A Word from the Agent:

Transcription

1 Cooperative Extension Service Clark County 1400 Fortune Drive Winchester, KY (859) Fax: (859) Winter 2016 Issue A Word from the Agent: Happy New Year! Now that 2016 has arrived, it will not be long before it is time to prepare gardens for planting, work in the home landscape, and start pruning home fruit trees. It is important to plan ahead and make sure that you are prepared for the upcoming spring, and summer activities. We have many activities available to help you in this process over the next several months. I hope that you plan to attend some of these upcoming events. Sincerely, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources INSIDE THIS ISSUE: If you would like to become a producer selling at the Winchester/Clark County Farmers Market, you have the opportunity to learn more. This will be an informational meeting, and participants will have an opportunity to apply to sell throughout the 2016 season. Those new producers wishing to accept SNAP EBT, FMNP WIC, SFMNP vouchers and other payment options will need to attend a training immediately following this meeting. This training will conclude at approximately 9:30 pm. If you would like more information, contact the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service by calling The Clark County Extension Office will be CLOSED on MONDAY, JANUARY 18, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

2 Winter 2016 Issue Page 2 Mark your calendar for the upcoming 2016 Winter School Farmers Market and Homeowners Night. This will be the third and final Winter School session. It will take place on Thursday, January 28, at the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service 6 pm to 9 pm. A meal will be provided. This year there is a $10 cost for the entire Winter School to help cover the cost of meals, but this will allow you to attend any or all winter school sessions. Pre-registration is necessary. All that pre-register for Winter School will receive a second door prize ticket for each session they attend. To pre-register, call the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service at Here are the details for this year s Farmers Market and Homeowners Night: DIRECT MARKETING OF FARM RAISED MEAT PRODUCTS Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, UK Extension Meat Science Specialist Have you ever wondered what is required to sell farm raised meat products, or the best strategies for marketing meat directly to consumers from the farm or a farmers market? Dr. Rentfrow will cover regulation and marketing practices for selling meat cuts directly off the farm to consumers. He will not only cover the laws regulating direct meat sales, but will also discuss some of the best ways to market your meat without putting it out on the shelf. MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR HOME FRUIT PLANTINGS Dr. John Strang, UK Extension Fruit and Vegetable Specialist Many enjoy their own fruit trees, and small fruit gardens. Dr. John Strang will discuss the best management practices for your home fruit orchards. He will discuss practices that home gardeners can put in place to get the most out of their apple, peach, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry plantings. This session is geared toward homeowners, but those producing fruit on a larger scale will receive valuable and timely information as well. AG AGENT S GARDEN UPDATE David Davis, Clark County Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources Coming from a vegetable farm, I have always enjoyed producing vegetables. For the past several years, my wife and I have produced vegetables for the farmers market. I will discuss my plans for the upcoming year and my reflections from the past growing season. I will be highlighting our plans for vegetable varieties, disease management, and more. I hope that you will be able to take something away to improve your home gardening, or farmers market operation. OTHER UPCOMING 2016 WINTER SCHOOL SESSIONS: (See the attached flyer for more details!) January 19: January 26: Beef Production Update Industrial Hemp Update

3 Winter 2016 Issue Page 3 Each year, I always get asked about the best time to prune fruit trees. In many years, the best time will vary depending upon the weather patterns. However, the best time to prune most fruit trees is in the early spring (late February to late March or early April). It is important to remember that your fruit trees are living even when they are dormant. Pruning too early in the spring can stress trees, and you want to minimize that stress as much as possible. A stressed tree will be more susceptible to disease and weather. By delaying pruning, you can also prune out winter kill after we have gone through the typical time that you would expect it to occur. If you have several fruit trees of varying ages, I always recommend begin pruning the oldest trees first. Some species of trees are also hardier than others. For instance, apple trees can be pruned prior to peach trees. In most years, peach trees will have more winter kill than apples, and are more susceptible to additional winter kill when pruned too early, so you will want to prune those as late in the spring as is possible. This will allow you to prune out more of the winter kill, and avoid creating favorable conditions for disease development. During pruning, it is a good time to apply any necessary dormant oil or fungicide applications. You do not want to wait too long for these applications as timing is key for preventing some disease and pest problems. If you would like more information about pruning, and disease management practices for your fruit trees, consider attending the upcoming winter school session or contact the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service at (859) March 1, 2016 Tates Creek Baptist Church This meeting will feature two speakers. Dr. Emily Pfuefer, University of Kentucky Plant Pathologist, will discuss disease control updates for vegetables using conventional and organic methods. Sharon Spencer, from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, will discuss produce marketing. This meeting is geared towards commercial and farmers market growers, but all are welcome. Come early and share ideas with members from four different farmers markets (Winchester, Richmond, Madison, and Berea). There will be snacks provided. We need at least 15 participants in order to conduct this class. This meeting will be canceled if either Madison or Clark County Schools are cancelled due to bad weather on the day of the meeting. The Master Gardener Program is a Kentucky E x t e n s i o n V o l u n t e e r Training Program. Master Gardener Volunteers can receive hours of instruction over 10 different horticulture related topics. In return, trainees must provide 30 payback hours of approved volunteer service in the first year to the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service to become a certified Master Gardener. Once certified, volunteers must complete 10 hours of service each year to maintain their certification. Trainings are held either from 9 am to noon, or 1 pm to 4 pm one day a week for 10 weeks depending upon the preference of each group or other scheduling restraints. Simply stated, the Clark County Master Gardener Program is a great opportunity for you to make a difference in Clark County If you would be interested in taking part in the Master Gardener program this fall, give us a call to be placed on our interest list. We must have at least 10 participants to offer the program. If you are interested, or would like additional information, contact the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service by calling

