Ag and Natural Resources « OSU Extension Internship Program

Hi, my name is Sofie Carlson, and welcome to my first blog post! I grew up in Vermont and went to school at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. I graduated this past May with a degree in environmental studies and economics and now I am spending the summer as the natural resources intern for the Lincoln County Extension office. This is just the second time I have ever been out West and I am really enjoying my time here.

A woman stands in a grassy area, holding a bag and a box. — At Gibson Farms in Siletz, collecting blueberries and blackberries to be sent to the lab in Corvallis for testing.
Photo credit: Sofie Carlson

It is now Week 5 of my internship, so I am about halfway through – time is flying. As the natural resources intern, I have mainly been working with my supervisor, Evie Smith, the Small Farms and Master Gardener coordinator in Lincoln County. However, I am working in several other branches of Extension, including Sea Grant, SNAP-Ed, Agriculture and 4-H.

Here are some of the projects I am in the midst of:

– I am assisting in the composition of the monthly newsletters that Evie sends out: Small Farms TLC Newsletter, which provides relevant information for small farms and ranches in Tillamook, Lincoln and Clatsop counties, and LC Master Gardener’s Newsletter, which contains information and expertise to help our Master Gardeners (and any other readers) meet local challenges. I have never put together a newsletter before, so it has definitely been a learning process, but luckily, I have a great mentor to show me the ropes.

– I am in the process of redesigning and distributing an updated brochure for Lincoln County Local Foods that will deliver information on all of the producers in Lincoln County that are doing farm direct sales. Farm direct sales are when the farmers sell directly to you, without a middleman, by methods such as farm stands, CSAs, and dock sales. The brochure lists which farms sell at the four local farmers markets in our county, what they sell, how to contact them and when the markets are held. Last weekend I joined our FCH/SNAP-Ed Program Coordinator, Beatriz Botello, in her Cooking Matters Tour at the Newport Farmers Market, which inform people how they can use their SNAP benefits at the farmers market. It was an educational opportunity for families to learn how to budget, compare prices and shop locally.

A woman in overalls rakes through a compost pile. — Juntos en el Jardín: Moving compost at the community garden.
Photo credit: Michael Christy

– I am collecting blueberries and blackberries at Gibson Farms as part of a larger ongoing research project that monitors a pest called spotted wing drosophila. This is a weekly task that I look forward to because I get to be outside, chat with Farmer Alan, and eat a ton of freshly picked blueberries.

– I am also assisting in the maintenance of a project called Juntos en el Jardin, which is a community garden located at the Newport Fairgrounds and this week I will be joining Angee Doerr, Sea Grant marine fisheries educator, to run her annual Shop at the Dock program, teaching families about Newport’s commercial fisheries through a tour of the port. This program is a unique opportunity to meet the fishermen and boats that we buy our seafood from. It will be running for five weeks on Fridays.

So far, this position has been valuable, rewarding and fun. It has been a great way for me to explore several future career paths while gaining new knowledge and experience. I have enjoyed working for Extension and feel very lucky to be living with family in Oregon. I am looking forward to continuing working on the projects I’ve started, making new connections, and taking advantage of my time here until I head back East. I am very thankful for this opportunity. Catch you on the next blog post!

A smiling young woman in a gray shirt and khaki pants reaches over to touch plants. — Sophia Nowers on a recent farm tour.
Photo credit: Teagan Moran

Hello, my name is Sophia Nowers, and I am the summer intern for Oregon State University Extension Service’s Small Farms Program and Community Horticulture in Benton, Linn and Lane counties. I am a rising junior at OSU, where I am majoring in agricultural sciences. I hail from Alaska and love seeing all the different crops that can be grown in the Willamette Valley. In my internship, I work with OSU Extension faculty in the Small Farms Program and in Community Horticulture to publicize Extension activities, build small farm community networks and support Extension events in Linn, Lane and Benton counties. Most of my time is spent touring Master Gardener projects, interviewing farmers, researchers and volunteers and writing articles about OSU Extension events and programs.

