2008-2012 STRATEGIC GOALS

Goals 2004-07  |  Goals 2008-12

A Few Words About The Process...

Staff scanned local data and community needs assessments done by agencies in the county, as well as our own input sessions. Some of these assessments included the Marathon County LIFE (Local Indicators For Excellence) Report, the United Way of Marathon County Report, the Dairyland State Academy Feasibility Report, the Marathon County Strategic Plan, Marathon County Health Assessment, minutes of the Marathon County Community Planning Council, proposal and notes from focus groups concerning the Board Governance Network, key informant interviews from November 2007 and the UW “Advantage Wisconsin” listening session. The Family Living Agent is involved with focus groups with the Latino community. The Extension Education Committee and staff reviewed the results from the Central District telephone survey conducted in September 2007.  Staff developed a list of potential strategic foci. These were then discussed and amended with the local committee, and committee members each priority-ranked the issues. Community Needs Assessment Input:

• Marathon County Life Report
• United Way Report
• Dairyland State Academy Feasibility Report
• Marathon County Strategic Plan
• Partnership for Progressive Agriculture Steering Committee
• Marathon County Health Assessment
• Marathon County Community Planning Council
• Census Data/Trends
• Central District UWEX Phone Survey
• Future of Farming & Rural Life in Wisconsin Report
• Status of WI Agriculture 2007
• Marathon County Governance Institute
• UWEX-CE Key Informant Interview on 11/21
• UW “Advantage Wisconsin” Listening Session on 11/27
• Central District Telephone Survey

Strategic Goals/Issues Statements:

1. Protecting Our Natural Resources & the Environment
2. Efficient & Coordinated Resource Management
3. Focus on a Sustainable Local Economy
4. Building Leaders of All Ages
5. Meeting the Needs of Underserved Audiences

1. Protecting Our Natural Resources & the Environment

There are over 422,000 acres of forestland in Marathon County – approximately 45% of the land base, the majority owned privately by family forest owners. Forest products and processing contributes $1.342 billion dollars to the county’s economy, as well as 8,500 jobs. There are 202 lakes and 356 streams in the county; WDNR data suggests a quarter of these important recreational resources are threatened by rural and urban non-point source pollution. Groundwater quality is also a concern of citizens as 9% of the tests done on wells in 2006 exceeded safe contaminant levels (LIFE report). Continued population growth in the county and an awareness of world events has generated conversation about how we can be responsible citizens of the environment.

What can Marathon County UW-Extension do to help the community to adapt in a sustainable fashion to changing trends affecting natural resources? Marathon County UW-Extension provides education and builds capacity in people to help them consider, plan for and monitor environmental impacts.

• Agriculture programs will work to help address the 65% of the farmlands that have not yet met the requirements of nutrient management planning according to Wisconsin law.
• UW-Extension, through the Basin Education program, will provide education to private forest owners, directly and in partnership with a variety of woodland owner organizations.
• The Basin Education program will provide resources to the Central Wisconsin Monitoring Network, a group of citizen volunteers that monitor water quality on local streams and rivers.
• Community Resource Development programs will expand the support to local community sustainability efforts, such as the Marshfield Sustainability Committee and Wausau’s Commission for a Greener Tomorrow.
• Marathon County UW-Extension will incorporate energy efficiency concepts into programming.

2. Efficient & Coordinated Resource Management

A 2007 LIFE Community Study found most county residents Agree or Strongly Agree that “I’m satisfied with my local government services…” A 2007 Central District Phone Survey found that 49% of Marathon County residents have used Marathon County UW-Extension, and 97% of those users felt the information was valuable. Despite that “good news”, the challenge is to continue a favorable level of performance in a time of increasing resource scarcity. In 2006, Marathon County Government adopted five, multi-year strategic goals, two of which relate directly. Goal II states, “Establish and continually reevaluate service priorities. Proactively align current and future county services and programs with established priorities that anticipate needs, enhance health and safety, protect the environment and offer cultural, recreational, and economic opportunities.” Goal IV states, “Pursue local, regional, and state collaborative working relationships, public involvement, and communication strategies which position Marathon County Government as a recognized leader in coordinating resources for the purpose of meeting community needs in Marathon County and the surrounding area.”

What can Marathon County UW-Extension do to create more efficient and coordinated delivery of public programs and services? Marathon County UW-Extension will deliver education efficiently and provide opportunities for others to expand their thinking about efficiencies, by ...

• Creating student learning opportunities with UW-Marathon County.
• Establishing strong collaborative agriculture education with Partnership for Progressive Agriculture, UW-Marathon County, Northcentral Technical College, Conservation, Planning & Zoning, and federal agriculture agencies.
• Increasing education and organizational development support to other county departments, including outcome measurement/performance management.
• Seeking opportunities for UW-Extension Youth and Family programs to collaborate with community organizations.
• Working with 4-H Leaders to evaluate their financial support to programs.
• Becoming a more active participant in United Way of Marathon County efforts and initiatives.
• Developing and coordinating urban stormwater education programs across several municipalities/counties.

3. Focus on a Sustainable Local Economy

The local environment is one of perceived local economic health, where the county’s unemployment rate is lower than the state rate and the number of businesses in Marathon County reporting taxable sales up by over 6% in the last eight years. At the same time, local officials indicate a need to continue to attend to the issue of economic development, as the county board embraced a core strategy in their strategic planning process, to “aggressively develop economic opportunities which provide for a strong economic base, balanced with protection of the environment and quality of life issues.” A challenge for the county identified in the 2007-09 LIFE report was jobs with good wages. A number of parties are involved with addressing these concerns, and there is an expectation that UW-Extension is one of the players, as the local county committee ranked work priorities.

How can UW-Extension resources add value to local discussion and initiatives to foster a vibrant and sustainable local economy? UW-Extension brings a long-term, educational focus to discussions around economic development, and develops capacity in people to consider multiple future scenarios.

• Agricultural programs will build farm businesses for ongoing profitability by providing, for example, training on dairy modernization and grazing technologies, encouraging people to think broadly about profit strategies.
• UW-Extension will also be involved with developing the next generation of farm businesses with development of a mentoring network, through the School for Beginning Farmers and the Dairyland Sate Academy.
• Community Resource Development programs will engage people in thinking strategically as they face changing paradigms, including rising energy prices and possible carbon constraints.
• Family Living programs will coordinate with local financial institutions and community coalitions to provide financial education for the community to encourage financial stability.

4. Building Leaders of All Ages

A core value of University of Wisconsin-Extension is Leadership Development. The most efficient way to transfer the skills and information that is taught through UW-Extension programs is to nurture a leadership base that can multiply the effectiveness of the program. The leadership that is developed impacts the community and its ability to address problems, foster citizenship, and implement prevention programs. UW-Extension works to create vital communities in Marathon County and across Wisconsin. UW-Extension nurtures leadership in formal and informal ways. In 2007, 546 adult volunteers enrolled to lead and teach the 1,183 youth who participate in 4-H educational programs; 115 master gardeners provided community education in the plant and horticultural sciences; 142 Home and Community Education (HCE) members shared Extension information and participated in community service projects. Additionally, there are a multitude of community boards, local officials, and citizenship committees that are impacted by UW-Extension programs.

How can UW-Extension increase leadership capacity to have a greater impact when addressing high priority community issues? UW-Extension provides educational opportunities and experiential learning which build capacity.

• 4-H Youth Development programs will nurture leadership through 4-H club leader and officer experiences; county committees; 4-H Leaders Federation Board membership; 4-H Ambassador Program; and leadership programs such as Teen Weekend.
• UW-Extension will develop community leadership teams for the upcoming 2011 Farm Technology Days.
• Family Living programs will foster leadership by providing continuing education programs for the Home and Community Education (HCE) clubs.
• Family Living will foster adult leadership by continuing to train lay leaders in the “Living Well With Chronic Conditions Program”.
• Marathon County UW-Extension will participate in the local effort to create a Board Development Network.

5. Meeting the Needs of Underserved Audiences

Marathon County’s population is becoming increasingly diverse. The minority population grew from <1% in 1980 to 6.5% in 2000 with the largest percentage being the Asian population. Race and ethnicity is just one form of diversity. Other examples can include age, disability, and economic background. Marathon County has an increasing number of working poor. The number of county residents living within 185% of poverty grew from 18.8% in 2000 to 22.5% in 2005 (28,314 persons), a 19% increase. According to the Marathon County LIFE Report (2007), indicators such as the number of people using food pantries, the number of residents staying at the homeless shelter, and the number of free/reduced price meals served to school-age children have all shown significant increases. Diverse and underserved populations need special attention when designing programs and meeting those needs can be a challenge. Program access can be a barrier due to language, transportation, and cultural issues.

How can UW-Extension target programs to benefit groups with special needs in order to have a positive impact on their lives? UW- Extension offers programs specifically designed to meet the needs of these unique county populations including:

• AgrAbility program support to keep farm owner/operators with physical limitations in business.
• 4-H clubs emphasizing students with special physical/cognitive needs, home-schooled students, and low-income and multicultural urban youth.
• The Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program (WNEP) targeted to low-income individuals with nutrition and food resource management information.
• Organizing and conducting focus groups to identify changing needs in the Latino/ Hmong communities.
• Developing educational opportunities for minority groups in their “native” language, such as Hmong cooking classes and health education parties in Spanish
• Poverty training through simulations and other educational opportunities to raise awareness and understanding.

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