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Purdue Extension presents summer highlights; 4-H enrollment grows for third year
Summary
Purdue Extension staff updated the Elkhart County Council on summer programs, farm outreach and a three-year rise in 4-H participation, including a 3,058 enrollment total this year.
Robbie Kelly, Elkhart County Extension director, and Mark Evans, an agriculture and natural resources educator, briefed the council on Extension activities and summer field programs during the Aug. 21 meeting.
Kelly introduced Evans and noted a two-page handout summarizing outreach and program metrics. Evans, who said he has worked in extension for decades, described hands-on services including plant diagnostics and farm visits. "For just $11, you can have a sample to the Purdue Plant Pest Diagnostic Laboratory," he told councilors, describing how the extension assists residents and producers with identification and treatment recommendations.
The educators outlined work with livestock producers (quality assurance training and manure management), poultry producers (including avian influenza preparedness), crop demonstration plots and an outreach drone demonstration for cover-crop seeding. Kelly and Evans emphasized regional collaboration with neighboring counties and universities to broaden technical capacity.
Kelly highlighted 4-H enrollment growth: "Three years of continuous growth in our 4-H program numbers," he said, and the handout cited 3,058 4-H participants this year. Council members praised the 4-H program as a community asset and described visits to the fair as a highlight of the summer.
Ending: Extension staff said they will continue field demonstrations and training into the fall and return with further program updates and any funding requests as needed.
