Extension
It Starts With Us
Improve and sustain agriculture production
Agriculture Production and Sustainablity
Raymond Cox, Jeremy Williams
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Horticulture, Commercial
Beekeeping
Local Food Systems
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.
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.
Adults and youth will apply recommended agriculture management practices to their gardens, orchards, beeyards, woodlands, and livestock operations.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
