BETH MILLER
Cumberland Co. Correspondent
CARLISLE (Cumberland Co.)
_ Laura Watts has done some
thing that no woman ever has done
before.
Watts, who is an agent with the
Cumberland County Agricultural
Extension Office, has become the
first woman to be elected as vice
president of the Pennsylvania
Association of County Agricultur
al Agents.
The Carlisle area woman
knows she has a big job ahead of
her leading the association, which
is a professional association open
to all county agents in the state.
“Being a county agent is Get
ting harder and harder, with all the
budget cuts,” said Watts, who has
worked for Cumberland County
for 15 years.
“This organization is one way
we can all work together as agents,
networking with one another for
better ideas, encouragement and
support throughout the state and
nationally,” she added.
Watts has just the right back
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Laura Watt Becomes First
To Extension
ground for her new position.
For four years she was the com
puter support person for her
region. In the Cumberland County
office, her main responsibilities
include serving as livestock agent,
4-H livestock agent, as well as
being in charge of safety, recy
cling, computer work and “any
thing high-tech,” Watts said.
Agriculture has been part of her
life even before she got her job
with the county, she said. She
graduated from Penn State Uni
versity with a degree in animal
production, then worked in a
Berks County feed mill before
attaining her Cumberland posi
tion.
Watts, whose hobbies include
embroidery—she is a member of
the Embroidery Guild —and hors
es, has been involved with the
agents association for quite a few
years.
Partly because of her interest
and skill with computers, she was
asked to run for election as the
association’s membership secre
tary in 1987.
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Her next step, in 1991, was to
run for and win the office of the
group’s treasurer, a job she said
she liked because she enjoys
working with figures and keeping
Woman Elected
e Presidency
records.
Watts admitted that she had to
think hard before deciding to run
for the vice-president post.
“It was a major decision to
decide to run for this office. It is a
four-year commitment,” Watts said.
In the end, encouragement
from her husband, Randy, and her
boss, Cumberland County’s chief
agricultural agent Duane Duncan,
convinced her to take the step.
Now that she has the office,
Watts said her main goal will be to
promote professionalism among
Pennsylvania’s agricultural agents.
The association is well suited
No More
Morning Sickness
HONESDALE (Wayne
Co.) —Oh, dear! It’s morning
again! A dreaded time for pre
gnant women. In the early stages.
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, July 29, 1995415
for that purpose because of the
opportunities it provides agents
for networking, in-service training
and sharing ideas, she said.
Watts said she intends to help
make sure the association is able
to meet the needs of her fellow
agents as they move into a future
where the demands on them will
change fast.
“Extension’s role is changing,”
she said. ‘We have to keep moving
into the future and always provide
unbiased information to the pub
lic. This organization can help
with that.”
one out ot three pregnant women
feels nauseated after she wakes
up. By midday, she usually feels
fine.
The morning malady
is due to changes in the
body as it adjusts to pre
gnancy. One of these is
an increased need for
vitamin B-6.
One symptom of B-6
deficiency is low blood
sugar. This in turn can
produce dizziness and
nausea, both symptoms
associated with morning
sickness.
Most women need at
least two milligrams of
B-6 daily. The recom
mended daily allowance
for pregnant women is
2.6 milligrams. Those
who took birth control
pills are especially vul
nerable to B-6 deficien
cy because oral con
traceptives sometimes
deplete the body’s B-6
supply.
To make sure they get
enough of the important
nutrient, it is recom
mended that pregnant
women follow a
balanced diet that
includes foods rich in
B-6, such as bananas.
avocados, potatoes,
beef, fish, chicken, dark
• green vegetables and
whole-grain cereals.
Use as little water as
possible when cooking
foods containing B-6.
The nutrient is water
soluble and cooking
food in water will
reduce its B-6 content.
Some doctors pre
scribe vitamin supple
ments or morning sick
ness medication con
taining B-6 in order to
relieve the symptoms.