2020 has certainly been a year for the history books. Everyone’s world was turned upside down when COVID-19 (coronavirus) became a world-wide pandemic. Schools had to be closed, businesses had to close, churches had to shut their doors, and people were ordered to stay at home by the government. Being extension professionals, we had to think fast and critically on how we could reach our clientele during this difficult and necessary time. Our offices were closed to the public, and staff began rotating schedules so that we limited contact. Being in Robertson County, there is very limited access to high-speed internet for many community members, however, several of them do have Facebook. Therefore, I began my outreach on Facebook by posting information on staying healthy, cleaning and sanitizing, and so forth. I also began weekly challenges in order to keep the kids engaged since they were not in school and we could not have club meetings. With the challenges, I did baking (2 recipes each week) and photography. Each of the challenges were those that could be entered into state fair. Each week, we had at least 2 youth participate in each challenge.

I also did the grab-and-go bags like many other agents across the state. Each week there was a theme and those are listed below:

Week 1 – Physical Activity

Week 2 – Gardening

Week 3 – Agriculture

Week 4 – Pollinators

Week 5 – SET

Week 6 – Natural Resources

Week 7 – Mason Bee Houses

Week 8 – Dinner Etiquette & Recipe Binder

Altogether, this project reached over 100 youth in the county. The demographic data was: 54 – Female; 49 – Male; 3 – Black; 1 – Hispanic. There were a variety of age ranges and even some home school youth. Many families posted on Facebook how much their children enjoyed the bags and the projects inside of them.

Not only did I have to focus on reaching the youth through COVID-19, but I also had to figure out a good way to connect with my farmer clientele that who are not on Facebook or any other social media. I came up with the idea of doing bi-weekly newsletters that were mailed out to 300 individuals across the county. It kept them updated on market changes due to COVID-19, planting updates, pests, diseases, and so much more. Several individuals commented on how helpful it was to receive those during such a crazy time.

Overall, COVID-19 has been an extremely bad thing that has occurred, but it challenged me and all other extension professionals to think outside of the box and program in new ways. Some of the ways may even stick when things get back to somewhat normal.