Illinois Extension Educators Recognized for Outstanding Contributions by Professional Organization

University of Illinois Extension was represented by 20 Illinois Extension Agricultural Association members and two life members at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Annual Meeting and Professional Development Conference held in Des Moines, Iowa where several IEAA members from the delegation were recognized with awards.

Illinois Achievement Award

Nathan Johanning, commercial agriculture educator, was recognized as the Illinois Achievement Award winner. Nathan has championed education and outreach in many areas of agriculture while serving as an Extension educator over the last eight years. Three main areas of focus have included pumpkins, cover crops, and no-till crop production. Johanning has taken his personal on-farm experiences to help relate to cropping system issues at hand for farmers across Illinois and the Midwest.

Illinois Distinguished Service Award

Andrew Holsinger, horticulture educator, was recognized as the Illinois Distinguished Service Award winner. Andrew Holsinger has 10 years of exceptional service to Illinois Extension. Holsinger has been dedicated and devoted to Extension programs and to the audiences both at local and statewide levels. He provides horticultural education for gardeners of all ages and skill levels. Andrew offers expertise in pruning techniques, plant identification, tree fruit culture, and using technological methods for teaching.

National Communications, Website/Online Content Award

Emily Swihart, Ken Johnson, and Chris Enroth, horticulture educators, were recognized as the National Award winner for Communications, Website/Online Content. This award was in recognition for Good Growing blog, a weekly blog, co-written by these educators. The blog covers a wide range of horticultural topics, “Keeping you (and your garden) growing with good ideas.” Each author is responsible for writing, posting, and formatting their blog posts. The blog is part of the Extension website. The blog was started in 2015 and has grown to be the most-viewed University of Illinois Extension blog with 290,000 views.


Source: illinois.edu

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