Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2024 Q2

Kelly Leo, Extension Agent, B.S., M.Ed.
Kelly.leo@ndsu.edu

April Programs:

I was able to offer a new program in April and May which was adopted by NDSU Extension from Purdue Extension; Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing program for local nonprofits. There was a great response for this event and the program trained 20 new grant writers for our area. This program was very well attended and we will be offering another session in the near future as we already have a waiting list for this event.

April 10 was the first session of a ten-week dog obedience/showmanship class with the assistance of two volunteer leaders and about 30 youth taking part. The sessions ended June 17 with youth prepared to show off their dogs at the Upper Missouri Valley Fair.

I was asked to assist with another Stop the Bleed training for the employees of the Williston Research Extension Center in late April. I was happy to assist as this program is so important for agriculture workers in rural areas to be able to respond to injuries and accidents with appropriate life-saving measures. We trained about 30 employees and summer workers for the Williston Research Extension Center.

I was fortunate to expand the 4-H Embryology in the Schools Enrichment program to five classrooms and 86 youth this year which is an increase of 25% from last year. This program took place in April with traveling to 4th grade classrooms in St. Josephs School, Tioga and Ray schools. This was a four-week program that taught students about the science of embryology of chickens. We were fortunate to hatch some chicks and send those home with youth. The program was successful and will continue next year with additional schools.

Also In April, I finished the final YQCA certification course for the 4-H year with around 20 youth in attendance for a total of over 100 youth trained in animal quality assurance this year. 4-H youth also worked with the First Lutheran Church sewing program during April and May to make a large quilt that was auctioned at the Fair sale to benefit the Williams County 4-H program. This wouldn’t have been possible without all the assistance of the First Lutheran church sewing program volunteers. Towards the end of April, I was fortunate to chaperone four North Dakota youth to the National 4-H Conference in Washington, D.C. This was an incredible experience for the youth of North Dakota as well as myself to experience the amazing process at National 4-H Conference.

May Programs: 

May 16 I presented at Marketplace for Kids with a workshop about Seeds of North Dakota which is designed to teach youth about all the agriculture crops grown in North Dakota, especially in Williams County. Youth are able to learn about each crop and then touch and see all the different seeds. This is always a popular presentation and youth seem to really enjoy learning about all the important commodities grown in Williams County. This event reaches several hundred local youth.

4-H spring contests have been underway with Clothing Revue May 10 with 17 youth taking part in the three categories of Sew and Show, Buy and Show and Decorate Your Duds. We also hosted the District Communication Arts contest for our region with 31 youth and four judges assisting from McKenzie, Divide, Mountrail and Williams Counties.

I was able to assist with the West Farm/Tractor safety camp for youth in Minot this year May 22-25. This event was jam packed event that lasted three days. Youth were trained in all avenues of Farm/Ranch Safety by Extension personnel and volunteers from the community. The fourteen youth gained their ATV safety certification and their Hazardous Occupations Order in Agriculture certification to operate farm equipment. The program was a great success and will hopefully be hosted in Williston next year for the western side of the state. This is an annual training event for youth desiring to work on a farm/ranch.

June Programs:

I was invited to present a booth at the Mountrail Williams Electric Cooperative Annual Meeting with the theme of Homegrown Energy. I displayed many of the crops grown locally that contribute to the energy industry as well as provided timely and relevant information to the public. There were over 300 people in attendance and I was able to connect with many local residents of Williams and surrounding counties at this event.

4-H Consumer Decision Making contest took place June 10 with 6 youth taking part in this contest activity. The winners from the spring contests are eligible to participate in the ND State Fair Contests where they will display their skills to compete with 4-H youth from across the state at the end of July.

I assisted with the Farm to Table event again June 19 as a member of the Williston Area Chamber of Commerce Ag Committee. Due to rain, this event was held in Williston at Horizon Resources as a last-minute change of venue. The event was still a great success with good attendance despite the changes. This event is valuable for highlighting the importance of agriculture to North Dakota residents. Great connections between community and agriculture were made by all!

Fair planning consumed much of May and June as there were lots of changes again this year that required extra planning. 4-H enrollment increased again this year, thus the fair participation was up as well with lots of new families participating in fair events and activities. The 4-H fair events kicked off with the Horse Show June 21 and indoor static exhibit judging Monday, June 24. There were about 42 judges and assistants from the community that volunteer to evaluate the 4-H youth and their 680 projects. This event certainly couldn’t happen without the amazing support of the community. The remainder of 4-H Achievement days happened June 25-30 during the Upper Missouri Valley Fair. 4-H and open livestock shows happened Wednesday through Saturday with well over 100 youth participating in these events. The fair was a huge success again this year thanks to all the great volunteers and the support of the Upper Missouri Valley Fair Board to provide the venue for the 4-H achievement days.

Along with all these events, I attended multiple trainings in the months of April and May hosted by NDSU Extension for various aspects of my programming needs. There were trainings nearly every week of both months for agents.
Spring is an especially busy time for tree and horticulture calls and there have already been many calls and home visits to diagnose biotic and abiotic damage. Water testing has started again and will continue throughout the summer for producers upon request as the runoff after rain paired with hot days will be a concern for cyanobacteria blooms in stock ponds and reservoirs.

Upcoming programs include the Williston Research Extension Center Field Days July tenth and eleventh where I present an additional Stop the Bleed training with fellow agent, Dan Folske to agriculture producers. There is also a Regenerative Agriculture tour planned for July 18 in cooperation with the Williams County Soil Conservation District, NRCS, Williams County Ag Improvement Association, Mountrail County Agriculture program, and several other entities.

These are just the highlights as there certainly hasn’t been a slow month. I hope to continue to bring great programs to Williams County!