Morgan Hoenig, owner of MogoOrganic Farm, used a variety of resources from ISU Extension and Outreach to help her establish her organic farm, and get her business up and running smoothly. MogoOrganic is located near Mt. Pleasant, in Henry County, Iowa.

 

Highlights from Louisa, Henry, Des Moines and Lee counties:

• Healthy Lifestyles Conference
  The Healthy Lifestyles Conference, held in March in Burlington, was an all-day event focused on informing participants about current health issues regarding obesity, increasing public awareness of overweight issues that affect health and lifestyles, and teach participants effective strategies for providing obesity prevention education. More than 100 participants attended from multiple counties and out of state. The conference features ISU Extension specialists and nationally recognized speakers.
• Financial Literacy Skills
  At-risk youth were introduced to financial literacy skills through ISU Extension and Outreach. An ISU Extension family finance specialist worked with 29 youth to develop financial skills, through seven to 20 hours of classes that included: information on developing a spending plan, managing financial accounts, credit reports, building credit, saving plans, investments, and workplace and job skills. Participants were encouraged to create a spending plan with information from the local paper and access their credit report using computers in class.  The students discussed needs and wants and were able to share cost savings techniques with their peers.
• Keokuk Chamber of Commerce
  The Lee County town of Keokuk partnered with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach on a unique opportunity to pool resources to enhance and impact local economic development. The partnership created a position, in which an individual was part of both the Keokuk city staff and ISU Extension and Outreach staff. This arrangement allows the person to have access to university resources and training, while performing day-to-day work to impact local economic development.
• Tri-State Agriculture Summit
  The Tri-State Agriculture Summit is a partnership between ISU Extension and Outreach, University of Missouri Extension and Western Illinois University. The half-day conference, held in Keokuk in February, featured university speakers on topics such as grain market outlook, past and future land values, and herbicides and weed resistance. The conference is targeted at farmers, landowners, agri-businesses and local processors.
• For more information, visit: Louisa, Henry, Des Moines and Lee county webpages