MSU Extension Economics

Carrie Schumacher Recognized for Outstanding Support of Extension efforts

Carrie Schumacher, interim vice president for academic and vocational education at Fort Peck Community College and owner of BCS Consulting, was selected as a 2021 National Epsilon Sigma Phi Friend of Extension honoree. The award was presented in October at the national conference in Savannah, Georgia.

Schumacher has lived on or near the Fort Peck IndianReservation her entire life, dedicating time and expertise to local communities. Over the 20 years she has worked at Fort Peck Community College, she has supported the efforts of more than a dozen MSU Extension and research faculty. The resulting relationships, scholarship and Extension programming are invaluable to MSU, residents of the Fort Peck Reservation, and Montana’s six other reservations, and to tribal colleges and universities throughout the region.

“Carrie Schumacher has an amazingly detailed knowledge of the cultures and information needs of rural American Indian communities in Montana and other northern Great Plains states,” wrote Vince Smith, a longtime collaborator of Schumacher’s, in the nominating materials. Smith is also director of the Agricultural Marketing Policy Center at MSU and an MSU professor of agricultural economics and economics.

“Her acute understanding of agricultural production, marketing, conservations and policy issues, considerable organizational and interpersonal skills, and knowledge of relevant federal resources have enabled MSU Extension and tribal college and university Extension faculty to be effective in working with those communities to meet their Extension and outreach program needs,” Smith added.

Over the years, Schumacher’s connections have resulted in workshops and grants that have enabled MSU faculty and local partners to deliver more than 200 outreach programs. Her efforts have also supported the publication of more than 20 research papers and more than 60 educational bulletins that have been used by tens of thousands of American Indians and other farmers, ranchers and policymakers over the past two decades.

"Schumacher has worked with MSU faculty for approximately 18 years. She has helped MSU Extension and research faculty to deliver culturally relevant programs in partnership with American Indian agricultural producers, agribusinesses and decision makers in Montana reservation communities," said Cody Stone, MSU Extension executive director.

“We have been especially appreciative of her expertise, commitment and direction over this past year,” Stone said. “COVID-19 has affected American Indian communities more severely than many other rural areas. Her guidance and communication skills have been even more important to effectively deliver Extension programming since the start of the pandemic. While we have changed our programming strategy over this past year, we have been able to maintain connection and provide timely policy updates through Carrie’s efforts.”

—MSU News Service

MSU Extension Hosts Webinar Series on COVID-19

Joel Schumacher hosted a series of webinars this fall related to COVID-19. "Conversations with Montana Experts” was held from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 16, 30 and Dec. 14.

The free public webinar series featured doctors, researchers and other health care experts from across the state discussing topics such as virology, immunization research, lab testing, health communication, vaccine hesitancy and other public health topics.

The series aimed to provide Montanans with access to accurate and timely information about COVID-19 to help them make informed decisions.

Webinars and presenters were:

• How Vaccines Work — Andrea Marzi, Rocky Mountain Labs
• The Economics of Vaccination Subsidies, Incentives, andPolicies — Mariana Carrera, DAEE
• COVID-19 and the Laboratory — Chris Nero M.D., BozemanHealth
• Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Child and AdolescentVaccination in Montana — Sophia Newcomer, University ofMontana

To view webinar recordings, go to:
https://msuextension.org/wellness/vaccine_outreach/mtexperts.html 

Fall Conference:  Agriculture 2021 Continued Uncertainty

The annual Agricultural Economics Outlook seminar, held Nov. 12, at the Best Western GranTree Inn, returned to an in-person format for 2021. Joel Schumacher facilitated the conference, "Agriculture 2021: Continued Uncertainty," which drew nearly 80 attendees from around the state.

Extension Economist Shannon Neibergs delivered the M.L. Wilson Lecture, "Infectious Disease Economics: "The Case of BRD (bovine respiratory disease) in Cattle." Dr. Neibergs is an associate professor in the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University and director of the Western Center for Risk Management Education. He leads the Livestock Economics program, which focuses on developing new economics-oriented Extension programming for livestock producers and industries.

