Reference: CCE Statewide Plans of Work .docx | Powered by Box
2.1 Natural Resources and the Environment:
2.1a looks for the number of constituents documented to have modified existing practices or technologies that will assist with natural resources management and the environment
2.3 Fisheries
2.3c - # of anglers adopting catch and release prax locally
2.3e # of waterfront landowners implementing riparian buffer plantings to improve wq and fish habitats
2.3f # of youth increasing knowledge of native fish species and habitat needs
2.6 Water Resources

2.6a # of community members documented to have modified prax or tech to protect or enhance water resources
2.6b # of documented instances when community members etc have improved or protected water resources
among others - I also aim to connect community members more closely with unrealized natural resources to improve awareness - what isn't known to exist cannot be stewarded.
As a result of program attendance, I hope to form deeper connections within my community that will help me increase reach. From there, I hope to more effectively inspire and provide opportunity for community action around improving habitats, water quality, and fisheries in the county.

1. Statewide Plan of Work Outcomes related to my project

• (1.4a) # producers, horticulture business persons, and/or natural resource managers modifying existing practices and/or adopted new production best practices or technologies to address current issues and improve yield efficiency, consistency and/or quality and/or conservation of resources
• (1.4b) # producers, horticulture business persons, and/or natural resource managers who report improved ability to anticipate and respond to environmental and market variations through alternative production management strategies
• (1.4c) # technical assistance providers documented to have incorporated current best management practices in their recommendations

2. Short or Mid-term outcomes

Our program doesn’t really fit well into any of these Statewide Plans, but I think the closest I can get is 5.1. Community and Economic Development.

(5.1b) # residents and/or community leaders, who plan for and initiate steps to enhance facilities, and/or other community resources or services

• Cataloging assets (culverts, road signs, bridge etc.) that municipalities have will help the Highway Department stay up to date on services they provide and keep the community safe while traveling.

(5.1e) # communities documenting improvements in facilities and/or other community resources or services

• Municipalities documenting what they have and what condition their assets are in helps keep the public safe and the municipalities can watch for trends. I.E. if a certain signs keeps getting hit, the placement might need to be moved to help the driver understand where to go

(5.1f) # new shared services among municipalities

• Typically, municipalities share services with neighboring municipalities and NYSDOT. Having this written down can help the public understand why a Town, Village or County truck is working or plowing a state road.

As a result of our survey, I hope to help Municipalities identify what assets they already have and how to better document them for future updates. Through this survey, we also hope to develop resource materials to support the needs of local municipalities like creating software for them to help track assets, be a clearing house for asset management software already available, or create a workshop/training on how to best track assets etc.

Possible outcomes from the State Wide Plan of Work for the Nurturing Growth Program:

(4.4a) # participating infant and child caregivers reporting to have applied positive care-giving practices

(3.1b) # parents/caregivers and other adults who demonstrate knowledge or skill gains related to healthy eating and active living



5.9. Health and Wellbeing/Social Determinants of Health
(5.9a) # participants in direct educational activities designed to address health disparities who indicate improved knowledge or skills

(5.9b) # participants in direct educational activities designed to address health disparities documented to have applied their improved knowledge or skills

Additional outcomes:

The Nurturing Growth project develops tools for Master Gardener Volunteers (MGVs). This aligns with CCE’s Community and Economic Vitality and NIFA’s Priority Science Area is Human Sciences. The project supports well-being of families and communities, contributing to sustainability and resilience. - From Grant


List of potential objectives consistent with needs, Program Definitions & Standards, and funding availability

Medium term Outcomes :
From grant:
-10 participants per each of six pilot counties
-Evaluation and listening sessions measure 25% positive changes in:
-stress levels,
-mindfulness skills,
-overall wellbeing
-reduced social isolation (needs assessment)*
*new- Identified in needs assessment





Short term Outcomes : KASA: knowledge gains, attitude shifts, skill development, and aspiration development

From Needs Assessment and Lit review:

Gain knowledge of/meet other caregivers/parents in their community

Gain knowledge of other caregiver support programs offered through Extension.

Develop skills for improving caregiver resiliency.

Skills for managing anger, anxiety, sadness, feelings of loneliness and other negative feelings -emotional regulation Improved skills in managing the stressors of daily life

Aspire to utilize gardening-based mindfulness activities techniques at home

Indicators/ Outcomes From the Statewide Plan of Work
(1.4a): # producers, horticulture business persons, and/or natural resource managers modifying existing practices and/or adopted new production best practices or technologies to address current issues and improve yield efficiency, consistency and/or quality and/or conservation of resources.
(1.4b): # producers, horticulture business persons, and/or natural resource managers who report improved ability to anticipate and respond to environmental and market variations through alternative production management strategies.
(1.4c): # technical assistance providers documented to have incorporated current best management practices in their recommendations.

The basis of the proposal is a research and education program that aims to increase disease monitoring of field crops in Northern New York. It will be a collaboration with the new Field Crops Pathologist at the University who will be the PI. His lab will be focusing on genetic identification and screening the pathogens for fungicide sensitivity. Initial inputs will include time collecting infected tissues, mapping where and when they occur, along with the environmental factors that facilitated disease progression. Short term outcomes include circulating the information (incidents of disease) to producers in monthly- bimonthly crop updates, encouraging increased field scouting in the area, and asking them to report incidents they see. If/when funding is awarded the goal is to develop a user-friendly fact sheet series that provides current information on diseases (both newer and historical pathogens) and cultural and chemical management strategies to mitigate them. Longer-term outcomes will be to present the information at winter meetings in the region and to identify sentinel plots that can be monitored and used in field trials over multiple years.

My program centers around supplementing grown produce distribution (with either MGVs or other local CBOs who have gardens that donate produce) with nutrition education and container gardening education.

Healthy Eating & Active Living
3.1b (ST) - # adults who demonstrate knowledge or skill gains related to healthy eating/active living
3.1d (MT) - # adult program participants documented to have applied healthy eating and/or active living recommendations

Food Resource Management
3.2a (MT) - # program participants who adopt food resource management practices

Food Security & Hunger
3.4c (MT) - # program participants who have acted to improve their food security status by growing food.

Other outcomes would be delivery that is culturally appropriate and in multiple languages (primarily English and Spanish)

Based on my early conversations with the Cornell specialists I've been working with — Judson Reid, Joseph Amsili, and Deborah Aller — plus a few growers
who have already been using the tool, one thing keeps coming up: people have the data (soil tests, market numbers) but don't know what to do with it.
That's really what this project is trying to address.

For CCE Statewide Plan of Work outcomes, I landed on these three as the best fit:

- Agriculture & Food Systems — farmers adopt science-based practices to improve production and profitability
- Agriculture & Food Systems — farmers improve soil health management
- Community & Economic Vitality — emerging agricultural enterprises get the tools and education to be viable long-term

On top of those, a couple of outcomes more specific to this project:

- Short-term: growers can identify their soil nutrient gaps and explain what to do about them
- Short-term: growers can calculate a basic amendment budget and compare economic scenarios
- Mid-term: growers actually apply at least one informed decision to their operation before the next growing season

Happy to hear if others are framing outcomes similarly — especially anyone else working with specialty crops or emerging industries!

The statewide outcomes that best align with my project include:
(1.1a) # of participants documented to have applied knowledge or skills gained to strengthen existing business operations
(1.1c) # of participants reporting improved agricultural/horticultural business profitability attributed at least in part to program participation
(1.4b) # producers, horticulture business persons, and/or natural resource managers who report improved ability to anticipate and respond to environmental and market variations through alternative production management strategies
(1.4c) # technical assistance providers documented to have incorporated current best management practices in their recommendations

Using logic model thinking, I also identified several short-term and mid-term outcomes specific to my project.

