The mission of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service since 1914 is to extend lifelong learning to Georgia citizens through unbiased, research-based education in agriculture, the environment, communities, youth and families. Our vision is to provide empowering, impactful programming containing unbiased, research-based information to Lincoln County residents in the areas of Agriculture and Natural Resources and 4-H Youth Development. Our three critical pillars are reputation and collaboration, integrity and persistence, and community needs-driven. As we close out 2021, I wanted to share some highlights of our accomplishments with you.
Extension programming is divided into “reactive” and “proactive” efforts. Reactive programs refer to the daily assistance that county offices provide to their communities. In 2021, over 2880 individuals sought assistance from Lincoln County Extension via phone call, face-to-face meetings, and emails. Over 113 samples of soil, water, and feed were submitted to the UGA Agriculture Laboratories, and our ANR agent conducted over 114 site visits with 57 issues diagnosed.
Our proactive programming focuses on two different areas- Agriculture and Natural Resources and 4-H Youth Development. Our ANR programs totaled 56 educational sessions through 15 formal programs reaching over 1703 participants. Interestingly, participants attended programs from 9 countries, 15 states, and 107 counties in Georgia. All ANR programs indicated an increase in knowledge and intent to change behaviors by participants. Our ANR programs in 2021 also received SIX state and national awards! On the flip side, our 4-H program has had some challenges with staffing and navigating the ever-changing landscape of COVID. Currently there are 225 students enrolled in 4-H, who participated in 40 core club meetings, 8 specialty club meetings, 2 fundraisers, and 4 service opportunities. With the addition of our new program assistant, we recently started a horse club and a cooking club, so we are excited to be growing our programs!
Finally, there were several other exciting happenings for Lincoln County Extension in 2021. We received $12,000 in grant funding for the Lincoln County Nature Trail- $2,000 of which is going to be put towards signage for our Outdoor Classroom (install spring 2022). Our ANR agent wrote 51 articles for the Lincoln Journal, and our staff managed 2 Facebook pages- Lincoln County Extension and Lincoln County Nature Trail.
Finally, we would like to thank our sponsors and donors for 2021. Commercial Insurances Services, Inc.; J&T Service Center, Inc.; H&H Industrial Maintenance; Farmer State Bank; Rayle Electric Membership Corp.; Lee Builders, Inc.; AG Georgia Farm Credit; Lincoln County Farm Bureau; F&M Bank; Jeff & Sheri Easter; R&W Auto Parts; Wilkes Telephone/Relyant Communications; and Raiford Convenience, LLC. Our programs would not be possible without you!
