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Show PANGUITCH • PANGUITCH LAKE • HATCH • BRYCE • TROPIC • ANTIMONY • HENRIEVILLE • CANNONVILLE • ESCALANTE • BOULDER Thursday, February 11, 2010 • Issue # 255 USU EXTENSION CO-SPONSORS DIVERSIFIED AG CONFERENCE The seventh annual Diversified Agriculture Conference is held Feb. 24 to 26 in Vernal. The conference is designed to benefit agricultural producers who would like additional tools to help manage their businesses. It focuses on more than traditional agriculture, including recreation, tourism, direct marketing, farmers' markets and further processing. Conference highlights include information on using high tunnels and USDA cost-share programs, business management tools and workshops, marketing sessions focused on rural areas and examples of agriculture tourism. Track topics include production, business management and tourism/ marketing. A pre-conference workshop is held Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Beverly King of the Utah Small Business Development Center will present information on developing a business plan for diversified agricultural businesses. Information will also be presented on receiving ongoing training and oneon-one counseling from the Small Business Development Center networks located throughout Utah. Cost of the pre-conference workshop is $10 and includes lunch. The opening address will be given by Kelly Matthews, retired economist from Wells Fargo, and will focus on how the economy is affecting small business and rural areas in Utah. Keynote speaker Dave Carter, executive director -..., MOSTLY SUNNY of the National Bison Association, will address grass roots marketing campaigns. Agriculture producers need to be able to analyze their own situation as the world changes around them," said Ruby Ward, conference organizer and USU Extension agribusiness specialist. "This will be a great opportunity for producers to gain skills, ideas and interact with others." Ward said the conference will feature something for everyone. Students from area high schools are invited to attend to learn about a future in agriculture. Special student registration is available by contacting Ward. The conference is the result of many groups working together including USU Extension, Utah Farm Bureau, the chambers of commerce in Duchesne and Uintah counties, and Uintah County. Grant funding from the USDA-Risk Management Agency helps keep registration costs low. Conference registration cost is $40 if registered by Feb. 12 and $60 after and includes meals. For further information and a complete list of sponsors and partners, visit www.diverseag. org or call the Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce at 435-789-1352, your local USU County Extension office or Ward at 435-7972323. There are several places around the county where you can sign up in addition to the USU Extension office. They are the THURSDAY HIGH: 38 LOW: 17 FRIDAY SNOW SHOWERS HIGH: 40 LOW: 19 SATURDAY ---...., PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH: 38 LOW: 18 SUNDAY SUNNY HIGH: 41 LOW: 14 MONDAY — MOSTLY SUNNY ln....) SUNNY 0 SUNNY HIGH: 42 LOW: 19 TUESDAY HIGH: 42 LOW: 18 WEDNESDAY Panguitch City Library, Tony's Outpost, Bryce Car Care Center, State Bank of Southern Utah, Town of Tropic/Heritage Center, Boulder Library, Escalante Senior Center, Wells Fargo, and Town Clerk in Antimony. Also, you can designate your business as a Utah Saves Site and disseminate saver information there. Contact me for more information at Utah State University Garfield County Extension, 55 South Main, Panguitch, Utah, in the County Courthouse, email me at suzanne.jorgensen@ usu.edu, call me at (435) 676-1114 or visit our website at http://extension.usu. edu/garfield or http://garfield4-h.org . 25th Annual Bryce Canyon Winter Festival 0 ° O f. rtrt • _rlyc.e. CeNjOk -freS-tiVa Utak. • Live Band & Dance Saturday, February 1 3,2 0 1 0 Featuring: "Tread Lightly" 6:30 p.m. - Western Dance Instruction 8p.m. to 1 1p.m. - Dance at Ebenezers Barn & Grill (Free Admission/Family Atmosphere) Free Clinics • Races ($10 entry fee)• Kids Activities Sunday Night Guest Speaker Carol Masheter, Ph.D., is the oldest U.S. and second oldest woman to ever summit Mt. Everest. For More Details Visit www.rubysinn.com 1-866-866-6616 or 1-435-834-5341 HWY 63 BRYCE CANYON CITY, UTAH 84764 LOSEST ACCOMMODATION TO THE ENTRANCE TO BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PAR. . MANUFACTURED HOMEOWNERS HOUSING DAY ON THE HILL 2010 At this event, attendants will have the opportunity to demonstrate their support for the homeowner's community, learn how to effectively advocate for their interests, and become acquainted with their legislators and the legislative process. This event is part of a coalition effort aimed to advance homeowner rights, and promote the stability of Utah's largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing: manufactured home communities. In many cases, manufactured homeowners, like Ed Schultz, are seniors who choose to move into a com- Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at the Utah State Capitol. munity when they retire to meowners are essentially downsize, while enjoying captive tenants. While the benefits of homeowner- redevelopment of manufactured home parks has ship, like having a garden. We chose to move into slowed over the last year, Riverside because it had many self-sufficient taxhigh community upkeep paying homeowners constandards.? Manufactured tinue to find themselves home communities are also at risk of losing their only home to people on fixed major asset when commuincomes, working families, nity operators subject them and those who chose to to poor business practices, utilize the Federal Home- such as: copious annual rent Buyers Tax Credit last year. increases, harassment, and Unfortunately, for many unlawful evictions. As a result, manufacmanufactured homeowners, the American Dream tured homeowners, across the state, have organized maybecome a nightmare. Because they do not into a grassroots moveown the land beneath their ment in order to have the homes, manufactured ho- power to protect their rights VIOLENCE AND INJURY DATA NOW AVAILABLE BY NEIGHBORHOOD Have you ever wondered whether your town has more suicides than others? Or whether residents in your community are in more motor vehicle crashes? Just check the Utah Department of Health's (UDOH) new Violence and Injury Small Area report. The report summarizes data on 17 different injury-related topics by "small areas" across the state. "Small areas" refers to a set of 61 geographic areas in Utah with population sizes ranging from 20,00060,000 persons. These areas are especially useful for assessing health needs at the community level and targeting programs to those at greatest risk for an injury. "This data will give state and local health officials the information to make decisions about which communities are in greatest need of limited resources," said Trisha Keller, Program Manager for the UDOH Violence and Injury Prevention Program. "Utah has made tremendous strides in preventing injuries and violence in our state but this report shows that residents in some areas are at higher risk than others." Findings from the report indicate that some injuries vary widely within a local health district. For example, within the 10 small areas that make up the Utah County Health District, the rate of hospitalizations resulting from falls varied from a low of 13.8 to a high of 43.5 per 10,000 persons. The state rate is 23.9 per 10,000 persons. Data also show that more than 9 in 10 (91.9%) Utah adults report they always or nearly always wear their seatbelts when they drive or ride in a car. However, small areas with lower reported seatbelt use tend to The more laws and order are made prominent, The more thieves and robbers there will be. Lao-tzu HIGH: 42 LOW: 17 O have higher rates of motor vehicle crash fatalities. The data are presented in tables, graphs, and maps to help show differences across the state. It includes maps of each health district and its small areas to help the reader see where violence and injury problems are concentrated. The topics in the report include: • Assault-related injuries • Child injury fatalities • Self-reported falls • Fall hospitalizations • Self-reported seatbelt usage • Motor vehicle crashes • Poisoning fatalities • Suicide attempts and fatalities • Student injuries • Traumatic brain injuries • Unintentional injuries For a full copy of the Utah Violence and Injury Small Area report, visit http://health.utah.gov/vipp. Multimedia and homes. "We believe in building strong and vibrant neighborhoods where homeowners and park owners acknowledge and respect one another's rights. The smart park owner realizes that a homeowners association that is linked to other associations can be a valuable asset and make their life a lot easier when it comes to managing a manufactured home community," said Steve Anderson, President of UMHAG. Unfortunately, some community operators interfere with homeowner's rights to organize and peacefully assemble. Community organizers are routinely banned from communities, and residents are harassed and silenced. This year, there are two legislative proposals to help Utah's manufactured homeowners. One sponsored by Representative Jim Dunnigan strengthens the existing law by assuring that residents have the right tp organize associations to advocate for their common interests, and prevent evictions motivated by retaliation. The other bill, proposed by UMHAG and sponsored by Representative Janice Fisher, would enable homeowners to appeal a rent increase they think is "excessive" to third party arbitration that would be binding. The bill would be revenue neutral in that it would pay for the process and our share of the arbitrator's fee by assessing a nominal fee collected on each manufactured home residing in the land-lease communities in Utah. Phone: 435-676-2621 Fax 435-836-2700 PO BOX 472, Loa, Utah 84747 snapshot©scinternet.net • Member of: fir Utah Press, * * * * * IFPA. 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