{"id":2066,"date":"2026-08-10T10:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2026-08-10T10:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:38:13","slug":"osu-extension-intern-explores-a-summer-of-crops-camps-and-the-county-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/2026\/08\/10\/osu-extension-intern-explores-a-summer-of-crops-camps-and-the-county-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"OSU Extension intern explores a summer of crops, camps and the county fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi!\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0Natasha Lane, the Summer Intern for OSU Extension in Union County! As an incoming sophomore studying\u00a0plant\u00a0science-crop\u00a0science and\u00a0sustainable\u00a0food &\u00a0bioenergy-crop\u00a0production with a minor in\u00a0precision\u00a0agriculture &\u00a0land\u00a0management\u00a0systems, I aim to become the owner\/operator of the diversified crop farm that I grew up on here in Union County. Following my past experience as a 4-Her, especially as a 4-H Ambassador, I had been exposed to Extension and decided to pursue this internship with the intent of being able to give back to 4-H and learn about the behind-the-scenes of Extension as well as its different branches.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n
OSU Extension intern, Natasha Lane, driving the Alfalfa Omega SP-SW 125 during the forage trails. Photo: Darrin Walenta<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

In June, I was able to\u00a0assist\u00a0with the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show, which encompasses multiple counties and allowed me to work and connect with the other 4-H program coordinators across Oregon. Some of my responsibilities during\u00a0the\u00a0Stock Show included managing the 4-H office window,\u00a0assisting\u00a0the photographer during market shows,\u00a0preparing for\u00a0the shows and awards ceremony, running errands, and staffing the\u00a0OSU\u00a0Extension\u00a0office.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I also helped our Agronomist and Assistant Professor of Practice with forage trials\u2014 collecting dry and wet samples of the forage as well as being able to drive the Alfalfa Omega SP-SW 125. I also helped with the annual Union County Crop Tour, during which I managed bus attendance. On\u00a0the\u00a0tour,\u00a0the public\u00a0and I\u00a0were driven around the county and stopped at three diverse locations where we learned about different agricultural operations near us. I enjoyed being a part of the Crop Tour and\u00a0seeing\u00a0how it helped bridge the gap between producers and consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n
Natasha judging the Pee Wee swine showmanship contest during the Union County Fair. Photo: Carrie Lane<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

The last few events that I was able to be a part of, Tri-County 4-H Camp and Union County Fair, were some of my favorites. At camp I\u00a0assisted\u00a0with check-ins, chaperoned a trip to the water park, and helped co-teach a workshop on ice cream making. I love working with kids and seeing the campers have\u00a0a great time\u00a0was truly a rewarding experience. Similarly, I was able to get involved with helping 4-H youth at the fair from clerking the dog show to clerking the livestock shows. It really became a full-circle moment for me as I was also able to act as a judge for the All-Around Showman and Pee\u00a0Wee Show\u00a0for swine, something I competed in when I was a 4-Her!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As my summer ends, I have been able to reflect on all the valuable lessons and skills being\u00a0an\u00a0intern has taught me that goes beyond just Extension. Volunteers are truly the backbone of so many of our youth\u00a0programs\u00a0and it truly is a thankless job.\u00a0I worked my hardest to be an asset to them because they deserve all thanks and praise for making 4-H such a successful program. Additionally, I have been exposed to research projects that I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know\u00a0existed\u00a0and I\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0wait to return to school with a revamped passion for learning and discovery. Lastly, all the men and women I have worked with this summer are such impressive people and being allowed to be a part of their team has truly been something special, so I would like to thank\u00a0Karie\u00a0Kelley,\u00a0Honour\u00a0Bowen, Shelby Benson, Darrin\u00a0Walenta\u00a0and Grace Dudek for letting me be a part of their whirlwind of a summer!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi!\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0Natasha Lane, the Summer Intern for OSU Extension in Union County! As an incoming sophomore studying\u00a0plant\u00a0science-crop\u00a0science and\u00a0sustainable\u00a0food &\u00a0bioenergy-crop\u00a0production with a minor in\u00a0precision\u00a0agriculture &\u00a0land\u00a0management\u00a0systems, I aim to become the owner\/operator of the diversified crop farm that I grew up on here in Union County. Following my past experience as a 4-Her, especially as a 4-H Ambassador,… 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":[9,26,137,209],"tags":[330],"class_list":["post-2066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-4-h","category-ag-and-natural-resources","category-livestock","category-union-county","tag-natasha-lane"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066","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=2066"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2070,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066\/revisions\/2070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/extintern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}