County Extension grows through pandemic

WADESBORO — Despite having to adjust in a pandemic world, the Anson County Cooperative Extension Staff accomplished reaching out to the community and growing their viewership.

Twice a year the Anson County Extension presents two reports. One is in a newsletter form and the other is a presentation to the Board of Commissioners. The most recent report was brought in front of the Commissioners during their monthly meeting on Nov. 10.

Instead of having the staff come up and present each of their respected programs, the Board saw a COVID-friendly Power Point Presentation, highlighting the impacts and methods from the NC Extension.

The entire team transformed, like many, into a virtually-run group.

“We really went from a pretty much mail-out letter office, everything we did was in letter form and some type of postage, to going completely digital and electronic…” said Roshunda Terry, director of Anson County Cooperative Extension. “It was a big change, a quick change, but luckily everyone was open to making the change and willing to learn.”

NC State Extension helps transform science into solutions through programs and partnerships focused on agriculture and food, health, and 4-H youth development.

The Extension years ago began using a constant contact to get out newsletters, up-coming events, videos or programs. Because of COVID-19 limitations, the Anson staff adjusted to this new way of communicating.

“We didn’t jump on the bandwagon because we knew most of the people we are in contact with preferred it mailed,” Terry said. “You still need have communication. You need to go from face-to-face to virtual learning and programing.”

In the short seven months since implementing the email blasts, Terry estimated 270 contacts who receive information on a regular basis.

“I think going forward it will be split,” Terry said. “Some things will still go out via constant contact because when you look at it at a cost saving perspective, you’re saving money and it is the same information going out. You’re going to have some people that just don’t have the capability or internet or email or can’t use it in a hard copy and just need to get it in the hard copy.”

The email will be saving the Extension Staff money to purchase ink, paper, printers and even stamps.

Terry and her team also adjusted by creating more social media engagement.

“Kinsey (Everhart) started doing a format with social media on our Facebook page called ‘Weed of the Day,’” Terry said. “She started it early on when the pandemic first hit and we were under the stay at home order. She did it as a way of still putting out information, allowing people to gain knowledge and it grew.”

Some of these “Weed of the Day” posts were reaching thousands, according to Terry. Other counties and partnerships joined in by sharing these posts, increasing the activity on the Anson County Extension’s page.

“I think we started with 136-140 people that liked our page and now we’re at over 500 followers,” Terry said. “Slowly but surely, but that was a major driving force.”

This engagement shows people are coming to the extension’s page and actually reading instead of just scrolling.

“Without my staff being so committed, so open to us changing so quickly with what I was asking them to do, we could not have expanded as quickly as we have,” Terry said.

Other outreach in this virtual year include a tri-county livestock newsletter for Anson, Union and Stanly counties. This newsletter publishes articles to help producers through the next stage of production, highlights youth achievements and advertises upcoming livestock events.

Educational packets are sent to the youth as part of the grant-funded 4-H Youth Promise program. This program works with at-risk and juvenile youth within the county. Kids participate in community service, receive life skill development opportunities and work on family dynamics in a virtual setting.

Programs from the NC Cooperative Extension include Count on Me NC, Lifelong Improvement Through Learning Together and Med Instead of Meds.

Terry believes all of the programming and outreach succeeded despite having to overcome the coronavirus challenges.

“Everybody had to go outside the box of normal creativity and become more creative in how they were going to implement their programming efforts,” Terry said. “We have done a lot in a little amount of time to continue to grow.”