Extension
It Starts With Us
Youth Agriculture outreach in the community
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Center
Beef
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Local Food Systems
Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
During the 2009-2010 academic calendar year Vocational Agriculture Education was removed from the Elliott County School system. During the 2015-2016 school year one vocational agriculture course was offered to Elliott County High School student's grades 9-10. Over the past three years the program has grown to include over 120 students grades 9-12 enrolled in a vocational agriculture course at the Elliott County High School. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture there is 54,996 acres of farmland in Elliott County involved in some type of agriculture practice. Therefore, the CEC, Ag Council, Farmer's Market Council, Soil Conservation Board, Elliott County Board of Education, Eastern Foothills Cattlemen's Association, and Kentucky Farm Bureau Board felt that Agriculture in the school system was extremely important.
-Student's academic performance will improve because of their exposure to hands on Ag in the classroom activities.
-Students will participate in county, district, regional and state contest through FFA, KDA and 4-H.
-Students will begin raising fruits and vegetables and other agriculture commodities.
-Students will begin raising market animals.
-Student's will begin selling produce/meat through the Elliott County Farmers Market.
-Students will begin a community/educational garden where educational programs will be offered by the Elliott County Extension Office
-Student's will engage with one another and their peers and link the Ag in the classroom lessons with what the teacher has been teaching during lectures and throughout the school year.
-Students will begin marketing their produce to the community through the Elliott County Farmers Market and Elliott County High School Mini Farm
-Students will partner will Extension, KFB, EFCA, and Soil Conservation and other entities to host educational programs. activities and events to the citizens of Elliott and surrounding counties
-Student's enrolled in a vocational agriculture course will increase their knowledge on basic agriculture concepts.
-Students will lead educational workshops in partnership with UK ANR agent, Elliott County Ag Council, Elliott County Farmers Market and FFA advisor
-Students will participate in county, district, regional and state contest through FFA, KDA and 4H
-Student's will participate in educational field trips set up by ANR agent and FFA advisor
Initial Outcome: Increase knowledge on basic agriculture concepts
Indicator: Students academic performance will increase and will join agriculture clubs
Method: Grade Point average will increase
Timeline: Academic calendar year
Intermediate Outcome: Students will engage with peers and will link Ag in the classroom lessons with there school curriculum
Indicator: Students academic performance will increase, students will be more involved in school clubs and after school clubs and will join Agriculture clubs
Method: Grade point average will increase and will do pre and post test evaluations and use extension evaluations as test questions for students exams
Timeline: Academic calendar year
Long-term Outcome: Student's academic performance will improve because of Extension Ag in the classroom programming
Indicator: Students grade point average will increase, they will be members of agriculture and other school clubs, students will apply for scholarships and begin applying to universities and vocational schools and seeking employment opportunities after high school graduation.
Method:Grade point average will increase, ACT scores will increase, professionalism will increase, Resume and cover letter will become more professional with added school clubs and community involvement, pre and post test scores will increase with added knowledge and test taking skills will improve. Students being accepted to college as well as vocational schools will increase.
Timeline: Academic calendar year
Audience: 9-12 grade high school students enrolled in a vocational agriculture course at Elliott County High School
Project or Activity: Where your food comes from (Meat Science)
Content or Curriculum: KFB and University of Kentucky 4-H Livestock Kit
Inputs: UK Extension Specialist, UK Animal Scientist, Ag agent, vocational agriculture instructor and Field Trips
Date: August thru December and January thru March
Audience: 9-12 grade high school students enrolled in a vocational agriculture course at Elliott County High School
Project or Activity: FFA Gardens/compost barns/greenhouses/orchard/shiitake mushrooms
Content or Curriculum: Gardening/Junior Master Gardner
Inputs: Ag agent, Farmer's Market vendors, UK Extension Specialist, and vocational agriculture instructor
Date: April-October
Audience: 9-12 grade high school students enrolled in a vocational agriculture course at Elliott County High School
Project or Activity: Animal Science (Genetics, Livestock Production)
Content or Curriculum: Oklahoma Ag in the classroom, UK 4-H Livestock Kit, demonstrations and lectures
Inputs: Ag agent, UK Extension Specialist, vocational agriculture instructor, Field Trip to Kentucky State Fair, North American International Livestock Expo and National Farm Machinery Show
Date: October-February
Audience: 9-12 grade high school students enrolled in a vocational agriculture course at Elliott County High School
Project or Activity: Elliott County Farmer's Market
Content or Curriculum: KDA Farmers Market Manual/Elliott County Farmers Market
Inputs: Ag agent, vocational agriculture instructor, Farmers Market Vendors, KDA, Gateway Health Department and UK Extension Specialist
Date: June-October
Audience: Elliott County High school Students
Project or Activity: Farm to School lesson
Content or Curriculum: Farm to School
Inputs: 4-H agent
Date: October 2021
Audience: Elliott County Students in the High Schoo, Middle School, Intermediate School, Primary School
Project or Activity: Chick incubation
Content or Curriculum: The Egg and I
Inputs: Morgan Murphy (4-H agent)
Dates: April-May 2022
Audience: Elliott County High School Students
Project or Activity: Equine Class @ Extension Office
Content or Curriculum: TeachKYAg, 4-H Horse Kit
Inputs: Morgan Murphy, MSU Professor Katie Kaufman and student
Dates: February 2022
Audience: Elliott County youth and adults
Project or Activity: Country Ham Club
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Country Ham, Country ham publications
Inputs: Morgan Murphy and Jacob Ison and certified volunteer
Dates: January- August 2022
Author: Jacob Ison
Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Not long after I became the New ANR agent in Elliott Co., Mrs Makayla Lewis, the Elliott Co. Highschool Ag. Teacher, came to me with a concern and need in the community. She explained the need for a new Plant Based Science facility at ECHS, she explained that the other had become outdated and unsafe for everyday lessons and use by the youth in her agr. classes and programs. We met with the ECHS Superintendent and discussed our need and began planning our path to work towards a New ECHS Gre
Author: Morgan Murphy
Major Program: Agriculture
This past summer, Elliott County 4-H was able to offer a 4-H Beekeeping club for youth ages 9-18. The 4-H beekeeping club consisted of youth learning about bees as pollinators and learning about how to become a beekeeper. Youth met every 2 weeks at the extension office where I have 3 beehives. Each week the kids worked on identifying eggs, brood, larvae, uncapped and capped honey, drones, worker bees, and of course the queen bee. As the club progressed, each member was able to become more indepe
Author: Jacob Ison
Major Program: Forest Education: Health, Management, and Utilization
Dr. Lynn Skaggs DVM of Winchester, Ky contacted me to inform me he had found and purchased 31 Dunstan American Chestnut Trees. He asked if the extension office could assist with planting them and we accepted the task. In early November 2022 we picked up a few FFA/4-H kids that were interested in Natural Resources and sat out to plant the trees. While planting the trees the youth got a lesson on the history of the American Chestnut and how the American Chestnut Tree was once a very valuable
Author: Morgan Murphy
Major Program: Agriculture
One of my 4-Hers, who was in my 4-H Bee Club, took what she learned from the club and has started her own hives! In our 4-H bee club 4-Hers helped with hive maintenance every 2 weeks, helped install a new queen, and learned the importance of pollinators in agriculture. My 4-Her decided she wanted bees after learning how they benefit crops and agriculture in general. Her family grows a lot of produce for our farmers market so they decided to invest in bees to see if they can increase their yield
