Submitted photo WVU Extension Agents Bittany Leggett, left, and Hannah Fincham, center, addressed the Rotary Club of Elkins. They are joined by Rotary President Phillips Kolsun.

Extension Agents Hannah Fincham and Brittany Leggett of the WVU Extension Office in Randolph County were welcomed by the Rotary Club of Elkins. The duo provided information about various programs offered by WVU Extension.

There is an Extension office in all 55 counties in West Virginia; these offices provide services ranging from agricultural services to 4-H. Some of the offices also have a staff member working on community development and nutrition information. Fincham focuses on 4-H, youth development and community development while Leggett focuses on agriculture and natural resources, covering Randolph and Upshur counties.

On a national level, 4-H is focusing on college and career readiness. “We have a program called ‘Seeing Yourself in the Future’ that can be adapted for third grade to twelfth grade. Right now, we’re working in fifth grade at North School,” said Fincham. “We’re trying to get them to start thinking about all the possibilities.”

The Extension Office also works with Randolph County Outdoors, a program that provides hands-on instruction in outdoor recreation activities such as archery, canoeing, bicylcing and a variety of fun outdoor education activities that bring nature, learning and adventure together. Careers relating to outdoor activities are also highlighted in the program.

Other aspects of Fincham’s programs include financial literacy and paying for post-secondary education.

An online program that is being offered is ‘Healthy Relationship Education’ for adults. “We’re working with our family support centers to do relationship education online so we can get people from all over the state. Classes are offered during the daytime and evening hours,” said Fincham.

Fincham provides services relating to food safety and preservation. Free canner inspections are offered by Fincham. “I always tell people, sure buy the pressure canner at the yard sale for $5 and come to me and I’ll check it out and make sure it’s OK,” commented Fincham. “I will also inspect the gauges. The dial gauge can become inaccurate, and you could be under-processing food.” Classes relating to food preservation are normally offered in May.

Leggett works with farmers and small producers who have gardens and livestock operations to ensure maximum yield. “One of the biggest projects I do throughout the year is working with our youth 4-H and FFA members for their Show and Sale projects,” said Leggett. “They work with a species – goats, beef, swine, poultry, lamb, rabbits, and honey. They’re able to take projects in all those disciplines and get hands-on learning while raising an animal. They learn important aspects of marketability and present what they learn at the Randolph County Fair.” Workshops are offered to ensure that the animals are making weight, are being fed a good quality, nutritious diet and they are properly handled and cared for.

Leggett also provides programming in the schools such as pollination, butterfly lessons and lifecycle lessons. She also works with the schools that have greenhouses, high tunnels and raised beds. “We’re trying to get gardens clubs started and provided to students who are interested,” commented Leggett.

There are many programs being offered for adults. For example, there is a garden Lunch-and-Learn webinar every Thursday at noon. For those who are not free at noon, a link can be provided to watch it at any time. Risk management projects are also available to address issues such as production, marketing, nutrition and estate planning.

Soil testing is available to the public free of charge. It can be soil from a field for foraging or crops or a small garden. “The only cost associate with the soil testing is the postage to mail that to WVU. Turnaround time depends on the time of year. Right now, we’re about a two-week turnaround to get your soil analysis,” said Leggett. “We can provide support on how to make those amendments if needed.”

Due to cuts in the federal SNAP Education program, the Extension Office lost one and a half positions, resulting in the loss of youth nutrition programming in the schools. “It was a really great program with lots of really good impact. We do not have our youth nutrition education programing anymore, and we lost half of our adult nutrition education program that was funded through SNAP Education,” said Fincham.

Another key component of the Randolph County WVU Extension Office is 4-H and its partnership with Camp Pioneer. The camp has recently launched a capital campaign to build an additional bunkhouse. “Originally, when they [the dorms] were being built, they were to be in the shape of an ‘H.’ One dorm was completed in the shape of an ‘H,’ while the other only got one part of the ‘H.’ So, we’re making the second part of the ‘H’ except there will be courtyard in between them. The Mills Group did a pro bono design for us which is awesome,” said Fincham. “It will add 52 more beds which will not only help with 4-H camps, but church camps and others who use the facility. We’re hoping to break ground by the end of the year. The price tag is $1.65 million.”

There will also be some updates and upgrades to the barn to make sure that area is safe for the kids and animals. An Almost Heaven swing and new restrooms (near the swing) were also added over the last year.

More information about WVU Extension and the services beyond those profiled can be found at https://extension.wvu.edu/randolph.

Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in their communities, and in themselves. Visit www.Rotary.org to learn more about Rotary International, visit the club’s Facebook page – Rotary Club of Elkins – or contact 2025-2026 club president Phillips Kolsun at phillipskolsun@gmail.com for more information about the Rotary Club of Elkins.