EXTENSION STAFF • Juab County Extension employess met with the commission to bring them up to date on extension goals and acomplishments. They are right to left: Jeff Banks; Laurie Bates; (hiding) Kris Saunders; Margie Memmott; Julie Sutherland; Judy Jensen; Barbara Bradford; Ronni Mortimore
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Juab County Extension continues to improve the lives of the residents of the county of all ages through education.
Margie Memmott, County Director and FCS/4-H Youth Agent; Jeff Banks, Ag/4-H Youth Agent; Barbara Bradford, staff assistant; Amanda Livingston, staff assistant; Julie Sutherland, 4-H Staff Assistant; Judy Jensen, 4-H Staff Assistant; Laurie Bates, nutrition assistant, FSNE; Ronni Mortimor, staff assistant; Barbara Bradford, staff assistant; and Kris Saunders, USU South Region; met with Juab County Commissioners to give them an overview of the past year.
Banks said he had worked for 20 years with the extension service in the area.
“We do quite a variety of programs,” he said. “For the past 34 years, Juab County has conducted a steer carcass contest for 4-H and FFA members exhibiting steers at the county fair,” said Banks.
He said that, as a result of the contest, over 1,000 youth and 2,000 adults had received training in beef carcass evaluation.
“We have one of the stronger 4-H programs in the state,” he said.
The extension office also organized, planned and assisted with the teaching of seven different garden classes last year.
He said that 190 resident participated and that they learned how to raise vegetables, have green turf, about container pots and about home garden drip irrigation.
“The classes were held in Nephi, Callao and Mt. Pleasant,” said Banks.
One thing the 4-H Youth Development is always looking for is good leaders, said Jensen.
“We are proud to claim our 4-H after school program for 3rd graders as one of our best accomplishments for 2009,” she said.
The program teachers life sills through activities and games and the young people learned about saving money, how to avoid drugs, about good nutrition and the importance of communicating with others.
“We held our 4-H talent show and it was very successful,” said Jensen.
In addition, during July, food preparation/nutrition and sewing camps were held.
Sutherland said the 4-H Teen Council was a group of 4-H members who work cooperatively with the extension staff in planning and implement county 4-H events.
“They range in age from 5th to 12th grade with 20 members forming a junior and senior teen council,” she said.
The teen councils had several service projects. They washed the fire truck for the Nephi Fire Station and made baked goods for the 4-H Bake and Take.
“One of their favorite service activities was the Santa’s Helper service project where they bought gifts for a family with money donated to them,” said Sutherland.
Four teens represented the county as Southwest Region Ambassadors and planned a retreat that all the teens attended.
Five senior youth represented Juab County at the 4-H State Contests and the county WHEP team competed at the state contest where they placed first with a written management plan. Another WHEP team competed at the national contest in Louisiana where they placed 13th overall.
Six teens attended two TRY team trainings.
Bates said that each day we make choices such as how to spend grocery money wisely and how to choose nutritious foods.
“Making smart choices about food and active living can add up to helping us be our best today and in the future,” said Bates.
In 2009, Juab County provided 111 nutrition education lessons to 1,435 participants.
“Juab county is one of the highest in improvements in Nutrition practices, food budgeting practices, food safety and healthy eating,” said Bates.
Utah State University Extension and Utah Department of Workforce Services co-sponsor the Food $ense Program, she said.
“Principles of managing finances and preventing bankruptcy were provided and life skills were taught to more than 6,612 participants through 29 workshops, classes and special events,” said Memmott.
In addition, partnering with United Way and a coalition of community partners and high profile leaders, the “Utah Saves” program enables Utahans to improve financial security, she said.
To date, Memmott said, 327 local Utah Savers are currently applying a variety of financial management principles. The county procured $3,250 in state funding to promote Utah Saves and to conduct Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in 2009.
The office was also awarded $2,200 in state funding to teach Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education.
“With Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites being severely under-available in rural Utah, Juab county Extension coordinated programming at the local extension office where 53 clients met with trained tax volunteers,” she said.
Memmott said that 37 returns were prepared and generated refunds totaling $30,444 including $8,999 of Earned Income and Child Tax Credits. Taxpayers saved a projected $5,624 in preparation fees.
Memmott co-presented the concurrent session “Financial Education Generates Assets” at the 2009 National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Annual Session in Birmingham, Alabama. She was a member of the NEAFCS Dean Don Felker Financial Management Team winning first place national, first place regional and first place state recognized for writing the Individual Development Account (IDA).
The team was also highlighted at the 2009 Annual Session Showcase of Excellence.
“Emergency preparedness and sheltering in place principles were taught to more than 100 adults at a local preparedness conference,” said Memmott.
During summer 4-H day camp stations, 66 youth and youth leaders were also trained in first aid and emergency preparedness.
