Christian County • 2019

Groundbreaking of the new Indoor Agriculture Expo Center

The Christian County Extension Service has started construction of a new Indoor Agriculture Expo center on the campus of the Christian County Extension office. A groundbreaking ceremony was held September 6, 2019. This 45,000-square-foot facility will host events such as 4-H and FFA livestock shows and competitions, farm machinery shows, demonstrations, horticulture events, horse shows and other livestock-related events. The meeting room addition will be able to host private, commercial or tourism-related activities that require a large indoor space. The Agriculture Center will be located directly behind the Extension office and will be managed by the Extension office staff. The facility is owned by the Christian County Agriculture Extension Foundation, a private, nonprofit group, which owns all the buildings and grounds. The estimated construction costs of the facility is between $1.7 and $2 million. Funding for the project has been provided by donations and a variety of community partners.

For More Information, Please Contact us at:

Christian County Extension Office • (270) 886-6328 • https://christian.ca.uky.edu

2850 Pembroke Rd., Hopkinsville, KY 42240

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS)

According to Kentucky Health Facts (BRFSS), 71% of Christian County residents have a BMI score placing them in either the overweight or obese categories and only 9% of Christian County residents are consuming the recommended 5 vegetables and fruits per day. In order to address these issues, the Christian County Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) teamed up with the Hopkinsville Housing Authority to bring Tasting the Alphabet to their youth summer camp program. The program was so successful it was extended throughout the school year during the after school program.

Each week the FCS Agent brought a different type of produce for the children to explore A thru Z starting with avocados and ending with zucchini. The program extended the children’s knowledge of different types of produce as well as expand their palate. The goal was to develop lifelong healthy eating habits. During each lesson the FCS agent asked: What is it, fruit/vegetable? Where does it grow? When is it in season? What are the health benefits? What does it taste like?

During each class there was at least one participant who tried a food they had never tasted before. By the end of the 26-week series, all of the participants had tasted multiple foods they had never tasted before. All of the participants reported learning something new about each produce whether they had previously eaten the produce or not. At the conclusion of the series, 100% of the participants verbally reported that they were more excited about trying new foods and were more likely to ask their parents for fruits and

vegetables than before taking part in Tasting the Alphabet.

4-H Youth Development

The Kentucky 4-H definition of school enrichment is “Groups of youth receiving a sequence of learning experiences in cooperation with school officials during school hours to support the school curriculum. It involves direct teaching by extension staff or trained volunteers, including the classroom teacher.” The Christian County 4-H Youth Development agents provided school enrichment programs to 1,961 youth in the 2018-2019 program year. By providing these programs, the agents are able to build relationships with local teachers and administrators and also reach students that are otherwise not involved in traditional 4-H programs. Ag in the Classroom: Egg incubators were placed in Christian County Middle School in a science classroom for students to learn about heat transfer. This gave students an example of how science, engineering, and technology is applied in the agriculture industry. Once the eggs hatched, the chicks were displayed during Farm Day where 700 first graders in Christian County were able to see the chicks and other farm animals during their visit. Public Speaking: The 4-H Communications Curriculum is designed to teach youth valuable public speaking skills. This program is offered to all schools in Christian County

Incubator Project at Christian Co. Middle

Tasting the Alphabet

with the winners of each age division advancing to the County, Area, and State Contest. This year Ana Hernandez was awarded State Champion for 15 year old speech division at the 4-H State Communications Day.

Kentucky State University

Working with hemp growers has been a very exciting experience. Connecting a farmer with a processor helps the bottom line for our small farmers. Western Kentucky has a strong hold in the Commonwealth when it comes to hemp production. Teaching farmers to grow productive crops and organic hemp is the biggest success in the small farm program. Working with the Organic Association of Kentucky and their certified trainers is a true blessing. Guiding growers through the process is challenging. In the growing season, we see the process of producing acres of hemp and having it pre-sold. We have already received requests to triple production for 2020. Hemp is a challenging crop to produce. In order to be successful, you must have dedication and knowledge of the variety you are producing.

Horticulture

Twilight Tour Meeting

Vegetable production is a $3 million dollar industry in Christian County and growers need training on the best ways to manage crops and safe use of pesticides to remain profitable and to provide a safe product. The Christian County Extension Office partnered with produce growers this summer to offer a Twilight Tour training. Over 90 growers participated in a field demonstration on how sprayer nozzle tips impact the amount of chemical reaching into the canopy of melons and pumpkins. Strawberry production methods were also presented during the program. The majority of growers, 92% indicated that what they learned at the training would cause them to change their current practices and 88% indicated the training would help them become more profitable. The Extension office also provides growers with other vegetable production trainings, field tours and the IPM Hotline, offering weekly production updates.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

When you think about Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) is your first thought “Big AG” or “Small Farm”? The Christian County Cooperative Extension service reaches out to all farmers through the ANR program. Agriculture and Natural Resources in Christian county cover a range as wide as the sky on the horizon. Be it the small family farm that sells freezer beef at the local farmers market or the large mega-scale grain farm that markets 15,000 acres of corn to help fuel our nation. Extension has a role in both.

The small farmer comes to the Extension office for education on everything from honey bees to high tunnels. They are given the knowledge necessary to be successful. The large farmer comes to get updates on new practices and requirements for production agriculture. They are given the opportunity to update their Private Pesticide Applicator Licensees or renew their Beef Quality Care and Assurance certifications.

The 2018-2019 growing season proved to be a challenge with variable weather and new regulations. With more and more producers planting Dicamba ready soy beans to aid in the fight against resistant weeds, producers were required to attend special training. In Christian County alone, over 350 producers and applicators were certified in the processing, handling, and application of Dicamba products.

Sprayer Nozzle Demonstration

Snap-Ed — Know Your Limits

Heart disease is a common health issue with many middle aged and older adults in Kentucky.

The Christian County SNAP-Ed Assistant taught the Know the Limits lesson from the Healthy Choices for Every Body Curriculum to a neighborhood association in a limited resource area. This class covers what one needs to know about the negative effects of saturated fats, added sugars and sodium and how you can combat these issues to improve your health.

The participants reported that they had eaten healthier the month following the class and were working to reduce their unhealthy fats and sodium. 83% of the participants reported positive changes in their diets relating to their solid fats and added sugars. They also reported eating vegetables more often including 50% eating more dark green vegetables. Half of the participants reported making small changes to be more active in their daily lives.

“This facility is an investment in our youth. It’s an investment in

Agriculture and Tourism. And it’s an investment in Christian

County.”

Brandon Garnett (at groundbreaking for indoor Ag Expo Center)

184 Number of landowners who plan on implementing one or more new best practices for improving water quality.

315,624 Number of participants engaged in home and consumer horticulture programming.

5,438 Number of direct contacts by Master Gardener volunteers.

312 Number of producers planning to complete Kentucky Pesticide Application training.

1,106 Number of participants engaged in commercial horticulture programming.

1,000 Number of hours KEHA members volunteered in community service (non-extension) activities/events.

1,500 Number of individuals actively engaged in collaboration and programs that build community capacity to nurture families

366 Number of individuals who reported eating more healthy foods.

2,101 Number of youth who understands the role of agriculture in the production of food and fiber.

270 Number of youth who can identify the natural resources in their community.

Extension At a Glance

Pesticide Training 2019