Dear colleagues, I hope you are enjoying summer so far. I am pleased to tell you that Extension is returning to in-person events and educational programming, and soon will be re-opening our regional and campus offices. And, as noted below, 4-H and Extension will be back at the Minnesota State Fair! However, re-opening is not as simple as flipping a switch. As you know, most Extension employees have been working remotely for the past 15 months and some of them have found their educational programs can reach more people online, or that they can work effectively from a distance by using technology. I expect that over the next few months, Extension programs and operations will go through a transition period where we evaluate opportunities for flexible approaches in our programming as well as in campus, regional and county offices. We also are considering options for our annual Extension summer retiree luncheons, including having the Twin Cities luncheon early this fall. Please watch your e
We’ve had a hot start to our summer, and this means many of us have been busy keeping our gardens, our fields and ourselves adequately hydrated. If you are feeling the stress of the heat and not enough time to get things done, consider doing something for yourself and taking advantage of the webinars offered by ESP's national professional development committee. On June 29 at noon (central time), join Jesse Ketterman from the Tau Chapter, Maryland, for Health Insurance Options for Farmers and Small Businesses . Registration for the National Conference is now open. You have the option of attending this year’s conference face to face or virtually. (I can’t miss the opportunity to be in Savannah in October.) It’s been my honor to be your president this year, and I hope to see you at one of these professional development opportunities. Robin Trott ESP-Pi president