Polk County « OSU Extension Internship Program

I was very excited to start at the Oregon State University Extension office in Polk County, and that excitement has continued through the few months that I’ve worked here. I was excited for the chance to be creative, the chance to use the knowledge I had gained over the last year at Chemeketa Community College and excited to learn new things.

Matthew Mankins at a canning workshop. Photo: Brooke Edmunds

I had many great experiences this summer and learned a lot along the way. The main projects I worked on included: Creating a proposal for a garden to go behind the Dallas office, teaching a class on soils, working with the Master Gardeners at public events and at the Inspiration Garden and traveling to learn about various projects Extension is involved with.

I especially enjoyed the open house at the Polk County Extension office because I had the chance to hear more about the different projects that are being done. Plus, it was a pleasure to see such a supportive positive group of people.

One challenge I had was to do a soils class. I have done classes for children at summer camps, but never a class for adults and never over such a complex topic as soils. It was hard to determine how long it would take to cover the material while giving time for a break and questions or other unexpected things.

The class was on September 14, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Dallas office and we had over 15 people attend. We did a jar test for soil texture. I gave an overview of topics about soils and nutrients. I then talked about how to get a soil test and showed the results of a test I had done for the future office garden area. I then showed how to calculate the number of amendments needed for a soil test. Finally, I covered different types of amendments and their pros and cons. I think people of different knowledge levels were able to get something from the class.

My main takeaway from the class was to adjust the class for the general public. I created my class with Master Gardeners in mind. However, the general public doesn’t necessarily have the background knowledge to follow some information. In the future if I do any math or talk about pH, I will give more basic information to prepare the audience for these topics.

There were many important takeaways from this interesting experience. One is to just try doing something even if you aren’t exactly sure how to go about it. In a positive supportive work environment where people are allowed to learn and grow, the entire team is stronger as a result of this culture. This allows the organization to produce the best results. The support I felt from the office staff made trying things like teaching a class much easier. As I look for employment, I will look for a place that gives the type of support I felt at the Extension office in Polk County.

-Matthew Mankins

My name is Matthew Mankins, but please call me Matt. I am in week four at the Oregon State University Extension office in Polk County in Dallas. I am currently a horticulture student at Chemeketa Community College. I have a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a studio art minor from Southern Oregon University. I have previous work experience working for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Portland, and as a CNA doing in-home care. In short, I have a broad field of experience. I am working to get an associate degree in horticulture so that I can work towards employment as a greenhouse or nursery manager. Once employed I plan to take advantage of Chemeketa’s bachelor’s in management program to move up into a managerial position.

Melissa Hand Master Gardener Volunteer in Polk County. Photo: Matthew Mankins

I chose to study horticulture because I wanted work that was hands on, mentally stimulating, and that benefited my local community. Although this is my first experience at an Extension office, I’ve come to love the camaraderie I’ve experienced working with the different groups who are a part of the Extension team. I try to save a few hours each week to work with the Master Gardeners at the Inspiration Garden in Independence. Not only do I like the opportunity to get my hands dirty, but what I’m gleaning from the wealth of knowledge and experience of the Master Gardeners, is invaluable. The Master gardeners have a life of gardening experience and I am so glad that they are able to pass that on to future generations.

In my horticultural studies I have taken a special interest in using organic methods to manage soils. I have always had an interest in biology and how we can work with biological systems rather than against them to grow plants in a sustainable way.

This is why one of the projects I’m developing is a class for the Master Gardener program about soils, why it is important to test the soil, and how to use a soil analysis to amend them. In addition to explaining the benefits of doing so organically.

My second project is to create a proposal for a Learning Garden in the lot behind the office. So far, I have drawn a map of the area and created a survey to incorporate the ideas of the groups who use the office into the proposal. These groups include: the Master Gardeners, 4H, SNAP-Ed program, and the office staff who all should have input on the plan. This project is perfect for a person who is new to the Extension system, because by interviewing these groups I am developing a strong understanding of the services that the Extension program provides to the community.

This summer I’m excited to develop my public communication skills, as well as my ability as an instructor. Whether I continue to work as an educator or not. These skills will help me to be a better leader in the work environment and in the community.

Hello, my name is Abigail Cape, and I am an intern for Oregon State University Extension in Polk County 4-H in Dallas. I am going into my second year at Oregon State University majoring in psychology with a minor in music. After I graduate, I am — as of right now — hoping to go to graduate school to get my doctorate in psychology. For my future career I hope to either have a career as a counselor with a specialty in trauma and PTSD or becoming a counselor for teens and young adults. My past experience with Oregon State University Extension Service primarily is being a member of 4-H for nine years, and volunteering with 4-H for a year. Throughout my time in 4-H I showed rabbits, bred and owned market rabbits, turkeys, and bred and owned market turkeys, as well as various leadership roles.

Abigail Cape horse clinic in Polk County — Abigail Cape helping at a horse clinic in Polk County. Photo: Abigail Cape

Over this summer I hope to learn about how the behind the scenes of fair and setting up classes for 4-H youth. One thing that I am really looking forward to this summer as an intern is my internship project and helping out with our county fair. For my project I am planning a showmanship clinic for small animals. My plan is to create a class that will cover various areas that can help youth improve their showmanship skills like, show presence, handling and show knowledge. This class will be conducted by slides and an in person class that will also be recorded so that the class can be used in future years. The clinic will be separated into four parts: show and barn attire, show presence, knowledge, and animal safety. I wanted to create this class, because when I was first showing I wasn’t given a lot of this information and had to learn as I went. I hope that this class can help people get introduced to this information in a stress-free environment. I love 4H and am so excited to help Polk County 4H in any way I can, and I can’t wait to see what this summer has in store for me.

A young man inspects a fruit tree in an orchard. — Kieran King at a peach-plum orchard, assessing the health of the fruit trees on the owner’s property.
Photo credit: Hayley White

The summer has gone by so fast, but I’ve learned so much throughout this season! I’m now in my last weeks of my Oregon State University Extension Service Small Farms Program internship, and what a great experience it has been. I’ve been able to help with a wide array of projects, ranging from public outreach via social media to data collection in agricultural trials.

The biggest project that I’ve worked on was my activity for the Polk County Fair. I had to figure out how to make an activity that was engaging for kids and related to agriculture. I settled on making my activity about beneficial arthropods (insects, spiders, etc.), since that was something that I would have been interested in when I was young. I designed trivia cards for kids to read and set up an area for them to draw. This turned out to be an effective outreach strategy as parents would have to wait for their kids to do the activity and ended up taking some of our outreach materials. While I definitely learned a lot about how to perform effective outreach from this project, I ended up learning a lot more about insect anatomy than I ever thought I would.

The hand of the photographer reaches out to a dog who sniffs it. — Greeted by a dog at a research donor’s property during a site visit. Photo credit: Kieran King

One of my favorite things that I’ve gotten to help with is the Olea project. I’ve had the opportunity to go to North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora and collect data on OSU’s 400-plus olive trees , assessing fruit set and collecting leaves for tissue samples. In the process, I’ve been able to meet many interesting people, including donors and active researchers. NWREC is also just a beautiful place to be on a sunny summer day!

Over the course of my internship, I’ve come to have a greater appreciation for everything that goes into public outreach. Everything from social media posts and email campaigns to manning and preparing a fair booth takes so much time and effort that isn’t usually seen from an outside perspective. Many of these things take hours to prepare and design, but people engaging with them may only see them for a few seconds at a time. Even so, the unseen work that goes into outreach is worth it, because we are able to bring OSU Extension’s amazing services to people in need of advice and assistance.

I’m very grateful for all that I’ve learned over the summer. I learned how to confidently communicate and bond with people in a professional environment, which are skills that I wanted to work on going into my internship. I’ve also learned a lot of practical information and skills, from noxious weed identification to the use of website building programs. I’ve learned things that I never expected to. Even though I might not use all of them in my future career, I feel like a much more well-rounded person because of these learning experiences with OSU Extension.

Finally, I’d like to thank my supervisor Hayley White for making my internship such a positive experience. Her guidance and compassion helped me stay on course throughout the internship, and she always affirmed the value of the work I did. I couldn’t have asked for a better boss at my first job!

– Kieran King

A woman stands near flowers in vases and writes on a clipboard. — Amber Stewart helping clerk in the flower category at the Polk County Fair.
Photo credit: Rachel Brandon

Hello! My name is Amber Stewart and I am an Oregon State University Extension Service intern in Polk County. I am currently attending Chemeketa Community College to pursue my career goal of becoming a nurse. This is my second blog post.

