BRYAN — Marty Vahlenkamp, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent for agriculture and natural resources in Hood County, has received a 2015 Superior Service Award in the county agent category.

Superior Service Awards recognize AgriLife Extension faculty and staff members who provide outstanding performance in AgriLife Extension education or other outstanding service to the organization and to Texans. The award was presented Jan. 12 during the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Conference in Bryan.

As a county agent for AgriLife Extension for 14 years, Vahlenkamp has been a “champion for identifying relevant needs of residents within the communities he serves, implementing educational programs to meet those needs and developing a volunteer base to support these programming opportunities,” according to the nomination.

He has supported about 340 4-H youths and their families with more than 570 animal  projects in four years. This effort led to Hood County 4-H members earning more than $159,000 in major livestock show premiums and $66,850 in livestock-related college scholarships, the nomination stated.

Vahlenkamp also developed educational programs for sustainable agriculture and natural resources for owners of small-acreage properties, and he engaged a growing population of retired residents by supervising a Master Gardener’s effort to increase the availability of horticultural education in the county. Water conservation and quality is another important topic in Hood County that Vahlenkamp served through such programs as water well testing, homeowner septic maintenance and rainwater harvesting.

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