Busy, Busy, Busy! Week Two

I cannot believe it is already the end of my second week! Time seems to be flying by and I know it is only going to seem faster the busier we get around the office. I knew extension agents were busy, but I had no idea just how much. This week we have been spending a lot of time prepping for 4-H camp which is right around the corner, only one week away. There has been lots of paperwork to do, along with me getting ready for the class I am going to help teach on electricity. The students will be learning about simple and parallel circuits by making a lamp. I think it will be fun and I hope they enjoy it. This will be my first experience at 4-H camp, so I am not entirely sure what to expect, which makes it all the more exciting. It sounds to me like there are a ton of fun activities planned.

Next week Steve, Suzanne, and myself will all be gone to Virginia Tech for the Livestock-Dairy-Forages Inservice for three days. We have been trying to get everything done at the office before we leave.

            
This week consisted of many more farm and home visits, as well as a visit to a new local composting facility, Commonwealth Compost & Recycling Services, Inc. Apart from the smell, the facility was very neat. The facility has a composter that can have the compost ready in just one week! They use waste from Virginia Tech as well as manure from the Wytheville Livestock Market. They are also looking to expand and buy even more equipment.

            
On a visit to see a lady’s grape vines, I was able to help identify the cause for some galls on the vines as well as on the leaves. We found that she had Grape Tumid Gallmakers, but that they were not causing enough damage to warrant spraying them. I took lots of pictures.

            
I love getting to go out and gain experience with crops I have never dealt with before! In addition to the grapes, I’ve been identifying weeds, pasture grasses, dealing with nematodes in boxwoods, and even Christmas trees. So far I love the variety in extension. Each day brings something entirely different, and you never know what you are going to get into.

            
Next week is going to be busy, busy, busy. We are going to be holding a beekeepers meeting, attending the in-service at VT, and more 4-H camp preparations. Stay tuned!

Internship Begins! Week One

Week One is complete! This past week I began my summer internship with the Carroll County Virginia Cooperative Extension office. I will spend my summer working with Steve Pottorff, the ANR agent for Crop and Soil Sciences, and Suzanne Slack, the commercial horticulture agent for Carroll, Grayson, and Wythe counties. This experience is already off to a great start, and I have already learned so much.

First thing I met with Steve and Suzanne to discuss the upcoming events we would be participating in so I could mark them on my calendar. I was so excited to see all that I will be doing! In addition to farm visits, I will get to go to 4-H camp, trainings at Virginia Tech, VSU, various conferences, and more. I am also getting to help organize the Ag education days at the county fair that will be held in August. My project will be designing and conducting my own program. It looks like I am going to be very busy, and I will be sure to blog about all of my experiences!

Monday morning we hosted a meeting at the office, and I got to meet many interesting people. That night Steve held a water test results meeting and let me sit in on it. People throughout the county had gotten water samples from their wells tested to check for contaminants, and we gave them back their results and Steve answered any questions the people had. Several people had e-Coli and Coliform bacteria in their water. I learned quite a bit from this meeting, particularly about wells.

Tuesday was a fun adventurous day. I spent most of the day riding along with Suzanne in Cana, VA. We went to look at a farmer’s pea field to check out some bees, visited several cherry orchards to look for disease and insect damage, and visited with the people that we saw. I learned about Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. It was a fun educational day, and I was excited to get some experience with orchards, especially since my background is in vegetable crops.

            
The rest of the week consisted of more farm and home visits, and lots of plant identification. I identified several trees for a homeowner and found that I find keying out plants I don’t know to be a fun challenge. Plus, I learn so much during the process! I also did some typical office work, which is to be expected in any job. However, I am thankful for the opportunity to get to intern with a program that allows me to be so active and engaged in the community.

During this time I am getting to improve and gain many skills. I am learning how agents identify plants and diseases, and where to look to access lots of helpful information. By working with producers I will be improving my social skills. Researching ways to help these farmers, as well as by simply observing what Steve and Suzanne do, will allow me to gain crucial conceptual or problem solving skills. I started the week off immediately working on my skills I had set for the internship.

It seems there is always something to get into as an extension agent! I am looking forward to what next week has in store!

             

Quackgrass we found growing in a cabbage field.