Extension service reports on progress

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Lincoln County Cooperative Extension Office Agent Dr. Holly Gatzke presented her annual review for 2013 to the County Commission meeting April 7, as well as the plans for 2014.

She said she was working presently with producers in Utah and Nevada, and the department of health in both states on a few sweet corn projects.

?We?ll write it up into templates and guides so those interested can look at it and decide in you are willing to go through these, check off the list and figure out what would it take to make the sweet corn a product I could sell in the future.?

The Extension?s Youth and Adult Work Force program has been running for about three years. Gatzke said she is currently writing grant applications for the program, one for youth, one for adults.

She has two new staff in her office she has been training on this program. She says there are quite a few adults who have expressed interest in the program. ?We can do different things with the adults and youth, and are continuing to build a strong relationship with the school district. It?s working well, I?m happy with where that is going. We?re picking up kids who have been struggling in and out of school, and others who are bumping into our adult program that we can really help.?

She noted plans are for working with the school district to know what each other has, ?to know when we get clients in, we can pair them up with something needed by the school district, and how we can work together to multiply up the little bit of money we do have.?

Of the 21 people in the program in 2013, Gatzke said two earned their GED, one adult diploma, four who went into post secondary education, and one into occupational training and basic employee fundamentals, along with experience, and hopefully, long-term employment. ?Our employment rate is one of the highest in the county.?

In the meantime, 4-H leader Haley Gloeckner has been also assigned the task of teaching an eight-class program in Alamo, Caliente, Panaca, and Pioche on fitness and healthy eating for people who are low income, and on the Welfare Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program-Education, and WIC. ?Everybody is welcome to the class,? Gatzke said, ?They come and learn how to eat on a budget, but eat healthy, and be active.?