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Cumberland County 4-H is preparing for its 4-H Activity Days, scheduled for July 12 and August 2. The Activity Days will be held in Carlisle and Newville area, concentrating on project exploration. Activity Day I will offer youth the opportunity to complete a project in all of the following tracts: iris paper folding, strawberry jam making, and electricity projects. Activity Day II will offer activities in painting, fun with Frisbees, and woodworking. Participants must be between 8-12 years old and register prior to June 28 for Activity Day I and July 19 for Activity Day II.
Cumberland County 4-H is gearing up for its annual 4-H Ag Science Day Camp, scheduled for June 25 and 26. The camp is held at local working farms and offers children hands-on activities to discover cows, crops, and more. The camp starts at Strock’s Farm in Mechanicsburg where campers harvest and thresh wheat, make ice cream, test soil, and discover seeds. The second day begins at Monroe Elementary School in Boiling Springs, where campers make loaves of bread, explore honeybees, and turn berries into jam. Campers also visit Brymesser’s Dairy Farm to learn about cows and milk products, make butter, and watch a modern milking operation.
Penn State Master Gardeners are offering a Summer Garden Camp for youth ages 7 to 12 or in grades 3 to 6 at the Penn State Extension office on Allen Road in Carlisle. There will be five sessions of growing, learning, hands-on fun on Tuesday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on the following dates: June 11, June 25, July 9, July 23, and August 6, 2013.
National Pollinator Week is June 17 to 23, 2013. To mark the occasion, join Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland County for a Butterfly Container Workshop on Saturday, June 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Cumberland County Extension office, 310 Allen Road, Carlisle.
Do you have questions about your garden or landscape? Are you trying to select the right plant for the right place or get rid of those weeds growing in the wrong place? Do you have a mystery plant you can’t identify? The Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland County can help you find answers to your home gardening questions at four Plant Clinic locations during the 2013 growing season.
The days are getting longer, temperatures warmer and everything is starting to bloom. Insects and many other creatures are also appearing more frequently as the temperature rises. Often these creatures don’t bother us, but sometimes they can become pests. Use IPM to keep pest problems from getting out of control. Below are some general tips for preventing pests and a few helpful hints to manage some common pests this time of year.
Tired of eating or making the same old thing for dinner? Try something different!
On Saturday, May 18, 2013, the public is invited to attend a tour of the Arboretum at Penn State Mont Alto. Penn State Mont Alto Forestry Instructors, Dr. Beth Brantley, Craig Houghton and Dr. Peter Linehan will be conducting tours of the campus and the arboretum. They will also be presenting information on the history of the arboretum and forestry education in Pennsylvania.
Even though we are well into the lawn mowing season it is worthwhile to review the hazards associated lawn mowers and their safe operation. Each year thousands of injuries are caused by power lawn mowers. Many of these accidents involve children under the age of five years old, and usually result in grotesque injury and/or the loss of fingers, toes, limbs, or eyes.
Late winter and the promise of spring brings with it the beginning of new growth. That includes bugs and rodents on the farm. Depending on how well you ventilated during the winter, conditions could be right for a bug bloom of epic proportions that may not be seen until you pull manure or litter out of your housing. The method of integrated pest management or IPM can help reduce the impact of the first few weeks of spring and certainly prior to manure movement from the farm.
This certainly isn’t news to many of you but all too often I see farmers starting to cut grass hay around Memorial Day.
Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland County are hosting a workshop for youth on Saturday, May 4, 2013, between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon at the Penn State Extension office, 310 Allen Road, Carlisle. At this workshop, youth can make and take home a colorful container of flowers and herbs for Mom on Mother’s Day, which is Sunday, May 12. The Master Gardeners will also help youngsters leaf-print a card to add a special message to Mom and make a decoration to brighten the container.
Save the date of Saturday, May 18, 2013, for great plants at the Penn State Extension Cumberland County Master Gardeners’ ninth annual Plant Fest. The plant sale runs from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., rain or shine, on the grounds of Claremont Nursing & Rehab Center, 1000 Claremont Road, Carlisle, PA. Look for the big tents at the corner of Claremont Road and Army Heritage Drive.
The Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network (PA-WAgN) is launching a women farmer mentoring program to connect established farmers with new and beginning farmers, aspiring farmers, and seasoned farmers. The mentor program will encourage women farmers to support each other through shared learning and exchange of experiences in workshops and online forums focused on five topic areas: fruit and vegetable cultivation, dairy and cheese production, urban agriculture and nutrition, on-farm education and value-added products, and livestock production.
Most farmers would probably say no to that question, let alone become excited or optimistic about such a prospect. In fact, the thought of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration paying a visit leaves a lot of farmers with a dreadful sensation in their gut.
On Saturday, April 20th, at 1:00 pm, the Cumberland Woodland Owners’ Association is sponsoring a “Native Plants” program at Spring Haven Nurseries in Newburg. Spring Haven Nurseries specializes in native woodland plants and shade perennials grown either in propagation beds or in the gardens located there.
Spring is a key time for disease control. This is especially true for many leaf, needle, and flower diseases, regardless of the type of plant involved.
Penn State Extension is offering its interactive, informative, and low-cost series of classes on diabetes, beginning in late April. “Dining with Diabetes: A Program for Adults with Diabetes and their Families,” is designed to teach those with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes how to manage their condition. The set of 6 classes are offered in a social and interactive setting. A new attraction of the classes is that the series is offered without charge for Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries. For others, the total cost for the first 6 classes is $40 for an individual or $55 for a family of two. The fee includes all educational materials, lab tests and foods served, with scholarships available, based on financial need.
This year’s machinery custom rates are now available online. Of the 82 rates reported with year-to-year comparisons, 65 increased, 12 decreased, and 5 are virtually unchanged from last year. Overall, custom rates were up 4.45 percent compared to the previous year. Because of the potential variation in size and overall productivity of equipment, a range of reported rates for each job has been included. The range represents the middle 80 percent of all reported rates for each job, thus the lowest 10 percent and the highest 10 percent of all reported values were not published.
It is that time of year again when homeowners and farmers are getting ready to plant their gardens or numerous acres of crop land. Even though planting is still a couple of weeks away, it is important to keep in mind that what you do to the soil now could affect your entire growing season. This is why it is important to maintain your soil’s fertility, which is its health or quality.
