Our Impact
Making A Difference in Our County
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is working hard for its constituents. The following are examples of Extension’s impact in the county over the past year.
Agriculture and Natural Resources
The 2021 Farm Gate Survey for Burke was $168,936,329, highlighting the importance of the agricultural industry in the county. Burke County Extension’s Agricultural & Natural Resources Agent works to address critical needs associated with this diverse agricultural base.
Burke County annually ranks in the top 10 counties for corn production in Georgia. Growers continued to commit more acres to corn production over the past few years and indicated the continued trend in 2022. Growers turn to Extension for guidance on variety selection, as well as, planting and crop management recommendations. Among other practices, variety selection, integrated pest management and proper rate and timing of fertilizer application are critical points in profitably producing a corn crop. The agent in Burke collaborated with Jefferson County Extension Agent and UGA Southeast Research and Education Center superintendent to develop a research trial to asses the performance of several corn hybrids under Extension recommended management to maximize profit margins.
The trial was designed to compare commercially available varieties of corn that growers could readily access versus experimental varieties. Basic Extension crop management recommendations were followed. The corn varieties were randomized and replicated three times to account for field variations. Plant stand counts were made and yield data was collected at harvest across all plots.
With 22,760 acres planted to corn in 2022 in Burke County, this commodity has a large imprint on the counties’ agricultural economy. Variety choice and the way a particular variety fits a grower’s management can significantly impact corn yield. In this trial, the difference in yield from the top yielding variety to the lowest yielding variety was 35 bushels. With average corn prices at $6.50 /bushel, the impact of determining the optimum variety is $228 /acre when choosing between the highest and lowest yielding varieties. If this applied to a modest estimate of 25% of the corn acres in Burke County, there could be a $1,296,750 increase in income to growers.
4-H Youth Development
According to Raja (2017), “Many people who converse easily in all kinds of everyday situations become frightened at the idea of standing up before a group to make a speech” (p.95). Students must complete projects in almost every subject in school, but feel anxious at the thought of getting up in front of their peers. “People can overcome this problem by practicing in small groups of peers and then moving on to larger audiences” (Raja, 2017).
Burke County 4-H reached out to local public and private school teachers to offer Project Achievement as part of their curriculum. Teachers and 4-H staff worked together to help students choose a topic, research, write a speech and create visual aids. Students and staff worked for months to prepare presentations and Burke County 4-H staff held 40 sessions to teach these topics to students. At the beginning of March, students gave their presentations to classmates and judges. Each school held a competition and the four highest placing students in each project area were invited to attend District Project Achievement (DPA) in Swainsboro on March 26. Students that qualified but unable to attend the in-person competition were able to compete in a state-wide virtual version of the competition.
Burke County 4-H had over 100 students complete a school Project Achievement presentation for a recorded grade in their classroom. At the DPA competition in Swainsboro, Burke County had 58 students attend with over 30 of those students placing in the top 3 of their project area categories. Burke County had 21 students participate in the virtual competition with 20 of those students placing in the top 3 of their project area categories.
Students that participated in Project Achievement were able to gain many presentation skills through the project such as self-confidence. One student said, “DPA is now my favorite 4-H activity and I can’t wait to do it again next year!” Another student said, “if you work hard, you can achieve anything! The project achievement really helped me to feel more confident speaking in front of people.”
Teachers also felt the positive impact that the whole DPA process can have on their students. Ms. Diana Royal, Edmund Burke Academy teacher stated, “We decided to make DPA a required grade for fifth and sixth grade at EBA, and my middle schoolers were not all exactly excited about it – at first. Over the weeks of planning and practicing, they developed their presentation skills, encouraged each other and faced their fears. To hear them say, ‘I cannot wait until next year,’ and to watch them high five one another was magical and so was witnessing them believe in themselves. I am so thankful for what DPA has done in the lives of my students.”
Overall, students enjoyed all aspects of completing a Project Achievement presentation. 68% of students indicated that they agreed that because of Project Achievement they were more confident speaking in front of people. 86% of students said that because of Project Achievement, they were better at preparing a presentation. 92% of students said that they learned more about their topic through Project Achievement. Finally, 76% of students said that they were better at giving presentations because of their participation in Project Achievement.
Because of the success of this program in Burke County, the 4-H Agent and teachers that were part of this collaboration have been asked to serve on state-wide panels to help other counties replicate this model.
Family and Consumer Sciences
UGA Family and Consumer Sciences Extension empowers individuals with the knowledge, skills, and tools for effective management of financial resources for long-term well-being. From understanding credit cards, auto loans, and mortgages, to saving for retirement and other long-term goals, personal financial decisions play a large role in the economic well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Virtual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) provided through Extension Family and Consumer Sciences provides previously unattainable resources and helps Georgia households maximize their financial resources.
The Burke County FACS Agent offered the Virtual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to local clients. Faculty members from the University of Georgia train county agents and undergraduate and graduate students in the financial planning and accounting programs to deliver Virtual VITA. The agent advertised the program, coordinated client appointments, advised clients of required tax documents, assisted clients with a tax questionnaire and scanned tax documents to tax preparers on the UGA campus. Accounting and financial planning students under professorial supervision prepare the tax returns. Financial information is scanned and securely transmitted electronically to the preparer where it is prepared like a traditional VITA return. The review with the client is conducted via video conference and allows real time interaction between client and preparer. Tax returns were completed from January through April 2022.
During the 2022 tax season, 21 Extension agents participated in Virtual VITA and provided taxpayer assistance to taxpayers in 83 counties. A total of 750 tax returns were filed. The total amount of federal and state refunds received by taxpayers participating in the project was $994,234. The program saved taxpayers $301,000 in tax preparation fees. The total economic impact for Virtual VITA is $2 Million. In addition, each taxpayer received a targeted tax planning education email that included details about their return, and information to help them plan for the upcoming tax year. Also, a savings contest encouraged taxpayers to save and plan for emergencies and increased the number who saved a portion of their refund. In Burke County, 24 taxpayers took advantage of the program, a twenty percent increase in clients over the 2021 season. These clients saved approximately $9,600 in tax preparation and related fees. Clients expressed their gratitude for the program, with one client stating that his family would never use another preparer as long as Burke County Extension offered VITA, due to the kindness and professionalism of the staff. Other clients indicated that they had never received refunds this large with previous preparers.