New 4-H specialist to lead youth programs

Katie Ketcham joined University Outreach and Extension, March 10, as a 4-H youth specialist headquartered in Gallatin.

Ketcham will provide leadership for educational programs for young people, 4-H clubs and activities and parenting education for residents of Caldwell, Daviess and Harrison counties.

Ketcham brings her own experience as a youngster who grew up in 4-H. Since 1993, she has been a sales representative for Ketcham’s Sheep Equipment and Manufacturing in Edwardsville, Ill. She worked for the United Suffolk Sheep Association in Newton, Utah, in 2001-02.

The Illinois native received a master’s in agriculture from Colorado State University in 2001 and an undergraduate degree in human development and families from South Dakota State University in 2000. At Colorado State, she worked as a graduate assistant, designing farm safety curriculum, and as an intern, updating 4-H sheep project books. Ketcham completed two extension education practicums working with faculty and programs in Codington County, South Dakota.

Ketcham also authored the Youth Sheep Production Handbook, a guide for establishing 4-H sheep projects and other sheep operations.

To learn more about University Outreach and Extension’s educational programs for young people and their parents, contact Ketcham at the Daviess County outreach and extension center, (660) 663-3232.

University Outreach and Extension helps improve people’s lives with educational programs and research information from the four University of Missouri campuses and Lincoln University. To learn how University Outreach and Extension can improve your life, surf our website or visit your county extension center.