Dodge County committee approves three UW Extension work plans

The Dodge County Land & Water Conservation Committee voted unanimously to approve three work plans submitted by University of Wisconsin Extension that are required under the county’s memorandum of understanding with Extension. The committee said the documents align with the county’s stated goals and that Extension staff will report back to the committee throughout the year on implementation.

The work plans presented covered Extension program areas including agriculture (crops and dairy), youth development including 4‑H, and FoodWIse nutrition programming. Committee members noted the plans include sections listing current activities, expected outcomes and “opportunities for expansion,” and that each plan includes a short note linking the proposed work to Dodge County priorities. Extension staff said the community needs forum and other assessments were used to identify priorities in the plans.

Committee members and Extension staff discussed why the community development plan was not part of the packet presented; staff said the community development forum did not have the right mix of participants and that Extension will reconvene a more targeted meeting for that program area before bringing a plan forward. Extension staff and committee members emphasized the packet is intended as a living document and said Extension will return with updates and annual reports rather than “file the work plans away.”

During the meeting a committee member moved to approve the three work plans the committee had reviewed; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The committee asked staff to continue reporting progress to the committee in future meetings and via electronic communications.

The committee briefly discussed FoodWIse, an Extension program funded by federal grants that focuses on nutrition education for low‑income populations in schools and senior programming; staff said FoodWIse follows grant objectives and reporting requirements and therefore did not have the same type of local work plan format as the other Extension programs presented.

Committee members praised Extension for piloting the work‑plan format with Dodge County and encouraged staff to use lessons learned when the model is rolled out to other counties state‑wide.