2018 Annual Report - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension...

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.

The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

Extension Education in Gregg County

2018 Annual Report

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has long been dedicated to educating Texans. Extension education evolved nationwide under the 1914 federal Smith-Lever Act, which sought to extend university knowledge and agricultural research findings directly to the people. Ever since, Extension programs have addressed the emerging issues of the day, reaching diverse rural and urban populations. In Texas, all 254 counties are served by a well-organized network of professional Extension educators and some 100,000 trained volunteers. Extension expertise and educational outreach pertain to the food and fiber industry, natural resources, family and consumer sciences, nutrition and health, and community economic development.

Among those served are hundreds of thousands of young people who benefit annually from Extension’s 4-H and youth development programs. Texans turn to Extension education for solutions. Extension agents and specialists respond not only with answers, but also with resources and services that result in significant returns on the public’s investment. Extension programs are custom-designed for each region of the state, with residents providing input and help with program delivery. Here are just a few highlights of Extension impacts on this county and its people.

Gregg County – Summary of 2017 Educational Contacts

As of October 30, 2018

- Total Contacts – 58,300 - Educational Event Contacts – 16,420 - Individual Contacts (Direct) – 10,840 - Individual Contacts (Indirect) – 20,555 - Marketing Contacts (Newsletters, Web Site and Email) – 9,912 - Volunteer Contacts (Individual) – 2,929 - Social Media Post – 17,352 - Social Media Followers – 3,691

AgriLifeExtension.tamu.edu

Beef & Forage Management Plan Purpose & Background Data: Beef Quality Assurance and the Texas Beef Quality Assurance program continue to be an important issue in Gregg County. To date, a small amount or number of producers are certified. BQA will be one of the driving forces in continued quality beef production and our producers need to realize this especially as its effect marketing issues. Beef and forage production is still a major factor and contributor to the total agricultural income in Gregg County, accounting for 50% of the total agricultural income that is reported each year. The Beef Quality Assurance issue, as it deals with proper beef cattle health management and food safety, have come about in a big way since 2000. More than ever, beef consumers are aware of the issues that affect food safety and providing a wholesome, safe product for their families. Beef producers need to be more aware of this issue as it relates to their product, beef cattle. Gregg County beef producers, under the direction of the Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club and Gregg County Extension Agriculture Committee, provides input into the program planning, implementation and evaluation of educational programs and activities to address beef quality assurance issues, as well as general beef cattle management as a whole. The programs planned will affect not only beef cattle management, but forage production practices as well. Planning Group – Gregg County Extension AG/NR Committee & Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club Response The Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month for their monthly meeting and educational program or speaker. The opportunity is also presented at some meetings throughout the year to offer one (1) CEU toward any Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license to participants while attending the meetings, if at all possible. 2018 Farm & Ranch Income Tax and Schedule “F” Informational Program was sponsored by the Oil Belt Farm & Ranch club, as well as the Gregg County Extension AG/NR Committee and was held in January. The program was led by Yancy Murray of Legacy AG Credit in Gilmer. Legacy AG Credit also sponsored the evening meal. The Beef & Forage Weekly Electronic Newsletter - The Agricultural Email list in the county and East Texas area, continues to grow monthly, as new producers ask to be added to the list. The email list serves several purposes, mainly to send out educational program reminders on a weekly basis, as well as the weekly Price Trends Cattle Price Report that is prepared weekly by Dr. Jason Banta, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist in Overton and the monthly Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club Newsletter. The 2018 Beef & Forage Management Calendar Program was also held at the Gregg County Extension office in February with guest speaker, Dr. Jason Banta, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist from Overton. Jason and Vanessa discussed beef & forage management chores and items of management that need or should be completed during the year.


The 2018 Oil Belt Scholarship Reception and Dinner was held in June at the Griffin Ranch in Kilgore, Texas. This gave to opportunity for members to recognize this year’s winner of the Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club’s scholarship, in memory of J. Marvin Watkins. Seven high school youth made application for this year’s scholarship and was awarded to a youth from Gilmer High School. The 2018 Annual East Texas Regional Forage Conference was held in Longview with the five county groups of counties co-sponsoring the program this year. Gregg, Harrison, Panola, Rusk and Upshur Counties participated. Program topics were as follows; Use of clovers in a Winter Pasture Program, Pasture Herbicide Updates and “Adding Value” to Beef Cattle. International Trade was also discussed and how these issues on the global scale affect local producers. The Noon meal was sponsored by Legacy AG Credit and two credit hours were also awarded to participants toward TDA pesticide recertification requirements. 2018 Pesticide Safety Program was sponsored by the Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club that featured Dr. Mark Matocha, Extension Specialist with the Ag. & Environmental Safety Unit, who discussed pesticide safety in general. One CEU pesticide credit was also made available for participants who were seeking credit hours toward their pesticide re-certification requirements. The evening meal was sponsored by Jakes Feed of Longview. 2018 Producers Beef Tour – Central Texas Area was held and sponsored by the East District 5 TCAAA. Participants toured the following ranches and facilities; Santa Rosa Ranch, Stalwart Ranch, McGregor Research Center, Livestock Nutrition Center and Superior Livestock Auction in Fort Worth. The Monthly Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Newsletter is published every month and sent via email to club members, those that do not have email, hard copies are sent by regular mail. The newsletter features program updates and reminders, as well as beef and forage related articles from Texas A&M and other institutions like the Noble Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Results During the 2018-year, three beef and forage educational programs were evaluated using the “East Region” survey tools that are located on-line. These three events were; The East Texas Regional Forage Conference, Chute-Side Manners program and The Clover Utilization Program. 2017East Texas Regional Forage Conference Average head of cattle managed from the participants – 97.36 head Average number of acres managed from participants – 222.72 Total anticipated economic benefit per acre - $18.75 Total anticipated economic benefit per head - $18.43 Average total economic impact per producer’s operation - $1,133.22 Total economic impact for this program – $67,638.00

Total economic impact for evaluated Beef & Forage major programs held in 2018 - $67,638.00


2018 Beef & Forage Program Plan Notes... Face to Face Contacts - 844 Phone Contacts - 458 Contacts by Extension Volunteers - 620 Email Contacts – 14,544 Newsletter Contacts - 1320 Other Agricultural Related Programming Efforts (Base AG/NR Plan and Master Gardener Program) Planning Group – Gregg County Extension AG/NR Committee, Gregg County Extension Beekeeper’s Committee & Gregg County Master Gardener Association The Longview Beekeeper’s Association was started in Gregg County in June 2015. The club meets on the 4th Thursday of each month and features club business and then a program speaker each meeting. The club averages 40 to 50 members each meeting and continues to grow in membership. The club became official in September of 2015, voting and approving the club by-laws. This new beekeeper’s association serves a wide area, including members from not only Gregg County, but Harrison, Rusk and Upshur Counties as well. In 2016 the Gregg County Extension Beekeeping Committee was also formed due to the popularity of beekeeping in the area to give direction on educational programming efforts in the county and continues to grow each year. Mass Media Contacts are achieved through a regular, weekly news column that is written and appears in the Sunday edition of the Longview News Journal. There is also a regular blog in the Longview News Journal that features comments and educational materials dealing with home horticulture topics. 2018 Northeast Texas Beekeeper’s Conference was held in Longview with the cooperation of several other beekeeping clubs in the northeast Texas area. Dr. Larry Connor, from Michigan was the featured speaker for the day. The conference was attended by over 150 beekeepers from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. 2018 Annual Pesticide Credit Hour Program was held in January at Enoch’s Stomp Winery in Harleton, Texas with over 60 participants, who had the opportunity to earn six credit hours toward their Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license. Various topics were presented and attendees from several counties participated in this annual event. Topics included this year were; Forage Management in East Texas, Aquatic Weed control Management, External Parasite on Beef Cattle, Pasture Weed Control Updates, Biological Control Options for Insects and Pesticide License Management. 2018 Wild Pig Seminar was held at the Texas A&M Agrilife Research & Extension Center in Overton and was sponsored by Rozell Sprayer Manufacturing in Tyler. Participants earned 2 CEU’s toward their pesticide recertification requirements. The program was led by Aaron Sumrall, CEA in Newton County at the time. Texas Animal Health Commission was also on the program to discuss health concerns. 2018 Peach Tree Pruning Demonstration was held at a local peach farm in February and was co-sponsored by the Gregg and Harrison County Extension offices. Basic peach pruning was discussed and the reasons why you prune, as well as insect and disease management were also discussed.


2018 Forest Management Plan Workshops were held at the Gregg County Extension office in Longview each month from January through August for Landowners to participate in to gain assistance from the Texas Forest Service to write and manage a Timber Management Plan for property tax reasons and for timber valuations in the region. The sessions were taught by TFS personnel each month and participants were awarded a certificate of completion at the conclusion of the workshop. Plans are to hold the workshops again in 2019. 2018 Horse Nutrition & Management Program was held at the Gregg County Extension office in Longview. The seminar was held in May. The program we led by Dr. Sarah White, Assistant Professor of Equine Physiology from Texas A&M University. She discussed the following topics; Basic Horse Nutrition, Traveling with your Horse and From Pasture to Working Horse. The evening meal was sponsored by Kelly Tractor of Longview. 2018 Manage & Mitigate Wildlife Damage Program was held in April and sponsored by the Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club. The featured speaker was Gregg Miller, with the Texas Animal Damage Control Service, a hamburger meal was served for supper. 2018 East Texas Fruit & Vegetable Conference was held in the northern part of East District 5 with ten counties participating. The conference was held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center in Overton. The following topics were discussed; Common Garden Questions/Asian Vegetables, Growing Figs at Home, Fertilizing & Irrigating in the Garden, Understanding Soil Test Results to name a few. There was a total of 2 CEU’s available as well for pesticide license recertification. 2018 Game Law Updates Program, An Evening with Todd Long, Gregg County Game Warden was held and sponsored by the Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club and Gregg County Extension AG/NR Committee in September. Todd discussed the functions and responsibilities of a game warden, as well as passed out the updated game law book and discussed some past cases. Results During the 2018-year, two outcome based educational programs were evaluated using the “East Region” survey tools that are located on-line. These three events were; New Beekeeper’s Class, Income Alternatives for Landowners and the 2017 East Texas Fruit & Vegetable Conference-North, which was a multi-county planned program. 2018 Northeast Texas Beekeepers Conference Level of understanding acquired…

Understanding of… Before After % Change Honey Bee

Reproduction 2.23 3.14 30.3%

Increased Nucleolus Colonies

1.97 3.25 42.7%

Managing for Sustainability

2.18 3.14 32.0%

Bee Biology 1.94 2.97 34.3% Economic impact for this program was $25,360.00 or $31.90 per hive.


2018 Wild Pig Seminar Total dollars lost due to wild pig damage (Across East District 5… Understanding

of… Number Minimum Maximum Sum Average Standard Deviation $

Estimated total economic losses

due to pigs during the previous years

on all of your properties?

62 0 $99,990 $430,240 $6,939.35 $17,624.04

As a result of implementing, what you have learned

from this Extension conference, what

do you expect your losses to be due to wild pig damage?

