Getting Dirty On The Job

It is hard to believe that four weeks has gone by! These last two weeks have been jammed pack with excitement and working not only with Meade County Ag and Natural Resources but also helping out with 4-H. On Tuesday the 28^th of May I had the opportunity to participate in Artificial Insemination. Only this time, I was not just the gate holder, I actually got to try it out myself. Believe it or now, I was super excited and I cant wait to get the opportunity to do it again. I did get very dirty but the learning experience was for sure hands on. I now understand how hard it is to artificially inseminate, and why having extra clothes is a necessity.

This is me holding the Artificial Insemination gun when the semen is stored.  

I also had the opportunity to work on the Meade County Country Ham project where I helped the 4-H students and the adults clean their country ham. I have officially ruined my second pair of pants while working this summer, tMeade County is getting a new ham house so the hams will be hung once the building is wired. I also had the honor of being “eyes” for placing the ham house on its new foundation…it was kind of scary considering it got windy and started to rain while the building was up in the air!

In the past two weeks I have helped with three 4-H workshops, Foods, Paper arts and crafts, and Wood Working. The kids were able to make pizza bites and banana splits. It was so great to see the students understanding why following a recipe is important and why using the right ingredients can make a recipe. At the wood working workshop, students could pick what they wanted to build and they had an absolute blast. There were 18 kids with hammers and hand held drills, which at times was scary. But they all handled themselves very well. With arts and crafts, the students learned how to Modge Podge and they also learned how to emboss pictures!

 

Monday the 3rd of June, I worked with Andy to determine the soybean plant population of our plots. This was a very long process but we did this to see what our plant population was compared to what was planted. It was an awesome day to be outside, even if math was involved!  I also worked with out FCS agent at the local farmers market with Plate It Up. Jennifer Bridge, the FCS agent from Meade County and Loretta Scaggs who works with EFNEP are working to promote healthy and delicious recipes using things that are grown at the farmers market. This week a broccoli, grit, cheese and country ham casserole was made in order to promote the broccoli that would be sold this week at the farmers market. These two weeks has taught me the importance of networking and working with the public.  I have had the opportunity to sit in on a district board meeting and a community property meeting. It was very interesting because at the district board meeting, the committee members voted on getting the extension agents vehicles. Today the agents are sporting new traverses and a new pick up truck. I have noticed just how important volunteers are to extension. Without them, the success would not be possible. These past two weeks I have been covered in cow manure, mud, ham rub, bleach water, dust, embossing glitter, glue, splinters, and flour. But with each thing that I have been covered in, I have seen another part of extension that I love!

Oh and by the way, Happy National Donut Day! Our office is celebrating in style!

 

 

Lincoln County Extension- First 2 weeks

Hello everyone, my name is Sarah Vaughn and I am interning at the Lincoln County Extension Office this summer. I am originally from Garrard County, which means that  I’m not too far away from home. My first day was May 20^th, so I am starting a little bit later than most of you. However, I have already learned so much in such a short time that I feel like it makes up for my late start. The first day in the office, I worked 12 hours. With a freezing and drying class that morning and a quilter’s club meeting that evening, I was on my feet the entire day. I met a lot of very nice people and a joke was made that I may choose not to come back after being worked so hard my very first day (of course I did!). The days following that were not nearly as busy, but it gave me a chance to get to know a little bit more about my county and the people who I am working with. These past two weeks I have attended  numerous meetings, visited the Senior Citizens Center, learned how to use the sewing machine, judged food preservation at the Boyle County Fair and even got the chance to talk live on the radio (I will be doing this every Wednesday morning for the rest of my time here)!

 On two separate occasions, I visited the Board of Education to teach approximately 20 special needs children about nutrition. This was difficult, because they ranged in age from 4-17, but somehow we made it work.  I decided upon a topic for my Special Project and designed a flyer that was printed in the newsletter for the month of June. I will be teaching a workshop about how to make two different types of paper flowers, and I have already gotten a few people to sign up (I am really excited about this). 

 Above is a picture of the paper flowers that I will be teaching people how to make during my workshop on June 12th. Below is a photo of a quilt that will be raffled off. The homemakers made this quilt, and I helped sew part of the binding (after I learned how to use the sewing machine).

 

Instead of only working with FCS, I have gotten the chance to work with other areas of extension as well. I have helped with 4-H and have learned a little more about the Ag side of things. I would like to close with a piece of advice that Bessie Smith, the FDM Program Assistant told me. She said someone once told her that she needed to always be "more like a willow, and less like an oak". This is because if you are too strict and set in your ways, then you will break. You need to be flexible, like the branches of a willow tree because with extension you never know what may come next. If my first two weeks were any indication of what the rest of my internship is going to be like, then I would definitely agree, but that's what I like about it...you never get bored.

