EXTENSION TRENDS: JEFFERSON COUNTY University of Idaho Extension, Jefferson County • www.uidaho.edu/jefferson
2019 Impact Mealtime Inspirations, a community event to share cooking, meal preparation and food safety tips, was held again in 2019. The event is a night of cooking and educational demonstrations offered in two southeast Idaho counties. An 8-minute demonstration is given by seven different UI Extension educators on a variety of topics. The presenters are recorded, and the videos are posted on YouTube. It is a fun community evening with door prices, a tasting table and plenty of time to mingle and ask questions. Evaluation results indicate the program positively affects the knowledge, beliefs and behaviors of participants.
2019 By the Numbers • 7,788 direct contacts • 493 youth participants • 70 volunteers • 1,270 volunteer hours • $2,500 extramural funding
Our Advisory Council Special thanks to our volunteers who help shape programming and inform the work we do for UI Extension in Jefferson County: Gerald Raymond, Will Ricks, David Dalling and Howard Johnson.
UI Extension Educators Lorie Dye 208-745-6685 ldye@uidaho.edu
Joseph Sagers 208-270-4031 jsagers@uidaho.edu
UI Extension educators organized programs at four locations across eastern Idaho (Mud Lake, Blackfoot, Soda Springs and Preston) to provide forage growers with information to improve their operations. Each location partnered with members of the community to put on a full program. UI Extension, Jefferson County partnered with Desert Air for the use of their facilities. Speakers were invited from around the region to present on beneficial insects, common insects and diseases in alfalfa and how to properly respond to ongoing pest problems, water use efficiency, outlook for the hay market as well as advice about marketing hay, and ongoing research in alfalfa by a colleague from Utah State University Extension. Much of this information was new to these forage growers and the survey results were very positive. The information presented has equipped farmers with the tools needed to improve operations.
4-H in Jefferson County UI Extension, Jefferson County has a strong and growing 4-H program throughout the county. The shooting sports program has seen a dramatic increase in popularity, with a growing number of youth participants and certified adult volunteers. Jefferson County youth participate in shooting competitions at the county, district and state levels. In 2019, the first Eastern District shoot was hosted by UI Extension, Fremont County in conjunction with Jefferson County 4-H staff. Jefferson County will continue to grow its shooting sports program to help educate 4-H youth about safety, etiquette and stewardship to help youth grow and succeed.
On the Horizon UI Extension Educator Lorie Dye will continue to teach food preservation and cooking classes. The new UI Extension, Jefferson County office includes a kitchen and demonstration area which makes it possible to teach and host many community classes and events. Educator Joseph Sagers is managing research plots of Teff grass in Kimberly. Teff is an underutilized crop in Idaho, primarily because it has not been heard of or marketed. It is an annual grass crop that offers high yield and quality for forage producers. Sagers is working to establish basic agronomic practices such as planting date and cutting height for growers in Idaho to help them utilize this new and emerging crop.