Virginia Cooperative Extension Carroll County Internship : Carroll County: Home Sweet Home

This week was my fifth week with the Carroll VCE. Half way there! It is absolutely flying by, and I am staying busy and loving it.

After the Cana Orchard Field Day, the middle of the week slowed down a bit, mostly consisting of some office work and a couple farm and home visits. Steve and I went out earlier in the week to see what was going on with a homeowner's tomato plants. His Burpee Long Keeper's leaves are growing very abnormally and crinkly. Steve and I did a bit of research, which was inconclusive. We had him bring us a sample and we sent it off to VT to the Plant Clinic for diagnosis.

This internship has given me lots of experience learning technical skills, particularly plant identification. I spend a lot of time looking up plants and weeds people bring in or ones we find when we are out on a visit. I have learned how to use a dichotomous key to key out plants, as well as where to go on the internet to find the best information. Steve has shown me lots of great resources, including a tree identification app from Virginia Tech Dendrology that I use quite frequently! The office has lots of great books as well. Some are Steve's, some are Suzanne's, and others are here from past agents. They have all proven to be very useful when trying to id things. However, sometimes there are ones I still can't figure out, and thankfully we are able to send those off to VT for an accurate id.

Steve, Suzanne, and I went out near the middle of the week to visit a blueberry grower who is having trouble with his blueberries. Some of the berries are not ripening all the way, but are becoming soft and almost rotting. We visited with him for a while, talking about his operation, the types of blueberries he is growing, and other problems he is having. We tried to get as much information from him as possible. Suzanne noticed some virus problems on a few of his bushes, and advised the grower to pull them up and burn them. For the berry problem, we took some samples and sent them off to VT to the Plant Clinic. Hopefully we will hear back soon as to what the problem is and what actions the grower needs to take.

On Wednesday, Suzanne and I went to the High School to go on tours of the new STEM lab. This trip really sent me down memory lane. Some of the best times of my life were spent in the Ag Department at the high school and in the FFA program. The Ag Department just completed construction this year on a new STEM lab. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This new lab is the only one of its kind in the state of Virginia that focuses on agriculture. With all of the equipment, Carroll County Ag students will be able to gain hands on experience in biotechnology, food safety, research, and more. The possibilities this lab brings to the program are endless and in addition to the school farm, I know that it will only strengthen what is already one of the strongest Ag programs in the state. Visiting once again reminded me how proud I am to be an alumni of the Carroll County High School Ag and FFA.

This internship has made me realize how diverse the agriculture is in Carroll County, even more than I had previously known. I am blessed to be able to serve as the intern here in my home county. I am getting to interact with all members of the community, learn more about our rich agriculture, and feel connected to the people in ways I had not been able to before. Carroll County is my home. It is full of agriculture, history, beauty, and great people. I am so glad to have the opportunity to work here.