Henderson County 4-H Camp

Hey y'all!

Hope everyone is having a great summer because I know I am! Being involved in Extension is a very busy job, but I would not trade it for the world. Like I said in my last blog, I have already had so many opportunities. This past week I was fortunate enough to receive another wonderful opportunity which was being an adult leader at 4-H Camp in Western Kentucky. 4-H Camp is a great experience for both kids and adult/teen leaders. I know the kids at 4-H Camp had a great time and I know I did as well. It was a week full of fun, learning, and dedication. We had very good weather for the week which made the week even better. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to work with the little girls that I had. They were a lot of fun and I learned as much from them as they did from me.

The kids did many activities during the week such as swimming, crafts, archery, horseback riding, ropes, and so much more. I had the opportunity to be able to help with the crafts class during the week. The craft that the kids and I made was a whirly jig which is pictured below. It was made out of plastic canvas, string, and beads. The idea of the whirly jig was for the kids to make them and then take them home to hang on their front porch so the wind could make them whirl. I had so much fun doing this craft with the kids. It was a craft that took much patience and dedication and the kids did such a great job with it!

Another topic that I will cover in my blog is my irrigation research project.  Now that most crops are in the ground I am now able to finally jump in on my project and get started! I am now meeting with farmers and am getting the materials and equipment put together for it.  I am excited to see what is to come in this project.  I will be keeping you up to date on the progressions of my project!

In closing, I will say the past few weeks have been very busy and I have loved every minute of it! I cannot say enough that I am so appreciative for this opportunity.  I hope that all of your internships are going as great as mine and that all of you are having fun.  Have a great week!

 

Shelby Co. Extension-One Month In

It's been four weeks since I started with the Shelby County Extension Office. It should come as no surprise that I have been just as busy as ever! I got to lead my first real program at an adult daycare center. We focused on nutrition and, more specifically, the secret behind fast food salads. It was an awesome experience! Along with a PowerPoint presentation I put together for them, I also made a fresh fruit salad and homemade, mock Thousand Island dressing with veggies. The seniors really seemed to love the new wealth of information, but they loved the food even more.

In addition to my teaching experience, I have pulled a number of 12-13 hour days at this point. Most recently, I assisted in putting on Shelby County's 75th Annual Homemaker meeting. Our homemakers really put their heart and soul into making this year's meeting something to remember. The current president, Brenda Phillips, created a timeline stretching from the start of homemakers in the 1930's up to present day. The timeline was handwritten and included every piece of information you could have ever wanted to know about each decade, from the cost of cereal to the national news that was making headlines at the time. Once the other homemakers arrived for the event, they had the opportunity to write their name and the year they joined homemakers, and post it all along the timeline. It was really amazing to see how long these women had been dedicated to the organization, and see how much it meant to them. We also had an excellent dinner and a performance by an impersonator of Grandpa Jones--another one of those "new experiences" Sheila is always talking about!

One thing I am really excited about is the new fitness challenge I have gotten a lot of the office to participate in. For the next four weeks, a number of us will be supporting each other in our pursuits to adopt a healthier lifestyle! We will focus on having a better diet and increasing our physical activity. Each participant has a journal in which they record their initial weight and the pounds they lose over the next four weeks, along with a food log and physical activity log. Along with this, we have a poster board that is hung on a wall in the office that allows each person to mark every day they perform some type of physical activity. Each week, we will weigh in. The goal is to start practicing healthier habits, lose a few pounds, and work together as a team to do it! I'm excited to see what the next four weeks will bring!

Now, we are gearing up for county fair. All hands are on deck, and we are all preparing ourselves for the hectic week. Life in extension is never boring!

-Kameron White

4-H Camp, 4-H Camp, and more 4-H Camp!!!!

Hello Everyone! I hope your internships are going as well as mine has been! My first two weeks have been very busy and exciting. I spent my first day getting familiarized with the office located in Adair County and learning about all of the wonderful things they offer to the community. I also visited a few schools and got to meet the people who spend a lot of time working with the 4-H agent. On my second day I got to visit a farm with the ANR agent. During the visit we observed some fescue that was growing patchy. We concluded that the problem was simply planting depth. I spent the rest of the week organizing 4-H camp forms and packing for camp. The 4-H agent and I packed goody bags for all three of our cabins loaded down with camp necessities such as: CANDY, drawing supplies, bug spray, sunscreen, nightlights, fans, etc. After we finished packing, I met with a reporter from the local newspaper and did an interview about my internship to be used for an article. We also had a staff meeting during my first week where I learned what some of my summer schedule would consist of. The week before camp was very hectic, but fun so on Friday afternoon the entire office was eager to get some rest.