47 0 $50,000 $237,700 $5,057.45 $8,839.97

Average total economic loss per landowner (Before Program) - $6,939.35 Total economic savings in dollars lost for this program per landowner – $8,784.07

Total economic impact for “Other” AG Programs that were evaluated - $34,144.07

Gregg County Master Gardener Program The Gregg County Master Gardener program continues to be a viable and growing organization in Gregg County. The association continues to hold their monthly Master Gardener Association meetings, host educational programs for the public, post events on their Facebook site and help Extension staff with news articles and other promotional items. The 2018 Master Gardener Class graduated eleven interns from this class and was awarded completion certificates during their Annual Master Gardener Awards Luncheon that was held this spring. The 2019 Master Gardener class schedule has been set and registrations are coming in. The Annual Master Gardener class will be a joint program between Gregg and Harrison Counties. The class will start in January 2019. 2018 Master Gardener Tree-Give-Away was held at the Gregg County Extension office Auditorium here in Longview. This was the second year to hold the program and was a joint effort between the Gregg County Master Gardener Association and the Texas Forest Service office in Marshall, Texas. Approximately 1800 seedlings were furnished by the Texas Forest Service, which were donated to the Master Gardener’s and were given away to local Gregg County residents to plant on their property. This is an annual event and will be held again in January of 2019. 2018 Spring Landscape & Gardening Seminar was held once again at the First United Methodist Church in Longview. This is a staple program for the Gregg County Master Gardener Association and is held on an annual basis every year. 155 people attended this year’s conference. This year’s speakers were; Dr. Joe Masabni, Extension Vegetable and Small Farm Specialist from Overton, who discussed Vegetable Gardening in East Texas, as well as Herb Production. Keith Hansen, Retired Horticulture Agent from Smith County was also present and discussed Critters in the Landscape.


2018 Fall Bulbs for Spring Blooming & Other Perennials in the Landscape was another program for the public that was sponsored by the Master Gardener Association. The program featured Lisa Egner, Gregg County Master Gardener and owner of Texas Heritage Gardens in Linden, Texas. The program was presented in September. The 4th Annual Fall Master Gardner Plant Sale was held in September of this year at the Gregg County Extension office. This plant sale serves the association as their major fundraiser for the year. The association did well, and the sale was a success, all of the plants sold were grown by Master Gardeners. Results During the 2018 year, two In-Depth based educational programs were evaluated using the “East Region” survey tools that are located on-line. The Annual Master Gardener Spring Seminar was also evaluated using the “Customer Satisfaction” survey tool as well. 2018 Gregg-Harrison County Master Gardener Class Level of understanding acquired…

Program Content… Before After % Change Plant Disease Problems 1.64 3.14 50.0% Basic Tree Maintenance 1.93 3.14 40.3%

Insects 1.64 3.21 52.3% Vegetable Production 2.21 3.71 50.0%

Composting 1.77 3.77 66.7% Plant Propagation 1.31 3.08 59.0%

East Texas Horticulture Industry 1.29 3.71 80.7% Water Gardens & Features 1.50 3.36 62.0%

2018 Master Gardener Spring Seminar There was an 88% increase in knowledge gained from participants who attended this seminar. Economic impact for this program was $23,370.00 or $320.00 per person. Total volunteer hours provided by Gregg County Master Gardeners Association for 2018, was 3266 hours, valued at $80,649.88 to Gregg County and the City of Longview. (As of 11-08-18)

Total Economic Impact for the Master Gardener Program - $104,019.88 Total number of contacts reached through Master Gardener program; 7244 Acknowledgments The Gregg County Extension Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee and the Oil Belt Farm & Ranch Club both offer great insight into the educational programs and activities in the county, thanks for their dedication and service to the educational needs of the county as a whole. Also, to the farm supply stores and various vendors in the area for supporting Extension education. Thank you to Legacy Ag Credit for sponsoring many of the meals and educational content that was offered in 2018.


Total Economic Impact for all Agricultural/Horticulture Programs in 2018 - $196,493.54, for program’s that were evaluated, as well as volunteer hours donated.

