As most of us do, I find myself pondering what went well this past year and what I will plan to do differently as the New Year approaches. I have many personal and professional goals to work toward in the New Year. For Cooperative Extension, what I would like to add to this list is for us to focus on better identifying the pressing needs of families, farms, and youth and better meet our catch phrase, “Extending Knowledge and Providing Solutions”, for the citizens of Sampson County.

With the start of a new year, we have continued goals to become a more modern, more efficient and focused organization, with a commitment to provide the best customer service to our citizens that we possibly can offer. This is a collaborative goal of our organizational leadership, within our county and the land grant universities that make up Cooperative Extension.

Along with this, our staff continually look for input in directing our programming efforts. We need to know what you need as residents of Sampson County. What will make your farm, your home, and/or your family healthier, more efficient, profitable, or sustainable? What will better prepare the youth in your household to learn responsibility, confidence, leadership, and commitment? What will help them with tools to complete college applications, prepare for a career, etc.?

So as we all move forward to 2018, give some thought to what would benefit your farm or your family the most. Can Extension help you reach that goal? Is there a young person in your household that could benefit from 4-H learning activities, leadership opportunities or projects? Could you contribute to our youths’ success by becoming a 4-H volunteer in some manner?

Please share your ideas, your concerns, your challenges and your needs with us. There are several ways to contact us, and to learn what Extension has to offer you as we begin the new year. Feel free to stop by our office at 55 Agriculture Place, visit our website at http://sampson.ces.ncsu.edu or call 910-592-7161.

Eileen Coite
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_Eileen-Coite.jpgEileen Coite

By Eileen Coite

Contributing columnist

Eileen Coite is the county extension director for the Sampson County Cooperative Extension Center.