Flathead Extension
The Flathead Indian Reservation is the home of the Confederated Salish
and Kootenai Tribes, and are comprised of the Bitterroot Salish, the
Pend d’Oreille and the Kootenai tribes.
My name is Rene Kittle and I am an
Extension Agent. It seems to me that a FRTEP educator's job is to bring
timely, research based information to Indian Country. Now, having given
you the "stock response" I will say that my job tends to be community
driven, meaning that I lean my programming toward what I see as a need,
or what my community requests. I attempt to fulfill my FRTEP grant
goals while answering the call for various programs from my community.
My program goals:
- My first goal for the program is continuing to enhance Tribal
member involvement in agriculture with an awareness of environmental
stewardship and natural resources. - My second goal for the program is to enhance and increase economic
opportunities for agricultural producers to improve their quality of
life and sustain the farm. - My third goal for the program is to improve nutrition and health of
consumers while protecting local food supplies by connecting consumers
with local and traditional food sources.
To accomplish these goals I provide research based educational
programming utilizing, as often as possible, visual and hands-on
programs. Programs and workshops include trips to natural resource
demonstrations, financial education and training, and nutritional
education. I use visual aids in addition to workshop activities to
bridge academics and real world applications. I provide producers, land
managers, and consumers opportunities to critically evaluate
environmental stewardship and resource management techniques with
current and traditional agriculture and food systems. I continue to
create opportunities for Tribal member youth to become sound and
successful operators in agriculture. To accomplish this I focus on
educational programs in financial education and entrepreneurship that
create opportunities for success in sustainable agriculture and
business alike.
Thus far, over the last year, I have offered extension programs
under a very broad umbrella, including agriculture, family and consumer
science, youth, and nutrition.
