1

Reminders: To Register: go to www.kascoe.org .

Auction Items can be shipped to Kitra Cooper, Kansas State Office, 3600 Anderson Ave, Manhattan, KS

66503-2511.

Auction Item Pictures can be sent to Dorothy Heim, with NASCOE Auction Pic as the subject line, pri-or to convention for inclusion in the Auction Item Power point at dorothyh@ruraltel.net . Please send pics by July 19. Raffle tickets can be mailed to Marsha Gerstner, 2420 21st St, Great Bend, KS 67530.

Sponsor suggestions can be sent to Jack Kelly, j.kelly1361@gmail.com .

Wine pull and door prize giveaway donations are needed and can be sent to Kitra Cooper, Kansas State

Office, 3600 Anderson Ave, Manhattan, KS 66503-2511.

Hotel changes/waiting list, please contact Sarah Shove, sarahbeth.shove@gmail.com .

Personal emails need to be included as part of your registration to ensure access to the Virtual Goody

Bag to be distributed at convention. You will not have access to .gov email on your mobile device.

COC members are invited to attend convention.

Uber and Lyft are available as transportation options in Manhattan, KS.

Questions or comments: please contact Marla Hammer, marlajohammer@yahoo.com .

REGISTRATION

DEADLINE MAY 31! The first of the registration deadlines takes place May 31. As of June 1, registration will go from $50 to $65. Don’t wait! Get registered today at kascoe.org!

2

COC Encouraged to Attend National

Convention for a Special COC Breakout –

Have You Invited Your COC?

Please share the following with your COC:

Dear COC Member:

The Kansas Association of FSA County Office Employees (KASCOE) is proud to announce

that Kansas will be hosting the 2019 National Association of FSA County Office Employees

(NASCOE) National Convention July 31-August 3, in Manhattan, KS. Kansas last hosted the

convention in 1988 in Wichita, KS; a whopping 31 years ago. This year’s convention also

marks the 60th anniversary of NASCOE. We couldn’t be more excited to bring our fellow

FSA employees and guests together to show off Kansas’ rich agriculture history and industry.

NASCOE’s mission is to render better service to American agriculture by having a national

medium for the exchange of ideas and information, and to facilitate closer cooperation in

working towards solutions of mutual problems, regardless of membership or affiliations.

As part of this exciting opportunity, we would like to invite the county committee members to

join us during convention on Thursday, August 1. The NASCOE Convention gives employees

an opportunity to visit with our Washington DC staff as well as employees and retirees from

all over the country. The Thursday morning session will consist of Washington, DC speakers

and the afternoon will consist of a very special, “County Committee Only” breakout session

where county committee members will have an opportunity to meet with Richard Fordyce,

FSA Administrator, and Bill Northey, the USDA Undersecretary. If all the pieces fall into

place, Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture, may be able to join this “members only” meet-

ing as well. This is a rare opportunity that may not come around again. The county commit-

tee is the oversight of the county office as well as a source for logical and practical direction

on the implementation of farm policy. No other agency in the federal government has the foot-

print or local oversight like the Farm Service Agency. The

county committee is the backbone of our agency, and as

such, we would be honored if you could join us.

Registration and additional information can be found at

kascoe.org.

Hope to see you in August!

3

This One Time, At NASCOE…

We’ve all got a “This one time, at NASCOE” story. Some are fun, some are funny, some are inspira-

tional, and the list goes on. The point is, you will never know what you are missing if you don’t make

it to convention. Some incredible memories are yet to be made- YOUR incredible memories! Some

good times and laughter await you at the NASCOE convention in Manhattan, KS! It never fails,

there’s always a take-away; a story you will tell for years to come. Ask any NASCOE veteran about

their memories of NASCOE conventions. You may hear something like the following:

This one time, at NASCOE, there was a haunted house at the pumpkin patch we went to for the “state

association” night. One of the NASCOE members thought it would be funny to hide in the haunted

house and scare the tar out of the other members as they came through.

This one time, at NASCOE, a member was waiting by the hotel’s elevator doors to jump out and scare

her roommate when she got off the elevator. Instead, she accidently scared the SED from Texas.

This one time, at NASCOE, we were driving through residential Nashville and suddenly, the yard art

from the house we were driving by ran out in front of our vehicle. Apparently, deer mingle with the

people in the city of Nashville. Beware!

This one time, at NASCOE, we were trying to get home from an event and our plane got delayed. We

spent the night in the airport in Dallas. We had our little “camp site” set up and you would not believe

the hoops we had to jump through to get home. I don’t recommend overnight stays at the airport, but

we have some funny anecdotes we will never forget!

This one time, at NASCOE, I mistakenly believed 212 was the hospitality suite. It wasn’t.

This one time, at NASCOE, there was a river walk. Let’s just say, it’s a good thing nobody got hurt.

This one time, at NASCOE, I was at the right place at the

right time and got to go visit the “South Building” where

all the National Office action happens. I will never for-

get this eye-opening experience. This experience solidi-

fied my desire to grow in NASCOE.

There are so many NASCOE stories! Ask anyone what

their “this one time, at NASCOE” story is! Get to nation-

al convention and be prepared to make your own “this

one time, at NASCOE” story! The energy, atmosphere,

new friends, old friends, networking and more, will cre-

ate memories you will be the better for having had!

Don’t miss out!

4

R

A

F

F

L

E

T

I

C

K

E

T

R

O

C

K

S

T

A

R

S

!

Continued….

What to Pack

Two months until convention!!! It’s almost here!

I have been fielding some questions about dress

code so here are some suggestions (ultimately, your

choice of dress is up to you!). This is an excellent

networking event and you never know who you will

meet or what chain of events may be set into mo-

tion at a convention. It’s a great idea to put your

best foot forward!

