlie") in lawns can be controlled with broadleaf herbicides. Products that contain 2,4-D or triclopyr are most effective. 2,4-D is an active ingredient in many broadleaf herbicide products. Triclopyr can be found in Ortho Weed-B-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer for Lawns and a few other products. In Iowa, herbicide applications should be made between mid-September and Nov. 1. Two applications are necessary to effectively control ground ivy. The first application should be made in mid to late September, the second a month later.

How do I control violets in my lawn?

Violets are very difficult to control. Digging up the plants is an option for home gardeners with a small infestation of violets. Broadleaf herbicides are the most practical solution when dealing with large numbers of violets. Broadleaf herbicides containing triclopyr usually provide good control of violets. Applications can be made in spring (during bloom) or fall. Two applications, two to three weeks apart, are usually necessary to achieve good control.

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AMES, Iowa -- As waters recede from farmland that has been covered for several months by Missouri River flooding, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension are jointly planning a workshop for Monday, Sept. 12 to address cropland issues. The workshop will be conducted via webinar at several viewing sites in both states from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Extension agriculture staff will host the workshop sites and facilitate questions to the panel.

Topics to be covered during the webinar and extension presenters include : sedimentation and debris removal, Shawn Shouse, ISU Extension ag engineer; managing post flooding soils -- flooded soil syndrome, Mahdi Al-Kaisi, ISU Extension soil specialist; cover crops for soil health, Paul Jasa, UNL Extension engineer; and leases and crop insurance on flooded land, William Edwards, ISU Extension farm management specialist. Rick Koelsch, UNL associate dean of extension, will moderate the panel.

"It is important for us to share information with those tasked with caring for farmland post flooding, but it is also important for Extension to hear the concerns and specific issues these folks have on their land," said Shawn Shouse, extension ag engineer and planning committee member. "There is science that we can apply to this situation, but there is much that comes from farmer experience."

Physical damage to farm ground may include obvious things like erosion and sand deposition. But some effects are invisible, having to do with the loss of soil microbes and soil structure. Land managers need to start planning and acting as the waters recede so that the soil can be productive again for next year.

"Using webinar technology helps us reach the most people on both sides of the river without having them travel great distances," said John Wilson, UNL Extension educator and event co-chair. "It also allows for informal discussion at each site among those who have been most affected by the flood and with extension staff."

In Iowa, the workshop will be held at the following ISU Extension offices: Fremont County in Sidney, Harrison County in Logan, Mills County in Malvern and Monona County in Onawa. ISU Extension in West Pottawattamie County is hosting the session at the Lied Multipurpose Center, 3501 Harry Langdon Blvd, Council Bluffs and Woodbury County Extension is hosting at a site to be determined. Nebraska viewing sites will be in Auburn at a site to be announced, in Blair at the Blair City Hall Council Chambers, in Dakota City at the USDA Service Center, in Falls City at the Courthouse, in Omaha at the Douglas/Sarpy Extension Office and in Tekamah at the City Auditorium. The Extension agriculture educator hosting the workshop at each location will be available after the webinar to address additional questions and concerns, if needed.

The webinar also will be available in South Dakota at the Davison County Extension Complex in Mitchell and in Kennebec at the Lyman County Courthouse. Further information on the Flood Recovery for Cropland Workshop, including additional sites and information as it becomes available, is available on ISU and UNL extension websites:  www.extension.iastate.edu/topic/recovering-disasters and flood.unl.edu.

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Scott County will offer the Commercial Ag Weed, Insect and Plant Disease Management Continuing Instructional Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators Wednesday, November 16, 2011. The program will be shown at locations across Iowa through the Iowa State University Extension Pest Management and the Environment (PME) program.

The local attendance site is the ISU Scott County Extension office. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the course runs from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The registration fee is $35 on or before Nov. 9 and $45 after Nov. 9. To register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact the ISU Scott County Extension office by phoning 563-359-7577.

The course will provide continuing instructional credit for commercial pesticide applicators certified in categories 1A, 1B, 1C and 10. Topics to be covered include protecting groundwater and other nontarget sites, phytotoxicity, pesticide stewardship, pests and pest management.

Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in Soil and Water Management and Pest Management will be offered at this program. Please bring your CCA number if interested.

Additional information and registration forms for this and other courses offered by the PME program can be accessed at www.extension.iastate.edu/PME/.

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