University of Illinois Extension has been helping the citizens of Livingston County put
knowledge to work for over 85 years. University of Illinois Extension provides educational
programs and research-based information enabling people to make practical decisions to
improve their quality of life.
4-H is one of the most recognized programs of Extension. Over 1,000 youth participated in 4-H
community clubs or 4-H learning enrichment activities. Extension offers more than 4-H to the
people of Livingston County. Programming in leadership, agriculture, food and nutrition, and
community and economic development is offered on an annual basis. In this report you will
read about a few of the programs Extension has provided during 2006 - 2007.
4-H/Youth Development
4-H and Youth programming in Livingston County is growing in strength and opportunities.
Presently there are 18 clubs located in locations reaching from Long Point to Strawn and
Cullom to Gridley. The traditional 4-H program is holding strong with 494 members and 65
volunteer leaders. The life skills 4-H members learn is exhibited at the county fair where
members share their projects on everything from aerospace, citizenship and leadership to
rabbits, goats, and horses.
Workshops in basket weaving, cake decorating, food
demonstrations and public speaking help to establish and
polish useful skills.
An important life skill that 4-H emphasizes is community
service. Clubs participated in the Make-A-Wish
Foundation fundraiser to help raise funds to help grant a
wish for a desperately ill child as well as ran many
individual club activities to aid people in each of their
own communities such as food panty drives and flower
planting. The 4-H Ambassadors have taken underprivileged children shopping for winter
clothing, held an egg hunt at Evenglow Inn and played bingo with residents at Livingston
Manor. The 4-H Ambassador program teaches members to become leaders and the importance
of service to others. Leadership is a skill that all active 4-H members have the opportunity to
develop. This year the 4-H Ambassadors addressed leadership in the state by working booths
at the State Fair to promote Illinois 4-H.
Extension provides entomology and embryology programs to grade school students throughout
the county. The ecology class at Pontiac Township High School remains involved in the
entomology project. Ecology students were trained to teach 4th grade students under the
direction of Extension staff and their Ecology teacher. This program reached 250 children who
learned about the life cycle of painted lady butterflies by observing larva and the
metamorphosis process. University of Illinois Extension’s website is packed full of imaginative
curricula and teaching ideas from the professionals at University of Illinois Extension. This can
be accessed at www.exension.uiuc.edu/livingston and clicking on Schools Online.
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Agriculture
Management Intensive
Grazing (MIG) allows
producers to rotationally graze
a series of paddocks (small
segmented pastures) in a
sequence that more fully
utilizes the available dry matter
and then allows the grazed
areas to rest and have recovery
growth before being grazed
again. Fifty seven producers
toured a MIG beef operation and a MIG dairy operation and learned about selection of
compatible forage species, paddock layout and design, fencing and water requirements, and
how to determine when to move animals from one paddock to the next.
The use of Integrated Pest Management is stressed during winter Agronomy Day
meetings, Pesticide Safety Education Programs, personal consultations with producers and
home owners. Many advertisements in the print and electronic media encourage preemptive
pesticide applications to “prevent” the pests from causing damage. This is in opposition to the
IPM premise that producers monitor for pests, identify the pests, determine density of pest,
determine what level of damage is likely and treat only if the economic injury level is reached.
If conditions are not favorable for the infection to establish, the causal organism dies without
infection ever establishing. This year thousands of acres of corn were sprayed in Livingston
County with a preventative fungicide to prevent gray leaf spot. It was successful. However, not
spraying was also successful in preventing massive losses from gray leaf spot. The conditions
were not favorable for the disease to establish so there were no losses. However, there are some
corn fields that appear to have suffered significant yield loss from a preventative fungicide
application that was applied too early.
The Precision Farming Round Table was attended by 10
progressive, cutting edge producers who learned more about:
Field Mapping and Data Interpretation, Moving into Guidance
Systems including Light Bars and RTK, and Precision
Agricultural Mapping for Free. This GPS/GIS workshop
fostered discussion from both the formal presentations and
personal experiences shared by the participants.
Over 250 producers were trained, tested and certified to receive their Private Pesticide
Licenses this year. These individuals were trained in the following subject matter areas:
Integrated Pest Management, understanding pesticides, pesticide labels and labeling, protecting
the environment, human pesticide poisoning, equipment calibration, pesticide laws and
regulations, and safe use of pesticides. By successfully passing the examination and getting
licensed, these producers may purchase and apply restricted use pesticides. If each of these
individuals applied restricted use pesticides one time per year to 250 acres, they would be able
to save over $375,000 in commercial application fees.
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Community and Economic Development
The 4th Annual Route 66 Antique Tractor
Roadshow was held August 11 & 12.
