Projects, PowerPoints and Plots in Daviess County

Hey everyone, Brad Hagan here, this is my second blog post from Daviess County. It doesn't seem like 4 weeks have already gone by. Since my first post, traveling around the state has slowed down, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy. These last 2 weeks have had a lot of interactions with local farmers. My project is on irrigation systems used in the area and I am to give surveys to the farmers. This can be more difficult than how it sounds. Meeting up with busy farmers is very challenging and relies solely on weather. If it’s raining, I’m usually calling farmers.

            Besides working on project surveys, corn and soybean plots have been planted too, though not nearly as busy as previous plots. We’ve finished the corn plots, but are just now getting soybean plots underway. Plots work out great for meeting farmers, especially those who I will eventually attempt to interview on irrigation operations.
            Not all time has been spent in the field however. In our office time I spend a lot of time working on a PowerPoint that will be shown too everyone wanting to become a Private Pesticide Applicator. Putting a 113 page handout into PowerPoint slides can be time consuming, but I am happy to be able to contribute to something many farmers in the area will see.
            By far the coolest thing I’ve been able to do in extension so far was to check out the military base in Muhlenberg County. Darrell Simpson, the Ag agent there, put together a class on recognizing the signs of meth and marijuana production, safety precautions and self protection. This class lasted all morning and was very informative considering agents never know what they might walk up on. After lunch they took us around the military base and showed us the shooting ranges. We then split up into two groups. One group took a handgun shooting training class used for police; the other group took a machine gun shooting training class used for the military. These trainings took place inside barracks. The guns were real handguns, M-16s, M-4, and a 50 Caliber machine gun; however, they didn’t shoot live rounds, instead had air compressors to stimulate the kick of a real gun. We were all placed in front of a huge screen and were too shoot at “the enemy” in certain scenarios. Once the scenario had played out he would replay the scenario, this time showing where the shooter had shot, and how good or awful the shot was. They were usually awful shots. Regardless it was a very cool experience.

To Extension and Beyond!

Hello, my name is Mollie Dawahare and I am in my hometown of Pike County this summer!  I was reading about all those over in Western Kentucky with your corn fields and it made me smile because of how diverse Kentucky is!  This is my brother and me up at Lover's Leap (2 miles from my house). 

While the mountains look beautiful and picturesque, driving through them is another story... While being at extension these past two weeks, I have developed a better understanding of Kentucky's geography and just how much travel is expected of extension agents.  Nevertheless, it has been a learning experience and one that I will never forget.  Traveling to Westcare, a correctional facility for those men struggling with drug and alcohol abuse, and teaching them about getting their adequate amounts of grains and vegetables was an eye-opening experience to say the least.  These men were so interested in what we had to say;  they were completely engaged and asked questions throughout the lesson.  I have also had the privilege of educating our community on the nutritional preventatives of strokes at the hospital's Stroke Awareness Fair.   My agent, Leslie, and I had a very fun day explaining our food models, sugar, salt, and fat tubules to everyone.  Most people were amazed at the five pound fat mold.  Hopefully, that spurred some motivation in them to adopt healthier lifestyles!

In addition to working with the community on prevention and nutritional care, I have been preparing for 4-H camp with the younger generation of ours and surrounding counties.  We attended training yesterday in Johnson County where the High Schoolers learned to communicate with each other effectively and participated in a few team-building activities.  I had the opportunity to teach a unit on dress code, policies, and objectives.  I created a "What Not to Wear" segment where the kids had a fashion show of what was appropriate and inappropriate for camp.  We shared some laughter with the bathing suit models!

We also just hosted the Homemaker's Association's Annual meeting.  We decorated the main hall in a patriotic theme.  Miss Kentucky, Jessica Casebolt, was our guest speaker and a few community members came to judge the art show.  It was quite the event! 

Each day I am learning more and more about the many facets of extension.  It amazes me all that we are involved in throughout the community! I am thoroughly looking forward to all the adventures to come this summer.  Until next time :)

What's Happening in Oldham County!!