I just started the fourth week of my internship and highlights so far include helping at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture Open House, touring the Benton County Master Gardeners’ demonstration garden at the Benton County Fairgrounds, and getting to see Commonplace Farms’ operation near Corvallis. It has been eye opening to see the research being done by OSU Extension and how it translates into useful knowledge for farmers, gardeners and the community.

My big project has been writing an article about the Dry Farming Accelerator Program for publication by OSU Extension. It has been fascinating to learn about the dry farming research that is being done at the university and how it is being shared in the broader Oregon farming and gardening community. The program brings together small farmers and hobbyist gardeners from across the state to do dry farm trials of tomatoes, squash and corn and share their dry farming experiences. It is great to see how the program combines research and community building, and it has given me some great ideas for my agriculture thesis!

In the rest of my internship, I am looking forward to seeing some local small farms, learning more about the Dry Farming Collaborative, tabling at the Benton County Fair and interviewing more Master Gardeners about their projects and activities. OSU Extension does so much in so many areas that there is always more to learn. I love how its work intersects with public health, environmental issues, water management and so much more. I can’t wait to get out there and learn!

Two people wearing mud boots stand at the edge of a field — Jasmin Lama and Aayusha Subedi (right) administering various fungicides to hemp plants on a local farm.
Photo credit: Achala KC

Hello, my name is Aayusha Subedi, and I am an Oregon State University Extension Service intern in Jackson County. I am a high school junior, and this is my first year working as an Extension intern. I am working in a plant pathology lab at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point, Ore. with Achala KC, an Extension plant pathologist and assistant professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and her team. I am extremely excited to be taking part in this amazing opportunity. I am looking forward to learning about plant pathology research and exploring the commercial fields this summer.

Four people stand in front of a sunny vineyard. — Left to right, Aayusha Subedi, Jasmin Lama, Anupa Gaire, and Achala KC at the Woodhall vineyards in Monroe, OR.
Photo Credit: Aayusha Subedi

Throughout this internship, I will be working with another intern, Jasmin Lama. We will be conducting several projects, including pear disease diagnosis, hemp disease management, and grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) detection. Within the first week, we started testing some treatments for hemp at a local farm. Furthermore, I was able to attend a OSU Extension Southern Oregon Pear Field Day, an Extension event organized by KC on July 6, where the participants were able to learn about all the different ways local and commercial farms operate and combat diseases such as fire blight on pears. My favorite part of this day was to tour the TreeTop processing factory in Medford. It was amazing to witness the fruit-processing journey and visit the farms in the community. On Friday July 7, we traveled to the Woodhall vineyard in Monroe, Ore., to collect 176 samples for grapevine trunk disease management research. A graduate research assistant, Anupa Gaire, is conducting a study as a part of her master’s program. It has been a unique experience helping her with the extensive process of collecting, processing and plating samples.

I am grateful to be an OSU Extension Intern and I cannot wait to learn and help this summer!

A cross section of a pear tree root. — Observing the root of a pear tree for symptoms.
Photo credit: Aayusha Subedi

Hello, I am Jasmin Lama, OSU Extension Service’s intern this summer in Jackson County. I am an upcoming junior in high school, and this experience is surreal, especially being able to work in the plant pathology lab in the OSU Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point. I will be working alongside another intern, Aayusha Subedi; our supervisor Achala KC; and OSU graduate research assistant, Anupa Gaire. I’m very enthusiastic about this internship as this area of science is something I’ve always been interested in.

This summer, I’ll be working and assisting on three projects. My main project is disease diagnosis on pears, where we collected samples of dead, live and intermediate pear trees and plated them to observe what caused the pear trees to die. Towards the end of the internship, we are to complete a lab report on this project. Last week, I participated in a Pear Field Day where we went throughout the county and learned about other researchers and their processes. For example, our center expanded on the research that fire blight causes to pear trees and the process of treating it other than antibiotics. We even got the opportunity to visit Tree Top’s factory! It was incredible to see the processing of fruit.

