Big Project Under Way!

My name is Lauren Settles and I am interning at the Henderson County Extension Office this summer.  I have been interning at the office for two weeks now and have already learned so much and have already had so many opportunities.  Since I have been here I have been able to go on many farm visits around the county, attend many informative meetings with different groups, meet a tobacco specialist, attend Wheat Field Day in Princeton, KY, plant corn plots, and so much more.  While taking part in all of these activities my special project has also been in the workings. 
When I first started interning two weeks ago the first thing that Mike Smith, my supervisor and Henderson County Agriculture Agent, and I did was decide what our big project was going to be throughout the course of the summer.  We decided that we were going to conduct a project on irrigation with the help of Brad Hagan, the Daviess County Intern, and Clint Hardy, the Agriculture Agent in Daviess County.  We primarily decided to do a project on irrigation in the Daviess and Henderson County areas because there is a rising interest in using pivot type irrigation and fertigation.  It is also important that the County Extension Services and the University of Kentucky stay informed on the advantages and disadvantages of using current irrigation systems. Brad and I will be able to learn about all the features of irrigation and also be able to hone in on problems and issues with irrigation. By doing this we hope to be better able to accommodate the needs of farmers in the area and also be able to gather information to help compile and eventually create a guide book for irrigation here in the state of Kentucky.  In getting ready for this project, I have been finding farmers to contact to participate in the project, creating a survey for farmers to answer, and also creating a letter to be sent out asking farmers for their participation. 
As you can tell, I have been very busy the past few weeks with many different activities.  Overall my internship experience has been nothing but great so far and I am excited to see what is in store for the next upcoming weeks.  I am looking forward to having many more opportunities in the weeks to come and I am also excited to get my special project started!