My first couple of weeks working with Cooperative Extension has been very interesting to say the least. I must admit, I was very nervous my first day. I had no idea what to expect, and being in a remotely foreign area didn’t help much. I quickly overcame my first day jitters after meeting Kelly (my agent) and the rest of the staff here at the Oldham County office, they’re great! I was eager to see exactly what I would be doing, I was handed a lengthy and jammed packed schedule but after reviewing it, I knew that I would thoroughly enjoy the time that I would be spending here. From there I learned that I would have no “special treatment” just because I’m “the intern.”

Here, I’m treated just like one of the staff, my very first day I was thrown right in to assist in a training session on baking. The session was held for our Busy 4-Hers, whom I quickly learned lived up to their name. I was assigned a group that I would enjoy the rest of the evening making the most delicious treat I’ve had in a while, Colossal Cookies! Just when I thought everything was a piece of cake, I found myself stopping five year olds from chugging bags of sugar and licking their fingers clean of icing. After a quick lesson on cross contamination, I found a keen liking for what I was doing. Though I have worked with children in the past, I have never worked with a more intelligent group of children in my life. I was blown away. It was here that I learned, 4-H is the real deal, and is a program that I am more than honored to work with. Not only do they work in preparing children for tomorrow through their various training sessions, but all the while developing leadership and social skills.

As the week continued to unfold I was assigned my “special project”, and I must admit, it has my name written all over it. I will assist in coordinating and finding speakers to talk about skin care, make up application, and fashion for our Fashion Revue, held at the county fair. I was more than happy to accept this project, which I’m currently in the process of finalizing. Aside from assisting the 4-Hers, I had the pleasure of working with another group, with a slightly different demographic, “The Homemakers.” I honestly didn’t know what to expect with helping the Homemakers set up and prepare for their annual meeting/banquet, but this too was a great experience. This group is like your ideal sorority for older ladies. Needless to say, by the end of the day I was invited to learn to knit, perfect my cooking skills and build my own garden. These women are exceptionally than talented.

My first week ended with something that hasn’t been done in eight years.  An office retreat! How lucky am I? The crew and I headed to downtown Louisville where we had the pleasure of walking the bridge, renting four passenger buggy bikes, and eating lunch on the waterfront. This was a great bonding experience and created memories that I’m sure I will carry with me for a lifetime. We need those more often! J

As for this week, we are busy preparing for camp and project days. As Kelly would say, “We are planning ahead and working for tomorrow.” I’m super excited for camp and the various activities we have planned for project days. I think the kids will love it! Above everything, I am more excited and very fortunate to work with such a great agent and staff. Oldham County is nothing like what I expected and is very different from anything that I’m used to, but I’m very glad to be here and couldn’t have asked for a better assignment. I hope you guys are having as good of an experience that I’ve had thus far. 

Starting Out In Community and Leadership Development - Jessica Barnes, CLD Specialis

I began my internship in the CLD Department last Monday. The first day my advisor, Dr. Rick Maurer, introduced me to as many people in the department as we could find. I learned some basic office procedures and who to ask certain questions. That first day I also met with the people involved in CEDIK. It was an informative meeting and I was given a task. I was oddly excited to be given something to do. I entered 337 surveys from Bath County high school students which revealed their intentions on staying in or returning to Bath County after graduating. The data was eye opening and very interesting. I hope to be doing more work with CEDIK soon concerning this research.

The third day of my internship I attended a meeting for MITT at the Fayette County Extension Office. I enjoyed this meeting because I was able to contribute to the discussion and give a different point of view due to me being a student and of a different generation than those in the group. I look forward to seeing more from MITT in the future and would be interested in helping them in any way I could. 

Next week I plan on traveling to Carter County with Lori Garkovich to sit in on a meeting to discuss drugs in the county. I am very interested to see how this will go. Drugs and their effect on the community has always been a topic of interest to me.

I have also started working on some tasks for Kris Ricketts for KCCL. I will conducting interviews of agents and programs which have contributed to efforts in Community Leadership. I'm excited to get in contact with these people and hear their stories. I will then write several website articles to spotlight these interviewees on the KCCL website during the year.

Just getting started..

My first two weeks as the Martin County 4-H intern have been full of new experiences. Since, I’m not from Martin County the first item of business was familiarizing me with the agents as well as the county. Next, the 4-H agent, Joe Maynard, and I went to the local middle school to recruit for 4-H camp as well as talk about my experiences as a student at UK. (Go Cats!) Also, the extension office and the school system partnered together last week to do a trail day at their local trail, God’s Promise. We brought sunflower seeds and small pots for each student to plant with. I have been working with Eugena Wilson, the Family Consumer Science agent as well. She had a basket weaving class with homemakers last week that I assisted with. This was my first ever basket making experience, there was a lot of trial and error but eventually I got the hang of it.

                        

My mother is the Family Consumer Science Agent in Lawrence County so I was recruited to help out with the raised beds and landscaping at their office and around the county. A lot of new experiences took place during those two days; I had not planted anything before.

I also assisted the EFNEP and SNAP-Ed nutrition assistants in a program at the local food pantry. We spoke about importance of a healthy diet and the importance of eating vegetables and we gave away lettuce, carrot, and radish seeds. On the days that I haven’t been out in the county, I have been working on my intern project. I have decided to do a day camp, From the Garden to Your Plate. I am planning a 3 day program for the students incorporating fruits and vegetables grown in the greenhouse. Today we had a training for our 4-H camp counselors; the teens from Lawrence, Floyd, and Martin convened at the Martin County Office to go through the guidelines and rules as well as make flags for camp and choreograph their routine for the talent show. So far my internship has been interesting, but I'm just getting started; I'm excited to see what the next two weeks have in store for me!

A dash of this, a dash of that!

     Well, my internship is off to a great start! We are working on settling into the new part of the extension building, I have my own office, well for now! We have been organizing and cleaning on top of preparing for day camps, cattle shows, teen conference, and all the in betweens that must get finished. 

     I was able to go to an after school cooking class that is offered in a lower income high school on my second day with the one of the FACS and one of the 4-H agents. I really enjoyed the program and the life skills that it offered to the youth that participated in the program. I think that it is important that these life skills are offered to them because sometimes kids are not exposed to them. Cooking is also a great way to build community. In one of my communication classes, we were broken up into groups for the semester and our first assignment was to have a meal together during the next class period. “Breaking Bread” with someone is one of the ultimate community building tools and having the youth prepare a meal together is even more community building because they must work together.  

     Over the weekend of May the 25, I went to my first beef show. I learn a lot about cows that I had not a clue about. The irony of the situation is, my great-uncles are big in the cattle industry in my county and area, yet I did not really have a clue about what went on at the shows. I commend every person and youth for all of their time and dedication to their animals. Raising an animal the is so much larger than you can be difficult. Everyone did a wonderful job at the show, hats off to all of them!

     I will be helping out with “Tasty Travels,” Wednesday, May 28 with one of the FACS agents. “Tasty Travels” is a Northern Kentucky collaboration exploring recipes from the “Living Well; More Than a Cook Book,” that the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences publishes. This year, Food Service personnel, Farmer’s Market Vendors, FCS Teachers and Staff, and FCCLA members were the target audience. Kate (the FACS agent) and I will be making a holiday snack mix, Rocky Top Orange Cake, and Summer Fruit Salad. Each recipe features a different state and it’s unique ingredients. 

     Teen conference is right around the bend and so is the workshop that I have planned, “True Colors.” The workshop is based around the color personality test and will show participants what their “color” is and what strengths come with that color, but also where they can improve. “True Colors,” will also show participants where they can collaborate and use each other’s strengths when the colors collaborate not only in the workshop, but in the classroom and in their day to day lives.

     With all of the commotion I have also planned out a day camp for ages 9-12-year-olds. The day camp is called, “Eat Between the Lines,” and will focus on different foods that are eaten or made in novels that kids read. I have found some recipes that seem yummy and some that are not all that! I think that the camp will be really enjoyable and another way for youth to become interested in reading. They will also get to make one of the treats that they taste!

     In just a small amount of time, so much has happened! I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for me and Campbell County! Until then, I am sure I will be seeing some of you at Teen Conference.

 

You just never know who you may see around the office... Or when you are cleaning!

The Martin brothers and their Cow/Calf at the district show.

Country Hams, Fashion Shows, and Ice Cream...

My first two weeks in Morgan County as a 4-H intern have been awesome.  This is my second summer with the Morgan County Cooperative Extension Service so I fell right into place; everyone welcomed me back with open arms.  There wasn't too much going on the first day so I spent it visiting with the office staff and filling my calendar, which didn't take long.  Morgan County is my home county so I enjoy being able to come home for the summer and take part in everything happening out in the county.  West Liberty, the county seat of Morgan, has come a long way since the tornado last spring but there is still a long way to go.  The Morgan County Extension office moved out of town after the tornado and is in a much smaller space which they share with the Water District.  At times it can be hard to find a meeting place but the new extension farm helps a great deal with that. 

My second day we had a camp meeting here in Morgan County with the other three agents from the counties going to camp with us.  The office as a whole may be smaller but the agents here do have room for small meetings such as that one in their individual offices.  We settled on T-shirt designs and scheduled a time to travel to London to meet with the camp manager at Feltner.  This will be the first year for Morgan County to go to Feltner so everyone is a little apprehensive.  That evening I helped the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent with a boy scouts event.  They met at her farm to learn about tomatoes and using high tunnel greenhouses.  The boys loved getting to play in the planting media, which they learned was different from dirt.  The District Board meeting was also held during my first week of work.  I feel that being able to participate in the planning and discussion of building a new extension office is a valuable experience and I am very excited to be here during this time.  Many headaches come with this process but the board and agents are working very hard to ensure that the members of this county benefit from the new building.  I can't wait to see the end result. 

A large portion of my first two weeks have been spent hosting 100% particpation parties at the county elementary schools.  If an entire classroom particpated in 4-H speech and demonstartion competitions they are rewarded with an ice cream party at their school.  After ice cream the students play games, either Cloverville or in the classroom with a Wii.  The kids go crazy for Cloverville, especially when the teens (and interns) play with them!  In total we had four parties, the classes who didn't get to participate in the parties said that they would definitley be participating next year.  Along with ice cream parties we also hosted a fashion show at one of the elementary schools for the first time.  We only invited one class from one school so that we could get an idea of the interest level and work out any bugs in the plan.  The fifth grade seemed to really enjoy this experience so I would expect it to become a yearly event.  The 4-H teen club went to Walmart and other places to purchase new clothes for the kids to choose from.  They got to keep the clothes they picked out along with deodarants.  We had a runway in the gym and played music that the students walked out to, some of them really strutted their stuff! 

The second week was just as busy as the first with elementary graduations and high school senior awards.  I also got to help clean country hams and help with a Beef Nutrition Field Day.  Meniffee County also has country hams here so they came to clean their's as well.  It was extremely hot inside the building we store the hams in.  One of my designated jobs was to assist with re-socking the hams and then hanging them back in the building.  One could definitely lose weight ducking in and out of that building!  At one of the elementary school graduations I got to present the certificates for speech and demonstration winners.  I have spoken in front of crowds before, but never one quite that large.  The senior awards night was somewhat sad as we gave graduation sashes to our graduating teen club members.  However, I'm sure they'll be back to visit.   On Friday we traveled to J.M. Feltner camp in London to tour the facility and get an idea of how the daily activites work there.  Only one of the four counties, including us, going has attended camp at Feltner so touring the grounds and meeting with the camp manager made the agents feel much more comfortable.  We are confident that this is going to be a great week of camp. 

I can't believe that two weeks have already passed.  I can already tell that this summer is going to fly by.  After camp I am going to begin focusing on my intern project.  Now I've got to go get ready for the JC/AC orientation that is tonight!  Hope you all are having a great summer!

We hit the ground running!

Things were busy in Garrard County during my first week of interning! My supervising agent put me in charge of planning our summer day camps that we would complete before our county fair. I looked at our county fair and state fair entry rules and went from there. I created days where we will build birdhouses, plant flowers and vegetables, do a craft, scrapbooking, photography, needleworking and cooking.
Now that all my day camps were planned I needed to create a newsletter so that the kids would know what what we had planned this summer. After I made my newsletter I distributed that to all the kids in the our schools.

On my first night of interning I led the cloverbud club lesson and activites because the club leader could not be there. I chose a lesson on seeds. So that night we talked about what seeds needed to grow, planted our own seeds, sang a song, and had a snack. I really enjoyed working with the little kids.

Throughout the week I went on many farm calls with the Ag agent who is also acting 4H agent at the moment. We went to many greenhouses checking on our tobacco producers. A few had minor problems but for the most part everything looked good and we should see the tobacco being set soon!

My second week was full of analyzing camp applications! Also I made alittle time to go on a few farm calls and answered a few questions. I went and bought supplies that we will need for Dirt Days next week. Things are coming together for our day camps! We have had several kids call in and register. Summer is underway here in Garrard County!!!

Jon Scott first 2 weeks intern

Only have a short time to type this (about to wash hams) but here we go...

What a better way to start a new internship than a welcoming staff breakfast.  After updating calendars with important dates, I sat out to start informing the public of our tractor driving contest.  Created a flyer for the TDC.

Met with Henry and Oldham Co Agents and hosted a camp meeting discussing changes, shirt colors and our mission statement. 

District 3 Staff meeting in Carroll Co discussing growth and how to improve.  Also had the chance to meet and great the District staff

Ok'd location for TDC location. Met with local businesses to distribute flyers about the contest and request volunteer.

Deliver news letters to the post office.

Reality store with local middle school.  Ran the Supplemental Income booth.

Toured Spencer Co Extension office.  VERY NICE FACILITY.  Helped assess their TDC test. 

Visited Collins HS Ag Teacher. And discussed upcoming events with his class.

Had some quality computer time.

Utilized lunch break to tour FCS intern around the county.

4H assistants meeting in Carroll Co (again) (:

Brainstormed Intern Project (got a good one)

Meet your farmer Lunch with county agent.

Folded 700+ Envelopes and Surveys to be sent out regarding possible meet processing plant in surrounding county.

First two weeks, relatively slow.  Real fun starts today. Hams, fair, and camp are fast approaching!!!

My First Two Weeks as an Intern

     It’s been a great first two weeks here in Fayette County with Eric Comely, one of the 4-H agents here.  The first few days were spent settling in to the office.  On my first day I met everyone in the office, attended a staff meeting, and a board meeting. The rest of the week was pretty laid back, organizing camp gear and planning out important dates for the summer.  I also had a chance to meet people in a few of the programs.  Tuesday I was able to sit in on a camp-planning meeting where they were trying to think of ways to make counselor training for enjoyable.  I also got to meet the Fayette County Envirothon Team, who had just won state and will be going to Montana for nationals later this summer.  

     Later in the week I went to Rough River for a Project Underground and Project Learning Tree facilitators training. This was a three-day training put on by Kentucky Association For Environmental Educators (KAEE).  Both of these projects are designed to teach students form pre-k to 12^th grade about the environment, as well as teach them how to think not what to think.  Both are full of fun activities to go along with lessons on very interesting issues.  Project Underground is all about caves, karst areas, and issues that involve both.  Project Learning Tree deals with a wider array of environmental issues, like forestry, waste management, and wildlife.  This is a more general program, but I was also trained in the secondary modules that go along with it and focus more specific areas.  With this training I am able to train educators in both projects so they can use them in their classes to teach students and do some of the activities with them.  

     I started off the next week going to Jabez to help train the nature instructors for camp.  We took them around Lake Cumberland’s camp catching salamanders and insects; we even found a new cave.  We also showed them some fun nature themed games they could play with campers.  One night we went owl calling and found 3 or 4 owls around camp.

     This past Wednesday I went with Eric to Jackson, Kentucky were he taught a group of students about mammals and their different furs.  We also talked about project ideas for me to do this summer.  The following Friday I went to camp at Feltner to show the nature instructor there around camp and teach her a few different tree species on the property. Then came back to Lexington to set up for a 4K we held on Saturday to raise money for 4-H.  So far I’ve had a great time here and I look forward to the rest of the summer.  

Fun in the Sun First Two Weeks!!

    So the first two weeks at the Knott County Cooperative Extension Service have been a challenge and a learning experience.  I spent the first couple of days shadowing my agent Chad Conway, we went around the county and I was introduced to some of the local farmers that we work with and help quiet a bit.  It also took me quiet some time to organize my office space but once this was done I was finally able to get to work with some projects and attending different events around the county with my agent.
    The first few days of the first week were very busy Tuesday our morning was spent at the county court sitting in a the drug abuse council meeting where they discussed how the county as a whole should move forward with combatting the drug problem that is continuing to spread in the community.  Then on Wednesday we attended my first staff meeting which was by far the most exciting moment of my week, only not really but it was extremely informative and was a great experience for me to see how things operated and the different regulations that went along with being a county ag agent.  Later in the week we also went to the settlement school and helped install a raised bed for the local gardening club and had a great time working with and getting to know them, to me that is one of the best perks of this job meeting and getting to know new people almost everyday!
    The second week didn’t give any slack in my schedule, Monday and Tuesday were spend in Lexington at the Alltech Symposium learning about new advances in farming the sea and some of the opportunities that we have through the growing of algae and the positive health benefits that it can have.  It was an awesome experience and very informative to anyone who stays up to date in the agriculture communities.  The rest of this truly busy and amazing week were spent visiting the homes of local growers who were having issues with their gardens and we helped discuss the problems and the best ways to combat the issues.  Finally Friday we visited a local cattle farmer and helped him to work up his herd that were in need of vaccinations. 
    So far this has been a great and rewarding experience and next week is 4-H camp that I attended for 8 years 4 as a camper and 4 as a teen leader I look forward to going back and hope the rest of the summer has been as awesome as these first two weeks!!!!

Michael Conway

Knott County Extension

Settling In, Let the Fun Begin!  Weeks 1 & 2.

Bedding Plant Variety Trials

            My first two weeks have been great! The first few days of my internship were spent shadowing and getting to know the staff at the laurel office. I’ll admit it wasn’t the most exciting thing but interesting to see the inner workings of the office setting. I’m even getting to learn some of the receptionist duties.

             Things picked up about mid-week and have been going by fast since- I can’t believe two weeks have gone by so fast! Some of our events going on were the market sheep, goat and hog Tag-In for 4-H students hoping to show at the county fair later in July.  My duties in assisting Ag. Agent Glenn Williams & 4-H Agent Kim Whitson were in directing some of the paperwork involved with the Tag-In Event. Overall there was a good turnout of local participants and district show hopefuls from some of the surrounding counties. Other events going on that I attended were the Area Staff Meeting for District 2 on Wednesday.

