OSU Extension Fayette County works closely with our County Commissioners and we thank them for their support. We are the world's largest nonformal educational system. Our practical educational programs combine the needs of local citizens and communities, with new research and technical information. 

Are programs areas: Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4-H Youth Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, Horticulture and Master Gardeners , we are here to meet the changing needs and issues facing our community. 

Overall, Extension's mission is to help improve and strengthen the lives of Ohioans and we want to start right here in Fayette County. We have answers for communities and individuals.  Our clients are YOU. Please let us know if we can help.

Pat Brinkman

John Yost

Nadine Fogt

Kim Stover

Kim Hoppes

Here are our Ohio State University Extension Fayette County 2008 Yearly Highlights

Strengthening Families and Communities

The Fayette County Family Nutrition Program had 888 direct contacts, with 133 classes being taught in the areas of Nutrition, Food Safety, and Thrifty Food Shopping. The program works with welfare and welfare-eligible adult groups in the county. 46.3% of the participants were on the food stamp program this year.

 Different participants have shared how the classes have helped them.    One woman said she now looks at grocery ads, plans meals, makes a list, and uses unit pricing when shopping for food which she attributes to the class sessions.   Another participant shared that she practiced what she had learned including buying no pop, examining labels, and avoiding sugars.

 In one class the group has decided to share and compile written recipes for low-cost, easy meals.  They have shared different ways to modify recipes, and creative ways to use leftovers. They have really worked to help each other.

Budgeting sessions with twenty-three individuals referred through a Community Action grant have resulted in helping people improve their financial situation.  Grant administrators have commented that people are using the tools and appreciate the knowledge they have gained.  In one incidence a couple realized that they could buy a car, get car insurance, purchase gasoline and have money for maintenance of the car if they quit smoking and did not have to use a cab service to get back and forth to work.  They had no idea they were spending that much money on those items. 

Influencing over 300 adults, children and youth through classes to eat healthier resulted in:
• Post-class evaluation forms from Dining With Diabetes participants showed that they increased their knowledge on sources of carbohydrates, use of Nutrition Facts food labels in making food choices, and understanding of what the Plate method is and how to use it.  Dining With Diabetes is a series of three two-hour classes. 

• Ninety-one percent of the 136 participants completing surveys after attending “Healthy Eating Out” sessions planned to make some or many changes.  This program was prepared for participants in the Health Department’s summer Health Walkers program.  Over sixty-five percent of the participants wrote comments that they planned to eat smaller portions and/or make changes in what they ordered to eat healthier.

• Twelve 4-H youth have helped Head Start students learn more about healthy eating and being physically active by the 4-H grant “Get a Head Start in Nutrition.”  In the monthly program during the school year Head Start students have been willing to try different fruits and vegetables the 4-Hers have helped them make for snacks.  Parents attending Head Start meetings have received nutritional instruction in improving their child’s eating and physical activity.  Pre-testing was completed and post-testing will be done in 2009.    
 
• Fitness and Nutrition Society has distributed over 2500 nutrition newsletters through the schools and community.  Comments received have included that the articles were interesting, informative and helpful.   

Strategic planning sessions have been provided for Commission on Aging Board of Trustees.  Through these sessions the Board has developed ideas on how to address the current budget situation and needed changes to enhance the Center.  Three strategies have been completed and others are being worked on to accomplishing goals.

The Fayette County Horticulture Program is flourishing.  Master Gardener Volunteers are important social capitol, a necessary and vital part of strong communities. There are 27 active Master Gardener volunteering over 675 hours of community service.  Using an economic value of $10-$17 per hour of volunteer work, Fayette County Master Gardeners contributed $6750- $11,475 to Fayette County this year. If five people are assisted for every one hour of volunteer time, then 3,375 people were assisted by Fayette County Master Gardener Volunteers this year. 

The Master Gardeners love beautifying our community. This increases community pride and property values.  Projects such as planting and maintaining the Washington Courthouse flowers, and Fayette County Museum flowers let us add splendor.  Sponsor a Flower Pot was a huge success for us this year.  The theme was breast cancer awareness.  Every pot available was sponsored to beautify our downtown and wooden pink ribbons were included to raise awareness.  In addition over $300 was donated to the Stefanie Spielman fund for breast cancer research.  The Master Gardeners stepped up to create beauty and awareness as our generous community recognized survivors and victims.  Our group works also with Habitat for Humanity to design landscape for new houses and actually plant what is budgeted to increase the pride for new home owners.

The Farmer’s Market continued in downtown Washington Courthouse with a great response. Over 30 vendors offered the residents of Fayette County locally grown, fresh, and great tasting produce on Saturdays through the summer. The horticulture program assistant conducted meetings to teach producers marketing and better yield practices with over 30 attending.  Then the Master Gardeners worked with her to manage the market.  This project helps community members eat healthier with more fruits and vegetables as well as support their local farmers.  Eating and buying locally uses less of our valuable resources in shipping and also enhances the local economy.  This past year a Farmers Market Management Network was created to help with marketing and food safety issues.  Fayette County Farmers Market is a part of this group and will report next year about the changes.

