4-H Awareness Burke County 4-H worked with local libraries, recreation centers and after school programs to provide the youth programming to new audiences. This partnership resulted in more than 250 youth participants and approximately 500 citizens learning more about 4-H youth programming in Burke County.
- 2,199 Youth participated in 4-H Programs
- 192 Youth enhanced their knowledge of college and career readiness
Extension Master Gardener Class
Spring of 2024 brought a new Horticulture Agent to the Burke County Center.The agent worked with a mentor to plan and market the Extension Master Gardener class to be offered in the fall.As a result, 5 students completed the course and graduated as Master Gardener Interns. These graduates will continue to work with Extension as volunteers.
- 300 individuals reported starting a vegetable and/or fruit garden as a result of Extension educational programs or assistance.
- 25 Individuals grew food in the Extension Community Garden.
Hurricane Helene Recovery
Hurricane Helene brought devastation to Western NC in the fall of 2024. As a result, livestock producers needed to replace a tremendous amount of fencing.The Livestock Agent worked with the Burke County Cattlemen’s Association and Burke County United Way to procure funding to help with this task. Initial funding of $2500 helped with immediate needs but was not enough to get the job done. United Way stepped up with the donation of $7600 to purchase a post driver for farmers to use to repair fencing. To date, 7 farmers have signed up to use the post driver to repair 11 miles of fencing.Cooperative Extension staffworks with farmers to schedule use of the post driver.Spotlight on Local Farmers
Cooperative Extension Agents visited local farmers to gather information about them and their operations.Posters were created and displayed at the Drexel Community Fair for fairgoers to learn more about local agriculture.The posters were also featured on social media and on the bulletin board in the Agricultural Building.This spotlight on local farmers resulted in citizens becoming more aware of the types of farms in our area as well as encouraging them to buy locally!
- Burke County has 473 farms covering 44,077 acres of land with an approximate net income of $31,414,000
Meal Planning for Family Care Homes
Burke County Family Care Homes were facing the challenge of providing more nutritious meals with outdated menus.Meals that aligned better with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans could alleviate some of the ailments faced by older, sicker residents. Our FCS Agent collaborated with stakeholders to assess needs and develop four rotating menus tailored to senior adults’ nutritional needs.These menus were presented at a workshop and 100% of the participants found the information beneficial and expressed their intent to implement the updated menus.
- Extension volunteers logged 2,665 hours at an approximate value of $80,000.
- 224,132 people were reached through 295 face to face programs.
- 249,449 people were reached through our website and social media.
- Our agents reached approximately 3,761,336 people through print and broadcast media.