First, a little psychology about the messages we

may be sending based on the choices we make

when we dress ourselves. I don’t make the rules,

but they seem to hold true time and time again.

People make instant judgments about an individual

the moment they meet that person based on their

dress as well as their body language. You and I

may not like it, but it’s a fact. We can have a direct

impact on how others perceive us before we are ev-

er introduced (and subsequently whether we will

even have the opportunity to dazzle them with our

personality). This principle is why we dress up for

job interviews.

Studies show dressing to impress also improves our

cognitive function. It makes us sharper as well as

improves our confidence. When we feel good, we

do good.

Dressing your best does not need to cost a fortune.

This excuse is baseless. Look for sustainable bar-

gain pieces for your wardrobe (at discount or even

second-hand stores) and then have them tailored to

you individually.

People will make all sorts of assumptions and deci-

sions about us without proper evidence. We may

States/Areas:

WA NW 0

OR NW 0

NE NW 23

SD NW 30

ND NW 31

MT NW 0

ID NW 8

WY NW 10

KS SW 109

CO SW 0

OK SW 0

TX SW 0

NM SW 0

UT SW 0

AZ SW 0

NV SW 0

CA SW 0

VA SE 0

NC SE 0

KY SE 0

TN SE 0

AR SE 0

LA SE 4

MS SE 0

AL SE 8

GA SE 25

SC SE 0

FL SE 6

MN MW 0

WI MW 50

MI MW 0

IA MW 30

MO MW 7

IL MW 20

IN MW 26

OH MW 0

RI NE 6

ME NE 0

NH NE 0

VT NE 6

MA NE 0

NY NE 0

PA NE 0

WV NE 0

DE/MD NE 0

NJ NE 0

CT NE 6

5

think that fashion is just a profligate indulgence and our sunny personality will eclipse our dull

attire. Untrue. What we wear speaks volumes in just a few seconds. Dressing to impress really

is worthwhile and could even be the key to success. And, when in doubt, it’s better to be over-

dressed than to be underdressed. You never know who you will meet at convention or the role

they may play in the trajectory of your career.

So, enough with the “why”. How about the “what”. As in “what do I wear?”

Wednesday Tours: Dress casual. You may need a visor, ballcap or sunglasses for the times

you are outdoors. If you are going on the lake tour, bring whatever you wear to the lake- swim

suit, towel, etc. Check the forecast because you will be outside a lot!

Wednesday Exec Committee meeting: If you are on the EC and are not sure what to wear on

Wednesday, ask Dennis. Otherwise, business casual.

Wednesday Eve: Social time. Wear whatever makes you comfortable/happy.

Thursday General Session: You may meet NOF staff, the FSA Administrator, the Undersecre-

tary or the Secretary himself. Dress to impress!!! Business professional!

Thursday Eve: This is auction night! Kansas is referring to it as “Denim Night” to tie into our

Denim and Diamonds (60th anniversary) theme. Wear your denim and be casual.

Friday General Session: NOF staff, the FSA Administrator, the Undersecretary or the Secre-

tary may linger. And NASCOE is still doing business. Business professional.

Friday Eve: This is Kansas Night! If you bought a t-shirt, you get into Kansas Night free!

Casual dress. Bring a ball cap or sunglasses to shade your eyes if you make it to the third-

floor patio where the DJ is playing before the sun goes down. You will be indoors some and

outdoors some. Again, check the forecast.

Saturday General Session: NASCOE is still conducting business but you may find the atmos-

phere is more relaxed. Business professional or even business casual this day.

Saturday Eve: Diamond Night! Formal banquet and awards presentation. Formal dress!

Black tie. Rhinestones and bling! Dress your best to show respect for the outstanding among

us!

Continued from page 4...

6

RAFFLE TICKET ROCKSTARS!

KANSAS Counties:

Kansas Counties:

Allen 0

Anderson 0

Atchison 0

Barber 0

Barton 0

Bourbon 0

Brown 0

Butler 5

Cherokee 0

Cheyenne 3

Clark/Comanche 0

Clay 0

Cloud 0

Coffey 0

Cowley 0

Crawford 0

Decatur 0

Dickinson 0

Doniphan 0

Douglas 0

Edwards 0

Ellis 0

Ellsworth 0

Finney 0

Ford 0

Franklin 0

Gove 0

Graham 0

Grant 0

Gray 0

Greeley 6

Greenwood/Elk 0

Hamilton 5

Harper 0

Harvey 0

Haskell 0

Hodgeman 0

Jackson 0

Jefferson/Leav/Wyan 0

Jewell 10

Kearny 0

Kingman 0

Kiowa 0

Labette 0

Lane 0

Lincoln 0

Linn 0

Logan 3

Lyon/Chase 1

Marion 0

Marshall 0

McPherson 0

Meade 0

Miami/Johnson 0

Mitchell 0

Montgomery/Chautauqua 8

Morris 10

Morton 0

Nemaha 0

Neosho 7

Ness 0

Norton 0

Osage 5

Osborne 0

Ottawa 0

Pawnee 0

Phillips 2

Pottawatomie/Waubaunsee 0

Pratt 0

Rawlins 3

Reno 0

Republic 0

Rice 0

Riley/Geary 0

Rooks 7

Rush 0

Russell 10

Saline 0

Scott 0

Seward 0

Shawnee 0

Sheridan 10

Sherman 0

Smith 0

Stafford 6

Stanton 0

Stevens 6

Sumner 0

Thomas 0

Trego 2

Wallace 0

Washington 0

Wichita 0

Wilson/Woodson 0

A HUGE

thanks to the

following

AWESOME

states/

counties that

have already

sent tickets

back in (as of

May 17,

2019):

7

Thanks to the following SPONSORS for their

contribution to the success of the NASCOE Con-

vention 2019: