Clermont County

Collaborating to Educate on Agriculture in the Community

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How do you learn about agriculture and your community? With “two faces” in Clermont County – urban and rural – it is important to address how agriculture and the community work together to provide the necessary resources for everyday life. A diverse audience attends the Clermont County fair: rural, urban and suburban. This is due, in part, to the location of Clermont County in southwest Ohio (it is situated adjacent to the urban city of Cincinnati) and it being a county with rich roots in agricultural history.

As the need was identified to inform the diverse audience, the Clermont County Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator and Community Development Program Coordinator collaborated to educate the public on agriculture and community development. The specific audience targeted involved the public and exhibitors who attended the Clermont County Fair in 2016 and 2017.

To educate this audience, posters (Ag in the Community) were created with facts from United States Department of Agriculture statistics, county statistics and various commodity organizations. Each poster has a QR code or barcode, which may be scanned with a smart device, linked to an online blog page for data collection. Posters were color printed on 11”x 17” paper and laminated before being displayed around the fairgrounds at designated locations.

Our specific AG IN THE COMMUNITY GOALS were to:

  1. Address the need for educational programming for the “two faces” of Clermont County (urban/rural interface)
  2. Educate the public about agriculture and the community
  3. Inform Clermont County, Ohio residents of the services offered through Ohio State University Extension
  4. Gain contact information from individuals interested in learning more about Extension programming
  5. Utilize blog and QR code technologies to measure reach and impact of the Ag in the Community posters

There were approximately 65,000 people who attended the 2016 Clermont County Fair who could have viewed the educational materials. We know that 376 fair-goers viewed the posters via the QR code. Results from the 2017 Ag in the Community posters are pending.

Our Ag in the Community posters have enabled us to better educate the public on types of agriculture and community development issues and opportunities in Clermont County and gather contact data for our newsletter and blog page as well as to determine if a participant knows about Extension or has ever used Extension services.

Results indicate that audiences in Clermont County were interested in learning more about agriculture and the community. Most have attended educational programs and want to learn more about the work we do. This effort has aided in bringing the OSU Extension Clermont County blog site to nearly 1200 subscribers.

Through the Agriculture in the Community poster program, we were able to collaborate in educating the public on agriculture and their community. Reach out to other Extension program staff in your office today to collaborate in this one simple way.

Trevor Corboy is a Program Coordinator in Clermont County & Miami Valley EERA.

Looking for Leadership?

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Leadership! It is a basic fundamental need for any organization to perform at its best. And whether you want to learn more about public service or have thought about becoming more involved in your community, participating in a formal leadership development program may be helpful.

OSU Extension has been involved in such programs for over half a century and recent research shows such programs make a difference. Currently, OSU Extension Clermont County is working to address the needs of local elected officials and appointees of local government committees, zoning and planning commissions, school boards or task forces. The Clermont County Organizational Leadership Academy (CCOLA) includes eight, weekly two-hour workshops involving foundational principles of organizational leadership and decision-making tools enabling participants to learn more about their leadership style and those of others. It also provides opportunities to explore effective strategies for team-building, conducting effective meetings, communicating with citizens and media, managing conflict and building sustainable communities.

The components of the CCOLA can also be customized to fit a specific organization for hands-on training. The workshops below are available on single-session basis in addition to the multi-session Academy format. The sessions are:

  • Public Officials and Public Service: Build a framework for improving your tenure and service in public office. Topics include Duties and Responsibilities of Public Officials, Codes of Ethics, Standards of Conduct, Conflict of Interest, and Open Meetings Laws/Executive Sessions.
  • Team Building: Explore the principles for building effective working relationships with others, with organizations or local governments. Learn more about these relationships with Real Colors ®.
  • Conducting Effective Meetings and Decision Making: The goal for every public official is to “make good decisions.” What is a good decision?  How do we make them? Learn the most effective techniques to conducting effective meetings as well as decision-making processes.
  • Communicating and Working with Citizens and the Media: How can you develop positive and effective working relationships with all community residents, as well as with media representatives? Polish your skills for building effective relationships, while engaging community residents and improving media relations.
  • Building Sustainable Communities: Explore the relationships between growth, development, environment, ecology, social structures and the civic culture. Learn how to build sustainable communities in the areas you serve.
  • Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution: Learn how to work through difficult situations by developing conflict and dispute resolution skills needed to create strong, lasting collaborations.
  • Leadership Skills and Styles: Do you know your leadership style? Do you know that understanding leadership styles and types can help improve  interpersonal relationships and the effectiveness of your organization(s)? Gain skills to improve the operations and effectiveness of your governing body and your personal decision-making.
  • Intergovernmental Relations: Opportunities and Challenges for Cooperation: Explore Ohio law pertaining to opportunities and limitations for intergovernmental agreements and cooperative arrangements. Invest in opportunities to cooperate with others.

For more information about the Clermont County Organizational Leadership Academy or how to register, go to OSU Extension – Clermont County, go.osu.edu/ccola, or contact me using the information below. How are you making your organization or your community better?

For further information, contact Trevor Corboy, Clermont County Community Development Program Coordinator, at 513-732-7070 or email at corboy.3@osu.edu.

All Things Community Development in Clermont County

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WOW! What can one get into just six months into a brand new CD position in Clermont County? As one of two ‘seeded’ CD positions in Ohio, I have learned the answer to that question and it is a great deal of excitement!

local-foods-2016-09-22After a very engaging and successful Ohio Local Foods week in August, there was a variety of interest expressed in pursuing a center for small business owners to collaborate within Clermont County. As envisioned, this center would incorporate an incubator kitchen for cottage foods producers and other locally sourced value-added products to supply a wide variety of market sectors within the agriculture industry of Clermont County. A preliminary working group has been established to facilitate the process. Over the coming weeks the group will research facilities and design after which a larger group of producers and supporters will be convened to expand upon the foundation work and decide on the next steps in this venture.

leadership-2016-09-22Leadership! It is a basic fundamental need for any organization to perform as a well-balanced machine. We have learned from an earlier developed plan of work that addressing the needs of county elected officials is a necessity. Many of the public officials I met with during the first few months in my position confirmed this need. They have asked for education in leadership development, conducting effective meetings, communicating more effectively, and other key areas. Based upon these conversations, the Clermont County Organizational Leadership Academy has been formed. The Academy will allow public officials to build and enhance existing leadership skills and decision-making abilities through their active participation in eight ‘themed’ workshops held monthly. Learn more about the Clermont County Organizational Leadership Academy.

clermont-county-2016-09-22Through early discussions with townships and villages, many officials and community members have expressed an interest in strategic planning and goal setting for their communities. This has added to the growing excitement of expansion and redevelopment of infrastructure throughout Clermont County, and community-based projects of this nature are currently being planned.

I’ve been on the job for only six months, but it has been exciting to see people working together to address opportunities and issues. It is especially satisfying to be part of the process of bringing people together to make their communities better.

To learn more about county-based Community Development programming (Clermont County-style) please contact me, Trevor Corboy, Community Development Program Coordinator at corboy.3@osu.edu. Learn more about all of the educational opportunities and services available to you and your community through Community Development and Ohio State University Extension by visiting your local extension office or find one here.

Trevor Corboy is a Program Coordinator for Community Development in Clermont County (Miami Valley EERA).