Henry County • 2019

Henry County Extension Office

In Henry County we’re growing ideas that make a difference in your life, your family, and your community. We have a dedicated staff of trained professionals delivering educational programs in agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development, and community and economic development. The Henry County Cooperative Extension Office is your connection to the University of Kentucky and the world. “There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” -Aldo Leopold on the importance of Agriculture.

For More Information, Please Contact us at:

Henry County Extension Office • (502) 845-2811 • https://henry.ca.uky.edu

2151 Campbellsburg Rd., P.O. Box 246, New Castle, KY 40050

4-H Youth Development

Youth Ag Day- To allow elementary aged youth to learn more about the agricultural products that are produced in Henry County and to have a hands on experience it was decided to have a Youth Ag Day for all of the 4th graders in the county. Approximately 250 youth attend the event that included 15 stations. Most of the stations are led by 4-H members, FFA officers, and extension volunteers and employees. The stations include: beef, sheep, horse, swine, poultry, rabbits, goats, horse, soybeans and corn, tobacco, forages, vegetables, soil conservation, limits of the land, and ATV safety.

For many students it was the first time that they had the opportunity to touch the animals on display. They had no idea that soybeans and corn were used in so many products other than food or that a tobacco seed is so small. The conservation demonstrations stations allowed them to understand the importance of soil and water and how to be better stewards to protect what we have.

Now as youth travel throughout the county they can identify different crops in the fields and have a better understanding of the importance they are to the economy in Henry County.

Natural Resources- The Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Academy is a state sponsored 4-H program

that is a 3 year commitment for participants. The program focuses on water, forestry and wildlife. Individual participants are required to plan an educational program on what they have learned and share it with others or develop a community service project. Two Henry County youth that are part of the academy decided to develop a day camp on the importance of water quality.

Guest speakers from the Salt River Watershed Watch shared how to determine if a stream is healthy through an assessment based on visual assessment, ph. level, temperature, soil erosion, plant material, and species of micro invertebrates living in the stream.

The afternoon was spent assessing two streams in the county. All of the youth involved agreed that they gained a better understanding of stream health and felt that they could more confidently determine through a visual assessment if the stream was in good health or could offer suggestions to improve its quality.

Film Making- A 4-H Film Making 3- Day Camp was offered by the Henry County Cooperative Extension Service to guide and direct participants in learning basic film production. The first day the attendees learned basic terms and skills needed to produce a film and spent the afternoon sharing ideas and planning for filming that would take place on the second day.

The second day was full of action with each group making their ideas come to life. There were lots of things to consider, such as

John Michael Clifford and Adyn Rice

learning about trapping

Kaylee Tingle is teaching 4th graders about

horses

staging, lighting, costumes, scripts, location, props, camera operation, and directing.

On the third day the groups continued with some retakes and then began editing the footage. Music was added as well as written credits.

The participants enjoyed the creative aspect of the entire production process and gained a better understanding of all the work involved in creating a video that is only a few minutes in length. One group has submitted their video into the national competition and is awaiting the judges’ decisions.

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS)

Second Wind Dreams—Anxiety and depression are major problems in nursing homes. The mission of Second Wind Dreams ® is enhanced quality of life for nursing home residents through the fulfillment of dreams. The Henry County Extension Council sponsors our local program and has granted our 500th dream since 2007.

Second Wind Dreams is not just a “nice” program. It is a program that puts the residents first, and honors and improves the quality of their lives. Dreams have ranged from providing residents with an Elvis concert, a visiting therapy pony, an airplane ride to some new DVD’s of the old Bonanza series!

Master Clothing Program- Henry County is proud to have two certified Master Clothing Volunteers. Alice Newman and Ethel Baker have received training through this

program that elevates their sewing skills to a mastery level.

Alice has been working with an adult sewing group that meets at the extension office on Tuesday evenings. The adults bring individual projects to work on while having Alice nearby to answer questions or offer suggestions with their sewing projects. All are welcome and sewing machines are available for those that do not have one of their own.

Ethel is the leader of the Make it and Take It Club. This group of youth meets quarterly on a Saturday to complete a simple project from beginning to end.

Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR)

Henry County, Kentucky has over 700 farms and produces over $30,000,000 in agricultural income from commodities such as cattle, horses, corn, soybeans, hay/forages, and other livestock according to the USDA 2017 Agricultural Census. The Henry County Extension Office wanted to highlight Henry County Agriculture by helping to plan the 19th Henry County Harvest Showcase and helping to organize the first ever Youth Livestock Auction.

2018 was the 19th year in which volunteers and agricultural leaders have hosted the Henry County Harvest Showcase. The Harvest Showcase is a festival which features crafts, produce, and meat produced only in Henry County.

There were an estimated 3,000 individuals who attended, and were able to purchase locally grown and crafted products from over 27 vendors. They were able to visit the agricultural arena to learn about horses, livestock, chickens, local water sheds, and other agricultural issues. Participants were able to purchase locally produced food from seven different food vendors ranging from burgers from the Henry County Cattlemen’s Association to ice cream from the Rotary Club. Other attractions included live music from local bands, an antique tractor parade, and a kiddie pedal tractor pull.

The Henry County Extension has been part of the Harvest Showcase for years in helping in the planning of the festival, managing volunteers, finding agricultural products for

2nd Wind Dreams celebrated granting their

500th dream

food vendors, and running the educational events in the agricultural arena. The Harvest Showcase will continue in 2019, and is hopeful to bring in more participants than past years, and hopefully offer another great location/festival for local agricultural producers to sell their products produced in Henry Country.

In 2018, The Henry County Extension Office decided to partner with local agricultural producers, the Henry County Chamber of Commerce, the county judge executive, 4-H and FFA member parents, and Farm Bureau representatives to form the Henry County Youth Livestock Foundation for a total of 15 committee members to form the first ever, Henry County Youth Livestock Foundation.

The primary purpose of the Henry County Youth Livestock Foundation is to promote youth livestock and add financial incentives for showing and raising livestock for 4-H and FFA members. This auction is for youth that participate in 4-H or FFA, showed an animal project at the Henry County Fair which met the Kentucky State Fair requirements, and obtained the necessary level of livestock education required for both 4-H and FFA.

In the first year, 15 individuals met the requirements to be able to participate in the auction. The ages ranged from 9 to 19 years old, and species of animals sold include beef, swine, sheep, goats, and chickens. In total, the auction brought in over $27,000 which was distributed to the kids.

Another important point to make is that this auction brought in over 300 individuals to support these young livestock producers. With the money earned, some youth have stated that they are purchasing more animals, others stated that they were using it to purchase livestock equipment, and others stated that

they were using the funds to invest in other agricultural enterprises.

The first year of the Henry County Youth Livestock Foundation has been a success, and the Henry County Youth Livestock Foundation is planning for future auctions and other ways to encourage youth to start or stay in livestock production.

“I consider it the best part of an education to have been brought

up in the country.”

-Amos Bronson Alcott

Extension At a Glance

1000 Number of youth who indicated they know how to use information they are given to make decisions

250 Number of youth who indicate they are connected to caring adults who are interested in their success

465 Number of youth who apply the skills learned in 4-H and in other activities at home, school or in the community

450 Number of youth who understands the role of agriculture in the production of food and fiber

89 Number of participants gaining access to Extension programming at local farmers markets

92 Number of producers who reported saving money or reducing cost of operation

123 Number of youth who apply the skills learned in 4-H

325 Number of producers who reported saving money or reducing cost of operation

245 Number of producers adopting practices to improve grazing infrastructure (fences, water)

350 Number of landowners who made plans to develop or update an ag water quality plan as a result of this program