2023-2024 Purdue Extension Jefferson County Impact Report
Dear Reader,
Purdue Extension-Jefferson County is one of 92 Cooperative Extension Services in Indiana under the guidance of Purdue University. Starting with the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, Extension has provided services and education to diverse communities for well over a hundred years. In Jefferson County we have two educators and two full-time staff that deliver and support programming in Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4-H Youth Development and Health and Human Sciences. Extension is also supported by a regional Community Wellness Coordinator as part of the Purdue Nutrition Education Program funded through USDA-NIFA.
Through this report we will share a few of our success stories from the 2024 program year. We will also highlight the upcoming programs we are bringing to Jefferson County.
The most vital part of Extension is our dedication to being a community partner. We invite you to engage with us across all of our program areas so we may connect university knowledge to our community in the most beneficial way possible. Thank you for reading and supporting Purdue Extension in Jefferson County. Please reach out any time to discuss how we can assist in meeting community needs.
Sincerely,
Britt Copeland
Diane Thorpe County Extension Director Program Assistant
ANR/4-H throped@purdue.edu copelanb@purdue.edu
Kasie Bachmann
Starting January 10, 2025 Office Manager Savannah Stout kbachman@purdue.edu
HHS/4-H Extension Educator sdyersto@purdue.edu
4-H in Jefferson County
4-H prepares young people to be leaders in the community and around the world through hands-on experiences alongside their peers and adults. In Jefferson County, our 4-H program continues to be a point of pride and continues growing. Through the hard work of volunteers, our clubs and programs meet monthly, sometimes weekly, to deliver programming and instill life skills in youth.
In 2024 we debuted several new programs such as the Area 1 4-H Volunteer Conference in an effort to bolster our volunteers skillsets in delivering 4-H programs. After the success of the first Horse and Pony overnight camp in 2023 the project’s membership significantly increased in 2024. We are continuing to look for innovative ways to benefit our members such as hosting a sheep and goat FAMACHA workshop to give youth in the project not only practical knowledge but a professional certification.
4-H Enrollment is still open, we welcome you to join us as a member in 2025. Contact us to learn how.
4-H Programming in Jefferson County
Sheep and Goat Project Members earn FAMACHA Certification and Meat Goats participate in the Livestock Auction for the first time.
2024 was arguably the year of the Goat in Jefferson County. For the first time seven meat goat Wethers were sold in our livestock auction and that number is sure to grow in 2025. We also hosted a unique program where 24 youth were able to earn FAMCHA certifications. FAMACHA is a way of assessing anemia in small ruminants that are infected with the barbers pole worm, a common parasite. Members are now able to better assess the health of their livestock and make more informed decisions of when it’s time to worm their livestock.
Volunteer
Led 4-H Horse and Pony Camp leads to 35% project membership growth in 2024
One thing is certain in Jefferson County, we have some amazing volunteers. In 2024 the Horse and Pony Leaders hosted their second 4-H Horse and Pony Camp. With a grant from Premier Ag Companies leaders were able to hire outside clinicians and purchase food and fun supplies for the camp. Not only did participants get a two day intensive horsemanship training from industry professionals they also got a bonding experience over roasting marshmallows and mucking out stalls. 20 youth participated in 4-H Horse and Pony Camp in 2024. Total membership in the horse project increased from 28 in 20222023 to 43 in 2023-2024.
4-H
Junior Leaders serve as ambassadors of our 4-H program presenting at the Boys & Girls Club, Farmers Market,
3rd Grade Ag Day and Tech Changemakers Events
Our Junior Leader program grew and hosted several great events in 2024. In the spring we delivered a 4-H project demonstration and Rockets to the Rescue! Program to 114 youth at the Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson County. The bottle rocket program was a big hit with the youth. We presented similar recruitment and STEM type events at Farmers Market and La Casa Amiga. It was also another very successful year hosting the Mini 4-H Day Camp with the Junior Leaders as camp counselors. This year’s theme, Mini 4-H Mission to Mars let us explore several STEM topics in fun and exciting ways. 33 mini 4-H members attended and 12 Junior Leaders served as presenters and small children wranglers. Junior Leaders brought cattle, dogs, rabbits, chickens and home environment projects to demonstrate to the mini 4-H members as well.
Homegrown 4-H Club and Madison Community Gro-
cery
Project maintain Food Pantry Gardens at the Extension Office that yield 75 pounds of produce
With funding provided by MCGP, two raised beds were installed at the extension office. Homegrown 4-H members used the garden to teach youth members about growing their own food and horticulture. Parents, members and volunteers utilized a sign up sheet to take turns watering and weeding the gardens on a set schedule. The garden grew some absolute monsters of tomato plants and the club was able to donate 75 lbs. of produce to the House of Hope Food Pantry. Keep up the great work
Homegrown 4-H!
Jefferson County Agriculture and Natural Resources
Purdue Extension Agriculture and Natural Resource Educators provide research based resources and educational programs to their local communities. In Jefferson County, we provide answers to your questions and programing related to horticulture, animal science, and natural resources to meet local needs. This work is supported by campus specialists and a deep library of free or low cost publications.