Gregg County Leadership Advisory Board The Gregg County Leadership Advisory Board provides guidance to the total Gregg County Extension program through quarterly board planning meetings, as well as the Annual Meeting which is held in the fall of the year, typically in November. Most of the board also serves as committee members on other Gregg County Extension committees and task forces, but we also have board members that serve on an “at-large” basis as well. Each year, the Leadership Advisory Board also sponsors a spring educational program for the public.

2018 Identity Theft Awareness Seminar was held and sponsored by the Gregg County Extension Leadership Advisory Board and was held in April. The featured speakers for the evening were Gregg county Sheriff, Maxey Cerliano, who discussed Identity theft in general and discussed credit card skimmer use in the area. Representatives from Austin Bank here in Longview also were on hand to discuss basic identity theft prevention and management.


2018 Gregg County Better Living for Texans (A Fresh Start to a Healthier You! and Eat Smart, Live Strong)

Relevance More than 3.7 million individuals receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), historically known as food stamps. Studies have shown individuals who live in poverty (including SNAP recipients) have dietary intakes that are not in agreement with current recommendations (i.e. Dietary Guidelines or MyPlate). This audience, like many, may not recognize their risk for foodborne illness. Having enough food to eat is also a challenge; an estimated 1 in 6 households in Texas experience food insecurity.

Response – Better Living for Texans (BLT) The BLT Program is a cooperative endeavor among Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), and the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) of USDA. A component of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), BLT offers food and nutrition education to SNAP recipients, applicants, and other low‐income audiences to help improve their ability to plan and prepare nutritious meals, stretch food dollars, and prepare and store food safely. BLT also incorporates gardening and physical activity into the Learn, Grow, Eat, Go! curriculum enrichment program to promote physical activity and increase exposure to vegetables and fruits in school age children. During 2018, the BLT series: A Fresh Start to a Healthier You! series was offered in multiple locations across Gregg County including: Longview Housing Authority, New Gate Mission, Heartisan’s, Churchill, Hillside Village, Graciously Broken Ministries, Buckner Child and Family Services, The Historic Longview Farmer’s Market, Eden Place, and Page Place. This program series focuses on improving vegetable and fruit intake, meal planning, increasing physical activity, and adopting selected behaviors that can reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The Eat Smart, Live Strong series was also utilized. This series couples basic nutritional information and the promotion of increasing daily fruit and vegetable intake with weekly physical activity for Senior Citizens. The series was offered to local United Healthcare Plan participants and Buckner Child and Family Services participants.

Results A total of 830 limited resource individuals were directly engaged with nutrition programming and 166 adult participants graduated (attended 3 out of 4 sessions) from a BLT nutrition series in 2018.


127 Gregg County adults completed the BLT A Fresh Start to a Healthier You! series. 50% of participants of the Fresh Start to a Healthier You! lesson series indicated they participate in or qualify for SNAP benefits. 61.5% indicated they had accessed a local food pantry or emergency food program in the past 30 days. Participants reported spending an average of $208.13 a month on food. 39 adult participants completed the 4‐week Eat Smart, Live Strong series. 100% of participants reported needing assistance with purchasing food. 27.6 % of participants of the Eat Smart, Live Strong program indicated they received SNAP benefits. 82.3 % of participants of the lesson series indicated they had accessed a food pantry or emergency food program in the past 30 days. A few of the senior age participants declined to answer questions related to benefits, possibly due to privacy issues. Therefore, the potential number of Seniors using this type of services could be higher. Evaluation results Changes in targeted behaviors were examined by evaluating the pre‐ and post‐surveys of those individuals who completed the program series. Additionally, some participants of the Fresh Start to a Healthier You! series completed a 30‐day follow‐up survey.

Vegetable and Fruit Consumption – Eat Smart, Live Strong Senior age participants reported low to moderate fruit consumption over the course of the 4‐week series. At the beginning of the series, participants indicated they ate 1 cup or less of fruit per serving. Vegetable consumption was higher for the group. Most seniors reported eating vegetables 1‐2 times per day. At the conclusion of the series, almost all participants had increased daily fruit and vegetable consumption.