I got to help at Polk County’s Fair in early August. It was a busy but successful week filled with lots of good experiences with many opportunities to grow. Starting off fair week, I assisted with clerking in the 4-H art category. It was fun to see all the exhibits youth in Polk County entered. The following days I was at the front desk of the 4-H building to fulfill any responsibilities needed, some of which included directing our teen staff, setting up for 4-H events during fair and answering any questions that the public had about our 4-H fair or the 4-H program.

A woman arranges a large display of plants on tables. — Amber Stewart setting up the horticulture exhibit at the Oregon State Fair.
Photo credit: Rachel Brandon

At the Oregon State Fair I assisted with horticulture. I helped the judge and clerk specifically in the flower category. I also got to help set up the horticulture exhibit section. I enjoyed the information I learned about horticulture from the judge while I was a part of this section of the state fair. This was such a good experience to expand my knowledge about horticulture. It was great to be able to be more involved with the process of the state fair.

As the end of my internship program draws near, I have been able to be a part of so much with planning learning day camps, 4-H Polk County Fair and Oregon State Fair. I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have gotten to experience and the skills I got to expand, including the new ones I have learned.

A woman at a table outdoors helps two children fill bowls with plants to make fairy gardens. — Making fairy gardens.
Photo Credit: Rachel Brandon

Hello! My name is Amber Stewart and I am an OSU Extension intern in Polk County. I am attending Chemeketa Community College pursuing my career goal of becoming a nurse.

I have grown up being a part of this 4-H program in Polk County and have been very much involved throughout the years with various camps, clubs and fairs. When I heard about this internship opportunity for the summer it seemed to be a great fit that would allow me to still engage with the 4-H program, even after I had aged out as a 4-H’er. It has been amazing to be able to become more connected to the program and take on more responsibility with planning and creating different events.

I have been working at the Extension office for about a month and I have already had so much to experience. For my main project, I had the chance to plan from the ground up a Jr. Master Gardener Camp. I used my time to coordinate activities, gather material and finally lead the camp that drew 30 youths from kindergarten through the fifth grade.

A woman teaches children how to arrange flowers in an outdoor class. — Leading a flower arranging activity.
Photo Credit: Rachel Brandon

Taking on the challenge of organizing this camp as well as teaching the youth was exhausting but so rewarding! Many of the campers got to experience new activities and learn more about horticulture. Quite a bit of the families that attended are interested in 4-H and are wanting to get more involved with the clubs that 4-H program in Polk County has to offer!

Next month I will be at Polk County’s fair and get to be fully involved with the behind the scenes of how the fair works, so it runs as smoothly as possible. I am excited for what I am going to experience and what skills I am going to gain from it.

A young man with a beard stands in front of a snowy forest — Back home and ready to work
Photo credit: Kieran King

Hello, my name is Kieran King, and I’m an intern with the OSU Extension Service this summer. I just finished my first year of college at OSU as a physics major, so I’m finally back home in Dallas. I’ll be working primarily on outreach for the Mid-Valley Small Farms Program with my supervisor Hayley White, as well as helping with the Olea research project.

So far, I’ve been able to work on my program’s newsletter for the month of June, where I’ve written information for farmers in an accessible format. I’ve also been working on outreach materials for the upcoming Small Farm School, as well as data entry for the Olea project. It’s been an interesting first week, and certainly a great start to this learning experience.

I don’t know the first thing about agriculture, but I decided to take this internship as a way to learn more about my community and to help the people in it. I’ve benefited from the hard work of local Polk and Marion County farmers my whole life, so it only seems fair that I put in work that might make their lives a little easier. I’ve already gained a deeper appreciation of the community in my own county through site visits to local farms. Seeing the amazing places and people in Polk County has made me excited for the rest of my internship! While I ultimately won’t end up in a public service or outreach-oriented job, it will definitely be a meaningful experience

A young woman in a berry colored Six Flags sweatshirt smiles from a hammock — Ava Cordle relaxing before work
Photo credit: Ava Cordle

Hello everyone! My name is Ava Cordle and I am a second-year student attending Oregon State University-Cascades in Bend, studying environmental science with an applied ecology option. I grew up in Albany and therefore have good knowledge of the Willamette Valley. I am excited to work with OSU Extension groundwater protection education in the Well Water Program this summer and learn how to ensure well water is safe.

