It used to be that you never knew where a phone call might lead.  But today, it more often comes in the form of an email.  A key focus on my Extension program “Kentucky: By The Numbers” is to be a ready resource for finding and using publicly available secondary data.  Data requests come in all forms and can range from a single piece of data for a single county to multiple data sources for multiple years for every county in the state.   At the state level, for example, one request was to provide data for all 120 counties in the state on limited English-proficiency (LEP) households to be used for county LEP plans and assessment.   In addition to providing basic data, this request then led to creating data profiles for all 120 counties for Kentucky: By The Numbers.  In another instance, poverty data were needed for a state program’s annual reports.  

County Extension agents are a key source for data requests on any number of different topics.  Requests from agents include data to support their programs.  For example, in Nelson county, an agent needed a custom county profile with data on food insecurity for their “Hunger in Kentucky” program.  In Robertson county, health data for seniors were needed for the launch of their “Health Challenge” program.  Another example was a request from an agent for data to use in their success story.  Two requests came as a direct result of my “Speed Dating with Data” presentation for the New Agent Orientation.  Agents also request data for local community efforts and partnerships.  For example, this was the case as I continued to provide up-to-date data for the Meade County Comprehensive Plan and helped clarify their results from the 2020 Census.  Finally, grant proposals are another reason for data requests and data assistance. This was the case for 2 very different grant proposals this past year.  One proposal was related to the flooding in Eastern Kentucky while another, by contrast, was for an urban indoor and innovation agriculture grant.  So, when it comes to fielding data requests and assistance, you never really do know where that email might lead.