Improve and sustain agriculture productionPlan of Work

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Harlan County CES

Title:
Improve and sustain agriculture production
MAP:
Agriculture Production and Sustainablity
Agents Involved:
Raymond Cox, Jeremy Williams
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Horticulture, Commercial
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Beekeeping
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Local Food Systems
Situation:
During discussions with the Harlan County Extension Council, program councils, and volunteer groups, agriculture management was seen as an issue that needs to be addressed. Although the county's commercial agriculture production ranks low, home gardening, landscaping, home fruit production, honey, forestry, and livestock production are still a source of livelihood income for citizens.
Long-Term Outcomes:
Adults and youth will initiate fruit and vegetable production and livestock management practices in order to provide a low cost food source and possible supplementation of income. Citizens will also see economic diversity as a result of being involved and developing agriculture products.
Intermediate Outcomes:
Adults and youth will apply recommended agriculture management practices to their gardens, orchards, beeyards, woodlands, and livestock operations.
Initial Outcomes:
Adults and youth will gain knowledge in gardening and fruit production as it refers to site selection, soil preparation, variety selection, nutrient needs, disease and insect controls, and proper harvesting in order to receive the best products. Adults will gain knowledge in apiary management and assist other beekeepers. Youth and adults will acquire skills in livestock management. They will be able to use best management practices in their operations.
Evaluation:
Initial Outcome: Gain knowledge in agriculture production and management
Indicator: Begin to see improvements in their operations
Method: Attendance at workshops, reports, visits
Timeline: Throughout year

Intermediate Outcome: Adults and youth will gain knowledge of agriculture production
Indicator: Adults and youth will apply the knowledge they have learned
Method: Participate in workshops, 4-H events, site visits, reports
Timeline: Throughout year

Long-term Outcome: Adults and youth will gain knowledge in agriculture production and management
Indicator: Improvement will be made in their landscapes, orchards, beeyards and livestock production
Method: Number of adults and youth attending workshops and participating in agriculture management activities
Timeline: Throughout year
Learning Opportunities:

Audience:  Adult

Project or Activity:  Home Gardening

Content or Curriculum:  UK gardening publications, presentations, 

Inputs:  Staff, specialists, leaders

Date:  Spring and Summer 2022


Audience:  Adult

Project or Activity:  Cumberland Gap Cattle Conference

Content or Curriculum:  UK, VT, UT extension publications and curriculum

Inputs:  Staff and specialists from UK, VT and UT

Date:  Winter 2022


Audience:  Adult

Project or Activity:  Backyard Poultry Production

Content or Curriculum:  Extension Poultry Publications

Inputs:  Staff, leaders

Date: Spring 2022


Audience: K-6

Project or Activity: Windowsill Garden/Grow Your Own Tomatoes

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Grow Your Own Tomatoes

Inputs: Staff, teachers

Date: April 2022


Audience: Adults

Project or Activity: Harlan County Beekeepers

Content or Curriculum: UK and KSU publications, updates from KDA, 

Inputs: Staff, leaders, guest speakers

Date: First Tuesday of each month


Audience: Adults

Project or Activity: Home Fruit Production

Content or Curriculum: UK horticulture publications

Inputs: Staff, UK Specialists, volunteers

Date: February / March 2022


Audience: Youth

Project or Activity: Chick Incubation

Content or Curriculum: Presentations, hands-on, publications

Inputs: Staff, teachers, volunteers

Date: Spring 2022


Audience: 4th-12th grade

Project or Activity: 4H Garden Club

Content or Curriculum: Gardening booklets, publications

Inputs: Staff, volunteers

Date: Spring 2022





Success Stories

Funding Helps Harlan Farmers

Author: Jeremy Williams

Major Program: Small Farm Diversification

With additional funding from the Kentucky Office of Agriculture Policy, the Harlan County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent worked with the Harlan County Agriculture Development Council and Harlan County Conservation District, as they were able to distribute $10,000 for farmers in Harlan County.  The ANR agent advertised the funding, provided education information to farmers and support to the Agriculture Development Council and Conservation District during their process.  Farmer

Full Story

State-Wide Maple Syrup Production

Author: Jeremy Williams

Major Program: Forest Education: Health, Management, and Utilization

Agriculture and Natural Resources Agents in Harlan and Letcher Counties, have worked with specialists with the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry and Natural Resources and the Kentucky Maple Syrup Association to provide research based information to producers across the Commonwealth.  In 2021, the group provided both virtual and in-person programs.  The two-part virtual program centered on basics of maple syrup production and an advanced option to boost production.  An

Full Story

4-H Windowsill Garden

Author: Raymond Cox

Major Program: Agriculture

The 4-H Windowsill Garden Project is designed around the five steps in gardening, with a focus on careers and providing food for the family.  The five steps are:  planting, growing, caring, harvesting and consuming.  All students in every elementary school in Harlan County participate in this project, reaching approximately 3,500 students this spring alone. This project also promotes project entries of vegetables in the Harlan County Fair. One student did a 4-H Demonstration on Wi

Full Story

East Kentucky Beekeeping School

Author: Jeremy Williams

Major Program: Beekeeping

East Kentucky Beekeeping School was held virtual in January 2022 due to a winter COVID-19 surge.The committee, made up of local Beekeepers, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture state Apiarist and Extension Agents from Perry, Harlan, Floyd and Letcher Counties.The virtual event, proved to be the highest attended school in its 12 year run. More than 200 people registered for the school with over 100 people online at any point during the day. Based on registration, those that attended represented

Full Story

Chick Incubation Embryology

Author: Raymond Cox

Major Program: Agriculture

This spring, over seven hundred Cloverbud, School Enrichment, Special Interest and 4-H Club members from Harlan Elementary and Middle Schools, Verda Headstart, Rosspoint, Cumberland, Green Hill, Evarts, Black Mountain, Cawood, James A Cawood, Sunshine Preschool, and Wallins Schools participated in the 4-H Chick Incubation Project during March and April.  This project fulfills the 4-H Project Curriculum requirements for Animal Science and is also designed for correlation to the U.S. National

Full Story

The Mountain Zoom

Author: Jeremy Williams

Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home

Due to spikes in the pandemic, demand for Extension programing, on a virtual level, continued during the fall and winter of 2021 and 2022.  Agents in Harlan and Letcher Counties, along with agents in Wise, Virginia, Johnson, Tennessee and North Carolina, felt the need to continue their Mountain Zoom series that began in March 2020.  Programs, two evenings per week, centered on agriculture, community development, horticulture, beekeeping and small livestock.  Agents were able to pa

Full Story
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