So far, I have started this internship working remotely in Bend but have taken a dive into the world of well water. There have already been many eye-opening moments for me as I have not experienced owning and taking care of a well and there is a lot to it. I have learned a lot about what effects nitrate can have and how important it is to check your well water regularly to stay safe. I have been spending a lot of time setting up our summer community outreach calendar with events like farmers markets all around Benton, Linn, Marion, Lane and Polk counties.

Free nitrate screening at the Aumsville Saturday Market on July 15 at 9:00. — Nitrate screening for well water in Marion County

I am very excited to see what I will learn more throughout this internship and all the people I will meet. I currently do not know what I want my career to look like. I feel this internship will teach me a lot and hopefully show me what I am interested in or not interested in for a future career. If you are interested in getting your well water tested, we will be having lots of booths this summer. I hope to get to meet some of you and make sure your drinking water is safe!

A man in an orange shirt sits under a canopy at an outdoor table, surrounded by signs and papers about well water testing. — Ahad Aziz stresses the importance of well water testing at the Independence Farmers Market in September. Photo by Morgan Neil of the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District.

This summer, I was given the opportunity to integrate public health initiatives into the OSU Extension Well Water Program with Chrissy Lucas in Benton, Linn, Lane, Marion and Polk counties. I was fortunate enough to interview several healthcare professionals, public health and environmental science professors and groundwater experts to learn more about the intersectionality of health promotion and disease prevention. I was able to interact with individuals from several different county health departments, the Oregon Water Resources Department, and professors at the Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University who specialize in science implementation, public health policy promotion and control interventions.

To help bring more awareness to the Well Water Program I collaborated with the different Extension Service offices and with campus resources to design and display posters and encourage the public to get their well water tested. I also helped with the Be Well Project study in Jackson County and sent out many letters and postcards to the five counties about upcoming nitrate screening clinics.

With my internship coming to an end, I’m writing a final report for Chrissy and the Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management Area Committee on how information relating to nitrate and other contaminants in domestic wells can be shared with other healthcare professionals. What I have learned is that well owners who perceive themselves as having more control over the problems within their wells are more likely to test and perform well maintenance.

A big shout out to Chrissy, my fellow interns Briauna Herrick and Kelci Free, Nicole Mason, the office specialist in the Extension office in Benton County; and many others for their enthusiasm and for helping me grow. Before this summer, I think I had gone to only one farmers market, but with this internship, I was able to visit many farmers markets, meet a huge variety of people that I probably would never have interacted with and I gained valuable knowledge from their experiences.

Ahad Aziz (from left) with fellow interns Briauna Herrick and Kelci Free at a nitrate testing table at the Corvallis Farmers Market.

Hey everyone! My name is Ahad Aziz, and I am from Tigard, Oregon. I just recently graduated from Oregon State with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and have a few more classes until I also finish my Bachelor of Science in public health with a focus in health management and policy. I’m on track to graduate in December, and I will still be at Oregon State, working on a Master of Business Administration degree. My background is definitely different than most of the other OSU Extension interns. Still, I’m glad to be able to provide that unique and “outsider” perspective to the Extension service and groundwater protection program in the mid-Willamette Valley.

So far, I have worked at four well-water testing clinics and have many more to be a part of for the rest of the summer. My specific intern project is working with the medical community in the area, mainly from Salem to Eugene, and providing health care professionals with the knowledge to best support their patients who rely on well water. I’ve found that there’s a disconnect between health care providers and their rural patients as not many of them realize that some symptoms that their patients come in with might have something to do with nitrate or other unhealthy things in the water.

With that being said, I’m going to shamelessly plug the fact that if you live in the mid-Willamette Valley, you can get your well water tested at an OSU Extension office near you! Just bring half-a-cup of water in a clean cup to Extension offices in Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion and Polk counties, Monday through Friday, during normal business hours, and we’ll get your water tested for nitrate. I’ll be at the office in Benton County if you want to meet me personally, or to give me life advice because I have no idea what I want to do with my future.

I’ll talk to you guys again in September!

OSU Extension Internship Program

Category Archives: Polk County

Extension intern reflects on learning and growth

Extension intern finds skills as an educator

OSU Extension Polk County intern works with 4-H youth

A more well-rounded person because of the learning experiences with OSU Extension

Thankful for all the opportunities and skills

Returning to 4-H in Polk County as an intern has been amazing

A great start to this learning experience

Learning all about well water safety and planning for events

Internship helped me gain valuable knowledge through experience

Working with health care providers to recognize human symptoms of unhealthy well water

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