This month marks a year since I started as the Harvey County 4-H Youth Development Agent. Since starting in this role, I always enjoy explaining to people what my job is and what K-State Research and Extension does. If I could pick one day of work to describe what a “day in the life of a 4-H agent” is really like, I would pick last Friday.
Last Friday, my day started at the local Tractor Supply Store. I stopped in to check on the 4-H informational booth that we had set up in the store. Later on that morning I had a parent stop by my office who wanted some information about 4-H and needed help enrolling online. These conversations are always some of my favorites- getting to speak with families about all that our 4-H program has to offer them.
I headed over to our fairgrounds that afternoon, it was our “weigh day” for 4-H sheep, goats, and pigs. 4-H’ers who raise these animals and plan to show them at the County Fair in August have to bring them to weigh day to get each animal weighed and an ear tag. Our Agriculture Agent, Ryan and several 4-H volunteers are key players in making weigh day happen.
We also had our Veggie Garden Project plant pick up day scheduled at the fairgrounds that night. I worked with our Horticulture Agent, Scott, and several Master Gardener volunteers to make the Veggie Garden Project happen.
After floating around the fairgrounds making sure that everything was going smoothly, I took off to get set up for a Women in Ag conference that we were hosting at the courthouse that evening. I met our Family and Consumer Science Agent, Anne there and we began to get set up when I got a call from Ryan.
Ryan started that phone call with “hey, guess what?”, and then proceeded to tell me that a sheep had gotten away from the weigh day and had run from the fairgrounds, swam through sand creek, crossed the tracks, ran through the car show and was now around the courthouse somewhere! I excused myself from the conference and hopped in my car to track down this sheep. We had several 4-H families, Ryan, myself and even a police officer looking for this runaway sheep. Eventually the sheep was found and returned to the fairgrounds, safe and sound and very out of breath.
Not every day ends with a wild goose chase and a sheep running loose downtown, but each day does end with a love for my job as the Harvey County 4-H Youth Development Agent.
