Program Impact Report

2017 Tyrrell County Program Impact Report

Approved: January 26, 2018

I. Executive Summary

In 2017, the Tyrrell County Cooperative Extension Service Staff focused on the following objectives with in the county; Community Development, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Risk Readiness, Profitable and Sustainable Agriculture Systems, Safety and Security of our Food and Farm Systems, School to Career, Urban and Consumer Agriculture and volunteer Readiness. The Tyrrell County Cooperative Extension Team works together to make sure our programs meet the goals within these objectives. This year we have connected with new agencies and organizations to help build stronger partnerships and positive impacts within our county.

As a team, the Tyrrell County Cooperative Extension Service reached 5,961 youth and adults through their face-to-face programming efforts and 4,397 through face-to-face contact. Together the Extension Office secured $77,806 in grant funds, fundraisers, and donations to support our efforts. Extension Agents also sustained/recruited 285 youth and adult volunteers working a total of 299 hours in 2017.

The many aspects of Medicare can be confusing - how do I sign up for Medicare? What is Part A? Part B? Part D? How do you select Supplemental Insurance? Why not get a Medicare Advantage Plan? SHIIP (Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program) counselors answer these questions and more every day. Individuals making the choices that are best for them helps them save money, which can then be used for the essential - food, shelter and medications. The wrong choices could quickly lead to financial hardship. In Tyrrell County, Dee Furlough has served as the SHIIP Coordinator for almost 20 years. In addition, other SHIIP Counselors are Michelle Haney, Dee Dee Bullock and Erielle Cooper. The Coordinator writes grants to help support Medicare outreach in the county, and in return, agrees to submit contact information on a monthly basis. The busiest Medicare time is during Medicare Part D Open Enrollment (October 15 - December 7). In 2017, during this 8 week period, Tyrrell County Extension met personally with 127 clients and saved them a total of $133,192 - that's an average of $1049 per person. Many of the folks we assisted receive Extra Help to help pay for their Part D plans and their medications, and our outreach to them helped them afford their much needed medications.

According to the North Carolina Health and Human Services, more than 12,000 North Carolinians have died from opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2016. That is a 800% increase that is affecting our small, rural Eastern NC counties and citizens we serve on a daily basis. After Governor Cooper announced his Opioid Action Plan to address this epidemic, the Martin, Tyrrell, Washington Health Department contacted the Tyrrell & Washington County Cooperative Extension Directors to facilitate a County Leadership Forum on Opioid Abuse. Over 120 county leaders from Martin, Tyrrell and Washington County participated in the forum. The county leaders worked in small groups to formulate ideas, partners, assets, obstacles and lead person/agencies for the education and prevention of opioid use. Multiple groups reported-out their ideas and all ideas were collected at the end of the meeting. The County Leadership Forum on Opioid Abuse brought together a diverse group of leaders that were educated on the statistics of opioid use and the effects its having on their counties. The knowledge and awareness in that room will be used to help Governor Coopers Opioid Action Plan!

In 2016, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a drop of 0.4 percent in adult volunteering during 2015. Research shows that teens who participate in civic activities and community engagement are more likely to continue as adults. Organizations like 4-H, give teens an opportunity to volunteer in a familiar and safe environment allowing them to gain technical skills and grow in leadership roles. Tyrrell County 4-H started up a Teen Council, which gives its members the opportunity to get more involved in the projects 4-H has going on throughout the community. Members are responsible for helping plan the event as well as set-up, implementation, and cleanup of the event. Evaluations are done through observations of the events and verbally through conversations with parents and participants. As a result, our Teen Council has grown from 3 to 7 members. These teens are excited to volunteer on other projects not put on by the teen council. They are gaining an understanding of what goes into planning big events and expanding their experience in various areas including: leadership, time management, delegating, and civic engagement.

II. County Background

Tyrrell County is located in northeastern NC. It is bordered on the north by the Albemarle Sound, on the east by the Alligator River, on the south by Hyde County and on the west by Washington County. The land area is 389.9 sq. miles or 249,555 acres. The USDA Farm Service Agency records indicate that there are 64,590 acres in farm land. The major crops are corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, and Irish potatoes. Tyrrell ranks 9th in wheat and 6th in corn production. Total cash receipts from farming, including government payments, in 2015 was $53,158,798. Agriculture is the largest industry, as well as the largest private employer, in the county. Federal, state and local government, including the school system, employ the most people.

Large land owners in the county include Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (111,000 acres - Most of it in Tyrrell Co.), Buckridge Coastal Reserve (27,000 acres), Palmeto-Peartree Preserve (10,000 acres) and Weyerhaeuser Timber Company.

According to the 2010 Census the population is 4,407. This is a 6% increase over the 2000 Census. 56% of the population is white, 41.6% is black and 6.4% is Hispanic. Of persons over 25 years old, only 66% are high school graduates and only 10% have a bachelors degree or higher education. The median household income is $31,732. 26.9% of the population lives below the poverty level. Tyrrell County is classified as a Tier I county and is therefore eligible for certain government sponsored programs and grants.

Because Tyrrell is a Tier I county, the Golden Leaf Foundation offered Tyrrell County an opportunity to participate in the Community Assistance Initiative in 2011. Part of the process included a series of meetings where community leaders developed a list of issues that was a concern to citizens of the county. A list of six issues were identified. Those issues were prioritized as follows: (1)Economic Development-Job Creation & Retention (2)Education/Workforce Training (3)Health & Wellness (4)Infrastructure (5)Community Services (6)Environmental & Natural Resources. The county has not revised this list of issues since that time. Since many of these issues are reflected in the Cooperative Extension Objectives list, the agents in Tyrrell County chose the objectives listed below to focus on in 2017.

Profitable and Sustainable Plant Production Systems
*Variety Field Trials
*Agriculture Winter Roadshow Meetings
*Blackland Farm Managers Tour
* Farm Visits
*Field Days
Safety and Security of our Food and Farm Systems
*Serve Safe Trainings
*Home Preservation Classes
Volunteer Readiness
*4-H Volunteer Trainings
*Extension Community Association Support
Community Development
*Partnership Building
*Community Planning
School to Career
*S.T.E.M. Programming
*4-H School Enrichment
*4-H Clubs
*Summer Camp
*4-H Special Interest Activities
*Leadership & CItizenship Development
Urban and Consumer Agriculture
*Gardening Classes
*Home Visits
Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Risk Reduction
*SNAP-ed Programming
*Cook Smart/Eat Smart

III. Objectives to Address the Cooperative Extension Long Range Plan

North Carolina's plant production systems will become more profitable and sustainable.

Value*	Outcome Description
31	Number of crop (all plant systems) producers increasing/improving knowledge, attitudes, and/or skills as related to: 1. Best management production practices (cultural, nutrient, and genetics) 2. Pest/insect, disease, weed, wildlife management 3. Financial/Farm management tools and practices (business, marketing, government policy, human resources) 4. Alternative agriculture, bioenergy, and value-added enterprises
7	Number of Extension initiated and controlled County demonstration test sites (new required for GLF/PSI reporting)

Value*

Outcome Description

Number of crop (all plant systems) producers increasing/improving knowledge, attitudes, and/or skills as related to: 1. Best management production practices (cultural, nutrient, and genetics) 2. Pest/insect, disease, weed, wildlife management 3. Financial/Farm management tools and practices (business, marketing, government policy, human resources) 4. Alternative agriculture, bioenergy, and value-added enterprises

Number of Extension initiated and controlled County demonstration test sites (new required for GLF/PSI reporting)