Water gardens, a waterfall into a pool, trains built into the landscape, a variety of beautiful flower beds, a moon garden, and much more were special features on the third annual Monroe County Garden Tour held June 10, 2006. University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners planned the event and the Waterloo Garden Club and the Columbia Women's Club provided site host assistance. 225 people enjoyed the beauty of seven home landscapes. The 2007 Garden Tour will be Saturday, June 9. Tickets will be available in early May at Shady Creek Nursery, Stuckmeyer's Plant and Produce, Diehl Florist and University of Illinois Extension - Monroe County Office.

Agriculture in Monroe County is a very important industry. U of I Extension programs help producers learn important information to help them increase their farm production profit and the importance of rural-urban relationships. The following programs provide researched information to the approximate 530 county farm operations and to many individuals with rural small acreage:

¨ Agronomy Day ¨ Tillage Seminar ¨ Pond Management ¨ Corn & Soybean Classic

¨ Farm Income Workshop ¨ Lease Agreement Understanding ¨ Forage Management ¨ Conservation Updates ¨ Farm Family Estate Planning

¨ Pesticide Safety Education ¨ Agriculture Legislation ¨ Livestock Production and Management ¨ Computer Record Keeping

In addition, fact sheets and important record keeping forms are available from such websites as: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/, http://www.livestocktrail.uiuc.edu/, http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/ezregs, http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/forestry.

In its nine-year history, Monroe County Conservation Days have reached more than 3,500 fifth grade students. It has grown from a one-day program serving 325 students and 16 teachers, to a two-day event involving approximately 500 students and 50 teachers and volunteers. The program boasts 100% participation from the three public school districts and two private schools in the county.

Session topics have included: recycling, forestry, agriculture, GPS/GIS, water pollution, conservation laws, birds of prey, storm water management, snakes, fish, weather, entomology, wildlife & soil conservation.

Waterloo Sportsman's Club provides the outdoor site for the Conservation Day field trip and the following agencies/organizations are involved in planning and conducting the educational field trip.

University of Illinois Monroe County Farm Bureau Army Corps of Engineers World Bird Sanctuary Monroe County GIS Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Monroe County Farm Bureau Women's Committee Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District Illinois Department of Natural Resources Natural Resources Conservation Service

Yearly evaluations have shown a noticeable positive shift in student's understanding, decision-making & responsibilities related to the environment.

The program and committee have been recognized with three state Award of Excellence.

Twenty-four youth, ages 5-7, participated in one of three Cloverbud groups in Monroe County. These youth took part in regularly scheduled meetings, where hands-on activities focusing on a number of themes such as citizenship, nature, health and fitness were the core of the events.

There were 219 Monroe County youth, ages 8-19, that were enrolled in one of 13 community 4-H clubs where they learned basic parliamentary procedure, learned to run a business meeting, had an opportunity to practice public speaking and helped plan and carry out their 4-H club program by serving on club committees. Club members chose and enrolled in 4-H projects that fit their interests. Their completed projects were evaluated at 4-H county shows and the Monroe County Fair where members participated in conference judging. Twenty-six 4-H members exhibited county award winning projects at the Illinois State Fair.

Special thanks to the many local businesses who support the 4-H & FFA livestock auction.

What is the correct portion size of a pork chop? What does saute mean? What are lentils? How much exercise do I need? What is the importance of the correct temmperature for cooking and storing food?

These are just a few of the important food, nutrition & safety lessons which 170 youth learned at the summer 2006 Youth Cooking School. The week-long sessions were held in the communities of Valmeyer, Columbia and Waterloo for youth ages 9 to 12. The participants learn through actual food preparation and group activities. "Youth Cooking School is awesome!" expressed several participants.

Monroe County was awarded a GIS (Geographic Info-System) Grant from ESRI in the spring of 2006. The grant provides GIS software for a 25 seat lab for a 4-H club in the county. Monroe County 4-H GIS Club is made up of students from county schools, as well as 4-H members interested in learning about GIS and GPS (Global Positioning System). All fifth grade students in the county are learning to use the technology in connection with the annual Conservation Day outdoor education field trip. Paul Kremmel, GIS Specialist for NRCS, and Laura Henry, Monroe County GIS Coordinator, have been assisting Susan Hayden, County Extension Educator with the project. Teachers, 4-H leaders and teens will be trained to assist 4-H members in planning and carrying out community mapping projects which will be presented at a countywide GIS Day on April 28, 2007.

David Robson, Horticulture Extension Educator, lead a group of 31 people through an informational tour at Shady Creek Nursery in April. Individuals had the opportunity to learn and ask questions about plant placement, seasonal appearance in the landscape, plant hardiness, size and much more. On a follow-up survey, people indicated that they had planted a new shrub or perennial as a result of the information they learned.

Over eighty individuals gained useful information through participation in the Four Seasons home horticulture programs; Dwarf & Unusual Landscape Conifers, Summer Flowering Bulbs, Shade Gardening, Minor Spring Bulbs & Turning Your Yard Into A Garden. The annual series provides a variety of topics which can be chosen according to individual interest.

Adam was awarded the Illinois Grand Champion Rabbit Meat Pen in 2005 & 2006 with his New Zealand White rabbit meat pen and in 2004 had Reserve Grand Champion honors. He was so sure that this wasn't his year; he even tried to convince his mom to cancel their campground reservations.

So when Adam's New Zealands won for the second year in a row, no one was more surprised than himself. "I was just really hoping it would be me," he said. In a competition that looks for uniform size and weight, all three of Adams' rabbits weighed 4 pounds, 14 ounces. "I didn't pick them out until the night before we left for the fair," he admits, since their weight can fluctuate, especially in the heat.

In addition to grand champion honors in 2005 and 2006, Adam has also placed third in the National New Zealand White Sweepstakes, which is based on accumulated points, for the past two years. He took Grand Champion at the Jerseyville Fair, as well as Reserve Grand Champion in his native Monroe County. In total, he won three Best in Shows during this show season. Adam says his success comes from his "good breeding stock." Not only does it help him, it's getting other people results, too - the Monroe County Grand Champion, third place, and sixth place were also from his rabbits' bloodline.

"I plan to keep active in 4-H & FFA with plans for new projects. I want to be a certified welder and diesel mechanic and 4-H is helping me get there."

Adam is a nine-year member of the Golden Eagles 4-H club and is also involved with the Waterloo FFA.

General public individuals along with various organization memberships and food establishment employees participated in a variety of nutrition, consumer issues and family life educational programming and training sessions:

• Dining with Diabetes Series
• Food Handlers Refresher Course
• Nutrition update sessions for Dieticians
• Nutrition & Fitness lesson
• Personal Privacy: Protecting Your Identity program
• Microwave Cooking in the 21^st Century program
• China-Culture and Cuisine program

In addition to the above programming, educational materials are supplied to local child care centers and other agencies serving families. U of I Extension staff also assist individuals with questions pertaining to food safety, food preservation and many other areas as well as provide pressure canner testing service.

University of Illinois Extension, Monroe County invites you to check out the many ways educational opportunities and information is offered:

• Website: www.extension.uiuc.edu/monroe
• On-site workshops, seminars and training
• 4-H Youth Development Program: 4-H clubs, camp & counselor opportunities, leadership events, Discover Chicago event and scholarships
• Master Gardener assistance with home horticulture questions
• Digital Diagnostic Identification of insects and plant problems
• Printed materials and newsletters
• One-to-one personal consultation

University of Illinois Extension is your local link to a vast amount of educational research for your practical application. We welcome your interest and participation!