We are just about to wrap up the month of August, and I know it’s been a busy summer for everyone. As always, thank you to everyone for your dedication to the mission of Extension and conducting our work through a tremendous variety of activities over the past several months. There is no shortage of ways we can tell the story of Extension throughout the state; and I appreciate the heart, soul and pride that each of you bring to this organization
In addition to the Lake County and Lorain County visits by President Carter during his state tour in mid-July (read the recap from the last issue here), there have been several other unique “VIP” events at a few other Extension county offices recently.
On Aug. 9, the Highland
County office of OSU Extension celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The commissioners in Highland County paid for the building, with significant input from the local Extension staff on the layout of the office. Discussions began in summer 2022, with groundbreaking in September 2023 and move-in of our staff in July 2024.
Thank you to Dean Kress, Beau Ingle with CFAES Government Affairs, Jeff McCutcheon and Pat Bebo representing Extension Administrative Cabinet, area leader Treva Williams, and the entire Highland County staff for hosting the event. Representatives attended from the Highland County commissioners, the Chamber of Commerce, the Extension advisory and support committees, Governor Mike DeWine’s office, U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup’s office, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance’s office, and several local community banks, hospitals, businesses, and other organizations.
Also on Aug. 9, I represented Extension Administrative Cabinet during a visit to the CFAES Wooster campus. The three Wayne County commissioners, the mayor of Wooster, and the city administrator attended the update, which included tours and updates about the campus facilities, research and partnerships, and Extension. Thank you to Frank Becker and John Yost, ANR educators on the Wayne County staff, for providing insight about how local Extension activities are making an impact in the Wooster area.
The 2024 Congressional Assistants’ Tour made several stops in northeastern Ohio on Aug. 15-16. Many thanks again to the entire staff at the Extension office in Geauga County for hosting several legislative aides and others in government relations for lunch, a tour of the office and grounds, and a discussion of how our local Extension work is making an impact in that area of the state. Staff members attended from the offices of Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. J.D. Vance, Rep. Jim Jordan, Rep. Brad Wenstrup, Rep. Greg Landsman, Rep. Troy Balderson, Rep. Emilia Sykes, Rep. Max Miller, and Rep. Michael Rulli.
Coming up on Aug. 26 is a visit to the Western Agricultural Research Station in South Charleston. The ANR-focused Extension educators from Champaign, Montgomery, and Clark counties and other CFAES and Extension experts will be on-site, along with the research station manager and staff. Commissioners from Clark County and Champaign County will attend for updates about Extension, swine research projects in collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine, integrated pest management and specialty crop research projects, precision engineering and ag technology, weed control, and statewide facilities.
Other thoughts for now…For those who have county fairs still in progress or coming up soon, thank you again for your work to plan, prepare and conduct your fair in the midst of school starting and myriad other fall activities, while also hosting county commissioners and other local stakeholders to see the results of our 4-H members’ hard work. We know this adds “extra” to some of your fair tasks, but it’s truly great to see the positive impact of your efforts for our 4-H youth, parents, and volunteers across the state.
Kindly, David