Junior Master Gardener Program Reached 151 Youth at Anderson Elementary School
In the Spring of 2024 the Madison Community Grocery Project installed three raised beds at Anderson Elementary School. Extension was then asked to provide programming to utilize the new gardens. The ANR educator delivered the Junior Master Gardener program over 8 weeks to three classrooms reaching 67 youth. As part of the Learn, Grow, Eat and Go! Curriculum students had a weekly lesson on an age ap-
propriate horticulture topic, completed a task in the garden and sampled a vegetable as part of a healthy snack. The program went over so well we repeated the program in the Fall of 2024 reaching an additional 84 youth in 4 classrooms. Plans are in the works for expanding into additional schools in 2025. Thank you to the MCGP for providing the gardens and to the Master Gardeners who assisted as volunteers during the programs.
In addition to educational programing our ANR Educator is able to assist with:
Private and Commercial Pesticide Licenses & Points
Plant and Bug Identification Soil Testing Information & Analysis
Forage Testing Information & Analysis
General ANR Consultations
Master
Gardener Program Graduates 8 new certified Volunteers in 2024 and Hosts over 80 community members at
Wreath Making Workshop
The Master Gardener program is a 15 week training that teaches participants about horticulture topics and with the intention they go out and volunteer in the community with the knowledge gained from the program. While our training has waned in 2024 the impact from our volunteers has not. Graduates have went on to assist partner organizations and are always willing to help with programs such as Junior Master Gardener and our Wreath Making Workshop which has only gained popularity. The Wreath Making workshop is a fun event which we use to get new volunteers and the extension name in the community.
Jefferson County Hosts over 30 Local Farmers and Tobacco Producers at GAPS and Private Applicator
Recertification Program (PARP)
As one of the last counties in Indiana to still host Tobacco GAPS programs we feel we are providing a needed service for the GAPS training. We also strive to provide help to any farmer needing PARP points or certifications.
Jefferson County Health and Human Services
Health and Human Services Programming in Jefferson County has focused on financial literacy, food safety, and metal health education and awareness over the few years. New programming efforts are on the horizon in 2025 with the recent hire of our new HHS/4-H extension Educator.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
In 2024 our 4-H/ANR educator taught 3 virtual Youth Mental Health First Aid courses to military personnel. This program is meant to teach adults who work with youth how to respond when youth may be experiencing a mental health
Community Wellness Coordinators (CWCs) collaborate with community partners on broader community change that involves policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes. Purdue Extension NEP is supported by two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) educational programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)
Contact Jessica Martini, CWC for Ohio, Dearborn, Jefferson and Switzerland County at koons0@purdue.edu to learn more.
Blender Bike Bash at the Jefferson County 4-H Fair
During the 2024 Jefferson County 4-H Fair, 35 youth and adults stopped by the Blender Bike Bash to cool off and enjoy a healthy snack! This healthyliving station was facilitated by CWC, Jessica Martini, and NEPA, Julie Threadgill in an effort to provide nutrition education and some fun physical activity during the fair. Participants were able to choose their smoothie ingredients, add them to the blender, and pedal the bike to blend up their creations. This activity was sponsored and assisted by Madison Youth Unlimited.
Indiana Great Apple Crunch at 3rd Grade Ag Day
This event is held annually on the Jefferson County 4-H Fairgrounds in September and is facilitated by Jefferson County Farm Bureau, Madison FFA, Southwestern Hanover FFA, and Extension. This past year, a new addition to Ag Day was facilitated – the Indiana Great Apple Crunch! The Indiana Great Apple Crunch encourages healthy eating and supports farm-toschool and other local food-purchasing initiatives across the state. In September of 2024, 8 elementary schools and over 380 third-grade students participated in the 2024 Jefferson County Ag Day and Indiana Apple Crunch Event! Each student received their own Honeycrisp Apple from Goley’s Or-
crisis. This work is supported by external grant funding and a working partnership with Indiana 4-H and the United States Navy. This program is ongoing and our 4-H/ANR educator plans to teach more courses in 2025. This course is available in person to community groups at a cost. If your organization is interested in learning more about YMHFA contact our office. Research from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing shows that one in five youth will experience a mental health challenge at some point in their life. Knowing how to respond to a young person that opens up to you during one of these challenges helps the adult feel more confident to respond and the youth feel more supported in that crucial moment.
chard thanks to a generous donation from the Madison Community Grocery Project of Madison Youth Unlimited. Third-graders also learned all about orchards, harvest, and apple varieties from Madison FFA students.
LFPA Produce Distribution at La Casa Amiga
In an effort to increase access to healthy and local foods, the CWC collaborated with the Food and Growers Association and Madison Community Grocery Project to help provide 25 families at La Casa Amiga with fresh produce on December 30th, 2024. La Casa Amiga is a nonprofit organization that serves immigrants who speak Spanish. The organization helps individuals gain access to the services they need and become active participants of the community. The produce for the food bags was purchased from Unvarnished Farm and Splinter Ridge Farm by the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (LFPA) through the United States Department of Agriculture. The purpose of this initiative was to combat food insecurity and support local growers in Jefferson County. We look forward to future distributions for LFPA in 2025 at additional sites in Southeastern, Indiana!
