During the quarantine of 2020, many folks were bound to their homes without the chance to travel and participate in the summer activities that they normally would partake in. Many landowners took this time to notice things on their properties that they could improve, projects that they had been meaning to get to but just had not had the time in previous years. Here at the Clark County Extension Office, I took many of these types of calls through out 2020. Clients would call to learn about lawns, gardens, wildlife and a variety of other agriculture topics. One reoccurring theme that I found through these calls, was the need for improved livestock pasture management.  

                In the early fall of 2020, I scheduled a virtual class, to address many of the pasture-based problems I had helped clients with throughout the year. We covered the fundamental forage needs of soil testing, adding needed soil amendments, along with grazing management practices such as pasture rotation and proper stocking rates. During my conversations with producers throughout the year I had found that many producers were trying to fix problems caused by these fundamental practices, with short-term solutions, without realizing the actual cause of their problems.

                This turned out to be a great multi-county meeting. Agents from other counties were on the zoom call to help manage the chat box and questions as they came in. Because of this team effort no agent was too overwhelmed and some great, conversational learning took place at the end of the meeting. This dialogue of active learning between client and agent continues to be one of the most rewarding parts of working for the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension System.