We have been keeping really busy up north in Campbell County! I cannot believe that we have reached the halfway mark! This summer is absolutely flying by, there is not a moment I would take back! Extra time is a rare thing in extension I have come to realize. In the past few weeks I have been keeping busy with an array of day camps, continuing with the feeding program, and many other activities!
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Picking out material to cover the
waste baskets with Jed! |
A lot of my focus lately has been on day camps with Sherri Broderick, which have been a blast! Sherri has planned day camps that also dual purpose as project days. With this, kids come in and complete a project that they can enter in the county and state fair. These project days are a wonderful opportunity for us as an office to get more participants in fair entries (something we have not been short on in a while!). Our latest project say was, "Let's get Crafty!" We made an array of crafts, a few just for fun and a few for the fair. We did leather stamping and painting, decorated a waste basket, painted a piggy bank, and made a scrapbooking page. Everyone had a blast creating and showing off their work to each other and their parents as well!
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| Preparing for scrapbooking. |
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| Leather Stamping |
As I mentioned I am still working with the school feeding program with the FACS agent and one of the 4-H agents. We have now made fruit parfaits teaching the kids that snacks are okay, but finding a healthy snack is even better for them. This week we made "firecracker" fruit kabobs, and talked about the importance of being safe with fireworks as the 4th of July is coming upon us. We handed out fliers to the parents as well about different firework safety tips. With the kids we focused on, "stop, drop and roll" if a spark got on them. We also talked about if they were playing with sparklers they should not put them in their faces or anyone else's face. Sparklers can get hot enough to melt gold, which is hotter than a blow torch! It is so important that we give this information to the community so they remain safe and are empowered to make healthy decisions.
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| My example scrapbooking page! |
Last week and this week, I have been working with Don Sorrell, the Ag Agent in Campbell County. Throughout the summer I have been working on a few marketing and public relations projects in conjunction with Don. These opportunities have really hit home with me because I am a public relations major. I have mainly put my focus on the Campbell County Beef Association. The CCBA is a group of beef farmers that raise local beef without and additives or hormones and sell the beef directly to consumers in out area. Ranging from a sampler box to a side of beef, the CCBA us really trying to market their product and find the niche market for the product as well. They have encountered some bumps along the way, so I have been working on a new brochure for them, developing a mission statement, and will be collaborating with them at their meeting July 9, to talk over more logistics and specifics. In doing this project, I have been looking into some graduate degrees in Agribusiness. I think that it is great that I am able to pass along all of this information to the farmers in my area that are not only friends of my family, but some are my family. I think that having some sort of marketing/PR contact in the county is a wonderful opportunity. Not only does it help the extension, but it also is helping local businesses that cannot afford to hire out someone who costs $150+ and hour to consult with and create a plan of action as well. In general a PR and marketing firm are looking to bill out $60,000 a year just to one client. The impact that I can have with this small group is very rewarding to myself and especially seeing them grow and be more profitable to themselves is my main goal. I am very grateful that Don has called upon me to complete this project and consult with the CCBA.
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| Testing the water at the lake! |
Along with the work with the CCBA, I have also gotten a taste of Ag the past week or so. Last Friday i spent the morning with a professor from NKU and Thomas More, and a few students from each school. We went out on A.J. Jolly lake to collect water samples to test the quality of the lake. Over the summer every two weeks the group is getting together to collect samples to test for various things including: algae, bacteria, ecoli, amongst other things.
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My great uncle
Vince (Butch) Rawe
at the Ag Tours! |
I was also afforded the opportunity to spend time on the Campbell County Tour for the KACAA meeting that is going on this week. I learned a lot about our local producers and even got to surprise my great-uncle when we stopped at his beef farm for a tour! One of my favorite parts of extension is the impact that I have on my community and beyond that, my family. We have been so blessed with the opportunities in our lives, so giving back to what has helped me is an amazing feeling.
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We also hosted a babysitting clinic in
conjunction with the Red Cross! |
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Also on the Ag tours, the owner
and operator of StoneyBrook Winery
gives us the run down of the farm. |
I hope you all are having a great summer and keeping cool! Happy 4th of July!
God Bless America!
Ashley
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