{"id":1687,"date":"2025-07-11T11:45:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T18:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/?p=1687"},"modified":"2025-07-11T11:45:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T18:45:40","slug":"osu-extension-intern-connects-passion-for-ag-with-community-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/2025\/07\/11\/osu-extension-intern-connects-passion-for-ag-with-community-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"OSU Extension intern connects passion for ag with community impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello! My name is Aspen Bowling, and I\u2019m currently serving as an intern with the Oregon State
\nUniversity Extension Service Clatsop County, located in Astoria. This is my first year as an
\nExtension intern, and it\u2019s already been an incredible opportunity to gain hands-on experience
\nthat\u2019s shaping my understanding of community-based agriculture and outreach. I just completed
\nmy sophomore year at Oregon State University, where I\u2019m majoring in agricultural science with
\na minor in agricultural and natural resources communications. Agriculture has always been a big
\npart of my life as I grew up in California\u2019s Central Valley, where I was actively involved in both 4-
\nH and FFA. Those early experiences helped spark my passion for ag education and community
\nengagement.<\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n
Aspen Bowling, an intern in Clatsop County, manages the Food Hero information table at a Mobile Produce Pantry event. Photo: Emily Reilly<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

Now wrapping up my third week with the Extension Service, I\u2019ve had the chance to work
\nalongside our Small Farms and Master Gardener program coordinator, as well as our Family
\nand Community Health and SNAP-Ed coordinator. From checking cover crops and collecting
\ndata to supporting mobile food banks, every day brings something new and meaningful.<\/p>\n

One highlight so far has been participating in the Mobile Produce Pantry here in Clatsop
\nCounty. The local food bank packs up fresh produce and travels to different communities across
\nthe county, distributing food at no cost to residents. At these events, I set up a Food Hero
\ninformation table where I share recipes, nutrition tips and quick facts about the produce being
\ndistributed. We also prepare and offer samples of a featured Food Hero recipe, showing
\ncommunity members simple, healthy ways to use the food they receive. It feels rewarding to see
\nhow happy people get over their free fresh produce.<\/p>\n

One of the more exciting projects I\u2019ve been involved with is our cover crop data collection, which
\nsupports local farmers in Clatsop County. Cover crops are important tools for improving soil
\nhealth, reducing erosion and managing pests and weeds, but farmers need localized data to
\nknow what works best in our region. This data isn\u2019t just for research but, it will be used to
\ndevelop practical, region-specific recommendations for local producers. We use this information
\nto organize farmer workshops and field days, where we can share results, demonstrate crop
\nvarieties in action and offer guidance on how to integrate them.<\/p>\n

This internship has already given me so many valuable experiences, and I\u2019m looking forward to
\nwhat\u2019s still to come. I\u2019m proud to be a part of the OSU Extension team and excited to continue
\nsupporting our local farmers and families!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello! My name is Aspen Bowling, and I\u2019m currently serving as an intern with the Oregon State University Extension Service Clatsop County, located in Astoria. This is my first year as an Extension intern, and it\u2019s already been an incredible opportunity to gain hands-on experience that\u2019s shaping my understanding of community-based agriculture and outreach. I… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14884,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,49,15,283,38,37,21],"tags":[298],"class_list":["post-1687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ag-and-natural-resources","category-clatsop-county","category-family-and-community-health","category-food-hero","category-master-gardener","category-small-farms","category-snap-ed","tag-aspen-bowling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14884"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1687"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1690,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions\/1690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}