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Fuson joins extension agency
4H lady
FUSON

 

A new agent has been added at the DeKalb County Extension Office.

 

Joining County Extension Agents Michael Barry and Extension Family Consumer Science Agent Dr. April Martin as a 4-H Extension Agent is Leigh Fuson. Fuson, a White County native, has come to DeKalb County after three-years of service at the Putnam County extension agency.

 

She has is a graduate of Tennessee Tech with a degree in agriculture education and has been married to Smithvillian Zach Fuson for four years.

 

Fuson said she will be working solely with the youth of the county. “I’m excited to get to work with the kids of DeKalb County,” she shared. “I’m here 100 percent for the 4-H program. Michael and April both have responsibilities with adult programs such as agriculture and family and consumer sciences, so I’ll be concentrating on 4-H.”

 

The new agent said she plans to expand the program’s scope. “I would like to get some judging teams going, and do some day camps during spring and summer breaks. We have ‘Chick Chain’ coming up. That’s a program in which they raise 15 baby chickens and auction them off at our fall show. Horse judging is in March, so that will be the first thing we need to get kids involved in.”

 

Fuson stressed that the program has something to offer students through high school and beyond. “When you think 4-H, you think of the traditional programs, the livestock judging, bread baking, sewing, but there’s a lot more to it now,” she said. “Our programs encompass the science, and also citizenship, leadership and programs for healthy living. We have a science day camp and a day camp where sixth and seventh graders learn about electricity. There are 26 project areas in the state. There are great opportunities for students all the way through high school.”

 

Fuson said the new position is funded through Tennessee State University, who is a partner with the University of Tennessee a small portion of the funding comes from the county. Both schools are land grant universities who get federal and state funding to support the extension office.

 

Interested parties may contact Fuson at the local office at 615-597-4945, or by email at lfuson2@utk.edu. The DeKalb extension also has a Facebook page, and there is a UT Extension website, https://extension.tennessee.edu/Pages/default.aspx.