Other speakers and topics for the event, included:

• Welcome
  Cody Stone, MSU Extension Executive Director

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• 2021 Montana Agriculture Year in Review
  Kate Fuller, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics
• Recent Trends in Agricultural and Forest Land Conversion:
  Dan Bigelow, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics
• Housing Booms and H2-A Agricultural Guest Worker Employment
  Diane Charlton, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics
• Drought Management for Livestock Operations
  Eric Belasco, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics
• Montana Department of Agriculture Update
  Christy Clark, Montana Department of Agriculture
• An Introduction to Montana Agricultural & Bioscience Innovation Hub
  George Haynes, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics
• Future of Farm Policy
  Vincent Smith, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics

Solid Finances Webinar Series Continues in December

Solid Finances, the free financial education webinar series from MSU Extension Economics continues its tradition of offering easy-to-understand lessons on a variety of financial issues important to consumers.

The series begins Dec. 1, 2021 and will continue through March 9, 2022. Presenters include Marsha Goetting, Carrie Krug and Joel Schumacher.

To make sessions easily accessible, all Solid Finances webinars are scheduled from 12:05 - 12:55 p.m.

Schumacher kicked off the series with "Save Money on Health Expenses with Flexible Spending Accounts, Montana Medical Care Savings Accounts and Health Savings Accounts."

For past recordings, schedule, and registration go to:  https://solidfinances.msuextension.org. 

• Dec. 1: Save Money on Health Expenses
  Joel Schumacher, MSU Extension
• Dec. 8: Creating a Debt Repayment Strategy
  Joel Schumacher, MSU Extension
• Dec. 15: Comparing Mortgage Loan Options
  Joel Schumacher, MSU Extension
• Jan 12: Who Gets Your Property When You Die?
  Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension
• Jan. 19: Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate and Grandpa’s Watch?
  Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension
• Jan. 26: Avoid Probate on Real Property by Filing a Transfer on Death Deed
  Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension
• Feb. 2: Financial, Estate, and Health Care Planning Documents for Montanans Concerned about Memory Loss
  Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension
• Feb. 9: The Benefits of Making your Finances Automatic
  Joel Schumacher, MSU Extension
• Feb. 16: Tips and Tricks for Saving Money at the Store!
  Carrie Krug, MSU Extension
• March 2: Creating Your Own Stimulus Package
  Joel Schumacher, MSU Extension
• March 9: Life Insurance: How much do I really need?
  Joel Schumacher, MSU Extension
  
  

Marsha Goetting Introduces Estate Planning Learn at Home Course

Marsha Goetting collaborated with the Montana Community Foundation to offer a five-lesson, learn-at-home course covering estate and legacy planning topics for Montanans. Similar to Dr. Goetting's webinars offered through MSU Extension, “Estate/Legacy Planning for Every Montanan” is intended for individuals who might not have access to virtual delivery due to lack of computer or internet access.

Webinars in 2020 and 2021 reached more than 6,000 Montanans, Dr. Goetting said, and she wanted the estate planning information to be inclusive and available to all. She said working with the Montana Community Foundation on this course is helpful because both organizations share the goal of strengthening the social, economic and environmental well-being of individuals, families and communities.

“We decided to return to an educational approach used before the age of computers: a learn-at-home course,” Goetting said, adding that she set aside time each week for participants to call with questions about the content. Lesson plans were mailed to participants biweekly, with five mail-outs total.

• Lesson 1: How to start the estate planning process.
• Lesson 2: Definition of property ownership titles and an outline of how those titles affect who receives propertyfrom an individual who dies without a will.
• Lesson 3: Exploration of a variety of family situations and illustration of who receives property if someone dieswithout an estate plan.
• Lesson 4: Common language in a will and how to transferpersonal property.
• Lesson 5: How to avoid probate.

Participants over the age of 60 or anyone with a disability were eligible to receive free telephone assistance with creating a will provided by the Montana Legal Developer Office in the Office of Aging.