Looking down rows of grapevines across a valley toward the trees. — The view from OSU’s Woodhall Vineyard in Monroe, Oregon.
Photo credit: Jasmin Lama.

The second project is grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) detection in which we will be processing grapevine samples to assist with GRBV detection using molecular tools such as DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The third project is hemp management in which we will be assisting a neighboring hemp farmer. There are five treatments we are testing over 45 plants in one field and 60 plants in another. We will also be assisting Anupa Gaire on her grapevine trunk disease management research. Up to this point, we have collected samples from two different fields. On July 7, we traveled to the Woodhall Vineyard located outside of Corvallis and collected 176 samples that were treated with different fungicides to test the efficacy of products to manage the disease.

I am so excited to see what I will learn more throughout this internship and continue my projects. Even though it has only been a few weeks, I have learned so much already and I’m thrilled to see what the next month brings!

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

Wide shot of a large mint field with farm in the background under a cloud streaked bright blue sky — Oregon peppermint field
Photo credit: Sprout Mahoney

Hi there! I am Sprout Mahoney, one of this summer’s crop of OSU Extension Service interns. While I have my senior year of Crop and Soil Science coming up, I will be working with Christy Tanner, the Linn County field crops specialist, for the next few months.

I got an early start this spring and have already helped with some research projects. Linn County is known for its grass seed and one of these projects has been based out of a local tall fescue field. Experimenting with different vole baits, observing signs of vole damage, and assessing drone imagery of the field via GIS software have been a few ways my learning has gotten out of the classroom and into some outdoor experience. I’ve assisted with different aspects of the research, from measuring samples to analyzing raw data for meaningful conclusions.

Closeup of a mint plant in a field — Mint plant
Photo credit: Sprout Mahoney

Another research project I worked on got me outdoors into some wonderful smelling mint fields! The peppermint grown in fields often becomes oil, a product that netted Oregon $34 million dollars in 2020. While mint in your garden may not have many pests thanks to its strong taste, the plants out in the field can be troubled by insects like loopers and cutworms. Monitoring these pests means using sticky traps baited with pheromone lures out in different fields and finding trends in their populations. This knowledge can help inform growers about the best times to treat pests and which species to focus on.

I am excited to be interning with Extension and working with local farmers. Agriculture always faces issues and I am interested in understanding people’s struggles and help bring solutions. I am especially looking forward to learning more about GIS applications in agriculture. I always want to know more about our soils!

Hello everyone! I’m Alyson Yates, and this summer I’ve had the pleasure of working with 4-H and agricultural Extension in Lake County for a second year. My internship concluded last week with the 103rd Lake County Fair and Roundup.

After preparing for several weeks, my county fair week began with static 4-H exhibits. This year, our Lake County 4-H members entered projects in a large variety of areas, including floriculture, Legos, fused glass, photography, fiber arts, food preservation and more. I assisted as a clerk and got hands-on experience with check-in, interviews, judging, state fair qualifications and final set-up processes.

Three goats and their handlers stand facing a woman with a clipboard while others watch. — Alyson Yates judging meat goats in 4-H Round Robin showmanship.

I had a few different objectives throughout county fair week, both within my internship and through my volunteer position as a 4-H leader. One of my goals was to photograph all of our 4-H livestock shows for use in future publications and media. This was a continuation of the work I did last year, which I greatly enjoyed as it incorporated my love of photography into Extension. I covered shows for 10 different species this year, from swine to dairy cattle and everything in between. I am very happy with the photos I captured, and I am excited to see them used in future media!

One of the challenges that we were faced with this year was Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as avian flu, in the state of Oregon. We had several poultry 4-H members in our county, and in order to maintain good biosecurity, non-market animals were not allowed at our county fair. To allow our poultry 4-H members to still show their knowledge and skills, we used stuffed “dummy birds” and a knowledge test for poultry showmanship. I worked closely alongside our small animal judge to coordinate this effort. Also, with the threat of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHDV2) in the region, we worked hard to sanitize all contacted surfaces and keep visitors from touching the animals. As an Extension intern and county fair small animal superintendent, this was one of my top priorities during fair week.  

