Summer Internship Program: Shenandoah County

Primary Program Area Focus: ANR, FCS and 4-H

1. Describe your plans for this internship.  (i.e. What specifically will the intern be doing?)

The Year 2026 VCE-Shenandoah County Intern will engage in a host of educational activities across all program areas.  First, the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors' requested that Extension develop an educational program focused on training the next generation of farmers and agribusiness support personnel.  Plans have been made and there is a focus.  This intern will help put those plans into action.  Second, there are multiple 4-H activities througout the summer.  This intern will support some of those programs including 4-H camp, preparing for the 4-H/FFA Livestock Show and Sale, and 4-H club activities.  Extension Agents in the Northern Shenandoah Valley complete a Private Well Water Testing Program as a five county team.  This intern will assist with those activities.  Finally, the intern will spend a day or two learning about Foods and Nutrition work and Family Fanancial Management work (Extension Agents Amanda Johnson and Karen Poff).  There are a host of other activities that this intern may engage in that are happening in the VCE-Shenandoah County Unit. 

2. Describe the knowledge / skills you expect the intern to gain from this experience.

The intern will learn a lot while working in our office. The "Next Generation Farmer" Initiative is new.  The intern will learn how an educational program starts and how to create activity.  If the intern is able to attend 4-H camp, they will learn all about the 4-H camp experience and how to engage with children.  The intern will learn a lot about drinking water quality and  how extension agents work as a team through the private water supply testing program.  They will also learn about4-H Online and data management. 

3. How will the intern learn about the breadth of VCE and our various program areas?

This intern will likely spend significant time working in all three major program areas (4-H, ANR, and FCS).  Also, the "Next Generation Farmer" work and "private water supply" work is a team effort among all ANR and FCS agents in PD-7.  So, the intern will get good experience working across all areas.