Community Partners in AG and Natural Resources
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A phrase that I’ve heard regularly in our office, is that we are in the ‘people business.’ It’s something that is absolutely true, but may not make sense at first. K-State Research and Extension works to provide education and information from the university level to the public in our counties. We can’t achieve this task without working with the people that we serve, and with other groups and organizations with similar missions.
We are extremely lucky to work in a county that is so heavy in resources and opportunities. One of the less obvious benefits to that is being able to partner with organizations to extend our reach further. In my role of agriculture and natural resources agent, I can think of many partners that help me in my programming. However, I’d like to spotlight a couple of them.
Johnson County Farm Bureau and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) are two of our biggest partners in the agriculture world. Both organizations have similar goals and passions in helping the youth of our county learn and understand the role of agriculture in the world today. We run several programs to work towards that mission, and without the financial backing, manpower, and guidance for those programs, it wouldn’t happen at all.
In the natural resources world, the Johnson County Parks, Recreation, and Parks District is a powerhouse. We work with them in a number of ways. Our Extension Master Naturalist volunteer group assists with workdays to help clean up our natural spaces from invasive species, collects seed to propagate our native prairies, and helps with educational programs to share the knowledge and passion for the outdoors with the public. We are blessed to be in a county that has such dedication to our natural resources.
And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t spotlight the Johnson County Stormwater Management program. Their support and partnership aids in many, many different ways in our office. Within my wheelhouse, I see their presence on both the agriculture and the natural resources perspective. They sponsor the free soil testing program that helps our area farmers and ranchers, but also collectively helps to improve our soil and water quality in the county. And without their backing, the no-till drill that’s available for rent and the native grass seed and pollinator seed cost-share program would not exist.
We’re in the people business, for both the people that we serve, and the people that we work with to make our mission a possibility. And to be clear, this was only a snapshot of the many wonderful partners we have across the county. Everything we do is possible because of the people we work with on a daily basis. Thank you!
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Amy Keigher
Natural Resources Agent