Weeks 4-7

These few weeks have been the busiest. Between doing an interview for the local radio station to 4-H camp I have had a busy schedule.

The radio interview was a great experience and I was able to speak about the great opportunities this internship had to offer. The second week of June we were still actively checking tobacco float beds as most of the farmers were setting their tobacco as quickly as they could. 

We finally got a chance to plant our raised beds with tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, squash, and so much more. Also I helped with our corn test plot. We are comparing populations to yields. 

I have taken many soil samples in my internship but this has been a great experience since I had never done it before. 

Working the farmers market has been a great experience also. I have meet so many great people and had the chance to sample some of the locally grown produce. 

Me and my supervisor, Carol, went to a Weed Id class at Princeton were we learned a great amount about weeds and their resistance to chemicals. This class spoke about how old chemicals are going to be the future of agriculture as more resistance to modern chemicals appears.

4-H Camp was a very different experience for me. I have been to 4-H camp 12 years but this year was my first time at the West Ky 4-H camp. I had always gone to Lake Cumberland Camp which is completely different from West Ky. It was a great time and I enjoyed teaching outdoor cooking. Seeing all the campers having a great time is such a good feeling. Well now im back from camp and have to get back to helping farmers with their problems and needs. Looking forward to what the rest of the summer has in store for me.

Busy Busy Busy

Well I am actually currently on week 4 of my internship but I haven't had a chance to post. With farm visits and a district swine show there hasn't been much extra time. This is my second year as an extension intern so I jumped in full force this year.

Week 1- My first day on the job I learned more than I probably will the rest of the summer. We visited many tobacco float beds, which is something I am not very knowledgeable about but happy to learn. Planning for the Rough River Swine Show was a busy task. We had many days of setup and making sure the fairgrounds were ready for this show. My second night on the job we had a Livestock Advisory meeting where a committee discussed the District Swine Show and County Fair. There were many items to discuss so this meeting lasted well into the evening. A fruit specialist from UofK came to visit a couple farms with us starting with a blueberry farm then to a grape vineyard. He was very informed on these commodities which myself and the Agriculture agent had less experience in this field. He explained many diseases and problems that could occur with these fruits.

Week 2- Even though this week was a shorter week due to Memorial Day it was just a busy as any. We drove to Princeton, Ky to take part in the Pasture to Plate program. This was a morning event that will continue to meet throughout the year and show how to finish beef cattle and how they relate to consumers in the end. The next day we went to Owensboro to make a rain barrel workshop. This taught us about water conservation and it will be a great way to water our raised beds. More farm visits throughout the week had us travelling all over the county. Finally on Saturday we put on the Rough River District Swine Show. It was a success and everything went smoothly.

Week 3- We receive many calls to check crops and landscaping for disease and problems. After assessing the issues in a landscape we wrote the homeowner a letter of recommendations to tend to the overgrown landscape. A tomato grower had an issue with deformations on her tomatoes which we found to be "catfacing". We researched it and found the cause and some possible ways to prevent it. A complaint was made by an organic farmer that his neighbor sprayed chemicals which contaminated his tomato crop of 5,000 plants. We assesed the damage and gave the organic farmer the contact of KDA if he wished to place a formal complaint against his neighbor. We have had many farmers finish putting their crops out.