Making a Difference in Benton County 501 1st Ave. Vinton Iowa 52349 Phone: (319) 472-4739 Fax: (319) 472-5601 www.extension.iastate.edu/benton Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Benton County provides relevant programs that support healthy people, healthy environments, and healthy economies. Read about some of the ways ISU Extension meets local needs, improves quality of life, and helps make Benton County a better place to live, work and play. Greg Walston County Director

Benton County Extension Council Shannon Feuerbach Matt Marovec Council Chair Member Brain McNulty Jim Bruce Council Vice Chair Member John Holst Deb Miller Treasurer Member Nancy Jensen Allison Hicks Secretary Member

Benton County Extension Staff Greg Walston

Benton County Program Director Patti Upmeyer

Office Coordinator Courtni Siela

County Youth Coordinator Denise Schwab

Beef Field Specialist

Water Quality Since 2014 Benton County Extension has been involved in the IDALS water quality project of the Benton/Tama Nutrient Reduction Strategy of three watersheds in the northern part of the county. Also we have most recently been involved in the Watershed Management Authority of the Middle Cedar River. As a result of these efforts, we have affected change on over 22,000 crop acres.

Farmland Leasing and Farm Bill Program Farm Management Specialist Ryan Drollette, has reached out to hundreds of farmers in Benton County in the past four years that he has been with ISU with his Farmland Leasing Meetings and Farm Bill Program.

Food and Nutrition Human Sciences, Nutrition, and Wellness Specialist, Rachel Wall serves Benton County and can be seen on KCRG News giving health tips and sharing recipes. She has offered many nutrition classes, such as salsa making, food preservation, knife skills, crock pot cooking, ServSafe and

BUILDING A #STRONGIOWA

3rd Grade Ag Day Held in the spring each year, we help educate 250-300 students. We partner with around 100 volunteers from all three of our Community School Districts, FFA chapters, 4-Hers, Farm Bureau and Commodity Groups at the Benton County Fairgrounds. We also do a follow up session with each class to enhance the learning experience for all of our 3rd Grade students.

Benton County 4-H We are very proud of our 4-Hers throughout the county. We currently have 16 clubs in the county with approximately 360 members. We also have 2 Clover Bud clubs with 40-60 members. We offered a multitude of trips, camps and leadership experiences. We also have a County Youth Council to advise and recommend new events and programming.

Ag Safety Day An annual event held each September for over 15 years with a goal of educating our youth on the safety issues associated with being on or around a farm. We average between 40-80 students and 50 volunteers each year and cover safety topics such as ATVs, fires, water, electrical, animals, large equipment, grain bins, 911 emergencies and first aid.

Youth Community Garden Since 2010 we have developed a garden area to help educate 15-25 kids each year on selecting, planting and harvesting a variety of produce into their diets.

Summer Science Discovery Camps Since beginning SSDC in 2010, we have educated over 1,340 K-6th grade youth in science, technology, engineering and math skills all while having FUN! We have partnered with 7 towns and their community parks to offer 10 camps at the beginning of each summer. Topics during our camps have included soil, weather, motion and healthy living.

Young Farmers Group More than 60 young farmers have participated in one or more of the meetings and tours over the last 8 years. Much of the focus has been on beef production, but also include pasture management, economics, lending, and transition planning.

Master Gardeners Benton County MGs partnered with the City of Vinton to offer a Community Garden to the citizens of Vinton. They worked hard in designing, constructing and helping plant raised beds on a lot on Q Avenue. They also hosted two education sessions on canning and preserving the produce from gardening with the help of Rachel Wall our Nutrition Specialist.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or status as a U.S. veteran. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Ross Wilburn, Diversity Officer, 2150 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, 515-294-1482, wilburn@iastate.edu.

December 2016