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