University of Illinois Extension partnered
with Pontiac Tourism, PROUD, Livingston
County Farm Bureau, and representatives
from two local communities to plan this event
that brought 85 tractor drivers and their
families to Pontiac, Odell and Dwight. Many
tractor drivers utilized local hotels and made
purchases while visiting the communities on
the route. They visited Pontiac’s historic
swinging bridges and the Rooks Creek
Church. The tractors visited three area nursing homes, where the residents enjoyed pleasant
memories and visiting with the tractor drivers. Many of the drivers plan to return to the area for
tourism and shopping opportunities.
Nutrition
Junior Chef School taught basic nutrition and food preparation skills to children ages 9 to 12 in
Pontiac, Dwight, Forrest and Saunemin. Table manners, hand washing, keeping hot foods hot
and cold foods cold and basic kitchen sanitation were also part of the day camp held three
consecutive days for two hours each day. Two sessions were held in Pontiac. Children learned
to prepare nutritious snacks and meals for their families. The 86 children who participated were
able to prepare nutritious foods and identify parts of the food guide pyramid. This program was
made possible by a grant from the Illinois 4-H Foundation.
Consumer Education
Welcome to the Real World gives students a look at life in the real world of making ends meet.
Extension provides a simulation for students who have an opportunity to select a career, buy a
house and a car, pay for insurance, food, entertainment and utilities. Business volunteers staff a
“bank” and act as salespersons and service providers throughout the simulation. Young people
are surprised to learn how much it costs to cover the basics.
Youth learn to write checks, keep a check register and pay
bills. By participating in Welcome to the Real World young
people gain an appreciation of their parent(s) hard work,
having gained a greater understanding of the cost associated
with running a household. The program was conducted at
Pontiac Junior High School, Dwight High School and The
Livingston Area Vocational Center reaching over 400
students. This program was conducted with the help of 50
business volunteers.
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Poverty Simulation
Teachers and staff at Pontiac Township High School participated in an activity designed to
create empathy for those who live in poverty. Sixty-one staff members “walked a mile in the
shoes” of those facing poverty by taking on the role of a low-income family member living on
a limited budget. The simulation is designed to demonstrate how much time and energy many
families have to give just to survive from day to day. Staff indicated gaining a new
understanding of the hardship students from families that are economically disadvantaged face.
LEAP
University of Illinois Extension convened a focus group
in November to discuss the issue of teenage drinking
and driving in Livingston County. Livingston Educates
For Awareness and Prevention (LEAP) continues to
meet monthly with the mission of bringing to bear
organizations, agencies, families, concerned citizens;
available resources; and current research in an effort
to develop and promote strategies for the prevention
of underage alcohol and drug use in Livingston County.
The group is currently developing an educational brochure
for parents with alcohol facts, red flags and resources.
Goals for the group include the development of a display
and a web site related to underage drinking and driving.
Master Gardeners Reach Out to Others
University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners
gave more than 800 hours of their time to
Livingston County communities. Sharing
knowledge with others is a major component of
the program. Master Gardeners presented monthly
programs on a variety of topics throughout the
county. They provide gardening advice to
numerous people and shared gardening advice and
tomato plants with senior citizens at the annual
senior fair. Tomato plants were also shared
through a local food pantry. Master Gardeners are
available for educational programs, to make
arrangements contact the Extension Office.
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University of Illinois 2006 - 2007 Extension Council
Kaity Carroll
Brent Crane
Amy Davis
Bonnie Davis
Sue Decker
Jackie Dever
Karen Donovan
Beth Dunahee
Judi Jacobs
Rich Kiefer
Duane Kiesewetter
Jeanne Moore
Evan Rich
Aaron Steffen
Shari Wilson-Rich
Funding
University of Illinois Extension, Livingston County receives county and state dollars and
federal support for programs. The Livingston County Extension Council ensures that these
dollars are spent on Livingston County Programs that meet the needs of local people.
Income
Expenses
Co. Board45%
Salaries/wages - 65%
Rent/Utilities - 18%
Program Materials 12%
State Match50%
Equipment - 2%
Extension
Groups - 5%
Trav el - 3%
For more information Contact:
University of Illinois Extension, Livingston County
1412 South Locust Street
Pontiac, IL 61746
Telephone: 815-842-1776 or 815-844-3622
Fax: 815-842-6547
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
E-mail: livingston_co@extension.uiuc.edu
Web site: www.extension.uiuc.edu/livingston
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural,
Consumer and Environmental Sciences, United States Department of Agriculture,
Local Extension Units Cooperating
University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment
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