Our big project for the week was the continued preparations for the Children’s Garden that is being put together by the Extension and its Master Gardener’s program. With the soggy weather lately it has put things a little off schedule but luckily with a break in the weather preparations on the garden beds in the community garden is under way. A meeting with one of the master gardener’s members brainstormed a list of needed supplies and activity preparations that still need to be done. My main has been to prepare the large outdoor coloring board for the garden; this was created by using a transfer image projected onto a smooth mica board and then outlined with a sharpie. Turned out really good  and Mrs. Sigmon was very pleased now all we have to do is trim it to size and mount it up.

Coloring Board for Children's Garden

That Thursday, after planting 200 bedding plants for Variety Trials,  found us out on a farm visit where we helped install an irrigation system for one of our Farmer’s market Vendors.  The Caleb’s farm raises several acres of tobacco & cattle in addition to a few vegetable crops sold locally and grown via plasti-culture.

Week 2 Started off similar to week one but went well overall. On Monday we had a formal staff meeting with just the office staff.

Tuesday found us back out at one of our Calebs farm to help them in hosting a tour for Lynn Camp’s FFA group.

On Wednesday, master gardener’s class was held. Mrs, Sigmon taught on three topics that day , partially because it was make up for cancelling last week; topics were on Extension History, Irrigation systems & Organics. Preparations continue for the children’s garden and getting camp papers turned in.

The final big thing these weeks was discuss what my special project will be.  After giving it a long hard thought and discussion with my Agent I have decided to teach a class  on Polymer Clay & mixed media Art, something that I enjoy doing in my spare time that I think other’s in my community may find interesting as I have . we have already managed to produce fliers, set a date and advertise with successful results as already 4 people have signed up.  

It’s been great and exciting so far and looking forward to the next weeks adventures!

Kim Patton

Laurel County Extension 

"Gotta" Get a Move on It!

This is going to be a very hectic and busy summer here at the Floyd County Extension Office. Our Office is MOVING to the new location in a couple of weeks. So, there has been a lot of boxing, taping, and labeling going on. Even though we are in the midst of moving, the show must go on! We are still going out in the field and doing programs.

                During my first week of my internship was a very crazy week. Not only did we accomplish a lot of packing, I attended a homemakers meeting, which is always enjoyable. Alongside of the Floyd County FCS Agent, Theresa Scott, I attended a weight loss program, “Wildcats Way to Wellness” at the local UPS location. On Friday, it was the kick off to start the “KY Proud, Plate it Up!” demonstrations at the Mountain Comprehensive Greenhouse as you can see in the photo on the right. This may have been the highlight of my first week back. We handed out samples of the recipes Herbed Pasta Salad and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach Slaw (I highly encourage EVERYBODY to tryout these recipes!). On Saturday of my first week, along with the FCS Agent, Theresa, we set up a display and were in charge of hospitality at the Floyd County Childhood Fair. This was a very fun and exciting event. At the fair, there was a petting zoo, free health screenings, preschool registration and a traveling circus company from Cincinnati that came down as part of the entertainment for the children (and adults). As you can see in the photo below, I am with two of the gentlemen from the traveling Cinncinati Circus.  

                During my second week, I continued the “Wildcats Way to Wellness” program at the local UPS location. This time I brought along some of the “KY Proud, Plate it Up!” Honey Raisin Muffins for the participants and they all seemed to really enjoy them! Thursday, I fired up my special project for the summer, “Wildcats Way to Wellness with Senior Citizens: Low-fat Diets.” I visited the Senior Citizen Center in Prestonsburg during lunch to give a nutrition lesson over low-fat diets. I provided handouts, goodie bags and interacted with the group once I was finished presenting. For my Special Project this summer, I will be venturing out to all of the Senior Citizen Centers in Floyd County and will be giving a nutrition lesson over low-fat diets during lunch-time. Friday, I returned to the Mountain Comprehensive Greenhouse to do another “KY Proud, Plate it Up!” demonstration where we provided recipe samples of the “KY Proud, Plate it Up!” Very Berry Salsa, which is delicious!

