New educator

Justin Curley grew up on a dairy farm in a northeastern Pennsylvania area so rural that the closest town, Montrose, is a 25-minute drive away.

The son of a fourth-generation dairy farmer, Curley moved to Hagerstown four years ago with his wife and kids to be closer to his wife’s family. He started in August as the new agriculture and natural resources educator at the Jay County Purdue Extension office.

“I grew up in a very rural community — it’s what I know, it’s what I love, and I really love that about Jay County,” Curley said. “It’s a very agriculture-oriented community.”

As agriculture and natural resources educator, he will be coordinating programs with various agriculture experts for the residents of Jay County. This could include information for farmers regarding crops or homeowners about horticulture needs. Curley partnered with Pioneer Packaging LLC last week for a field day.

He isn’t able to advertise any programming yet, but Curley noted he met officials from Jay County Soil and Water District to conduct a needs assessment. This will help indicate needs for the local agriculture community.

Curley noted the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to meet new faces.

“I’m a little frustrated that I’m having to meet the community under the COVID situation,” he admitted. “It would be ideal to be able to go out and just start knocking on doors. … It’s going to be a little bit trickier, but I’m just really excited to get to know the community.”

Allison Keen, county extension office executive director and 4-H youth development educator, commended Curley for his experience and strong agricultural background.

“He understands what a family farm looks like,” she said. “I think he brings a lot of experience and expertise to the county.”

Curley previously worked as the agriculture and natural resources educator for the Henry County Purdue Extension Office for about four years. Before moving to Indiana, Curley was superintendent of a golf course. He has a bachelor’s degree in turf grass science from Penn State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Indiana State University.

As a teenager, Curley enjoyed golf. He explained his work combined both his love of agriculture — specifically the green industry — and golfing. While he enjoyed working for the golf course, Curley was on-site from dawn until dusk most days and often worked unpredictable hours. It was difficult to spend time with his wife and kids, he said.

When his family moved to Indiana, they bought a farm in Hagerstown along with two horses and some chickens. Now that his son is old enough to join 4-H, Curley might be adding more animals to their livestock collection.

“My oldest son is going into 4-H this year, and he has announced that he wants a pig and a goat,” he said. “I don’t know — we’ll see. He’ll probably get one.”

Curley noted there are Purdue University resources available to the community through the extension office, and he welcomed community members to reach out to the office.