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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly_30_2013_Regular_Minutes(July_16_Continued)IREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MINUTES (Continuation of the July 16, 2013 Meeting) JULY 30, 2013 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service (Iredell County Unit) on Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at 6:30 PM, in the Agricultural Resource Center, 444 Bristol Drive, Statesville, NC. Following dinner, the cooperative extension staff members provided a "Report to the People" where information about their programs was shared. Board Members Present Chairman Steve Johnson Vice Chairman Marvin Norman David Boone Ken Robertson Absent: Renee Griffith County Staff present: Deputy County Manager Tracy Jackson, Finance Director Susan Blumenstein, and Clerk to the Board Jean Moore. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Staff Present: County Extension Director Nancy Keith, Family & Consumer Science Agent Ann Simmons, 4-H & Youth Development Agent Nelson McCaskill, 4-H Program Associate Kay Bridges, Area Specialized Poultry Agent Kathy Bunton, Livestock & Crops Agent Teresa Herman, Support Specialist Kelly Pierce and Administrative Assistant Jane Duncan. Also attending was South Central District Extension Director Clinton McRae. In addition, the following Iredell County Cooperative Extension Advisory Council Members attended: Micki Earp, Mike McLain, Kathleen Prevette, Karen Zika, Mary Lou Goodman, Larry Johnson, Martha Hazelton, Craig Pugh, and Marta Koesling. North Carolina General Assembly Member Rena Turner was also in attendance. CALL TO ORDER: Extension Director Nancy Keith welcomed everyone to the meeting. She said the mission of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension was to partner with communities to deliver education and technology that enriched the lives, land, and economy of North Carolina. REPORT TO THE PEOPLE PRESENTATION 4-H & Youth Development: Agent McCaskill said he and Kay Bridges were involved in the following four programs: School to Career, Volunteer Readiness, Leadership Development, and Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Risk Reduction. Commissioner Robertson asked if the students involved in the science programs were being tracked as to their college majors. McCaskill said a tracking system had only recently been implemented. Family & Consumer Sciences: Agent Simmons said this program consisted of the following five components: Nutrition, Food Safety, Family Resource Management, Parent & Caregiver Education, and Volunteer Leadership and Development. Simmons mentioned the importance of food safety and indicated that ServSafe classes were available. She said 53 individuals were recently certified in the ServSafe program mandated by North Carolina. Simmons said last year a law was passed stipulating that at least one certified ServSafe manager had to be present in food -serving establishments at all hours of operation, and if not, the restaurant could lose two points if an inspection occurred. Continuing, Simmons mentioned that all schools in North Carolina were required to have a food safety plan based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. She said food service employees in three charter schools were provided with the training last year. Mrs. Simmons also mentioned that recipients of SNAP I (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs) were educated on how to select the most nutritional foods while at the same time learning how to better manage their resources. Concluding, Simmons said that while Cooperative Extension might not be a mandated agency, its agents helped other entities that were mandated to provide services. Commissioner Robertson asked about the possible duplication of services, especially with the health department. Simmons said traditionally, cooperative extension targeted food safety. She said the health department was more into policy and health promotion. Simmons said her office received referrals from the health department's environment division pertaining to the ServSafe training. Commissioner Boone asked if the increased requirements were mandated. Simmons said they were mandated by the state, and some were required by the Federal Food Code. Boone questioned whether or not the extra regulations were needed. He mentioned the state might review some of them to determine if there was a need. Simmons referred to an incident a few years ago where some employees at a restaurant in an adjoining county slaughtered a goat, and due to the unsanitary methods used, many people that later ate at the establishment became sick with food poisoning (e. coli). She said this had prompted some of the regulations. Boone mentioned he was on the health board when this incident occurred. He said the individuals that slaughtered the animal were illegal immigrants, and if the laws had been followed to begin with, the situation probably never would have happened. Chairman Johnson asked about any collaboration with the health department in diabetes classes. Simmons said yes, especially in youth diabetes. She said the health department had provided some printed materials relating to diabetes to the Cooperative Extension office for distribution. Simmons said collaboration occurred with the health department as well as the county's wellness coordinator. Commissioner Robertson mentioned that past state budget problems had caused delays in filling local cooperative extension positions. Nancy Keith said the state was currently reviewing the staffing statewide due to mandated community needs. Robertson said the agency needed to review the mandated needs and delete the services or programs that were unnecessary. Keith said many programs would have to be cut. Food Crops & Livestock: Agent Teresa Herman, a new (4 months) employee said she assisted in teaching about profitable and sustainable agricultural systems. She mentioned that a Tractor Safety Class had occurred for cattlewomen. AEriculture and Natural Resources: Kathy Bunton, the Poultry Specialized Agent working in Iredell, Alexander, and Wilkes County discussed the following five programs: Profitable and Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Contract Grower Education Programing, Poultry Home Flock Educational Programs, Research, and Youth. Bunton noted that when complaints were filed against local farmers, she tried to assist them in preparing the documents required by the regulatory agencies or the citizens' groups. Commissioner Robertson asked if the poultry business was growing. Bunton said yes, and two local companies were looking for growers. 2 Agriculture: Extension Director Keith said she assisted with the following three programs: Profitable and Sustainable Agriculture Systems, Safety & Security of Food & Farm Systems, and Natural Resources Conservation and Environmental Sustainability. She noted that her expertise was in the dairy industry, and Iredell County was the top producer in the state. Keith said dairy farms were declining, but the number of cows remained steady. She said community educational programs were needed to explain the importance of agriculture especially due to the growing urban population. The following statistics were provided in Keith's PowerPoint presentation: Agriculture in Iredell Countv in Cash Receipts Livestock, Dairy, Poultry: $98,294,000 Crops: $27,480,000 Government Payments: $ 1,606,423 Total Agriculture in Iredell Countv Total acres in county: 367,488 Number of farms: 1,201 Total land in farms: 138,416 acres Average farm size: 115 acres Harvested cropland 58,052 acres Agriculture in Iredell County and Rank in North Carolina 1 sr for all cattle (beef and dairy) 1" for all dairies and milk cows 1" for corn silage production 5`h for layers 5°i for hay production 6`h for beef cattle Comments from the South Central District Extension Director Clinton McRae: Mr. McRae mentioned that North Carolina had one of the strongest Cooperative Extension Programs in the nation. In regards to the past delays in filling vacant agent positions, he said there would be an emphasis in faster hiring in the future. McRae said, however, a 22% state funding decrease was anticipated and there was a past tradition of eliminating vacant positions rather than terminating employees. He said all counties in the state would have input about the staffing situation, and the local advisory councils helped to priorize the needs. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to conduct, the meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM. (The next meeting of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners will be on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, at 7 PM, in the Iredell County Government Center, 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC.) Approved: Clerk to the Board