Jumping Head First Into Extension

Well it is hard to believe that the first two weeks of my internship are over. All I can say is so far I am having a blast. The first thing that I have learned is that no two days in Extension are the same! I just want to thank the University of Kentucky and the Greenup County District Board for giving me this great opportunity.

The first project that I have been able to take part in is through the Greenup County Master Gardeners. The Master Gardeners have planted a MONARCH WAYSTATION at the Greenup County Extension Office. The garden includes many different types of plants, that each serve a purpose for the monarch butterfly, ranging from food to reproduction. To give the garden a bit of flare the Master Gardeners made the garden in the shape of a butterfly. We were able to release 2 monarch caterpillars and 3 butterflies into the garden.   

The next project that we have worked on here at the Greenup County Extension Office is an office vegetable garden. The Agriculture, 4-H and FCS Agents have teamed up on this venture. Part of the garden contains peppers and tomatoes, that the FCS Agent will use when teaching a class in July on salsa making. The other half of the garden will be more geared toward 4-H kids because we are planting kid appealing plants such as giant pumpkins, pumpkins on a stick, Indian corn and many others.

One day the Agriculture Agent and I went to the Greenup County Soil and Water Conservation Day at the Greenup County Locks and Dams. While there we taught a class on how different substances can affect the quality and makeup of water. We did an experiment with the kids using water, Alka-Seltzer, macaroni, beans, and different types of seed. We also had one group use salt water so at the end the class we could talk about the differences between salt and fresh water. We had 14 different groups that the Agriculture Agent and I took turns teaching. It was really nice to see kids getting to learn about Water Conservation, and we hope they enjoyed doing the hands-on activity.

Looking at my calendar the next two weeks look like they will be just as fun and action packed as the first two weeks. So far I am learning a great deal about Extension and having fun at the same time.

-Corey Billups
Greenup County Intern