The day that the new Extension “Agent” moved to Blair from West Point was the first day that his daughter Amy began kindergarten at the Blair West School. Two other daughters, Amanda and Jessica, were born in Washington County. All attended and graduated from the Blair School system. Amy is in Greeley, Colorado as a school psychologist; Amanda is here in Blair and is a chemist for Cargill; while Jessica is in Kansas City working for Kari Food Company.
His wife, Ruth, began to work at the Blair Library as a part-time librarian. She then took over the responsibilities as the Children’s Librarian, and eventually took over the reins as the Library Director where she currently serves.
If you have not figured it out by now, that fellow is me. This will be the last “Pete’s Corner” as I will be retiring December 31st. It has been an interesting thirty years, in some cases rocky, but for the most part a very rewarding and wonderful employment. Looking back, it just seems like yesterday that I started.
I always remember with fondness, Frank Rybin, the President of the Washington County Fairboard, introducing me in the winter of 1979 to a group of regional fairboard members at a banquet in Arlington. He jokingly introduced me saying that he did not think that I would be around very long. With my thirty years, I have been in Washington County longer than any other Extension Agent or Educator having surpassed Sam Lingo by eight years.
In my thirty years, I have been involved in a variety of areas. My early years were devoted to Conservation Tillage working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service promoting that tillage practice. I also worked with a number of people for the start of the Washington County Recycling Association which continues to have success. The Blair Farmers Market was one of my early projects with Dick Lippincott. One cannot forget the 30 years of doing pesticide training for private applicators of restricted-use pesticides. All the participants just loved to attend those sessions. I worked a lot in the soil fertility area, even editing a UNL soils home study course. The last couple of years my work as been focused in the area of Sustainable Agriculture where I have served as the SARE coordinator for Nebraska.
Extension has very much changed in those thirty years. We are no longer the “County Agent” who was the authority on all matters related to agriculture. As most people know, I never was that authority, but that was the impression. Today, we are focused educators that have a more narrow focus. I applaud that change as Extension educators can become more cutting edge in their knowledge of a focus area.
I am finding that as a retiree, you certainly can get enough jobs to do, which is good. I opened my mouth within earshot of Steve and Jana Kruger, the fairboard president and his wife. The result is that I am the co-superintendent of the open class vegetable show at the county fair.
In closing, I do want to wish all of you the best of luck in the future. It has been my good fortune to have served you as long as I have. I look forward to seeing all of you in the future, but not in my role as the Extension Educator in Washington County.
