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.
MERIWETHER COUNTY AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
For more than 100 years, UGA Extension has provided free, reliable, research-based information to the citizens of Georgia. At this time, we do not have an Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Meriwether County, but we call on the surrounding county agents for assistance when needed. We helps farmers, homeowners and other agricultural professionals in Meriwether County with crops, livestock, home lawns, gardens, fruits and vegetables, and natural resources. We troubleshoot everyday problems through phone consultations and provide resources available through UGA. Meriwether County Extension also provides technical assistance for agriculturists in the form of laboratory testing services for soil, water, forage and radon. We personalize our services to help the citizens of Meriwether County become more knowledgeable, sustainable and profitable in their agricultural operations. Meriwether County Extension recognizes the importance of keeping our youth involved in agriculture.
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
Due to the resurgence of consumer interest in locally grown produce at farmers markets, Family and Consumer Sciences agents have developed a series of “Farm, Fresh and Fast” publications to be distributed at local farmers markets and U-pick farms. These educational pamphlets, along with many other publications on health and nutrition, are available at the Meriwether County Extension office. The easy-to-read publications will help residents make wiser food choices and save money with information on how to use fresh products when they are in season.
MERIWETHER COUNTY 4-H
During the pandemic, Meriwether County 4-H put on numerous virtual activities for students around the county. Meriwether County is a very rural community with limited access to internet services. While we were not able to reach the majority of our youth in the community, we tried to do the best we could with what we had. We used social media as our platform for most of our activities. We started off with using already published data and publications to educate our community on the uncharted territory that we were all in. We also provided at home activities for all ages to participate in such as scavenger hunts, handwashing tips, as well as safety and concerns when it came to eating take-out and various other helpful tips.
Georgia’s Agriculture Week fell right at the beginning of COVID so we celebrated by participating in Ag Spirit Week. A huge hit was our Cupcake decorating contest. The theme was “Celebrate Spring”. We had a wide age range of youth participate. We also partnered with Pike and Heard County 4-H and celebrated Earth Day. We offered the “Trash to Treasure” upcycling contest. Students were given three opportunities to participate in; Decorated Ag, Recyclables, and Photography. Nearly 20 projects were turned in from Meriwether County. Meriwether County 4-H’ers also took part in Georgia 4-H “From the Mountains to the Sea: Summer Series” and took virtual tours of the 5 4-H facilities in Georgia.
Tuesday’s Tips is a weekly video that a Junior 4-H’er has been publishing during the pandemic. Topics have varied with different commodities in Georgia. Over 30,000 people have viewed these helpful tips. The community looks forward to her knowledge each week.