All things considered, this internship has been the most
unexpectedly perfect experience for my summer and for my perspective on
Cooperative Extension. I eat sleep and breathe everything having to do with
agriculture and I like to consider myself a serious enthusiast of the field. I’m
also among the many Kentuckians that take a ridiculous amount of pride in their
state. This combination, previously unbeknownst to me, provides for an easy
transition into the system that maintains the state’s industry.
My placement is under Dr. Bob Pearce, a Tobacco Extension
Specialist in the department of Plant and Soil Sciences, although I also work
with Dr. Emily Pfeufer an Extension Plant Pathologist. It seems that I cannot
escape plant pathology in whatever gig I find due to the significant importance
of plant protection. My current project is to compare float bed fungicide treatments
for Pythium root rot in tobacco. This common disease affects tobacco plants
before they even make it to the farmer’s field and can limit the supply of
tobacco plants available to the state’s producers. I have seen plenty of
tobacco disease around the state and the effects are especially tragic when a
farmer’s hard work is wiped out.
Our duty as extension personnel is to support and inform the
producers around the state, which often leads to fascinating networking experiences,
great food, and scenic travels. Thus far, I have passed through 31 Kentucky
counties: Fayette, Jessamine, Garrard, Boyle, Mercer, Washington, Anderson,
Nelson, Woodford, Franklin, Marion, Taylor, Green, Barren, Metcalfe, Scott,
Clark, Powell, Wolfe, Breathitt, Laurel, Madison, Rockcastle, Casey, Pulaski,
Nicholas, Bourbon, Hart, LaRue, Robertson, and Fleming. Every town, large and
small, has a different cultural richness to it and the involvement of tobacco
has a rich history with a lot of the people with which we interact.
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