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
Lee County conducted meetings on crop diseases, weed control, irrigation, using pesticides wisely, and corn, soybean, cotton, peanut, and pecan production. Businesses supported county production meetings led by Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Doug Collins. Technical assistance totaled 561 site visits, 648 face-to-face interactions, 630 in-office visits, and 614 phone contacts. 349 samples were diagnosed. Collins wrote 51 weekly newspaper columns that were published in The Lee County Ledger. Topics of the column related to homeowner issues like gardening and landscaping. Collins also sent out fifteen newsletters to growers during the growing season. These newsletters contained timely articles written by Extension specialists as well as some written by the agent. He also taught the Vegetable Gardening: Garden Soils 101: Soil Fertility and Soil Testing class at the Sunbelt Ag Expo. Lee County Administrative Assistant Courtney Wingfield handles soil, water, and diagnostic samples.
4-H Youth Development
Lee County 4-H members, led by 4-H Agent Mallory Wise and 4-H Educator Leila Baxter, were involved in a wide variety of activities in 2023. They learned a wide range of skills, from marksmanship and teamwork to reasoning and public speaking. The S.A.F.E. shotgun team and archery team have 5 certified coaches and over 30 team members. Lee County was represented at the Area Cotton Boll and Consumer Judging Competition, where the junior team of Abby Prandine, Madeline Kerznar, Cassidy McMann, and Hunter Michael place third. There were 5 middle school and 6 high school participants at District Project Achievement at Rock Eagle and there were 35 4th-6th graders that competed at Project Achievement in Houston County, with many of those students placing in the top 3 in their respective projects. Three high school students, Samantha Tennison, Bryce Braswell, and Katy Webb will represent Lee County and Southwest District at the State Project Achievement Competition. There is a wide variety of summer programs available for 4th -12th graders, including summer camps!