Extension office position is the ‘perfect scenario’ for Merino native
Brian Kailey figures he’s right where he was always supposed to be.
Kailey is director of the Logan County CSU Extension Office, where he also is the county horticulturist and directs the Logan County 4-H program. It is nothing short of his dream job, he said, because it combines his two favorite things.
“It combines horticulture and youth, so it’s the perfect scenario for me,” he said. “I enjoy watching kids find their spart and achieve their goals.”
One could say horticulture is in Kailey’s blood. He grew up in his father’s landscaping architecture business near Merino, where the family had what Brian calls a “hobby farm.” As a result, Kailey said, he’s always looking at properties with an eye toward what trees, bushes, flowers and grasses would go best with them.
“I love seeing landscapes mature to fruition,” he said.
He was a member of the Willard Wildcats 4-H club as a child, then joined FFA in high school. It was there he first flexed his horticultural muscles, earning second place in a national Supervised Agricultural Experience competition in 2007. According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s website, SAE consists of work-based learning practices designed to educate students about specific skills in the workplace throughout various industries of agriculture. Kailey’s project was, naturally, landscape architecture.
A 2006 graduate of Merino High School, he attended Northeastern Junior College and Colorado State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2010. A decade later he returned to CSU to earn his master’s degree in fish and wildlife management.
“That’s always been interesting to me, and if I wasn’t doing this I’d want to work for (Colorado) Fish and Wildlife in youth outreach,” he said.
Kailey joined the Logan County Extension Office in 2011 and has been here ever since. He sees one of his biggest challenges as continuing to build the county’s 4-H program.
“4-H offers kids the opportunity to develop leadership skills and learn how to serve the community in ways they wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said.
Kailey hopes to grow the program from the 365 members it has now to about 450. That’s a continuing challenge as youngsters “age out” of the program at 18, so new members have to be constantly recruited.
His work extends into the community beyond 4-H; Kailey is Logan County’s “official” horticulturist so he’s available to advise residents on how to improve their yards and gardens. One project he’s involved in is a five-week program with KPMX 105.7 designed to prepare listeners for this year’s yard and garden work. The program will culminate in a handson workshop sometime in late April.
When Kailey is not on the job, he is taking his own children to dance class or the archery range, or coaching soccer or leading a Bible study class at the Berean Church. He and his wife Maree have six kids ranging in age from 12 years to 11 months.