Agriculture Kids Day Camp

As the Extension intern for Carroll this summer, one of my requirements was to conduct a program. Given that I love children and agriculture, I decided to combine the two. The first step in program planning is to identify a need. Then you should determine what objectives you wish to accomplish. From there you can plan appropriate activities, lessons, etc. to accomplish these objectives.

There is a huge need for children to understand where their food comes from and how it is produced. So many children today have no knowledge of the steps before food arrives on the shelves at the grocery store. As agriculture educators, it is our job to advocate for this industry and ensure that children know where their food comes from, how it is produced, and how to make appropriate, healthy eating choices based on this knowledge. 

My program was titled Agriculture Kids Day Camp. The camp was held for elementary-aged students in second through fourth grades. Attending 4-H camp allowed me to gain a better understanding of how elementary-aged students learn best, so I was able to plan activities that required lots of hands-on learning and visuals. The instruction topics included plant and animal science. The Carroll County community is very diverse agriculturally, so I wanted to ensure that participants were introduced to both of these topics. Virginia Science SOLs also focus on plant reproduction and plant science, so I was able to reiterate what students have or will be learning in the classroom at school as well. 

I had a total of ten participants. I learned a lot about program advertising during this experience, particularly how important and difficult it is to get the word out about a program in a rural community. The students were on break for summer vacation which made it even harder. I advertised the program in the local newspaper, on Facebook, and even by flyers and word-of-mouth. Thankfully, ten participants was the perfect number for my facility, materials, and volunteers to help with class management. 

We began the morning at 9:00 with a very short introduction to plant science, particularly seed germination and plant growth requirements: sunlight, water, air, and nutrients. Afterwards, each student made their own "dirt baby." A dirt baby is a stocking filled with grass seed and potting soil that is decorated any way the student wishes. The grass seed will sprout out the stocking as "hair" which can be cut as the grass grows. The kids were so creative! We made a variety of animals, including bears, rabbits, horses, and pigs. We even had some minions! This was my favorite activity from the day, and the children LOVED it. Some of them even made two. 

The kids picking out their materials for dirt babies. 

Filling the stockings with grass seed and potting soil. 

Final Products! 

The rest of the morning was spent learning about plant and animals cells and making plant cell models out of plastic bags and various materials. We also made butter and ice cream as we learned about dairy. I brought in a model milk cow for the kids to play with as the learned about lactation. To learn about soil, we made edible soil horizons. 

Plant Cells!  

Daisy the dairy cow

Making ice cream

Ag Day Camp was one of my favorite days so far from my internship experience. Not only was it a big success and tons of fun, but I was able to gain experience in program planning. There are so many components to planning that you don't even realize until you are deep in the process. As I sit and reflect on the day, I recognize some things that I will do differently in the future as I plan programs and other educational activities. For instance, I will try to do fundraising for activities so that I will not have to charge participants for attending the event. I also recognize some of the things that went right from the day, such as the students' increased enthusiasm about learning when hands-on activities are involved along with basic instruction. 

I am so pleased with today's event, and it just goes to prove that I am in the right line of study: agricultural education.

Drift Management In-Service

http://www.canadasprayerguide.com/feature_articles/2007/fa_2007_02.php

For farmers, managing spray drift is a big concern when applying any type of foliar spray, whether it be pesticides or herbicides. In order to help farmers manage spray drift, Virginia Cooperative Extension held a drift management in-service at Virginia Tech. Steve, Suzanne, and I all went to Virginia Tech to attend the training.

The training was held by a retired professor from out West. His presentation consisted of many PowerPoint presentations and pictures about proper spraying methods to reduce drift. We were given lots of handouts and literature that will be useful in assisting farmers. We learned about the different types of spray nozzles and which to use in certain situations in order to reduce spray drift. We also learned how to calibrate sprayers and viewed several demonstrations and equipment. Spray tables were brought to demonstrate different nozzles and their drift.

Drift is affected by several factors, including nozzle orifice, spray pressure and volume, angle of application, speed of tractor, and volatility of the product. Volatility, or the movement of the chemical off of the plant as a vapor, is especially important in herbicide application. Drift may cause non-target plants to be killed by the herbicide.

To reduce drift, steps can be taken before, during, and after chemical application. Before application the farmer can know where sensitive sites are, select appropriate nozzles, check and calibrate equipment, and establish buffer zones. Record keeping and a drift response plan are also important. Sensitive sites include residential areas, public roads, and schools. Droplet size changes as pressure changes. Farmers will also want to use the weather forecast to determine when and where to spray.

During spraying the farmer will want to monitor the weather, After spraying, the farmer should keep good records, including weather data. You should check the borders of the spray area to see if drift occurred, and if it did follow the drift response plan that was established.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/0525.html

I enjoyed getting attending this in-service. Not only will the information I learned be useful in my future agricultural career, but also I know it will be helpful on my family’s farm at home. I have my private pesticide applicator license, so I will be able to use the information from this training for myself as well. Spray drift can be a big issue, for human safety as well as actual success with spraying and environmental issues.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/umatilla/mf/sites/default/files/08_Stock_drift_mangmnt.pdf

Horsenettle Nuisances

The farmer is one of the hardest working people out there. Each day they wake up and go to work to provide the food and fiber for us to live. The Cooperative Extension is a system that works to serve the farmer and provide him or her with the information necessary to stay up to date on current technologies, farming practices, and other information to stay productive and profitable.

