By Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
Jenny Stoneking is the new Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources for The Ohio State University Extension Office in Adams County. And she wants to visit your farm!
Stoneking is replacing Richard Purdin at the Extension Office and is excited to know her new community. A native of New Martinsville, West Virginia, Stoneking grew up on a smaller-scale farm with a garden that they mainly used for their produce. She graduated from West Virginia University with an Agriculture and Extension Education degree.
After graduation, Stoneking taught Horticulture Education in a correctional center. From there, she relocated to Alaska and worked for a nonprofit that improved the rural and economic development in Alaskan Native villages. Although a little homesick, Stoneking loved the experience. She said, “I was able to work with many people that had never grown anything before. For them to be a little bit more food secure was really a neat experience.” She said she learned so much from the various tribes; it was a unique adventure. “I’m thankful for all the landscape, people, animals, Northern Lights, and everything that I was able to be a part of during that time,” she said.
Stoneking moved to Adams County at the end of July this year. She wasn’t familiar with Adams County and was pleasantly surprised to find the beautiful, hilly landscape that reminded her of home. Stoneking said, “I’ve been working with many beginner growers and now will be working with some very experienced growers.”
Stop in the Extension Office to introduce yourself and say “hello.” Stoneking is anxious to meet Adams Countians and wants you to invite her to your farms. She met a few farmers, including Corbett Phipps, Roger, Phil, Luke Rhonemus, Bill Wickerham, and the Raines family. Phipps already enlisted her for the Junior Fair Barbeque committee.
The love of agriculture, small or large, drives Stoneking’s passion. She said, “Everybody has a place in agriculture, on the smallest scale, and doing something different on more of the agriculture tourism side.”
The goal foremost on Stoneking’s agenda is getting people to recognize her as the agriculture educator for the county. “I want people to be comfortable and to know that I am here for them,” she said. She plans on providing workshops on topics of interest. A few people have already told her they’d like to see more of a focus on natural resources, so she wants to incorporate training on woodlands, timber and forest management, carbon suppression, foraging, and the like. Look for her future articles in The People’s Defender. Stoneking said she wants to put faces to the fields she sees.
Stoneking hopes that people will attend workshops and programs using her services. She intends to work hard to arrange instruction and trusts folks will engage.
Now that she’s completed most of the job training, Stoneking wants to focus on “getting to know” the county. She wants to become acquainted with the farms and area since she’s only been an Ohioan for three weeks. “Everyone I’ve met has been extremely welcoming,” she said. Stoneking plans to assess the needs of Adams County agriculture to provide the necessary programming. She reiterates her desire to have folks stop in, invite her out, and contact her with questions or concerns. She concluded, “I want to serve the county in any way they need.”