New ways to teach old information.

When the entire state was shut down in March of 2020 residents were in pandemic mode when it came to their daily grocery needs.   I immediately began seeing Facebook posts and receiving texts on how to grow a garden, specifically, many people said, call the Breckinridge County Extension Office for information. Families were at home needing a positive project to engage the entire family in to keep their minds off the situation we were all in at the same time.  

Countless hours developing videos, packing seed, and developing information that we could readily get to people in the county about how to produce their own vegetables.  In the summer months of July and August we began to receive pictures of their gardens, raised beds, and even mineral tubs full of healthy plants producing vegetables.  Families shared their vegetables with their families and neighbors while at the same time the Farmers Market sales were at an all time high.  

Because we were also at a loss of how we were going to keep our programming in the eyes of our clients, we were able to plant and maintain the community vegetable gardens in 2 nursing home facilities,  a women's shelter, the detention center, and the 2 adult living centers.     The staff of these facilities assisted by harvesting and preparing the vegetables for the residents.  

Sweet Corn Test plot managed by the Detention Center Work Release program and the late Joey Ervine ended the season with 4500 ears of corn picked and processed through the kitchen at the detention center.  Again, workers and employees were amazed with the differences in varieties, especially with the time of harvest as the ears matured.  

Raised beds at the Extension Office and the Detention Center were used in the kitchen at the Detention Center which yielded 200#’s of tomatoes, 159 #’s of cucumbers, and 22#’s of peppers.   

The beds are being cared for and harvested again in 2021, the inmates are excited to see and feel their hard work in the gardens every year.  

As a few restrictions were lifted, the farmers needing to obtain their certifications and CAIP meetings were invited in, and I was able to utilize the ROWLI series weekly on Tuesday Evenings at 7 pm CT.  The evenings that were not a ‘live’ broadcast, I used previously recorded sessions.   I was able to create a safe environment to continue the trainings for over 1 year.  We were able to train over 400 growers in various topics and sessions.   Our county is still not ready for virtual training at each home, however it was amazing to see everyone again.   

Our county had just started the CAIP program in mid-2020.  We were able to accommodate the Soil Conservation District by allowing them to use our un-used meeting building so they could open a drive through system for producers to pick up and drop off their applications.  A record number of producers were able to apply to be a part of the CAIP cost share program and share in the $250,000 with each approved applicant could spend up to $4,000 in improvements on their farming operations.  The 2020 program was wrapped up and the 2021 program was started.    It is a great partnership with the Soil Conservation District that provides cost share funds that ultimately increases the value of farms well over $500,000 as well adds money back into the farm businesses across the county.  

Crop reporting with the USDA FSA had to be completed with their employees at less than half staff.  We were able to accommodate that need by offering our facility for a drive through serve to complete their reporting.  

As programs were being handed down for the CARES ACT and PPP Loans, we were asked to do everything we could to notify our producers across the county, as we were able to meet farmers on their ground as well as drive through for their certifications and trainings.  The CARES Act money assisted all producers in the county that had suffered an income loss due to decrease in market demand during the pandemic lockdown.   The producers were able to receive $1.4 million many producers said they heard about the programs in our newsletters and during the meetings.  

The Small Business Association introduced trainings on the PPP forgivable loans and farms were eligible.   After conversations with the local banking institutions, we began contacting growers throughout the county to clear up any questions that they might have about applying for the PPP loans.   Approximately $ 800,000 was loaned out in the county as a forgivable loan.  It was a welcomed sight for growers to receive funds to assist with paying off old debt, pay payroll, make purchases for the next crop and so much more to help farm families to survive on the farm.   

Breckinridge County schools began to open back up and they began asking for hands on activities for the students as they were getting back into the swing of things.  It started out as a county with preschool-K project, then all of the grades in the elementary schools asked for kits.  I designed hands on activities where they could put together their own garden with worksheets to track the progress of the plants.  The project ended with a donation of tomato plants for every student from preschool to 5th grade.  Over 1,000 students were reached.  The teachers became the 'ag in classroom' presenters as we were still not able to go into the schools.  The teachers sent pictures with the kids and their gardens, projects and tomato plants.  Teaching in a different way to achieve the same goal, increase awareness of agriculture at all levels.