Board Excellence Newsletter, January 2026

From the Director for Extension

Relentlessly Relevant

Several members of the Extension Administration Team attended the North Central Cooperative Extension Association (NCCEA) conference last fall. We were joined by extension leaders from Iowa State University, Michigan State University, North Dakota State University, Purdue University, South Dakota State University, The Ohio State University, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska and University of Wisconsin.

One of the presenters at the conference was Ben Steffen, who is from Nebraska and a member of Nebraska’s Council of Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET).

CARET members perform duties similar to our State Extension Advisory Council. However, they advocate for all three of the land-grant university mission areas, instead of focusing only on extension. CARET is a national organization. Kansas State University has three CARET members.

Ben's presentation explained how CARET represents the Cooperative Extension Service and the land-grant university system. During the session, someone asked him how extension professionals could better support CARET’s advocacy efforts. After a moment of thought, he replied: “I need you to be relentlessly relevant.”

I thought, “Mic Drop!”

Ben encouraged us to passionately address the needs of the people, farms, businesses and organizations in our local communities. By focusing on these local needs, we can become relentlessly relevant. This commitment will make advocacy at the local, state and federal levels much more effective.

Ben emphasized that the crucial first step in staying relevant by addressing people's needs is to actively listen to those you serve. It's important not to assume you understand their needs, even if you have been educating and serving them for a long time.

Listening to your people and communities can take many forms. Listen to what people are talking about in the coffee shop, at the high school games and in community organization meetings. Ask them to participate in listening sessions. Actively engage your advisory councils. Do your formal needs analysis. But, no matter what, look for opportunities to listen.

Join me in making Kansas State University Extension even more relentlessly relevant. Let’s listen more than we ever have before!

 

Upcoming Board Member Orientation

Congratulations on your election to your local extension board. A statewide board member orientation will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, Jan 21 at 6:30 p.m. The training will take less than one hour.

Being a board member comes with many roles and responsibilities. This session will provide you with resources to help you succeed. It will also be an opportunity to meet new board members from across the state.

New and continuing board members are welcome and encouraged to participate. Please plan to join in. The Zoom link will be https://ksu.zoom.us/j/97014340258.

 

Local Unit Staff Recognized with Awards

Each year at our annual conference, faculty and staff are recognized for outstanding programming and contributions to extension excellence.

 

Geary County Extension recognized as the Outstanding Local Unit of 2025

This year, K-State Extension – Geary County proudly celebrates 100 years of service. Staff members advance K-State’s mission through impactful education, leadership and community engagement. The dedicated agents, educators and volunteers work together to address local needs.

Key achievements include:

• Creating an annual impact report.
• Medicare counseling that saved residents more than $270,000.
• Successful youth agricultural education.
• Strong community partnerships.

Rooted in tradition and innovation, Geary County Extension improves lives and strengthens the community it serves.

 

SEAC election results are in

Congratulations to the new State Extension Advisory Council (SEAC) members! The nominations for SEAC are appreciated, as is your time and dedication to K-State Extension.

The SEAC is made up of 21 members from local units across the state who serve three-year terms. They meet twice a year: in February and August.

These members represent the local unit partnership with K-State Extension’s administration. They provide input to help solve issues important to Kansans. They also serve as extension advocates at the state level and sometimes get special assignments related to the extension mission.

The newly elected SEAC members are Barbara Coultis (Shawnee County), representing the urban counties, and Jill Wilks (Southwind Extension District), representing the eastern region.  A nomination for the southern region has been received and will go through the appointment process.

There are vacant positions in the northern and western regions that are available by appointment. If you or someone you know might be interested in representing these regions, please contact your regional director or Chris Onstad.

The next SEAC meeting will be in Topeka, Feb. 16–17.  This meeting includes updates on extension and training for meetings with legislators, followed by a trip to the Capitol and meetings with representatives and senators.   

The SEAC’s dedication to K-State Extension is highly appreciated, and we are excited to engage with them to strengthen the extension mission.

These folks will begin their new roles at the next SEAC meeting in Topeka on Feb 16-17.

Again, congratulations and welcome to the new State Extension Advisory Council members!

 

Programming Spotlight

AI in Kansas Ag Conference: Highlighting Extension’s Mission to Tackle Local Issues

The inaugural AI in Kansas Ag Conference was held last summer in Lyndon. It was co-hosted by K-State Extension and K-State's Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics (ID3A).

The conference highlighted some of the newest agricultural technologies using artificial intelligence (AI). Researchers, industry leaders and producers came together for an informative day focused on the latest advances in agriculture. Topics ranged from row crops to livestock management.

The idea for this conference began a few years ago. Frontier District extension agents Ryan and Rod Schaub were having a discussion with the Agriculture and Natural Resources PDC. They identified a need to deepen their understanding of AI in agriculture.

Progress slowed until the 2024 K-State Extension annual conference. The Schaubs shared the idea with Rebecca Dale from K-State’s ID3A. She and Deepak Joshi from ID3A met with the PDC to help plan the conference.

The conference drew more than 200 participants. Participants said that they can see the value in using data more strategically. They also reported that AI could help them streamline production to improve their quality of life. One attendee noted that the landscape for precision agriculture and AI is quickly becoming more mainstream and accessible for farming operations.

Moving the conversation about AI from the theoretical to the practical is a key part of empowering producers. When farmers realize that these technologies are available now, they're more likely to try new things, improve the quality of their operations and share what they learn with others.