SFMNP ARPA Service Area Expansion Award
Healthy produce is coming to a senior community near you! In December of 2024, Community Wellness Coordinators, Jeff Walker and Jessica Martini received an SFMNP ARPA Service Area Expansion award of $3,524.13 to extend Farmers Market Nutrition Program opportunities to seniors in Southeast, Indiana. Through partnerships with LifeTime Resources and local produce vendors, pop-up markets will be established at congregate senior meal sites and housing locations in Jefferson and Ripley County during the 2025 growing season. The award will be used to provide local growers such as Sadona Farms with a stipend each time they host a pop-up market. Stay tuned for more information!
Community Wellness Coordinator– Purdue Extension Nutrition Education Program
Local Extension Leadership & Advisory Committees
Below are the various committees and organizations that advise and support extension programming. Our intention is to meet community needs with our programming. Local input is essential to ensure our program offerings are relevant and benefit the citizens of Jefferson County. We express our gratitude to those who set up to share their expertise and input on these boards.
Jefferson County Extension Board
Termends2025
Heather Foy 1st Term
Derek Wynn 1st term
Mary Mehl 2nd term
Linda Sloffer 2nd term
Termends2026
Kyle Harsin 1st term
Bridget Leach 1st term
Misty Jacobs 2nd term
Chad Wehner 2nd term
Jefferson County 4-H Club Agricultural Association (4-H Fair Board)
Scott Hubbard
Tanner Mahoney
Larry Sedam
Mary Ellen Wehner
Billy Keller
Brice Gray
Emerson Coles
Bill Miller
Linda Shimfessel
Aaron Clayton
Michael Hazelwood
Tim McDonough
Mary Mehl
Bill Cain
Adam King
Franny Phillips
Ella Morris
Molly Bruce
Britt Copeland
Savannah Stout
Fair board membership is staggered. Five members are elected each year at the Annual Fair Board Meeting in July for a three year term. The 4-H Fair Board also acts as the 4-H Council.
4-H Adult Leader Organization
All 4-H Adult Leaders are members. No Constitution or by-laws.
Jefferson/Switzerland County Master Gardener Association
President: Don Rosenbarger
Treasurer: Debbie Long
2024 Tenure of 4-H Volunteer Leaders
Devin Cline 1
Jonathan Stockdale 1
Emily Peterson 1
Camille Crim 1
Eric Allard 1
Benjamin Yager 1
Jane Stormer 1
Jennifer Sorensen 1
Alaina Tandy 1
Joshua Cline 1
Beth Johnson 1
Sharon Hampton 1 Austin Rudolph 2
Marla Brennan 2
Keesha Hill 2
Kevin Richey 2 Diane Thorpe 2 Greg Thorpe 2 Adam King 3
Larami King 3
Jason Beavers 3 Cassandra
3
Chris Gross 3
Ashley Shepherd 4
Shanna Smith 4
Michael Hazelwood 4
Rick Stockdale 4 Patricia Powers 4 Tammy Beitzel 4 Madison Coles 5
Renee Glunt 5 Ryan Leach 5 Aaron Clayton 5
5
5 Brandy Graham 5
5
5
Rudolph 5
Simpson 5
Hubbard 6
Looking Ahead
Upcoming Programs, Fair Dates, the 4-H Handbook, 4-H Deadlines are all available online
We have a lot of exciting events planned for 2025 and many more in the works. Our monthly newsletters keep you in the know month to month. Our 4-H Handbook has a listing of all important dates for 4-H Families and a fair schedule of just 4-H events and deadlines. A complete fair schedule with grandstand information and other public facing details will be published in the summer. Please pick up a copy of the 4-H Handbook or read the book online along with all previously published newsletters. Also follow us on Facebook for helpful reminders and educational content. Go to facebook.com/ purdueextensionjefferson.
Go to extension.purdue.edu/county/Jefferson to learn more.
Programs Coming Soon to a Newsletter Near You
Jefferson County 4-H Fair will be July 7-12th
4-H Fair Events will run July 1st12th but commercial events such as the Midway and Grandstand events will be the 7th-12th
March 29, May 15, June 24
Required training for all Livestock Exhibitors. We will be adding project specific meetings before each meeting to get more bang for your gas money. More to come.
Planning for Spring
Elementary aged youth are invited to learn how to make healthy and delicious food in this afterschool club. More info to come.
Planning for Spring
All aboard! This HHS Money Management program for elementary school youth will be setting sail again in Jefferson this spring.
4-H Camp June 2-6
High School Aged Campers should already be registered and attending trainings. Youth in grades 3-7 can access camp applications Feb. 10th– May 1st.
4-H Horse & Pony Camp June 13-14
More information to come from Horse and Pony Superintendents on our third Horse and Pony Camp.
Mini 4-H Camp June 21
Mini 4-H members are invited to a day of fun with educators and the Junior Leaders. Animal Project Demos, Crafts and more will add to a day of fun.
Planning for Spring
The Junior Master Gardener Program is coming to an elementary near you very soon!