4 Winter 2016 Issue Page 4 Last year s weather greatly impacted many home gardens. Weather conditions were favorable for the development of many diseases in fruit and vegetable plantings. Did you know that there are many varieties of vegetables that are less susceptible to diseases? Many growers have been planting the same varieties for years, but there are many new and improved varieties available with disease resistance that may benefit the home garden. Planting disease resistant varieties, and incorporating recommended disease management practices into your gardening efforts give you a greater chance for successful gardening. Many disease resistant varieties are not available in home garden centers. One way to obtain varieties that have resistance to certain common diseases is to grow your own transplants. You don t have to have a fancy greenhouse to grown your own plants. Since many gardens are small, transplants can be grown right in the home. There are great guidelines for producing your own vegetable transplants in the UK publication ID-128: Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky. This publication is available at the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service. January is a good time to look at seed catalogs to pick the varieties that you prefer. Most seed catalogs will describe the varieties that they offer including a description, the conditions required for them to be most productive, and any d i s e a s e r e s i s t a n c e packages that they offer. Looking through several catalogs so far this year, there are many varieties that offer applicable disease resistance packages for our area. One good resource for home gardeners to use when selecting vegetable varieties is the publication ID-133: Vegetable Cultivars for Kentucky Gardens. This publication is a little dated. It was last revised in 2013, but it is a good starting point. It is also available at the Clark County Cooperative Extension Office. When picking out varieties, don t just look at the picture, or the description. If you have had an issue with a reoccurring disease, it may be good to pick out varieties developed for increase resistance to that disease. Many times, these varieties are somewhat more expensive, but the expense will often be hindsight by the time you get into the gardening season. You may want to purchase a small amount of seed, and just try it out the first year to make sure it has the qualities that you are looking for. Who knows? You may find a variety that you like more than what you usually purchase. If you would like more information on growing your own transplants, picking out disease resistant varieties, or have other home gardening questions, feel free to contact us at the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service by calling Whether it s spring, summer, fall or winter, you can Plate It Up with delicious recipes that put a new twist on your favorite Kentucky Proud foods. Visit to find all the Plate It Up recipes using Kentucky Proud products.

5 JANUARY 19 BEEF NIGHT Importance of Risk Management in the Beef Market Changing Medicated Feed & Mineral Requirements Disaster Preparedness for Beef Producers $10.00 to cover meals and course materials JANUARY 26 JANUARY 28 INDUSTRIAL HEMP RESEARCH & PRODUCTION Growing Requirements of Industrial Hemp Steps to be Approved to Produce Industrial Hemp in 2017 Industrial Hemp Marketing VALUE ADDED AND DIRECT MARKETING What You Need to Know About Marketing Meat How to Get the Most from Your Home Fruit Plantings Ag Agent s Garden Reflections and Outlook * * Call to register for the night(s) you wish to attend! * *

6 Geared toward commercial growers and farmers market producers, but all are welcome! 1255 Boonesboro Rd. (Near I-75, Exit 95, Boonesboro Exit) Richmond, Kentucky DR. EMILY PFUEFER (UK Plant Pathologist) Topic: Disease control in vegetables using conventional and organic methods. SHARON SPENCER (Kentucky Department of Ag) Topic: Produce Marketing