Sibley, Iowa — There’s a new face at the Osceola County Extension Office.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is welcoming a new staff member to their Osceola County office in Sibley. Jill Berkland began as the new Osceola County Youth Coordinator in mid-September.
They tell us Berkland will be coordinating the 4-H and Youth Development program in Osceola County. In this role, she will be working with 4-H members, club leaders, parents, and volunteers, as well as partnering with the local school and community organizations.
Berkland says that 4-H was a part of her life before she was even old enough to participate as a 4-H member. She says her mom was the leader of the Westerners 4-H club before she joined 4-H and throughout her nine-year 4-H career.
Berkland is an Osceola County native, having grown up in the county and having graduated from Sibley-Ocheyedan High School in 2017. She received her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University in the Fall of 2020. During college, Berkland says she worked as a trail guide and staff trainer for SK Horses, and upon graduation, she worked as a receptionist at AllPets Animal Clinic. Most recently, she worked as a veterinarian assistant at the Sibley Veterinary Clinic.
Berkland says she is most excited that her role as Osceola County Youth Coordinator will enable her to help kids get involved in 4-H and find their niche in life.
She says, “4-H allows kids to get involved in anything that interests them. I was interested in this position because 4-H and the previous county youth coordinator Ashley Peters had such an enormously positive impact on not only me but on other youth as well. I want to be able to have a positive impact on the youth in this county.”
Berkland can be reached Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the ISU Extension and Outreach Osceola County office located at 121 9th Street in Sibley, via phone at 712-754-3648 or via email at jberk@iastate.edu.