Another factor the Better Living for Texans program assesses is physical activity. For participants in the Eat Smart, Live Strong lesson series, physical activity results increased from a reported 2 times a week at the start to being active 4 times per week at the conclusion of the series.

Eat Smart, Live Strong Pre Post

Fruit Consumption (1‐2 times per day) 53.6% 84.6%

Vegetable Consumption (1‐2 times per day) 58.9% 82.0%

Amount of Fruit per serving (1 cup or less) 85.4% 77.0%

Amount of Vegetables per serving (1 cup or less) 75.0% 66.7%

Physical Activity (times per week) 2.4 4.0


Vegetable and Fruit Consumption –Fresh Start to a Healthier You! Participants reported moderate (1‐2 times per day) fruit and vegetable consumption over the course of the program series. The amount of fruit and vegetables consumed per serving also remained constant at about 1 cup or slightly more per serving. Participants who completed a 30‐day follow‐up survey indicated slight decreases in frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption but reported consuming larger serving sizes.

A Fresh Start to a Healthier You! Pre Post Follow‐up

Fruit Consumption (1‐2 times per day) 64.2% 63.9% 56.0%

Vegetable Consumption (1‐2 times per day) 65.5% 65.7% 61.2%

Amount of Fruit per serving (1 cup or more) 59.3% 61.2% 66.0%

Amount of Vegetables per serving (1 cup or more) 65.2% 68.0% 76.0%

Another factor assessed within the Fresh Start curriculum is Food Safety concepts and practices. Behaviors relating to hand washing and the washing of fruits and vegetable before cooking are addressed.

A Fresh Start to a Healthier You! Pre Post Follow‐up

Wash hands before preparing a meal (Most or all the time)

85% 94% 98%

Wash fruits or vegetables before eating or preparing 92% 96% 96%

STATE OF HEALTH REPORT

of adults report beingin fair or poor health

the average number ofdays per month thatadults feel mentallyunhealthy

Nutrition + Physical Activity

of adults are physicallyinactive

of adults are obese Uninsured + Poverty

of those under age 65are uninsured, comparedto 19% in Texas

Quality of Life

county score on thefood environment index

of children are living inpoverty

Premature death

Measure U.S.

The Case for Prevention

For more information, contact your local Family and Community Health Extension Agent:

of the country's $2.7 trillion annualhealth care expenditures are forpeople with largely preventable chronicdiseases and mental health conditions.

Source: https://nccd.cdc.gov/DHDSPAtlas/Reports.aspx and countyhealthrankings.org

90% At least 7 of the top 10 leading causes of death in the

U.S. and Texas are preventable chronic diseases. 80% of chronic diseases could be prevented through

FOUR key lifestyle factors: a healthy diet, adequatephysical activity, a healthy body weight, and not smoking.

National and State Comparisons

Description Texas CountyHealth Outcomes

Years of potential life lost beforeage 75 per 10,000 population

Cardiovascular deaths

Diabetes prevalence

Poor or fair health

Poor mental healthdays

670 670

Total cardiovascular diseasedeaths per 10,000 population;includes coronary heart disease,heart attack, heart failure,cardiac dysrhythmia,hypertension, and all strokes

42.6 43.7

Percentage of adults diagnosed 8.4% 10%

16% 18% Percentage of adults reportingpoor or fair health

Average number of mentallyunhealthy days reported in past30 days

3.43.8

Health Factors

Adult smoking

Food environmentindex

Adult obesity

Physical inactivity

Percentage of adults reporting aBMI over 30

On a scale from 0 to 10 (with 0 being the worst value), the quality of food environment based on % of population who are low income and do not live close to a grocery store and those without access to a reliable source of food during the past year

28%28%

Percentage of adults reporting noleisure-time physical activity

23% 24%

7.7 6.0

Percentage of adults who arecurrent smokers 17% 14%

Uninsured Percentage of population underage 65 without health insurance 11% 19%

Children in poverty Percentage of children under age18 in poverty

22% 20%

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is an equal opportunity employer and program provider.

