Hancock County Program Updates
7868 County
Road 140, Suite B - Findlay, OH 45840
Phone: (419) 422-3851 ~ Fax: (419) 422-3866
We are pleased to share with you some of the highlights of our Fall 2003 educational programs and activities conducted by the Hancock County Extension faculty and staff.
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Replicated Research Plots for 2003 have included: European Corn Borer resistance which compared BT corn hybrids to its comparative isoline; Thirty-two different grass varieties replicated 3X to compare for quality and yield; Twenty cultivars replicated 3X of Virginia Wild Rye, a native, cool season grass; and three 1/3-acre paddocks comparing 4 different grasses for animal preference. All forage research done in cooperation with The University of Findlay and Corn Borer research with a local farmer. Plot data is available upon request.
Two Ag Day Programs were conducted for the Hancock County Leadership adult and youth class programs, which have enrollments totally donimated by non-agricultural backgrounds. The two days, involving 90 people, included a cook-your-own omlet breakfast; six farm tours, lunch with farm wives, and other agriculture informational sessions. Other program cooperators and funders were the Hancock-Wood Electric Coop, Blanchard Valley Farmers Coop, and recent Hancock Leadership graduates.
Forage for Horses Program has been presented in eight programs attended by 350 people throughout Ohio. The final program for the year was a Horse Pasture Management Field Day at The University of Findlay Center for Equine and Pre-Vet Studies where 70 people from around the state attended the day-long program featuring 168 pasture grass variety plots. Four other forage seminars, attended by 145 people, were presented including one for beef and sheep and an alfalfa field day.
A skillathon for the Ohio State Fair Sheep Department was organized and conducted involving 260 youth and 40 adult volunteers.
The Hancock County Fair was once again successful, involving over 1000 youth and many volunteers. The Extension Office staff helped coordinate many programs and show including the Junior Fair Livestock Sale that grossed $287,261.2003
Master Gardener activities included 17 interns completing Master Gardener Coursework. Also participated in: Let's Go Gardening; Leisure Living Display; WFIN Radio; demonstration garden; Splash Bash for 4th grade students; SWCD 3rd Grade Days; and the Hancock County Fair. Served as hosts for the West District Master Gardener Coordinator's Conference.
- 11 new child home day care providers received core training at 2 quarterly training sessions.
- 76 care providers & home lenders received training in the Universal Design concept. 66 persons received instruction in 3 Communication for Life Planning sessions.
- 5 general Parenting Classes were offered to the public and at the Hancock County Jail reaching 30 persons. 30 parents attended an Infant & Toddler Parenting Series.
- 6 Money management Classes were taught to parents, grandparents, an economic literacy class and at the jail reaching 53 persons.
- 30 caregivers participated in a 5-week "Caregivers of the Elderly" series.
- Ohio Parent Appreciation Week was celebrated in September. 9000 ribbons, 2000 bags of peanuts and 12,000 stickers were distributed, 75 essays were submitted, and 400+ attended the Family Barbecue at the park
- 957 traditional 4-H members completed their 4-H year by participating in project judging and exhibiting project work at the Hancock County Fair.
- 210 campers, teen counselors and adults attended 4-H Jr. Camp at Camp Ohio, building skills in leadership, responsibility, team challenge, high ropes, communication, and environmental awareness.
- 92 young people participated in a day-camp to develop skills in games leadership, communication, decision-making, and personal interaction.
- 274 4-H members participated in contests such as Livestock Judging, Shopping Bag, Health Bowl, Horse Bowl, Horse Judging, Demonstration and Public Speaking to increase life skills in the areas of communication, decision-making, and leadership.
- 209 Advisors and Key Leaders served as volunteers in the traditional 4-H program area in 2003.
- Nearly 1000 children and parents participated in the 8th Annual Danger Zone Children's Safety Fair.
- 125 children participated in the Summer Safety Clinic
- 108 teens participated in the 14th Annual Hancock County Teen Leadership Conference.
- 11 persons participated in a Building Dynamic Groups workshop
- Four 4-H members completed the 4-H County Government Project.
To promote food security and sound nutrition for the limited resource population of Hancock County, instruction and information was provided throughout the community. Nearly 20 organizations cooperate with the goals of the Family Nutrition Program. Outreach included:
- 115 class sessions were conducted with 588 participants
- 90 Blanchard Valley Industries employees received group and individual instruction on the importance of eating vegetables and healthy snacks.
- 6 educational displays with literature were set up and manned at community sites: Help Me Grow; Findlay High School GRADS; University of Findlay; Hancock County Fair.
- 3,360 newsletters were distributed.
4-H ROCKS (Reading Out of Class Kids Succeed) continues to grow across the State of Ohio. This program currently serves students enrolled in before and after school care in six counties across the state and was designed and is monitored in Hancock County. During the summer of 2003, two more counties received training to place 4-H ROCKS in three more care sites. 4-H ROCKS trains out of school caregivers to use literacy teachings in fun ways to encourage children to read.
LAMP (Literacy and Mentoring Partners) is involving an additional 80 volunteers in tutoring children in the school on a weekly basis. Each mentor took part in five hours of training in the month of September and will received additional instruction as the school year progresses. The new mentors join another 300 who continue to work in the schools and were previously trained. OhioReads grants were again received for the years 2003-2005 in the amount of $294,000 and each school involved will receive $21,000 over the two-year period.
OSU is partnering with the University of Findlay to provide service-learning opportunities for freshman education students. This fall, 145 U of F students received literacy training and are currently mentoring students at Van Buren School and Central Middle School in Findlay. This project will conclude in November when the children visit their tutors at the University.
If you
have questions or would like more information on these or any of our educational
programs, please contact the Extension office or e-mail us: hanc@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu
OSU Extension embraces human diversity and is committed to ensuring that all educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, age, gender identity or expression, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or veteran status.
Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Director, OSU Extension
TDD No. 800-589-8292 ( Ohio only) or 614-292-1868