Author: Courtney Jenkins
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Professional improvement is a critical component of organizational development and retention. It is important for keeping employees engaged and efficient, and is also considered a great career benefit. Therefore, there was no question when it came to continuing the tradition of the Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the Kentucky Association of County Agricultural Agents. Despite the changes in the Cooperative Extension Service’s organizational structure and the chall
Author: Carol Hinton
Youth Livestock Shows during a pandemicThe volunteers in the area really came together to make sure that the Rough River District Swine Show was a VERY SAFE and INVITING event for all involved. As the state began to shut down, the committee said they were still committed to hosting the Rough River District Swine Show. The Kentucky Department of Ag began to develop a safe operational plan, we were told that our show was going to be the first to roll it out in the swine showing arena w
Numerous phone calls and text among farmers and farm families helped to keep the days during the pandemic not so lonely for me as well as for the person on the other end of the communication. It became apparent really soon that farmers were still to go about their daily lives as they were considered essential and they still needed the same services that the Extension office provide to the the county. Our office stepped up to the need. We designed avenues for producers to the be
Author: Gregg Rentfrow
The global pandemic put a strain on the national meat supply. I combined efforts with Dr. Lyda Garcia at The Ohio State University and Dr. Jonathan Campbell from Penn State University to provide up-to-date information on the meat supply while trying to calm the fears. Together, we developed talking points that was emailed to county agents throughout the three states. Our efforts highlighted the need for more extension meat specialists in Land Grant Universities east of the Miss
The pandemic caused an interest in meat processing, thus the need for meat cutter training. The UK Meat Cutting School hosted two, beef processing workshops and a pork processing workshop. In total 37 individuals from 5 states attended the weekend workshops. There was a mixture of those interested in the profession to those already within the industry looking to hone their skills. More workshops are planned for 2022.
Author: Blake Newton
During the last year I helped to create new remote training opportunities for Kentucky Extension staff. During the pandemic, face-to-face in-service training was limited. In 2020 I worked with Isaac Hilpp (Extension Specialist Senior) to create a hybrid in-service training system that combined 3 hours of asynchronous pre-recorded videos and activities (that were accessible to agents at anytime via the Auzmor training system) with live 2 hour Zoom sessions. In this way, agents were able to receiv
Author: Jason Phillips
The Simpson County Extension Service partnered with the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Prairie Farms and Robertson Dairy to distribute nutritional dairy products and fresh produce at no cost to Simpson County residents. This opportunity was a result of the Corona Virus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which is part of the USDA’s COVID Relief established to help dairy producers. The giveaway was held at the Jim Roberts Community Park in September
Author: Keenan Bishop
The Franklin County Fair was cancelled for 2020 due to the pandemic. The fair board disagreed on that decision and fractured. As a result, the majority of the board and executive officers resigned.An executive officer and a couple young, less experienced board members as well as non-board members wanted to resurrect the Fair for 2021. They asked Extension to guide them through the process to reestablish the board and start the 2021 fair planning process.Extension guided them through meeting plan
Author: Eric Baker
After three major winter storms in late February and heavy rains through March 1st, Estill County experienced historic flooding along the Kentucky River and tributaries. Flood stage topped 41.1 feet which shattered the longstanding 1939 record of 39.4 feet. Access to the City of Irvine was lost due to flooded roads. At least 200 homes sustained damage and hundreds of acres of farms were flooded. Farm losses included livestock, equipment, vehicles, hay, fences, and other farm supplies. In additio
Author: Ricky Arnett
A little over five years ago, the Green County Cooperative Extension Service put together a program for its community leaders over the struggles of our small town. This program gave statistics and brought truth to our leaders about the ageing population of Green County, the minimum amount of jobs, our low tax base, and our low income families. No one wants to talk about these issues, but they are real concerns for Green County. Shortly after this meeting, the Green County Cooperative Extens
PPE SuppliesAs the whole world seemed to be shutting down, agriculture was deemed essential. Farmers in the county were still to go about their business as normal, but with many safety practices in place. I knew there was one group of individuals that would be difficult to reach, our migrant/seasonal farm workers. As they began to arrive in the county PPE supplies were still in HIGH demand and SHORT supply. As I was able to break some of the PPE supplies free from other s
Author: Shane Bogle
The Caldwell/Lyon Cattlemen's Association has a storied history of leadership and community support in Caldwell and Lyon Counties. Education to members, service to the community, and support through scholarships are three key areas of focus. Extension has had the pleasure of advising the membership and providing opportunities for educational and leadership development since the beginning of the association. Since 2002 the Caldwell/Lyon Cattlemen's Association has admini
Author: Gary Hamilton
The Farmers' Market provides an economic benefit and healthy nutritional role to the citizens of Mt. Sterling and Montgomery County. Over the past 3 Years the Farmer’s Market leadership has made great strides to improve the shopping experience of its customers. A new Farmer’s Market Pavilion was built by the City of Mt. Sterling to accommodate the sales of the Montgomery County Farmers Market Association. This pavilion has provided a clean, attractive and easily accessible locati
Author: Tad Campbell
With many fairs and livestock show cancelled during the COVID pandemic, the Mason County LIA decided to move forward with holding an event youth could showcase summer livestock projects during 2020. The Extension Service provided guidance and recommendations of following ever-changing health and safety protocols during the planning process of the event. The Mason County LIA has hosted a youth livestock show and auction for decades, however, 2020 would require changes to the normal ev
Author: John Fourqurean
As Covid -19 subsides in much of Kentucky and many in person activities slowly begin to happen, the McLean County Ag agent saw an opportunity to bring together several groups in McLean County to develop the Extension Facilities at Myer Creek park even further. The McLean County Extension District Board , the McLean County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and the Mclean County Conservation Board saw fit to forge a partnership to buy 360 chairs and 36 72" round tables and donated them to the My
Author: T. Adam Probst
In 2020, the Woodford County Extension Service took part in a virtual workshop with graduate students in the UK Plant Science Department to discuss how to effectively work with farmers in a consultation/educator role. Nine participants learned more about communication, collaboration, and leadership opportunities in working with farmer clientele. Specifically, the Woodford County Extension Service discussed ways to develop good reputations with farmers, what to do if you don't kno
Author: Douglas Shepherd
Local cattlemen's association decided to hold a drive-thru annual meeting at the Extension Office during the pandemic in order to provide information on the association's activities, momentarily fellowship with other beef producers, and provide participants with a beef meal to go. They were a little disappointed with the turnout, yet were satisfied with the effort. Agent was also nominated by the local association to the KCA Hall of Fame, which resulted in the agent selected
The UK Beef IRM Committee was searching for a way to conduct another UK Beef IRM Study Enhancement Workshop in the midst of a pandemic, similar to what was previously held at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. After much deliberation, they decided to attempt to again involve agents, leaders and allied industry personnel in a virtual format over three evenings. Since agent previously totally coordinated the Biltmore workshop, Extension Specialists again requested assistance in how