Source: 1. CDC (2017). Chronic Disease Overview. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm. 2. Ford, E. S., Bergmann, M. M., Kroger, J., Schienkiewitz, A., Weikert, C., & Boeing, H. (2009). Healthy living is the best revenge: Findings from the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 169(15), 1355-1362. 3. McGinnis, J. M., & Foege, W. H. (1993). Actual causes of death in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 270(18), 2207-2212. 4. Mokdad, A. H., Marks, J. S., Stroup, D. F., & Gerberding, J. L. (2004). Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. JAMA, 291(10), 1238-1245.

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1

2, 3, 4


2018 Gregg County 4-H Grows

Program Summary Managing the 4-H program includes many facets. There are club members, club managers, adult and youth volunteers, program area committees, and other boards that must be managed to ensure a healthy, thriving program. The Extension Agent is heavily involved in all aspects of the 4-H program in Gregg County. Educational events for youth and adults are held throughout the year to teach knowledge in subjects and to help members gain skills needed to have thriving clubs in the county. Program area committee meetings, such as those for FCH-related projects or livestock-related projects are held to ensure our relevancy in today’s society. These committees help guide their selected projects to ensure they meet the needs of the youth in Gregg County. Youth are members of the 4-H County Council to help identify issues of the youth of Gregg County. Not only do members and volunteer leaders participate in educational events through

projects and activities, they are also involved with the Extension Agent and a variety of groups and committees to plan and facilitate the program. They help provide support to the Gregg County 4-H program through publicizing information, coordinating fundraising efforts, and collecting, processing and submitting entries for various events and activities. The agent strives to train leaders and youth in all aspects of 4-H projects. Planning and coordinating the 4-H program in Gregg County is manned by all three Extension Agents assigned to Gregg County. 4-H members are involved in projects such as livestock related projects, FCS-related projects, and non-traditional 4-H projects such as photography, robotics, and companion animals. It takes all three agents to help train and motivate volunteer leaders for these vastly duties.

Trainings

Trainings consisted of adult volunteer trainings, club manager trainings, county council office trainings, club officer training, project leader trainings (poultry/rabbits, record book, food & nutrition, and clothing/textile)

Club Management For 2017-2018, 50 youth enrolled in Gregg County 4-

H Clubs. As of November 2018, Gregg County 4-H Club enrollment has significantly increased to 303 youth and 6 clubs have been chartered. This relates to a 606% increase in 4-H enrollment! Two newly chartered 4-H Clubs: Ware Elementary 4-H Champion Club members are engaged in Yoga for Kids, the Food and Nutrition project, and Rabbit project while University Academy 4-H Club members are engaged in Robotics, Sewing, and Food and Nutrition projects.


4-H County Council

Comprised of 8-12 youth members, this committee supports the County Extension Agent in planning, conducting, evaluating and interpreting youth development programs. In October 2018, the Gregg County Council participated in the 4-H Proclamation to kick off National 4-H Week. Six 4-H youth stood proud in front of Gregg County Commissioners to promote educational events, activities and distributed a 4-H t-shirt to each Commissioner.

4-H Adult Leader Committee

Volunteers are continuously identified, recruited and trained for various projects to help with the growth of the program. Adult leaders and Club Managers meet 4-5 times a year to plan, share ideas, and participate in fundraisers to provide support to Gregg County 4-H program

State Fair of Texas Dairy Cow Judging 4-H members from our Gregg County Livestock Club joined together to form a team to participate in the Dairy Cow Judging competition at the State Fair in Dallas, TX.