Over 250 adults and youth were screened with the Dermascan machine checking for sun damage on their face.   At least five people reported that they had a spot removed after being told to check with their dermatologist last year.  Over fifty percent of the adults and youth were shocked at the damage to their skin by the sun. 

Preparing Youth for Success

In Fayette County, 883 youth (age 5-19) participated in 4-H club project work and exhibited 4-H project work at the Junior Fair.  Coordinating 4-H club work and activities for youth were 167 4-H adult volunteers.  Youth volunteers (15 to18 years-old) included thirty-one teens who served on the Junior Fair Board, who were responsible for planning the Junior Fair activities for over 1300 Fayette County Junior fair members. Junior fair board members learned and practiced life skills which included leadership skills, team building, program planning, decision making, conflict management, junior fair policies, money management, ethics, and communication skills by being engaged in planning a major event like the county fair. Older teens shared their experience as a Junior Fair Board member helped them when seeking employment or in their academic pursuits.  

A fun and educational outdoor living experience was conducted for 141 Fayette County campers through two three-day overnight 4-H camps and a day Cloverbud Camp held at Camp Clifton.  Over a five-month period, 40 teens (15-19 yrs. old) were responsible for planning and coordinating a junior, a senior camp and two-day Cloverbud Camp.  First aid, conflict management, decision making, communication skills, leadership skills, and team building were taught to camp counselors through an on-site camp counselor overnight training and monthly meetings. Following camp, counselors evaluated themselves and their peer’s skills and job performance using a counselor evaluation form.  Later, counselors met to reflect on the overall camps to discuss how they could improve camp and what skills they needed to improve to be a better counselor.  Throughout their training and the reflection, counselors were taught what skills they could use in future employment, college, and what types of summer jobs they could apply for in the future due to their counselor experiences.
 
Thirty-nine teens, age 12 and up, were involved in the 4-H Junior Leadership Club that met monthly.  Teens conducted on-going community service projects, including a monthly canned food donation for the county food pantry, “Adopt-A-Highway”, and “Make A Difference Day.”  Junior Leaders promoted 4-H at a January “The Amazing 4-H Race,” and at the county fair with a 4-H display, distributing 4-H information to fair goers, and having hands-on activities for younger children at the county fair.  Team building experiences and independent living skills were learned on an overnight snow ski trip in Pennsylvania.

4-H Junior Leaders Club successfully planned and organized their third Make A Difference Day service project.  Teens learned about planning, decision making, budgets, and time management when they had to change their original project two weeks before the scheduled dates. Learning how to find an alternative plan was a good life experience. Teens were involved in planting six trees to replace trees around a new fair building. Following their tree planting, teens wrote letters to military children who had a parent(s) deployed. The teens packed their letters in Hero Packs with other items for the children. The experience of writing letters made the teens realize the sacrifices other families were making for them and their country.  In February, 2009, the teens will do a power point presentation on their Make A Difference Day projects at the Ohio Teen Conference.  The Junior Leaders were recipients of a Richard and Nancy Stahl Ohio 4-H Foundation Grant.

Several teens were actively involved in leadership and educational activities by being co-presenters with the 4-H educator at various county, state and regional conferences.  Teens learned organizational skills and improved their public speaking skills when they helped with five sessions of the Ohio Teen Conferences, two sessions at the Ohio Volunteer Conference, and two sessions at the North Central Regional Volunteer Conference.  One teen was involved in teaching as a camp counselor at the Ohio Military Camp at Kelly’s Island.  Several county programs involved teens teaching younger children through skits and interactive programs.  These teens developed work force prep skills by having important roles in the success of educational programs.

In October was our Real Money, Real World debut.  A Fifth Third Bank grant was awarded to get this program rolling. 65 eighth graders from a local school learned about personal finance through this 4-H signature program. The participants were assigned occupations and received a monthly “salary” for that occupation. In lesson 5 of the curriculum, the students proceeded through a simulation in which the 4-H program assistant brought in community volunteers to staff booths representing real-life businesses. In this simulation, the students spend their “salaries” on items found in a typical monthly budget. They do this by visiting the appropriate booths such as communications, housing, insurance, groceries, utilities, etc. Throughout the activity, students keep track of their finances by recording them in their checkbook. Whether they have adequate funds or run out of money determines how successful they are at managing their money.  Comments at the booths included, “I would buy less expensive stuff,” “I learned that I need a better job,” “Life is a whole lot harder than I thought,” and “How do Mom and Dad do it?”  The other major school district agreed to participate in a semester in the future also with their eighth grade. 

Another way to reach students with Extension’s 4-H program is school enrichment.  Three kits were created through a 4-H foundation grant.  The idea is to help teachers with Science, Engineering and Technology with ready-to-use curriculum and materials while exposing more students to what 4-H has to offer.  These kits were created at the end of the year so impact will be reported next year.

Eighteen 4-H FCS Board members have gained leadership skills through explaining what 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences projects were and what is needed to complete them at the Spring Conference and Pre-Judging clinic.    They also helped teach skills needed to complete 4-H projects through activities such as “Sewing Fun Night” and the Pre-Judging Clinic.  Board members assisted with judging days, planned and put up the stage decorations, and helped with fair activities including nutrition activities for Cloverbuds. 

Enhancing Agriculture and the Environment

 All businesses have two things in common.  They all produce a product or service and in turn market that product or service to their customer base.  Agriculture is a $1.8 billion business for Ohio and accounts for over $54 million in income for Fayette County Agribusinesses.  Agriculture has the unique position of being told what price they will receive for their product.  In order to maximize the profit potential of their business, producers must work to improve the efficiency of their farming operation and utilize all the marketing tools available to ensure top dollar for their commodity.  Therefore, the Agriculture and Natural Resources program in Fayette County has targeted research to maximize production of cash crops and established marketing and farm business programs to assist producer in understanding the marketing tools at their disposal.

Through cooperation of Ohio State University Extension and the Fayette County Commissioners, the Fayette County Demonstration Farm has continued to provide a valuable resource to producers in Ohio and the surrounding states.  Five Applied Research Projects were conducted at the Fayette County Demonstration Farm, and on six private farms, in 2008.  The projects focused on liquid fertilizer alternatives for corn and soybeans, an evaluation of two levels of phosphorus and potassium fertilization in corn and soybeans under different tillage and crop rotation management, and management strategies for maximum soybean production.

Two approaches were used to assist producers in understanding grain marketing tools.  Classroom instruction was provided with the Professional Marketer Program.  The program featured well known marketing specialist from OSU and private industry in a 48 hour, 6 day program.  Program topics included: Developing a marketing plan, the basics of futures/options/basis, future’s market technical analysis, weather prediction and market effects, determining your financial situation, and livestock marketing.  Hands-on marketing experience has been gained by participation in the Fayette County Marketing Club.  Club participants pool moneys to practice trading actual commodity on the Chicago Board of Trade.  In total, the programs’ participants accounted for 43710 acres of crop production and $29.4 million in gross annual receipts.  The participants indicated, on post-program surveys, a $0.10 per bushel increase in their marketing of commodities because of these programs.  This translates into an increase of $13000 per farm in gross income.

Master Gardener Volunteers empower people with knowledge for improved quality of life.  Education and research are important to our horticulture program.  The Phenology garden located at the Washington Cemetery is a great learning environment and interested people are donating more plants.  Each year this committee sends collected data into the state for a huge research project being conducted.  Phenology is the study of recurring biological phenomena and their relationship to weather.  Bird migration, hunting and gathering seasons, blooming of wildflowers and trees, and the seasonal appearance of insects are examples of phonological events this committee observes.  The goal of this study is reduced use of chemicals in our environment.

The Spring Fling, an educational horticulture program was conducted in April with over 110 people in attendance.  The guest speaker was Laura Deeter from OARDC teaching about colors.  In May, Master Gardeners taught children at Head Start about pollination.  Our second annual Fall Garden Fest was held in September with about 38 people learning about fall decorations, foods, garden maintenance, and planting.  Wayne Elementary School’s Agriculture Day will have sessions taught by Master Gardeners to over 655 students.  This year over 500 horticulture questions from the community were answered through the “horticulture hotline” calls and Extension Office visits. This includes pest and plant diagnosis and management.  Then appropriate information and fact sheets are distributed.
Master Gardeners and the horticulture program assistant educate homeowners in sustainable yard care practices thus reducing yard waste in landfills.  We also increase green space that reduces runoff into storm sewers, thus protecting environmental resources.  A rain barrel program was held to teach the community how to conserve water. Teaching the public to plant the right plant in the right place helps with sustainable landscapes and highlights the advantages of using native species.

Thirty-six members of the Master Gardeners and members of our community ventured on a tour bus to see horticulture around the state in June.  This bus tour traveled to Mansfield Ohio to learn about the Kingwood Center and Malabar Farms. These agriculture sites exposed our community with more agricultural knowledge and ideas.  Many guests on an evaluation stated that they would revisit these sites.  Some said it was the best tour yet.

Advancing Employment and Income Opportunities

Working with Extension personnel in Clinton, Highland, Greene, and Montgomery Counties, a web site providing resources for those losing employment or facing difficult financial issues has been established.  This web site provides information and materials to help families facing these issues.  A series of newspaper articles has also been written and published in local papers by Educators in these counties to provide needed information. 

Our horticulture programs teach homeowners and industry professionals to irrigate wisely, save water and adopt environmentally friendly landscape techniques. We help homeowners save water, time and money!