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| LEARN ABOUT US |
| CANYON County Extension Programs |
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| Person: |
Stephanie Etter |
| Program Thrust: |
Competitive Agriculture, Livestock, Forages |
| Major Programs: |
Beef Production, Dairy Production, Pasture Management, Forage Production |
| Successes and Current Activities: |
Ms. Etter provides leadership in the area of livestock, pasture and forage production for county, multi-county, and district programs. Ms. Etter helps plan, develop, implement, evaluate, and report livestock, pasture and forage production and management programs for commercial producers and small acreage landowners, with primary emphasis on dairy and beef, and secondary emphasis on sheep and swine. She also provides financial management education for livestock producers. Ms. Etter collaborates with appropriate state, district, and county faculty to address livestock, pasture and forage production and management as well as environmental issues of importance to the agricultural industry in the Treasure Valley. She has been involved with the Living on the Land and Pasture Management programs for small acreage landowners in the Treasure Valley. Future programs will be developed to help agricultural producers, small acreage landowners, agency personnel, and field consultants stay current on livestock, pasture and forage production practices and regulations. She provides technical support to multi-county youth and 4-H livestock programs, including the Treasure Valley Dairy Heifer Replacement Program. |
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| Person: |
Brian Luckey |
| Program Thrust: |
4-H/Youth Development, Volunteer Development |
| Major Programs: |
Youth and Adult Leadership Development, Volunteer Development, 4-H Curriculum Development |
| Successes and Current Activities: |
Mr. Luckey is the overall leader for the Canyon County 4-H program, where opportunities are provided for all youth to participate in innovative, fun projects through which they develop valuable life skills. He recruits, screens, trains and provides recognition for adult and teen volunteer leaders. He facilitates numerous associations, councils, advisory boards, organizations and agencies that participate in the education, demonstration, evaluation and recognition of the thousands of projects that Canyon County youth complete every year. In 2005, more than 4,600 youth and over 340 adult volunteers participated in the Canyon County 4-H program. Canyon County 4-H partners with school districts in Parma, Nampa, Caldwell, and Wilder to provide enrichment activities after school, further enhancing the outreach abilities of Canyon County Extension. He provides leadership and mentorship for paraprofessionals working in after-school enrichment and summer camp programs. Mr. Luckey was the lead writer/editor on a nationally-published, peer reviewed 4-H curriculum designed to increase the ability of 4-H to reach out to underserved audiences. He supports the statewide 4-H program by providing leadership to programs that help teenagers learn and practice leadership skills. |
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| Person: |
Jerry Neufeld |
| Program Thrust: |
Competitive Agriculture, Cropping Systems |
| Major Programs: |
Irrigation and Nutrient Management, Crop Production |
| Successes and Current Activities: |
Mr. Neufeld provides technical support and conducts applied field trials for irrigation strategies and nutrient management in onions, sugarbeets, mint and alfalfa seed in Canyon County. He has regionally recognized expertise in water efficient irrigation strategies and pest management. He provides leadership for the Treasure Valley Pest Alert Network, a web based system for the early detection and warning of crop pest emergence. This system has resulted in timely and effective control of pest infestations, increased production and profitability, and in certain cases reduced pesticide usage. Mr. Neufeld teaches pesticide recertification classes for growers, organizes commodity educational programs, writes crop updates and technical bulletins and conducts field tours of demonstration trials. He serves in many leadership roles for agricultural industries in the Treasure Valley including the Canyon Agriculture Foundation for Education, Food Producers of Idaho Ag Summit, and the Treasure Valley Legislative Tour. Jerry provides technical support for area farmers, promotes educational efforts for solving urban and rural interface issues, and facilitates collaborative teaching programs for growers, commodity groups, ag-businesses, and governmental agencies. He supervises the Master Gardener Program and provides assistance to the 4-H/Youth Development programs in Canyon County. |
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| Person: |
Joey Peutz |
| Program Thrust: |
Family and Consumer Sciences – Food Safety |
| Major Programs: |
Extension Nutrition Program (ENP) |
| Successes and Current Activities: |
Ms. Peutz administers the Extension Nutrition Program (ENP) in District II. She provides training for Nutrition Advisors who teach low-income families about nutrition, financial management, and food safety. She successfully submitted a matching grant for $226,000 to support the teaching efforts of ENP. Joey teaches the “Ready, Set, Food Safe” and “Germ City” (hand washing) food safety classes to students throughout the Treasure Valley. High school students receive safe food handling certification that can be used to increase employment opportunities. Ms. Peutz trains Food Safety and Advanced Food Safety Advisors, supports nutrition 4-H projects, organizes and teaches “Fall Harvest” food preservation classes, and provides technical assistance to Food Service Providers and the general public. Ms. Peutz provides leadership for the New Communities Grant, Children, Youth and Families at Risk ($135,000) for Owyhee and Canyon Counties. This grant program provides adult leaders, adolescents and youth in Marsing and Notus development opportunities in technology/science, nutrition, theatre arts, and visual arts. Ms. Peutz has regionally recognized expertise in the area of food safety and has worked with Family and Consumer Sciences specialists to develop food safety teaching materials that are utilized nationally. |
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