On this day Suzanne (the commercial horticulture agent) and I went out to visit a farmer who is having trouble with horsenettles. Horsenettle, Solanum carolinense, is a perennial weed that grows by rhizomes that is covered with conspicuous spines on the leaves and stems. Plants may reach 3 ft in height. They are found throughout the southeastern, eastern, and north-central United States (Flessner, n.d.).

This particular farmer is having a very bad problem with horsenettles growing in their fields. He is growing collard greens and kale, and during harvesting, the horsenettles are a big problem. You cannot see the horsenettles under the greens, so they are harvested right along with them. There has already been one complaint from someone who bought the greens at the grocery store and bit into a horsenettle. Ouch! For control, they have tried to figure out what will work. After trying different herbicides to no avail, the farm resulted to having the migrant workers removing them by hand, costing hundreds of dollars in labor and creating a time burden.

After our visit, Suzanne decided to work with Dr. Allen Straw, an area specialist in horticulture, small fruit, and specialty crops, to develop a trial using different herbicides in different plots to see if they can find a way to control this weed. She is also going to contact different weed specialists throughout the state to try to find any information that may help this farmer get rid of this horsenettle problem.

On the way back to the office, we stopped at another farm just to talk to the farmer and see how things were going. Sure enough, he is having a horsenettle issue as well, particularly in his pumpkin fields. He informed us that he has had no luck with different herbicides either, and he had even pre-treated his fields earlier in the season. The areas he has that are most affected are the pumpkins that were sod planted into a cover crop, such as wheat or rye. He needs a solution as well.

Horsenettles are particularly bad in pastures and plowed fields that were recently pasture. Both of the farms we visited may have had this as a contributing factor. We will keep working on trying to find information and solutions for these farmers and others who we are sure are having similar problems.

Flessner, M. (n.d.). Horsenettle. Retrieved July 22, 2015,
      from http://oak.ppws.vt.edu/~flessner/weedguide/solca.htm

Hay and Forage Field Day

Today Steve and I ventured to Glade Spring, VA to the Southwest Virginia Agriculture Research and Extension Center for the Hay and Forage Field Day. During this event, participants learned about making high quality hay and baleage. There were demonstrations of proper hay equipment adjustment, setup and harvest. Additional topics of discussion included curing management, matching your feeding program to hay quality, and managing summer annuals. There were also equipment dealers on present with equipment for viewing. 

The featured speaker of the day was Dr. Dan Undersander from the University of Wisconsin. He shared his expertise on forage production and utilization. 

This was a good example of a successful Extension event. There were approximately 80 people in attendance, and the topics were all relevant and targeted specific to producer needs. The event, being held at the Southwest VA AREC, also was able to showcase some of the research being done on summer annuals. Phil Blevins, the ANR agent in Washington County, gave a presentation on the success of various varieties of sudangrass. 

Lunch was excellent as well. Everyone got to enjoy delicious steak sandwiches. I have learned that charging a fee and providing food often will work out in your favor as the event or program planner. People love to eat! 

Some of the take-aways I had from the event were not only knowledge about improving hay production, but I learned more about organizing a similar event. Back home in Carroll County, a field day similar to this one would be very useful! Step one in planning an event is needs assessment. Once you know what the needs are, you can then develop obtainable objectives.  

Hay rake demonstration 

Sudangrass trials

Virginia Cattle and Dairy Expo Field Day

This Friday, Virginia Tech's Kentland Research Farm was the place to be! The 2015 Virginia Cattle and Dairy Expo Field Day brought in people from all across the state for a fun day of fellowship, education, good food, exhibits, and the Virginia Cattlemen's Association annual business meeting.

Throughout the morning, educational tours took place taking visitors to the newly completed Dairy Center for Virginia Tech with guided tours of the infrastructure. There were also tours of the Animal Science Beef feedlot and reproductive center. Department faculty showed visitors around the facility and also discussed current research going on the department. Visitors could also see of the six drone airports nationwide and how drones are supporting agricultural research. Tours were also given of the Kentland plantation home and the farm's history.

In addition, a delicious barbecue lunch was provided by the Virginia Tech Block & Bridle Club! Homestead Creamy was even on site giving out free ice cream!

Governor Terry McAuliffe and Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands were also there to honor the Virginia cattle business and dedicate the new diary center. Following lunch was the Virginia Cattlemen's Association annual business meeting.

Any day where I get to check out new advances in agriculture is a good day. I am so glad to be a part of such an innovative industry! I thoroughly enjoyed the tours. Steve and I were very interested to get to see the new dairy. We walked all around the facility looking at its design and even some of the plans for the new technology there. Construction was not 100% complete at the time of the field day, so I will have to go back later when they get the cattle moved in!