Short-Term Outcomes

-Participants will recognize common components of agricultural lease agreements
-Participants will identify differences between verbal and written leases
-Participants will locate lease resources and Extension educational materials
-Participants will explain communication strategies between landowners and tenants
-Participants will increase confidence in discussing lease expectations and responsibilities

Mid-Term Outcomes

-Participants will apply lease templates and educational resources when developing agreements
-Participants will improve communication between landowners and tenants
-Participants will develop more formal or clearly defined lease agreements
-Participants will utilize Extension and agricultural service resources when lease questions arise

My project involves managing knapweed in forage crops. Most producers (hay and pasture) prefer to limit herbicide applications as much as possible, so I will focus on managing soil fertility and cutting/harvest/grazing frequency to promote grasses and reduce knapweed abundance.
Statewide Plan of Work: Ag and Food Systems:
1.4. General Production Practices
General Production Practices
(1.4a) # producers, horticulture business persons, and/or natural resource managers modifying
existing practices and/or adopted new production best practices or technologies to address
current issues and improve yield efficiency, consistency and/or quality and/or conservation of
resources
(1.4d) # producers or horticulture business persons, reporting increased dollar returns per acre
or reduced costs per acre

Wellness in Motion, a Physical Education for Aging Adults Project aligns with the Health and Wellbeing - Social Determinants of Health statewide PoW.

I believe the project can track for the listed mid-term outcomes as I see a network of trained instructors growing and becoming a “working group” and eventually/ ideally, part of a coalition of all related services (fitness and fall prevention services) with unified evaluations and goals.

Outcomes that relate to my project are as follows:
Near-term outcomes:

(1.1a) # participants (in direct ed.) who indicate improved knowledge of exercise safety and injury prevention while improving confidence and skills to perform daily activities. (retrospective survey)

(1.1c) # Trained or certified instructors who demonstrate knowledge and skill gains related to conducting community health assessments such as fall risk assessments.

(1.1d) # Trained or certified instructors who demonstrate knowledge and skill gains related to adapting evidence-based programs and policies at local partnering sites to address community health needs/disparities

 
(1.1e) # Trained or certified instructors who articulate an intent to contribute to county or regional community health assessments (CHAs) or community health improvement plans (CHIPs)

Other near-term outcomes include
• Increased understanding of nutrition principles
• Increased Socialization

Mid-term outcomes

(1.1b) # participants in direct educational activities designed to address health disparities documented to have applied their improved knowledge by leading cohorts of past participants through ongoing group exercise; and improved skills of past participants by continuing to exercise (6-month survey)

(1.1f) # Trained or certified instructors who contribute to county or regional community health assessments and improvement planning process

(1.1g) # Trained or certified instructors who contribute to county or regional community health initiatives (that are not yet part of the CHIP)

Other mid-term outcomes include:
• % participants who improve strength, balance, flexibility, a sense of belonging, and increased socialization after concluding the program, while reducing incidence of near fall-experiences and falls.

Short-Term Outcomes
4.1a - # young people who discover and explore their Sparks through 4-H experiences
4.1b - # young people who experience Developmental Relationships in 4-H
4.1c - # young people who experience Belonging in 4-H

Mid-Term Outcomes
4.1f - # youth who have a sense of purpose in life, and optimism for future (Hopeful Purpose)
4.1j - # youth who set goals, create effective strategies to achieve them, and persevere, making adjustments when necessary to achieve those goals (Intentional Self-regulation, Goal Setting and Management)

During the Thrive Lab grant cycle, 20+ youth will have the opportunity to explore things that excite them while learning about opportunities available here in Madison County. They will build relationships with other youth, with adult mentors, and with local community leaders. This will help them to increase their sense of belonging and have experiences that show them the leaders they are becoming. By the end of the grant, youth will be able to set goals for their future, create plans to achieve them, and feel confident and optimistic about the opportunities ahead in agriculture, food systems, and community development.

I sometimes find the 4-H outcomes to be difficult to measure, because other than asking them - did you feel like you belong? I am unsure of how to determine belonging (and some of the other things!) The intention is that they will learn about ag careers, explore Madison County and understand that we have many opportunities right here at home!