Blog One: Planting, Seeding, Guns, Oh My!

Dirt, dirt, and more dirt. That is what has been present in my washing machine almost every day when I get home. These past two weeks have been the true definition of working during the summer, but loving every minute of it. I have the honor to work with Andy Mills who is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Meade County, my home county.

These past two weeks have been filled with running around the county, planting soybeans, seeding Bermuda grass, checking cattle, and working with the public on any problems that they might encounter. On Thursday, May 16^th our soybean test plots got planted in a quest to beat the rain. Our plots consisted of eighteen different test strips. These plots are researching the difference in seed population and row width spacing. It was great to work with a young farmer in the area who is so willing to participate in research. Our office for the day was this field!

             

Friday, the 4-H intern, Aurora Laslie, and I worked on seeding a Bermuda Grass test field. Seeding the five acre field took approximately one hour while in the rain. This was a great way to understand the need for precision driving and accuracy in row spacing. As Aurora seeded the field, I walked the field and directed her as to where she needed to drive in order to have proper seed cover. When we were done seeding this field, we went on to work on a Artificial Insemination synchronization project for cattle. While there, my ear was itching and I had Bermuda grass seed in my ear…no wonder I was having trouble hearing! There were 23 cows (Angus and Hereford) that were inseminated, talk about a job that can get your hands dirty!

This calf was our mascot for the day!

 

On Wednesday, May 21^st, we traveled to the far end of the county to seed another Bermuda Grass Test plot. This one was over 14 acres. A muddy mess, with rain on the way, is the best way to describe this experience. I am quickly learning that being able to engineer and implement an idea will really help when out in the field. It is also vital to have a change of clothes with you back at the office because you never know what will happen. Pants ripping is a true job hazard, just ask my pair of jeans that are now in the trash can! This is a picture of the 4-H intern, Aurora Laslie (on the left) and me after seeding the newest test plot!

Friday, May 24^th, I attended the agent training in Muhlenburg County which was held at a military training camp. This training was designed to teach about some of the drugs that agents could stumble on when in the field, these drugs were also some of the most abused drugs like marijuana and methamphetamines. After the drug seminar, we were able to participate in a gun simulation where we shot Beretta handguns and then we went to the heavy duty guns. I know absolutely nothing about guns, other than they are dangerous. But I shot an M4 and an M16. An let me tell you, they were heavy! I can say that I shot with such precision that I will not be getting a call from the Military anytime soon, but for a first timer, the agents told me that I handled myself very well! For the first time in my life, I felt like I could fit in with the guys on Duck Dynasty, even if I am now sporting a bruised shoulder!

Andy has really pushed me to become a more knowledgeable person. If I do not know what something is, he will walk me in the steps to discovering the answer or I work to research the problem. For example, Andy brought me the leaves of a Silver Maple tree. It was obvious that the leaves had been damaged but it was up to me to figure out what was wrong with them. So I did some research and found out that this Silver Maple had Anthracnose, a fungal disease. This internship has really improved my knowledge bank and I am so thankful for that!

These are some of the plants that I have had to identify.

Throughout the past two weeks I have been on several house calls. These calls have consisted of diagnosing a diseased and insect infested Paulownia tree, erosion help, and working with a farmer whose herbicide from his sprayer went into the neighbor’s yard and damaged their plants. The knowledge and research that comes with this job is absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to see what the rest of this summer has to offer!