Community Connectors: Haley Shoemaker

October 2024

Community Connectors is a monthly series highlighting Ohio State staff members who have shown leadership in partnering with our communities to make an impact.

Haley Shoemaker
OSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator
OSU Extension, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

By definition, OSU Extension thrives through delivering research-based, practical and implementable knowledge from our university to our many communities throughout Ohio. As an Extension educator, my role encourages active engagement on various levels throughout the counties we serve. On any given day, involvement in the community may come in the form of educational outreach programs, field days, presenting and sharing the work of Extension with stakeholders or (my personal favorite) spending time meeting our agricultural community where they're at - on the farm.

Throughout the last year-and-a-half, we've had a unique opportunity to serve our community in a particular time of need following the unexpected train derailment in East Palestine. During the early response phases, and to this day as we navigate the long-term response, the relationships and genuine trust that were built long before the event are the foundation of how our team has approached each step and conversation. I believe I speak for many Extension educators when I say that it is truly a privilege when someone opens the door to their lives and allows us to step in and serve - however, when communities turn to us in times of crisis, those connections, and their trust, become invaluable.

Why is engaging the community important to you and your work?

Engaging our communities is crucial to Extension service. The topics we teach, the classes we organize and the in-field research we conduct are all designed to bring the university to a community, family or farm level. Theodore Roosevelt once put it this way - "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." This is Extension in a nutshell, and is a mentality that many of us take into the field on a daily basis.

Personally, the understanding that I have as much to learn from our community as our clients have to learn from us is my motivation to seize each and every opportunity to create new connections. I've not once walked off an agricultural operation without learning something new myself, or without gaining insight into the "why" behind the work they do. Community engagement can also be a very honest gauge of the effectiveness of our programming - if we aren't accessible to our community, open and beneficial feedback is often missed. What is unique about Extension is that our clientele really drive the programs we offer - no two counties are exactly alike. Staying in tune with local needs and interests creates lasting impact.

What lessons have you learned from the community that have helped you as a university staff member?

One of the largest lessons I've learned, especially over the last year, is that there are two sides to science. There is the "science" side, and this is the one we're most often more familiar with. It's calculable, predictable, and in some cases, controllable. The second side to science is the "human" side. This can be far less predictable, and requires we look past the data and into the lens of how all of those calculations actually impact someone's life.

In one instance, after countless hours and days of pouring over, analyzing and organizing data, our team had the opportunity to share that information with a small group of our agricultural partners prior to a more large-scale release. At the conclusion of our summary and going over each individual report, one producer in particular looked at us, tears in their eyes, and simply stated "thank you." It' a moment I won't forget. To these people, that data was so much more than numbers on a page - it was a source of certainty in a time full of uncertain unknowns, and for many, it was reassurance that their livelihood, created generations before, could continue. Take home - don't ever become so absorbed in the "science" that you forget who it's for.

What has been your favorite moment from your community-engagement work?

This sounds clich, but this question was by far the most challenging. So many moments come to mind, however I'm going to take this opportunity to highlight a partner "community" that never receives enough credit for the work they do. One of our programs, Bovine Emergency Response Planning (more lovingly referred to as BERP), entails training first responders in protocols and strategies to safely and efficiently respond to transportation incidents involving livestock. As a co-lead for the Ohio BERP training program, I've had the opportunity to work with a variety of responders, and each time, I'm reminded why this program is ranked at the top of my personal fulfillment scale.

In this training, we cover several serious topics such as on-scene triage, biosecurity and the realities of working through post-response emotions; all with the understanding that our number one goal is everyone (1) comes home at the end of the day, and (2) everyone does so safely. During one class in particular, we brought our group of responders out to a local beef operation to get some hands-on experience with cattle and gain some perspective on their instincts, herd mentality and overall handling tendencies. Some participants had never stepped foot in a barn, let alone in the corral to work cattle. However, at the end of the class, those folks walked out of the pen smiling - proud of overcoming any pre-existing fears, and more confident in their ability to respond in an emergency.

What advice do you have for other staff members who are interested in getting involved in community engagement?

The most straightforward advice I can give was first given to me by a few treasured Extension mentors - if my career creates half the impact theirs has (and still) creates, I'll consider my time well-spent.

Most simply put, get out from behind the desk, meet your community where you're needed, be honest and serve with integrity. In the world of agriculture, this is especially true. Our clientele are some of the hardest working, most authentic people you'll ever meet - and can spot a line of disingenuity from a mile away.

Engagement can easily become one of the most powerful tools in your toolbelt and can create so many meaningful and lasting relationships. And keep in mind that it's not necessarily the quantity, but the quality. None of us are immune to reporting our impacts in some numerical form throughout the year, but don't let this final tally be the only gauge of your engagement. While important, the true measure comes from the difference made in your community member's lives.