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Cooperative Extension presents local ag figures and 4‑H wellbeing programs to commissioners
Summary
Cooperative Extension Director Rebecca Liverman and staff reported county agricultural acreage and cash receipts, described a 16-session L.I.F.T. virtual fitness program, and summarized 4‑H youth mental-health activities including the popular 'calming jar.'
At the Nov. 1 meeting Rebecca Liverman, Cooperative Extension Director, delivered the Board's annual "Report to the People," summarizing local programs and outreach over the past year.
Liverman described a virtual fitness program called L.I.F.T. (Lifetime Improvements through Fitness Together) that ran 16 sessions via Zoom and was posted to YouTube. She urged the Board to consider daily vegetable intake (2 to 4 cups) and water consumption guidance she cited for adults (96 to 110 ounces per day). Liverman emphasized healthy living programming and partnerships with the Senior Center.
Ag Agent Jalynne Waters provided county agricultural statistics: approximately 1,500 acres of peanuts, 5,500 acres of cotton, 10,422 acres of wheat, 30,388 acres of soybeans, and 40,185 acres of field corn. Waters said Washington County's 2019 agricultural cash receipts totaled $45 million and noted 17 test plots in 2021 to evaluate varieties, planting dates and fertilizer timing.
4‑H Youth Coordinator Beth Stanley Jackson described youth-focused mental-health activities—hands-on mindfulness exercises such as a "calming jar" that helps children practice focused breathing. Jackson said youth also created jars to give to family members and that 4‑H partnered with Washington County Schools for limited in-person programming during the pandemic.
Liverman closed with a light remark summarizing farming sentiment: "If you see a farmer smiling, he's thinking about commodity prices; if you see a farmer crying, he's thinking about input costs."
