Leadership development and professional improvement opportunities are extremely important to the success of Extension Agents. The KY Association of County Agricultural Agents (KACAA) provides avenues for agents to sharpen their skills and become “Better Together” through teamwork.

The W7 and W8 agriculture and horticulture agents hosted the KACAA annual meeting on June 22-24, 2022, in Bowling Green. The planning committee has met monthly since the spring of 2021 to develop the conference and raise the necessary funds required to host it. In-service trainings were organized by the Extension Development; Program Recognition; and Professional Improvement council chairs. These trainings emphasized the importance of KACAA committee work. The Warren County Agriculture Agent who serves as the Extension Development Council chair was tasked with taking the lead in enhancing committee structure and encouraging productivity from all existing committees.  Committees were challenged to accomplish one goal for the year.   Some of the items that developed were a KACAA ag mentor list website, where agriculture agents who would be willing to share their area of expertise with other agents were listed with their contact information and area of expertise.  Another website was created to share successful ag or multi-disciplinary programs that can be duplicated in other counties/areas.  Upcoming trainings, requested by agents are currently being developed.  Strong communication, training, and resources for agriculture agents will improve efficiency and productivity.

Approximately 100 agents from all across the state attended. The Awards Luncheon featured the presentation of the Communication; Search for Excellence; and the Ag Awareness awards. The Service Awards Banquet was highlighted by the Achievement Award and Distinguished Serve Award being given to four outstanding agents.

The KACAA is blessed to have many partners that support our efforts. The UK College of Ag, Food, and Environment; KY Farm Bureau; KY Dept. of Ag; Farm Credit Mid-America; Altria; and the KY Corn Growers all made sizable financial contributions to our state meeting. Generous donations from local groups and friends were received from all ten counties of the W7 & W8 areas.

The greatest impact on the participants did not come from the in-service trainings or the awards programs. It came from the agents having the opportunity to simply visit with each other face-to-face. The networking between agents and the ability to meet newer agents will make us a stronger team. Extension is about helping each other and our clientele. The theme of our meeting was “Better Together”, and the success of our conference proves it.