Name of Staff members and Their Titles:
Rose Massey, County Extension Director, Verlene Stephenson, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Science, Craig Ellison, Extension Agent, Agriculture, Heather Odom, Extension Agent, Agriculture, Kyleen Burgess, Extension Agent, 4-H, Ann Lawrence, Program Assistant 4-H, Tammy Vincent, Program Assistant, EFNEP, Robbie Bridgers, Secretary, Jean Sigmon, Secretary, Maryann Edwards, Secretary.

Staff Cooperation:
The Northampton County Cooperative Extension Center provides a high degree of researched based information to the citizens of Northampton County. A strong Extension Advisory Leadership System forms the basis for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Northampton County Extension program. Each agent has at least one or more functioning specialized advisory committees.

All agents and program assistants participate in the quarterly meetings of the County Extension Advisory Council.

Teamwork is not an occasional occurrence with the Northampton CES staff. Teamwork forms the basis of how extension work is accomplished in Northampton County. This teamwork begins with customer service as all staff members respond to persons that walk through the Extension Center door, call, or ask for assistance in the community with the attitude of “Yes, we can help you.”

Farm Safety Day Camp has become a traditional program in Northampton County. Verlene Stephenson, Family and Consumer Education Agent, serves as the day camp organizer. The 2006 Farm Safety Day Camp was held on Saturday, June 24. The Cooperative Extension staff team effort included the following: the 4-H Agent secured and coordinated 4-H teen volunteers who served as guides for the camper groups.  The CED handled registration of participants. Agriculture agents helped with set-up. The EFNEP program assistant and the 4-H program assistant taught class sessions. The secretaries helped with program preparations, name tags, and packing farm safety gift bags for each participant. Seventy-two campers and volunteers participated in this eleventh annual Northampton County Progressive Agriculture Safety Day. Evaluations of the event indicated that each participant was motivated to practice better safety habits at home. The event was also a great demonstration to parents and community resource volunteers of how the extension team works together.

Animal Agriculture Day is another event that demonstrates strong extension team effort. Animal Agriculture Day provides a hands-on learning experience for all fourth graders in the county. Heather Odom, Agriculture Agent, coordinates the project. All other agents and program assistants either serve as instructors or event facilitators. All secretaries play a vital role in registration, preparing packages for the teachers, and formating the event schedule. This event also provides significant opportunity for the agriculture supporters and school administration to observe the Extension faculty and staff actively engaged in providing education.

Additional evidence of supporting staff teamwork include: all staff involved in coaching 4-H presentations and presenting awards at the county 4-H Achievement Program; FCS and 4-H staff assisting agriculture agent with peanut pod-blasting; Heather Odom and Craig Ellison, agriculture agents, sharing pesticide education teaching roles with Heather providing instruction for x , ornamental, and turf credits and  Craig providing all other agriculture pesticide education; FCS agents and agriculture agents also often provide talks to school students on their area of expertise; all secretaries support each other with large mailings and preparations for major program activities.

 Resource Utilization
“Resourceful” is the key word to describe the Northampton Cooperative Extension staff. Public and private community partners provided $92,794 in contributions or grants to enhance Cooperative Extension program delivery in 2005. These contributions made up 73.9 percent of the program support resources in 2005 (excludes salary, fringes, state travel and postage allotment.) Program support consists of sponsorship of events, grants, contributions of supplies and cash dollars to enhance extension program delivery. This community support continues to grow. The Cooperative Extension budget in Northampton County has continued to receive steady support in lean economic times. In 2005, Northampton County Government provided Cooperative Extension a new 15-passenger van for the 4-H Program. Examples of the resourcefulness of Extension staff include Heather Odom securing a grant from the Roanoke Electric Membership Cooperation to support  Animal Agriculture Day, and Rose Massey securing a grant from the Albemarle Pamlico National Estuaries Program to develop an outdoor environmental classroom nature trail.

Program Impacts  
The Extension program is creating a significant impact in the lives of Northampton County citizens. In 2004, Extension partnered with the Economic Development Commission and Farm Bureau to draft a Voluntary Agriculture District Ordinance (VAD). This ordinance helps non-farm residents to be aware of the practices that are part of a farming enterprise. In 2005, 10,234 acres were incorporated into VAD. The ordinance also fosters land use planning that supports the continuation of the $102 million agriculture income that drives Northampton County’s economy.

In a county with three times the North Carolina rate of death from diabetes, Cooperative Extension is assisting citizens with making positive choices in managing diabetes. The 42 participants in Extension diabetes education classes indicated that they gained practical skills and information that they would apply to preparing foods and making positive choices to manage their diabetes.

The 4-H program is assisting youth with enhancing their science education with experiential learning activities such as extracting DNA from fruit and saliva.

Cooperative Extension is also providing researched-based information to address the exotic non-native aquatic weeds which have negative impact upon property value, recreation, tourism, and the aquatic ecosystem of Lake Gaston. More than 240 participants have attended four educational meetings. Participants estimated an average decrease in property value of $39,500 per lot if these invasive weeds are not controlled.