New county extension educator jumps into job during busy time with fair coming up

New University of Idaho Cooperative Extension educator Mary Ridout has been on the job for about a week in Weiser and is getting familiar with the office and the operations.
 On Monday, Ridout and Melissa Tate, the 4-H coordinator for cooperative extension, met with Washington County commissioners for introductions and to briefly discuss the upcoming county fair.
 “It’s good to be here. I have had a really warm welcome from citizens,” Ridout said.
 Ridout said she has been brainstorming programming ideas for the extension office. She has a meeting next week with the fair board and also is meeting with master gardeners to assess what the needs are for that program.
 She has visited the new county extension office currently undergoing renovations and the plan looks good. The major work on the interior of the office should be finished by the fall.   
 The interior of the building on West Idaho Street has been remodeled to create space for four offices and a classroom. The county bought the 5,800 square foot building in 2018 for $124,000.
 Commissioner Kirk Chandler said the renovation will be paid over two years. There is money in the current budget and the county will allocate funds in the fiscal year 2020 budget.
 “We want to make sure it’s fixed up and done well for the future,” he said.
 In a discussion on the fair, Tate said the office doesn’t have an intern this year and that will translate into one full-time employee working more hours during fair week.
 She said the fair entries were coming in slowly through the online site. The deadline for entries is coming up soon for the Washington County Fair, which starts on July 29 and runs through Aug. 3. This year’s theme is, “Where the road ends...and the fun begins.”
 “All that is going well,” Tate said.
 Tate said the office was approved for an Americorps employee. The county will come up with matching funds for a half-time employee. There is $5,000 in the fiscal year 2020 budget for the match.
 Ridout was hired for the extension educator position after a lengthy search by a committee led by the University of Idaho. She has a background in farming, wide-ranging expertise and research interests in agriculture, along with a Ph.D.
 Most recently, Ridout worked as a post-doctorate researcher at the University of Idaho doing work in microbiology, botany and horticulture and teaching undergraduates.
 The extension educator in Washington County focuses primarily on horticulture, agriculture and 4-H. It is a busy job that includes everything from working with master gardeners and livestock producers to organizing the annual fair and working with 4-H clubs.