                Though, it has been a bit hectic these past two weeks, it has been so pleasurable to be back in Floyd County at the Extension Office and interacting with the wonderful community we have. Hopefully we get everything pack up and out of our current office and into the new office SOON! I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Environmental Camp and Activities Galore!!

            I hope this blog finds everyone enjoying their internship! I know I am! This week wraps up my second week at Robertson County Extension Office. I have had a wonderful experience so far. I am not originally from Robertson County but I only live about 10 minutes away in Harrison County. Since I was not very familiar with the county Shannon Farrell, ANR/4-H agent in Robertson County, who I am working with this summer, gave me a tour of the “big city”. For those of you who don’t know, Robertson County is the smallest county in Kentucky so therefore “big city” is definitely a joke. On my tour Shannon showed me where some of the local farmers lived, and introduced me to a couple of people from the community. I also got introduced to the office staff, and the two office cats, Daisy and Princess. On the first day Shannon and I enjoyed lunch at the Old Barn, which is one of the few places to eat in Roberson County. I was amazed that I ate for just over $2.00 (that included a burger and fries)!!

            Although Robertson County is small there is still a lot going on. On Tuesday I worked with FCS agent, Terry Whalen to provide healthy snacks at a local school program. There is only one school in Robertson County that is a K-12 school. We provided snacks to Kindergarten through 6^th grade students. We made fruit kabobs with the students. Terry also discussed with the students the benefits of healthy eating. They had no problem telling us what they did and did not like.

            Environmental camp was another big event of the week. Robertson County and Harrison County attended Environmental Camp together. It was held at the North Central 4-H Camp. It was a one night, two day retreat for 4^th and 5^th grade students. The students had a fun time learning about conservation, insects, reptiles, birds, and even did a pond study. Students also got to enjoy a nature hike that we took at night. I found out quickly that we have some 4-Her’s who are scared of the dark considering they were attached to my side. A great time was had by all at Environmental Camp.

            We had a beef association meeting on Thursday night where members discussed the upcoming beef field day and upcoming 4-H/FFA livestock show.

            This week I have done mailings and other office work. I also helped Terry with a program at the local nursing home where I spoke to the residents about changes in agriculture over the years. They enjoyed the program and asked me many questions. They were quite the chatty bunch! I enjoyed the fact that by discussing agriculture I brought back many memories for them, and they told me all about it, and more! To end the week I attended a camp planning meeting that was held at the Harrison County office. It made me really excited for camp!

            I have enjoyed the first two weeks and am excited to see what is to come over the next couple of weeks.  I hope everyone is having a good experience!

To Be Continued….

Shelby Clifford

Woodford Livestock Mania

My first two weeks back at the Woodford County Extension Office has been amazing! Last summer I encountered several different first time experiences, and this summer kicked off in the same respect. The first week I hit the ground running with the Country Ham Project. For this stage of the project, the 4-H members from Woodford County, Anderson County, and Franklin County visited our office throughout the week to shuck their hams, clean them up a bit, and re-hang them in our ham barn.

Last summer my start date was after this step was already complete, so I was ecstatic to do something new yet again. That following Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a Livestock Judging and Oral Reasoning Clinic at the UK Animal Research Center. This clinic helped me to understand many things that were in the gray area for me last summer. From this clinic, I walked away with a better understanding of what judges actually do in livestock shows and the reasoning behind why and how they rank the animals in the shows. With the new knowledge our members gained from the clinic, they had a chance to display what they felt were their best choice animals in our mock livestock show the following week. The difference between me being around livestock this summer and being around them last summer is definitely my comfort level. Last summer I was petrified and this summer I love them, especially the goats!

My second week also came with the responsibility of planning the Teen Conference Orientation for my county. Teen Conference is one of the programs I look forward to this summer, and I can’t wait until it gets here. I couldn’t have asked to be placed back in a better place, and I’m looking forward to the rest of my summer here in Woodford County.