NEW EXTENSION DIRECTOR BRINGS KNOWLEDGE OF PLANT DISEASE AND HORTICULTURE TO THE COUNTY

With an education in agronomy and experience in horticulture, it is clear new Allamakee Extension Director Teresa Wiemerslage of rural Dorchester will prove over time to be a valuable county resource.
And providing a needed resource, according to Wiemerslsage, remains at the heart of the state-wide extension mission. "We are a local resource," says Wiemerslage, "for people of the county to access information for use."
As an branch of Iowa State University in Ames, the state's extension program is broken into six basic service arenas. Agriculture and natural resource management comprise one area of study; business and industry are also held in consideration. The other four units are divided in segments including family concerns, community, extended and continuing education, and, the long-term mainstay program of the extension office - county 4-H assistance and promotion.
Allamakee, says Wiemerslage, is part of a 15 county district, in which extension officers and field specialists continually network according to county needs. Wiemerslage credits Jim Hosch, Clayton County Extension, Brian Lange, Field Crop Specialist, Fran Passmore, Nutrition Specialist and Barb Ranum of the 4-H division as working resources who have assisted her in her new position.
Serving Allamakee County specifically on a volunteer basis is the Extension Council, comprised of nine elected members. These people, according to Wiemerslage, provide a valuable county link, voicing to the director the needs of the area.
"Because we live in such a rural area, I know we need an agricultural base," Wiemerslage says. In her new position, she hopes to be of service particularly in the area of plant disease control, for which her academic background has prepared her.
Raised on a South Dakota farm, Wiemerslage grew up to attend South Dakota State University, majoring in biology and microbiology. Upon receiving her bachelors degree, Wiemerslage ventured east, to Iowa State University, completing masters studies in plant disease, specifically, crop illness.
During her stay in Ames, Wiemerslage first encountered the extension program. Working for a professor who was an extension officer, Wiemerslage studied plants first-hand in the Plant Disease Clinic, Ames, granting her valuable experience in plant diagnosis and treatment.
Marrying and moving to Allamakee County, Wiemerslage found employment she enjoyed at Bauer's Market in LaCrescent, MN. As nursery manager, she was able to focus on horticulture, also an area of personal interest.
Wiemerslage is excited about the opportunity to put her different areas of knowledge to work in Allamakee County, an option resulting from the retirement of long-term Extension Director Lee Gruenhaupt.
As director, Gruenhaupt addressed primarily agricultural issues. Wiemerslage, a farm-owner herself with her husband, Mark, recognizes the importance of farm issues to the area. Quick to admit that contemporary farming lends contemporary challenges, Wiemerslage says, "trying to make it, farmers these days are branching out, looking to diversify and specialize. It's just not that easy to do." She is knowledgeable of current farm issues such as debates over ethanol and biotechnology, low milk prices and large corporate farming.
The changing face of farming, however, lends new concerns to the county, areas which Wiemerslage looks forward to addressing. For instance, gardening, says Wiemerslage, "is the newest but oldest past time." As director, she hopes to implement a master gardener's program in Allamakee.
Right now, Wiemerslage is busy getting her feet wet in a flurry of fair preparations. "4-H is a big component of the extension program," says Wiemerslage. "It's a chance for the kids to demonstrate what they've learned throughout the past year." The extension office remains responsible for providing exhibitor information and carrying out the awards process.
Wiemerslage is busy guaging "where we stand on things." She plans to spend orientation and organization time accessing Allamakee's extension needs to grasp where she can be most of service.
While Wiemerslage is still weaving through the ever-growing pile of papers on her desk, county residents have started dropping off sick plants, asking the plant lady what's wrong with them.
Wiemerslage holds up some discolored tree leaves a Lansing resident has brought by the office. "The extension," she says, "is essentially customer service at its purist level." And it's this one-on-one grassroot personal contact Wiemerslage looks forward to most as extension director. She remains excited about accessing county interests and letting the extension act as an educational resource. "We don't have answers," she says, "but we do have advice and information."