Weeks 3 and 4 here in Johnson County have been the busiest two yet, and I love it! Week 3 saw a large spike in the number of senior farmer's market vouchers issued (which is a great thing!), and also two meetings planned by ANR agent Brian Jeffiers and myself. The county beekeepers met on Tuesday and discussed a broad array of topics ranging from when to replace queens, to the different advantages and disadvantages of types of bee boxes. It was really interesting for me to hear about the practices and tricks of the trade that go along with bees, and also how many people locally actually have bees. Although I have a heavy Ag background, bees are something that I never knew much about, so I was very in-tune to the ideas being thrown around. Then on Thursday there was a meeting of the Highland Beef Cattle Association, where the main topic of discussion was breeding synchronization, and the economic and logistical benefits that the practice can bring to farmers. That gathering extended well into the evening as farmers debated and discussed the ideas and shared fellowship over a dinner of what else...hamburgers!
Last week was the biggest step out of my comfort zone that I've taken as an Extension intern so far. It was Johnson County's turn to attend 4-H camp at the JM Feltner campground in London. There's a big difference in advising farmers on soil acidity mitigation and supervising kids aged 9-14 when they've got a whole lot more energy than you do! Fortunately camp went off without a hitch, and I was really able to take a glimpse into the life of a 4-H Extension agent and see what it's like behind the scenes in terms of planning, packing, and pulling off an event as big and as elaborate as 4-H camp.
If the last two weeks on the job have taught me anything, it's that Extension is something that may require a step or two out of the comfort zone every once in a while. However, that's not to say that you can't have a blast doing it! I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store!
Josh Baldwin
Johnson County ANR Intern
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