Bright and early on Monday morning of my second week, we loaded the buses and headed to 4-H camp located in Jabez, KY on beautiful Lake Cumberland. I am familiar with the camp because I have spent the previous seven summers there as a camper, teen leader, and adult leader. My cabin consisted of a group of younger girls (ages 9-11) and many of them were first time campers so they were excited about everything...even Kitchen Duty! We spent the week climbing rock walls, zip lining, making silly putty and lip balm at the Mobile Ag Unit, swimming, shooting archery, and of course the 4-H famous sallying. None of the campers got home sick which was a first and my 4-H agent said it was the smoothest camp had gone in years. On Friday afternoon, there were many tears as the campers were sad about leaving all of their new friends. Once we arrived back in Adair County and sent all of the campers safely home, the 4-H agent and I unloaded supplies at the office and then said "Peace Out" as we headed home for something we had not experienced all week...SLEEP!!

I will be spending my next two weeks unpacking camp supplies, planning my summer project, and preparing for Teen Conference. So far this has been an amazing experience and I am looking forward to all of the opportunities to come!!

Notice 4-H Agent, Tony Rose, Dancing in the background

 

Summer Research Project and More...

Hey, it's Sean Bessin here, I am following up with my second blog post here. Since my last post a lot has changed in terms what I have been doing here in the office/Madison County. Last week I really took off with my summer research project, where I am looking into the issue of pinkeye in cattle with the cow/calf producers around the county. To date I have made a little over 20 on farm visits with producers scattered across the county. It's fair to say that I have learned a lot in terms of getting around the county without getting lost. I have been really surprised with reception I have received from many of the producers so far, I was expecting that some may be uneasy with me coming out and asking about certain production practices, but all so far have been really accepting of the project and answer truthfully. The project really consists of a questionnaire and then as time and weather allows, a face fly count on a number of the cows and calves in the herd. After working with a few of the extension specialists we determined that the plan should be to meet with at least 30 producers around here in the county. As things keep moving along I am excited to see this project through and see what kind of figures I come up with for producers here, I have already learned and seen a lot in terms fly prevention and treatment and hope to learn even more.
Also this past week Brandon Sears, the Ag agent for Madison County, hosted a field corn field day/workshop with corn specialist Dr. Chad Lee, and entomologist Dr. Ric Bessin. The field day went really well, Brandon choose a good field for the workshop as the producers were able to see first hand damage by insect pests, they also were able to do stand counts and work with Chad Lee in determining whether or not it would be appropriate to reseed the field.
 Last week Brandon and I went to a producers farm to help him set up his no-till seeder to plant an 8-way mix that the NRCS has promoted as a summer forage/ hay crop. Its something I had never heard of and found very interesting. The mix contains seeds of sorghum-sudan grass, cow peas, two types of millet, corn, soybeans, and sunflower all at varying amounts. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out, I am a little skeptical because I don't know how all the different maturity dates will work when it comes to determining harvest time, but I am very interested to see how it develops into a forage crop. Here are some pictures of that mixture, we had to mix in a Tub before adding it into the drill:

Last week we also decided that after my beekeeping course, with all the calls of interest and everything else about beekeeping coming into the office, it may be a good idea to start a small interest group in the county. So I have started working on getting together for the first meeting, I will keep you all posted as more of it comes together.

4-H Camp - Success!

My first 2 weeks at Union County have been good so far - a lot of prep work for 4-H camp and getting familiar with the ins and outs of the office.  Our group has just returned (well, as of Friday afternoon) from our week session at 4-H camp in Dawson Springs.  I had never been to camp, even when I was younger because my summer sports always were the same time.  So I'm glad I finally got the opportunity to experience this.  In total, we had 8 counties at camp and not all of them were close geographically to Union County.  I enjoyed meeting the other agents from around the state!

One of my favorite parts of camp this week was seeing how well our teen leaders interacted with the younger 4-Hers with getting them involved in the various activities throughout the 4 days we were there.

This coming 2 weeks will mainly be focused on Teen Conference in Lexington.  Stephanie is teaching a Pinterest track, and I will be assisting her with that.  I'm pretty excited actually!  Trial runs of the "projects" will have to be done this week before we leave to go there, so the meeting room at our office is most likely going to look like the craft aisle at Hobby Lobby for a few days!

I am really enjoying the diversity of 4-H -- a little agriculture, a little creativity, and meeting more and more of the agents across Kentucky.  I'm learning a lot so I would say the first 2 weeks have been a success without a doubt!  Looking forward to what comes next!