Through this internship I am learning how many opportunities there are in Extension to get to see new and exciting things! There are so many field days, in-services, and tours available for education and training purposes. Extension works hard to stay relevant and I am impressed with how dedicated agents are to getting research-based knowledge out to communities.

Extension needs to keep working on advertising events such as this field day to the public so everyone can be informed of what's going on in the community and how to get involved in agriculture.

Carroll Grayson Cattle Producers Association Field Day

This year, the Carroll Grayson Cattle Producers Association Field Day was held July 16 at Steve Turner's farm in Laurel Fork, VA. Carroll County agent Steve Pottorff and Grayson County agent Kevin Spurlin worked very hard to arrange the event. We all went out earlier in the week to help set up the chairs and equipment.

Before this internship, I had not really known how much work went into planning a program. Not only do you have to arrange the activity and venue, but you also have to advertise to be sure people know about it. One of the most important things, however, is food! I have learned that with Extension, people love to attend events that serve food. If you feed them, they will come!

On Thursday, we were blessed with perfect weather and approximately 50 people in attendance. Producer Steve Turner gave a tour of his cattle-working facilities and shared the history of his farm. Dr. Fike and Dr. Flessner from the Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science at Virginia Tech also presented us with information on weed control and pasture management. Dr. Fike took participants out on a pasture walk where he discussed rotational grazing. Hamburgers and hotdogs were grilled for dinner, and as we ate we learned about predator control as well as the spread of wild hogs into this area of the country and state.

Association members during one of the pasture walks talking about benefits of rotational grazing. 

Dr. Fike teaches members how to use a grazing stick. 

We thankfully did not have any problems arise during the event. Everything went smoothly and according to plan. Steve Turner's farm was a very nice place to hold the event. There was plenty of space for parking, for setting up the tables, and he also had his cattle in an adjacent field to be used to practice body condition scoring. 

Events like these are very educational, but also provide great opportunities for networking and gaining social skills.

During the planning process I learned a lot about how Extension plans and puts on programs. I hope to take some of what I have learned and use it while continuing to plan my Ag Day Camp program and in other programs in the future. 

What's Wrong With My Garden?

Today Suzanne and I went to visit a couple in Grayson County. They have a very large garden that is having some issues. On any given day in Extension you never know what problems might arise. Clients will call, send emails, or drop by the office and request different types of services. On this day, we were requested to visit their home, look at their garden, assess what was wrong, and then give recommendations on how to fix it.

This couple is trying to grow all of their plants organically, meaning using only chemicals that are organically approved. They are also noticing that their blueberry bushes are not producing any fruit. After arriving at their house, we noticed that the bushes were planted on a hill that does not receive enough sunlight. This is causing the plants to bolt. We found a better sunnier spot for the bushes and this fall they are going to move the plants.

Due to the fact that they are growing organically, they are noticing some fertilization problems. To improve the pH for blueberries we recommended that they add sulfur to the soil. They had questions about their apple and cherry trees. One of their cherry trees has Cherry Leaf Spot.

Cherry leaf spot lesions begin as small, circular, red to purple spots on the upper leaf surface. 

Solving client problems in Extension isn't always easy. Sometimes you will know the answer right off, and other times you won't. I have learned that it is not always that you as the agent know the answers, but more important that you know how to find them. It is then your job to relay that information to the client in a way that they can understand.

Foggy Ridge Cider

Cider is quickly becoming one of the more popular beverages today. Our beautiful mountainous area is drawing in more and more people looking to start orchards. One particular orchard drawing attention is Foggy Ridge Cider in Dugspur, Virginia.

On July 10, Suzanne and I went to visit Diane Flynt who owns and operates Foggy Ridge Cider. The The operation began in 1997 with a cider apple orchard. Using modern fermentation, those at Foggy Ridge craft traditional cider apples such as Hewe's Crab, Harrison, Tremlett's Bitter, Asmead's Kernel, and Dabinett into fine cider. Their cider apples are selected for unique flavors and grown for taste, not appearance.

On my Extension visit to Foggy Ridge Cider, I got to take a walk through the three orchards. During our tour, Diane showed us the different varieties of apples she has. She has noticed that two varieties, Dabinett and Ashmead's Kernel, are more susceptible to Fire Blight. Fire Blight is a very detrimental disease of fruit trees. She also gave us a short tour of her cidery facilities.

While visiting with Diane, we also discussed some of the typical problems associated with growing apples including pests, diseases, and environmental factors. One thing I saw that was really neat were some trees that Diane had topwork grafted using a cleft graft. I had learned about this in one of my classes at Virginia Tech, and it was neat to get to see it done successfully in a real orchard.

Foggy Ridge Cider has been gaining lots of attention in the media as well. Diane Flynt's ciders have won taste tests and been featured in the news as well as many magazines. If you are interested in learning more about Foggy Ridge, check out their website, www.foggyridgecider.com. You can also visit them on Facebook.