Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5061 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Susan Wingard

County Extension Coordinator

February 1, 2011

Farm Day

Farm Day is scheduled for Friday, February 4 at the YMCA located at 501 S. Pensacola Avenue in Atmore, AL.  Registration will begin at 8:00 am.  Topics that will be covered and the speakers are:  Herbicide Resistance to Weeds in Crops:  Palmer Amaranth, Dr. Barry Brecke, University of Florida; Cover Crops, Kirk Iversen and Richard Petcher; Farm Succession and Sustainability, Steve Brown, Alabama Cooperative Extension System; Stockering Cattle, Dr. Darrell Rankin, Auburn University; Disease Management of Row Crops, Dr. Bob Kemerait, University of Georgia; and Economic Outlook for Row Crops, Dr. Nathan Smith, University of Georgia.  Continuing Education Units will be available for pesticide applicators.  For more information, contact Ken Kelley at 251-867-7760.

Fruit and Vegetable Conference

In support of local producers, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System  (ACES) and the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Association (AFVGA) has for over 30 years provided educational opportunities for growers throughout our state.  Each year grower meetings are held around the state covering topics on specific fruits and vegetables being produced and marketed.  Once a year we have the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Conference.

This year’s Fruit and Vegetable Conference will be held in Auburn University at the AU Student Activities Center on campus.  The dates for the conference will be February 11 – 12, 2011.  Cost for the two day conference is $40 if received before Friday, February 11, 2011 and includes your 2011 membership fees to AFVGA.  Registration fee also includes lunch on Saturday, February 12.  For additional information and registration form, visit the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association website at www.aces.edu/department/associations/afvga  or e-mail afvga-mail@aces.edu .

There will be a Friday afternoon tour of Jordan-Hare Stadium facilities and athletic turf management for the National Champions; Auburn University Tigers.

Saturday topics include “Food Safety and Good Agricultural Practices”, “Greenhouse and Hydroponic Production”,  “Improving our Soils Using Cover Crops and Proper Fertilization”, “Soil Fumigation Alternatives and Regulations”, “High Tunnel Production of Fruits and Vegetables”, “Pest Management Updates”, and “Fruit and Vegetable Variety Updates”.

Increasingly consumers are getting the message that meals including fresh fruits and vegetables are important to good health.  Also, purchasing locally grown fruits and vegetables add up to better overall quality of the products they purchase.  Healthy eating would not be possible without the tireless efforts of producers throughout our nation and locally we owe a great deal to Alabama producers.  As a result of the increased demand for buying local across the nation and in Alabama, we are seeing more individuals involved in the production of fruits and vegetables that can be purchased locally.

New and experienced growers will be attending the conference to benefit from the educational sessions and also from sharing personal experiences with each other.  These producers will be taking this knowledge and turning it into healthy and delicious fruits and vegetables during the 2011 growing season.  If you are one of the hundreds of Fruit and Vegetable producers in Alabama, make plans to attend the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Conference and join your partners that feed Alabama. 

Tuesdays with Master Gardeners 

The Baldwin County Master Gardeners are presenting Spring Workshops every Tuesday in March from 6pm to 8pm.

Workshops will be at the Gulf Coast Regional Research and Extension Center, 8300 State Hwy 104 (½ mile east of Hwy 98) in Fairhope.

The workshops include:

March 1     6 p.m.  Ellen Huckabay - Lawn Care and Maintenance
7 p.m.  Marilyn Mannhard - Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening

March 8    6 p.m.  Gene Sellier - Herb Gardening
7 p.m   Carol Rhodes - Growing Vegetables / Antioxidant Drinks and Chips from the Garden

March 15   6 p.m.  Elizabeth Mundine - Patio and Courtyard Landscaping
7 p.m   Theresa Sims - Gardening Photography

March 22   6 p.m.  Jane Denmark - Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardens
7 p.m.  Beau Brodbeck - Trees and Shrubs for Your Yard

March 29   6 p.m.  Gaynell Dumas - Monthly Garden Maintenance
7 p.m   Gaynell Dumas - Landscaping for Year-round Color

Admission is $5 per workshop and is payable at the door. The proceeds will go to the Baldwin County Master Gardener Scholarship Fund.

For more information, contact Myra Devine at (251)-990-8501. If you have gardening questions, call our Helpline 1-(877)-252-4769.

Email address: swingard@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5061, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.