Essex County
Primary Program Area Focus: 4-H/Agriculture and Natural Resources
Describe the plans for this internship. (i.e. What specifically will the intern be doing?)
The 10-week position housed in Essex County will contribute to on-farm demonstration plots and research plots in corn, soybeans, and small grains. The regional on-farm plots have a 20-year history in Virginia Cooperative Extension, have been continually funded through grants from all 3 grain commodity boards, and are the foundation of many significant impacts reported by extension agents over the years. The intern will collect and summarize data necessary for publishing the On-Farm Corn, Small Grains, and Soybean Trials in 2013. It is anticipated that this work will help to identify new crop varieties and production practices that will increase farm profitability and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula areas of Virginia. In addition to data collection and analysis, the intern will also be expected to present plot results at several area VCE field days in the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck. By participating in area field days, the intern will have an opportunity to learn how agents plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs. The intern will also assist agents in field troubleshooting production problems in corn, soybeans, and small grains. The intern will also be expected to assist with James City/Essex Jr. 4-H camp week at Jamestown 4-H Educational Center and teach a class during camp. By participating in 4-H camp, on-farm plot work, and field days, the intern will understand the importance of volunteers to VCE programming.
Other activities the intern will be involved with:
- Help present the “On-Farm Test Plots” grant proposal to the Virginia Small Grains Board.
- Conducting the Corn Earworm Surveys in the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck.
- Attend one Board of Supervisors meeting in Essex County.
Describe the knowledge / skills that the intern is expected to gain from this experience.
The summer intern will develop an understanding of the Cooperative Extension system and the educational role local agents play in serving the educational needs of local citizens. Specifically, the intern will gain knowledge of replicated, applied on-farm research and demonstration plots, including basic statistical analysis, and the value placed upon the plots by the agricultural industry. The intern will learn the challenging steps involved in field troubleshooting of commercial agricultural and horticultural crops, including use of VCE publications, diagnostic labs, ARECS, and collaboration with VCE specialists. By the end of the internship, the intern will be expected to assemble knowledge gained into a series of short educational talks presented at local field days. Depending upon prior college coursework, the intern may be encouraged to present information at other relevant VCE programs such as the Eastern Virginia Marketing Club. Overall, the intern will gain an understanding of the day-to-day professional life of a Virginia Cooperative Extension ANR agent. By attending 4-H camp, the intern will develop an understanding of VCE volunteerism and the importance of volunteer training.
How will the intern learn about the breadth of VCE and our various program areas?
The intern will learn how agents meet the educational needs of grain and soybean farmers in the area through one-on-one contact, telephone and e-mail, and extension publications. The intern will also learn how to implement, plan, and evaluate educational programs, such field days and the important role field days play in extension programming. The intern will also learn about the important link between applied research programs and extension educational programs. The intern will be heavily involved in grant work and will learn the importance of grant funding to extension programs. Through field days, on-farm plots, and 4-H camp, the intern will also understand the importance of volunteers to extension programs. Our planning district currently has only one FCS agent so the knowledge gained by the intern will be mostly in the ANR and 4-H program areas.