Winding Up

As I enter the final two weeks of my internship here with the Johnson County Extension Service, I'm reflecting on the past 10 weeks and all that I've learned. I began this assignment not knowing very much at all about the UK Cooperative Extension Program, what it did, how it worked, or the monumental role in the community that it very quietly fulfills. When I began in May, I jumped straight into the issuance of the Farmer's Market Senior Voucher program, which was a very proud thing for me to be a part of. Ag agent Brian Jeffiers and I had several programs in the making in the early stages of the 12 weeks that we both planned, set up, and now in the last few weeks we have seen evolve into the events that we were looking for. Our Farmer's Market began in mid June, and although between several crop setbacks here in the county and a terrific uptick in at-home product sales we've suffered a slow market, it has been a pleasure to work with producers and consumers alike that are interested in promoting the local brand. We also are halfway through our four session "Farmer's Law School" program, which included my internship project. This program has been aimed at educating local farmers and landowners about ever changing regulations in the environmental, transportation, and legal realms. And of course all in between these things we've had our farm and home call visits, helping clients with a variety of issues with their flora and fauna.

They told us interns at our orientation to be ready to work 60 hour weeks, to never expect the same thing on any two days, and to be ready to have to dive into anything at anytime that the clientele could require us to. They were right. I've learned that in this business, there is no routine. The routine is chaos, and that's the only thing you can get used to. You never know where you'll be, what you'll be doing, or who you'll be helping. From our recent flood victims here in this county, to senior voucher recipients, to local producers, to landowners and even a visit to a local golf course, Cooperative Extension is a blanket that covers Kentucky like a blanket of consultation and direct help with issues (primarily Natural Resource and Agricultural in my emphasis). I've learned all that goes into running an Extension office and a whole lot of what goes into being an agent as well. I've learned the impact that this Service has on communities in this state is profound, and also largely unheralded, at least to its real extent. It has been a very enriching and diverse internship, and I've gotten so much out of it. It has been a fantastic experience, and I am very sorry to see it now very nearly over!