The Busy Life of Extension

The Busy Life of Extension

                  

My first month and a half at the Daviess County Extension Office has been a busy one! Although I am an Agriculture and Natural Resource Intern, I have been working in all areas of Extension.  I have had the opportunity to attend 4-H banquets and camp, work at a local Fresh Market at the Owensboro hospital, spend a day with a plant pathologist looking at horticultural plant diseases, and so much more.  Through my experience with Extension I have learned and come to love that there is no one day like the other.  Every day I look forward to coming into the office to see and serve new faces throughout the community. 

                  

Below, I have listed and described some of the events I have taken part in this summer to give you an inside scoop on what is happening in the Daviess County Extension Office:

Plant Pathologist Visit

During the first few weeks of my internship I had the opportunity to spend the day with the Daviess County Horticulture Agent, Annette Heisdorffer, and the UK Extension Plant Pathologist, Dr. Emily Pfeufer.  We spent the day in west Daviess County looking at several producers’ vegetable crops including mostly peppers, tobacco, cabbage, and cucumbers.  I was surprised to learn how many acres of vegetable crops Daviess County produces! Dr. Pfeufer taught me many horticultural plant diseases that I know will be useful in the future as a county agent.    

Agent Training

A couple of weeks ago, Clint and I went to the Princeton Research Station for an agent training.  During training, we went out into the fields to learn about wheat diseases that county agents could be seeing soon.  The agents were also taught how to record applications for the 2015 Wheat Yield Contest and how farmers should be sidedressing corn.  The agent training was a great way for agents to be updated on what diseases could be seen in the fields and also what the agents should be doing throughout the summer months. 

Rooster Booster

The Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce hosts a Rooster Booster breakfast the first Thursday of every month.  Many businesses throughout Owensboro come together to see what accomplishments are being made in the community. It is also a great way for the people of Owensboro to see what events are coming up to be a part of.  Being an Owensboro native, I really enjoyed attending the Rooster Booster and it was even more exciting being able to represent the Daviess County Extension Office!

Fresh Market

Local food and produce is becoming very popular everywhere but especially in the Daviess County area.  I had the opportunity to attend a local event at the Owensboro Regional Hospital called “Fresh Market” to help advocate healthy eating and buying local food and produce.  The Daviess County Extension Office set up a booth to give out several Kentucky Proud recipe cards and samples of the famous “Watermelon Tomato Salad”.  It was a huge success!

Plot Plantings

One of the unique things that the Daviess County Extension Office does is variety trail plots.  Many farmers in Daviess County volunteer a portion of their land for the Extension Office to plant different varieties of seed for research.  Daviess County currently plants about 20 different corn and soybean variety trials. Since I have started working at the Extension Office I have been able to help with about 10 plots.  It has been great being able to go out in the agricultural community in Daviess County and meet farmers!

4-H Camp 

Although I am an agriculture intern, I had the 4-H Camp experience in Dawson Springs.  I had a great time with the kids during the week! I also had the opportunity to help the Daviess County 4-H Program Assistant teach a Mad Science class.  We performed several different science experiments with the kids and also made brain hats! Working with the 4-H program has been as awesome experience this summer and has opened my eyes about one day possibly pursuing a 4-H Extension position.  

                  

In conclusion, my summer here at the Daviess County Extension Office has been an excellent one for sure. I have had many opportunities and have learned so much in just weeks.  Being able to work in my home county has been such a blessing and I could not ask for a better internship experience. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the summer has in store for me! GO CATS!