September Announcements

The Extension Communications Team has gathered all the current resources on regional communications guidance in one place: the Transformation Communications Toolkit. 

The toolkit includes information about:  

• Branding  
• New Extension templates  
• Regional newsletters  
• Social media guidance  
• AI Usage  

Questions or ideas for a new regional communications tool? Reach out to Olivia De Young at odeyoung@purdue.edu for CES digital support.

On Aug. 29, childcare professionals gathered in Delphi for When Movement Is Missing: The Hidden Gaps in Early Childhood, a program focused on the role childcare providers can play in supporting children’s physical activity and overall wellness. The program brought together Extension’s Health and Human Sciences (HHS) and Community Childcare Team to provide childcare professionals with practical ideas they can use in the environments they serve.  

Led by HHS educator Brock Turner, the program encouraged participants to look beyond individual behaviors and consider the entire environment surrounding a child. Using the Social-Ecological Model, participants examined the many factors that can influence a child’s physical activity and identified realistic changes they could make within their childcare settings.   

For Brock, the topic connects closely with his own experiences working with youth.   

“I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time coaching youth sports — from football and wrestling to soccer and track and field,” Brock said. “This education is important because it provides a new context to work from. We’re looking at a child through a whole-person lens and within a social structure that children themselves have very little influence over.”   

Conversations between Brock and members of the Community Childcare Team helped identify a regional need and ultimately shaped the program. 

Brianne Wrede, community childcare director, recognized Brock’s passion and experience with youth physical activity; Angela Johnson, community childcare educator, provided insight into childcare environments and available resources; and Jennifer Roth, community childcare assistant director, helped organize and support the program. Together, they connected HHS expertise with the Community Childcare Team’s understanding of the professionals and environments they serve.  

The program reached 15 professionals from across the state, and each childcare provider can influence the daily routines, environments and physical activity of many children.  

“I hope participants leave with the same sense of responsibility toward youth I feel— to make a positive influence on the physical wellness of the children they serve,” Brock said.    

When Movement Is Missing shows what can happen when Extension professionals have more opportunities to connect across teams. By sharing expertise, recognizing needs and building programming together, Extension can provide more specialized education while helping local professionals turn that knowledge into meaningful changes for the people they serve.  

For farmers and agricultural professionals, some of the most useful learning happens where the work takes place: in the field. 

That was the idea behind the Davis Purdue Agricultural Center (DPAC) Field Day, held Sept. 2 at DPAC. The event brought together 147 participants from 14 Indiana counties and two states for a day of firsthand learning, conversation and direct access to Purdue expertise. 

Throughout the day, participants heard from Purdue Extension specialists and agricultural partners on soil fertility, UAV technology, corn and soybean management, weed and disease management, regenerative agriculture, pesticide regulations and other topics affecting today’s farms. 

Participants could see research under field conditions, talk directly with specialists and ask questions about challenges they were experiencing in their operations. Those interactions help turn research findings into information producers can use when making decisions about inputs, pest management, soil health, crop production and profitability.   

“What stands out most about the Davis Purdue Agricultural Center Field Day is its ability to turn Purdue research into a hands-on, practical experience that directly connects with the real-world needs of farmers,” said Amy Alka, Extension agriculture and natural resources educator.  

Eight Extension educators collaborated with Purdue specialists, researchers, DPAC staff and agricultural partners to create one program that served a broad audience. Among those attending were 62 private applicators, 69 commercial applicators and nine Certified Crop Advisers — professionals who can take what they learned and apply or share it across many agricultural operations.  

With the regional model, educators and specialists work together to connect communities with the people, research and resources best suited to their needs. At the same time, producers have greater opportunities to build relationships with Extension professionals,  who they can continue turning to long after an event ends. 

Attendees reported plans to use information related to disease management, pesticide applications, resistant varieties, chemical recommendations, UAVs and fungicides in their operations.  

For Amy, those continued relationships are one of the most meaningful parts of the work.  

“The moments that stay with me most are the ones when someone takes the time to thank me for the information, opportunities and support I provide throughout the year,” she said. “The field day is one event, but the trust and connections developed with participants are experiences I take pride in.”   

The DPAC Field Day shows how a regional model builds stronger bridges between Purdue research and the people putting it into practice. 

Purdue Extension’s new regional Facebook pages will officially launch on Oct. 1. These pages will highlight programs, events, resources and impact stories from across each region. Please watch for content from your regional page and help introduce it to local audiences by sharing relevant posts across county Facebook pages.  

If you have regional programming you would like promoted on the regional page, please contact Amanda Graupner at awoodrow@purdue.edu.  

For more information about regional pages, please visit https://extension.purdue.edu/hub/regional-social-media-toolkit/.  

As we develop strategies to deliver programs regionally, we are focusing on broader reach, depth of expertise, reduced duplication, applied research, innovation and continued service for communities. Stay tuned for updates in the next newsletter.  

If you have any questions about the transformation, please email ExtensionTransformation@purdue.edu, and your question will be sent to the appropriate source.  

by Extension Communication Committee (Jenny Clark, Olivia De Young, Rachel Dillhoff, Amanda Graupner, Molly Hunt, Lily Thill)  

Check Out the New Social Media Toolkit  

The Social Media Toolkit offers information about both regional Facebook pages and county 4-H Facebook pages. Learn more about how to submit content for regional Facebook pages, regional page standards and 4-H pages.  

Questions about social media? Reach out to:  

• Extension statewide social media: Rachel Dillhoff, rdillhoff@purdue.edu   
• Regional Facebook pages: Amanda Graupner, awoodrow@purdue.edu  
• 4-H social media: Jenny Clark, jenny@purdue.edu   

Quick tip – Bookmark the New Communications Toolkits  

Want quick access to the Communications and Social Media Toolkits? Try bookmarking the page for quick access.  

On Google Chrome:  

1. On your computer, open Chrome.  
2. Go to the site you want to visit again in the future.  
3. To the right of the address bar, click Bookmark star in the URL bar.  

On Safari:  

1. On your computer, open Safari.  
2. Go to the website you want to bookmark.  
3. Click the Share button (square with an upward arrow) in the toolbar, then choose “Add Bookmark to.”  
4. You can also choose to add the bookmark to a recently created bookmarks folder. Choose Add to [bookmarks folder].  
5. Choose where to add the bookmark, and rename it if you like.  
6. Click Add.  

After you add the bookmark, you can find it in the sidebar