Fellow and Mentor Partnership

During my internship with the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) I was able to work with Mr. Carl Kirby and also with Mr. Rodney Taylor. The majority of my work was done with Mr. Kirby where he taught me more about agriculture in a week then I have learned over my lifetime. Mr. Kirby is extremely talented when it comes to agriculture and did not leave anything out.

One time when we were working with a local farmer on how to decompose his dead chickens into fertilizer, I was hit with an “ah- ha” moment. Not only did Mr. Kirby do an amazing job explaining to the farmer the process of decomposing the animals, but he also explained the positives that go along with it. Not only would the farmer be saving money by not having to pay for someone to come pick up the dead animals, but the farmer would also be getting free fertilizer that he could use to help grow his crops. This blew my mind because I would have never thought before my internship that dead chickens could help grow food that we eat.

Mr. Kirby and I have talked since my internship has ended and he has been a great resource for Greene County Schools and myself. He has reached out to let me know that anything I need to let him know. I am very thankful for the opportunity he gave me to learn underneath him and will forever look at agriculture with more appreciation to all their hard work.