Extension Service providing educational programs online

Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer

Back when it was possible to go to large gatherings and take part in local events, the WVU Extension Service offered the dinner meeting series where members of the community were invited to enjoy a meal and listen to a guest speaker at the Marlinton Municipal building.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult to gather, it has not prevented the Extension Service from providing educational programs.

This year, the winter dinner meeting series was revamped into the Agriculture Education Webinar Series.

“They’re really nice, and we get a lot of farmers who have that community spirit and came together to enjoy the presentation and a meal together,” extension agent Luci Mosesso said of the dinners. “Since we can’t do that because of COVID, this was an alternative.”

Everyone is invited to join in each Thursday evening from 7 to 8 p.m.

March topics are as follows:

• March 4: Are you calving at the right time? – Burke Teichert, Retired Cattle Reproduction Expert

• March 11: Weed management for pastures and hayfields – JD Green, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service

• March 18: Three secrets to increasing profits – Dallas Mount, Ranch Management Consultants

• March 25: Market outlook for 2021 and the continued impact of COVID-19 – Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University

Register to participate here: https://go.wvu.edu/ag-educational-series-registration

For more information about the webinar sessions, visit: https://extension.wvu.edu/2021-ag-webinar-series

If you have questions, please contact Alexandria Smith at Alexandria.Straight@mail.wvu.edu or John Murray at John.Murray@mail.wvu.edu

February topics included:

• Pond management with Bryan Swistock, Penn State Extension

• Matching livestock production to consumer demands with Davey Griffin, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

• Grazing for soil health with Gabe Brown, Brown’s Ranch

• Weeds in the woods with Dave McGill, WVU Extension Service

For those who could not virtually attend the programs, Mosesso said the videos are available online at https://extension.wvu.ed/2021-ag-webinar-series

She added that while the dinner sessions were nice for camaraderie in the community, the online programs made it possible to find presenters from out of state.

“They were able to bring in some experts that they wouldn’t have had access to,” Mosesso said. “It was well attended. It was open statewide, so we don’t know exactly how many people from Pocahontas County were on there, but we’ve had more than a hundred people multiple times.”

The web programs will continue this spring with a series in partnership with Grow Appalachia. The six webinars will be focused on gardening and will be available through Zoom meetings, as well as on the website.