My final area of focus was preparing our annual 4-H Recognition Ceremony. This year we had six fantastic youth speakers who worked as our emcees, and one of my responsibilities was to help them create their scripts and practice their speaking roles.

Additionally, I have spent the last month assisting with the re-installment of the Lake County Ambassador program, and it was an honor to welcome four youth leaders to the team at this event. Outside of my internship work, I also had a fantastic time judging meat goats in our Round Robin Showmanship competition.  

A black and white closeup view of the face of a dark colored cow with an ear tag that says Lake Co Fair. — A steer and showman in the Rancher’s Choice Market Beef show. Photo by Alyson Yates.

Looking back at everything I did with Extension this summer it is hard for me to believe that my internship has come to an end. I want to extend my thanks to all of the Lake County staff that I’ve worked with, who have given me so many valuable opportunities to learn and grow in Extension and beyond.  I am so grateful for the time I’ve spent working in Lake County, and I am confident that I will carry what I have learned into my future endeavors in Extension programming.  

This summer I’ve had the pleasure of working for the OSU Extension Small Farms Program with Teagan Moran in Linn, Lane, and Benton counties. Most of my time was spent helping organize our Military Veteran Farm Tour Series and attending farm tours of the Willamette Women’s Farm Network (WWFN).

Two women in gray t-shirts and jeans stand next to each other, arm in arm, under a tree. — Crystal Kelso (right) with Teagan Moran, small farms coordinator in Benton, Lane and Linn counties.

I got to experience what it looks like to start out with a sheep farm using movable electrical fencing powered by solar panels, a dry farm that grows flowers and veggies alongside raising goats and poultry (and sampling some of the best goat cheese ever!) and wandering around a medicinal herb farm that has a roadside veggie stand and sells herbs to local businesses.

I’ve met some amazing people and forged some long-term connections that I hope will carry over into both my personal and professional life. The farmers on these tours are thoughtful and caring about the land and their crops and animals. One thing they all had in common was the desire to connect with each other and give back to the community in a way that is sustainable and fulfilling. I think the overall theme was that these farmers are not doing this to get rich, but to feel good about what they are doing.

I have two more veteran farm tours to go to and will finish updating the agritourism farms list before I complete my internship. After that, I will stay on as a part-time student employee in the Small Farms Program while I finish my last year at OSU and receive my bachelor’s degree in horticulture/ horticulture therapy. Wherever this path leads me, I am thankful for the time, experience and connections I’ve made with this internship. Having such a great mentor in Teagan to intern with has been super helpful, and she has been great about getting me connected to as many people as possible to help further my experience and career. Thanks again for the opportunity!

Hi everyone. Em Jones here again. I can barely believe it’s been two months since my last blog post. The summer is coming to an end with earlier sunsets as we approach the equinox, about a month away now. I’ve been so busy with my internship I’ve hardly noticed the passing days. I’ve been networking, meeting new people and making lots of friends through various workshops and activities. My main projects have revolved around Small Farm School and the Oregon Mushroom Producers Network.

A black plastic tub filled with a wide variety of mushrooms — A bountiful mushroom harvest.

The OSU Extension Small Farms program has been busy as a bee planning and preparing for Small Farm School. Several classes are filling up quickly but it’s not too late to register. It will be held on Monday, Sept. 12 at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City. Classes include topics like poultry processing, funding your small farm “dream,” and farming with climate resiliency.

We are abuzz right now with volunteer opportunities to support workshops and ensure the day flows smooth as honey. If you’re interested, please reach out to Kelly Streit. Just four hours of volunteering gets you into the Small Farm School for free!

In addition to supporting Small Farm School, I’ve also had the pleasure of facilitating the first meeting of Oregon’s Mushroom Producer Network. This group of folks includes gourmet and medicinal mushroom cultivators from across Oregon. If you or someone you know is cultivating mushrooms, please reach out to me for more details. We have an upcoming mushroom farm tour and have just begun the conversation about the purchasing power opportunities we can embark upon.