Harvest Festival Livestock & Show

Divisions Number of participants Rabbits 5 Broilers 3 Market Hog 2 Market Steer 1 Home Economics Show 4


Learn! Grow! Eat & Go! (LGEG) Program The Learn, Grow, Eat & Go program, utilizing a 10-week curriculum emphasizing science, math, language art/reading, social studies and health through effective learning activities was implemented in seven Elementary schools in Longview Independent School District. Target Audience Reached: 765 (2nd Graders) The LGEG program engaged children in planting school gardens, vegetable recipe tastings, food demonstrations and classroom activities that included: 10 weeks of in-class, TEKS aligned, activities with 2-4 concepts per week (taught by the Extension Agent, Gregg County Master Gardeners and Teachers) – 4 raised bed gardens were constructed at each elementary school where youth planted carrots, radishes, mustard greens, cilantro, broccoli, spinach, swiss chard, and lettuce.

Future Plans Future plans for the 4-H program of Gregg County are to continue to grow the program and engage youth in new areas of the 4-H program. Focus will be on the Food Challenge, Public Speaking, Photography, and Robotics projects for the upcoming year for the new project areas, and we will continue to grow the already established project areas such as food and nutrition, shooting sports, public speaking, livestock, and share the fun by hosting project specific workshops to help encourage new members to participate and help the current members to grow in the specific project area.

Elementary Schools

Number of Youth Reached

Hudson PEP 132 Ware 115 Ned E. Williams 110 J.L. Everhart 117 Bramlette 110 Johnston McQueen 110 South Ward 71

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58,550. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16,435. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42,115

Total ContactsEducational EventsOther Contacts

HoursContacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86,76116,435All Session Contacts

HoursContacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9,7784,928. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76,89911,453. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8454

HoursContacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277212. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68,78113,692. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17,7032,531

HoursContacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86,75716,431. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Plan LevelIn-DepthOutreachOrganizational Support

Task TypePlanning GroupEducational MethodInterpretation

Delivery MethodFace-to-FaceTechnology Assisted

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HoursContacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59,08810,899. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12,9382,638. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11,1182,321. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,569556. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4821. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .00

HoursContacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25,2475,353. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61,51411,082

HoursContacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41,8797,744. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44,8828,691

DemgraphicsEthnicity

WhiteBlackHispanicAsianAmerican IndianUndetermined

AgeAdultYouth

GenderMaleFemale

Ethnicity Age Gender

Texas Reporting Retrieval - Summary - Gregg

Educational Events

HoursContacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,6392,349. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57,9219,418. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22,6264,091. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .576577

Breakdown - Gregg Randy Reeves Trevor King Tami Putnam Cory Alvarado

HoursContacts

294 Sessions reported as part of 238 Reports in 11 Plans. Of these, 165 session(s) were predominantly Adult Audiences, while129 session(s) were predominantly Youth Audiences, and 1 sessions were Technology Assisted.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42,115. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10,867. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20,701. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7,492. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,929

All ContactsIndividual Contacts - DirectIndividual Contacts - IndirectNewsletters

EditionsEducational ResourcesIndividual Contacts - Volunteer

Broadcast Mass Media Sessions: 0 Duration: 0 Distribution: 0 Social Media Posts: 17,364 Followers: 3,766

Total Involved: 321 Hours Contributed: 477

Other Contacts

Broadcast Mass and Social Media

Volunteer Involvement


Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Gregg County

Extension Office Personnel Randy Reeves – CEA - AG/NR Mandy Patrick – CEA - FCS Arvitta Scott – CEA - 4-H & Youth Cory Alvarado – BLT Extension Assistant Veronica Boykin - Office Manager/Secretary Contact Us: Phone - 903-236-8429 Fax - 903-758-3345 Office Web Site - http://gregg.agrilife.org Mailing Address: Gregg County Extension Office 405 East Marshall Ave. Suite 101 Longview, TX. 75601

2018 Annual Report - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension...

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Transcript of 2018 Annual Report - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension...