Success StoryRemote Sessions Lead to Successful "Third Thursday" workshops in a Pandemic



Remote Sessions Lead to Successful "Third Thursday" workshops in a Pandemic

Author: Marion Simon

Planning Unit: Agriculture and Natural Resources Programs

Major Program: KSU Small Farm Program

Outcome: Initial Outcome

With the COVID-19 causing havoc with planned Extension programs and people’s lives, we began trying to determine a way to remotely offer the popular “The Third Thursday Thing” sustainable agriculture program.  The Marc 2020 ”Third Thursday” workshop was cancelled due to time and reorganization.Then we settled on a recorded Zoom meeting for April’s “Third Thursday with the Louisville, KY branch of AgSafe with te topic of Safety related to COVID-19 on the farm.  There were 18 participants.  We considered it a successful start to remote Extension, but it fell short of our usual average of around 85 participants. Dr. Joanne Bankston provided an excellent program on “Living with what you got” with 25-27 participant in May.  The numbers were increasing and we were having some new participants. Zoom and Facebook Watch Party were used. Then, in June, Dr. Jessie Lay and Ms. Emily Clement provided a program on young/baby animal care for calves, lambs, and kids, and how to administer shots and vaccinations.  It was filmed live at the Kentucky State University Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm and broadcast on Zoom and Facebook Watch Party.There were 22-24 participants.Then the program was placed on the KSU Third Thursday website.  Within 12 hours, there were 153 “hits” on the website program.  Within two days, the “hits” numbered over 800.  We had arrived!  We can now have successful remote “Third Thursdays” and plan to continue this into the future, even when COVID-19 restrictions are released and we resume the live workshops.






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