While I am sad that my internship and the summer are quickly coming to an end, I am so grateful to have participated in the OSU Extension internship program. My mentor, Heidi Noordijk, has given me a wealth of knowledge and opportunity. She is truly a resource librarian and shining example of what the Extension Service is all about. From my time at the Clackamas County Fair to participating in her IPM class, I can honestly say she truly cares about and authentically supports the farming community for the benefit of us all.

As fall approaches mushroom growing will be at a peak and this small farmer looks forward to continuing their education with Oregon State University as well as continuing to learn from and partner with the Extension Service.

My name is Alyson Yates, and I am returning as an OSU Extension intern for my second year in Lake County. This summer, I have been a part of both 4-H programming and agricultural research, with the intent of increasing my knowledge of Extension and its role in communities around Oregon. As I enter week 8 of my internship, I would like to reflect on the goals I have accomplished so far, and what I have yet to complete as I wrap up my time in Lake County.

One of the most fulfilling parts of my internship this year has been re-establishing the Lake County 4-H Ambassador program alongside OSU Education Program Assistant Melissa Maxwell. Growing up as a 4-H member in this county, I was active in many leadership areas, but this particular opportunity was not available to me. Taking the steps to develop this program throughout the summer has not only been rewarding, but it has given me valuable experience with youth program initiation and design. I am eager to see this project to completion when I wrap up my internship at our county fair!

A woman demonstrates how to show a chicken to a group of young people. — 4-H members and families learning about chicken showmanship. Photo by Alyson Yates.

Throughout the summer, I have also been able to assist with a series of educational clinics facilitated by Lake County Extension, where 4-H families and leaders can learn about various livestock species. I chose to take on the final event in this series, a clinic on rabbits and poultry, as my internship project. The preparation process involved many steps, from securing a clinician and venue to designing a registration method for participants. I also assisted with facilitating the clinic, which was held last week. 4-H members and leaders from around the county attended to learn and get hands-on experience, so I can happily call the project a success!

On the agricultural side of my internship, I have been helping with a forage research project organized by agent Tammy Barnes. So far, my work has been to process alfalfa samples from multiple study areas and complete dry matter measurements to calculate forage yield. These measurements are then analyzed to compare the yield of alfalfa that has been inoculated with BioEnsure with control groups that have been irrigated with LESA (low elevation sprinkler application) systems. This experience has taught me a lot about agricultural research methods and how Extension interacts with producers, and I am excited to learn more. While I have not yet been able to collect samples from our study area myself, I hope to do so in the coming weeks before my internship concludes.

Three people stand next to a stream. — Attendees at the Stream Assessment and Management workshop completing an ecological state assessment at Thomas Creek. Photo by Alyson Yates.

Earlier in the summer, I was also able to attend a workshop on stream assessment and management taught by OSU Extension employees and partners in Eastern Oregon. This opportunity allowed me to draw valuable connections between Extension, local producers, and public land management organizations, and helped me learn more about the importance of watershed management.

The rest of my summer will be focused on preparation for the 103rd Lake County Fair & Roundup, held over Labor Day weekend. While helping facilitate activities and events at the fair, I also plan to continue building our media base for the future. I am looking forward to this event as the culmination of my second year with the Extension internship program, and I hope to continue finding new opportunities to learn and grow!

OSU Extension Internship Program

Tag Archives: Ag and Natural Resources

Exploring all that Extension has to offer

Exploring Agriculture and Community in Linn, Lane, and Benton Counties

Developing a meaningful experience

Learning how to solve pear and grapevine disease

A great start to this learning experience

Finding solutions for grass and mint crops

Concluding my internship with county fair

Thankful for the experience and connections I’ve made through this internship

Looking forward to learning from and partnering with Extension beyond my internship

Finding growth in new areas of Extension

Contact Info