Latest News
Whoever said ‘silence is golden’ was not working on a committee or serving on a board. Silence isn’t golden when a community group is at work. In fact it can be toxic.
New partnership enables farmer to cut processing costs in half.
Penn State Extension ‘s Certified Food and Wellness Volunteer Training Program is in its second year. It’s a great opportunity to learn and grow, while giving back to the community. We are looking for people with some knowledge and interest in foods, nutrition and food safety who want to become more involved with community wellness. This is an exciting opportunity to join the growing program, which began in early 2012! Graduates have been active presenting to library groups, the PA Farm Show, schools and Kitchen Garden Day.
One of the pleasures of early spring, for a gardener weary of winter, is watching herbaceous perennials emerge from the bare ground, with lengthening stems and unfurling leaves often changing color as they develop into the full-grown plants that will add color, form, and texture to the garden during the growing season.
Here are some practical tips when looking to manage pastures this spring.
Moss is one of the first plants to green-up in Pennsylvania lawns during early spring, and many homeowners consider it an annoying weed. This year, moss has made an early arrival, and homeowners are looking for answers on how to keep it from taking over their lawns.
Before farmers start their spring planting in March, they complete their winter planning in February. There is plenty to do on a farm — even when the ground is covered in snow. Pennsylvania was home to 62,100 farms in 2012, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This meeting will help you prepare for the upcoming pond season. It will help you manage a pond used for recreation, irrigation or a livestock water supply. Get an overview of what happens in your pond, then look beneath the surface of the pond to gain an understanding of your pond’s life cycle. And finally, consider a few basics of the pond structure itself, such as determining the size and condition of the pond. We want you to be able to develop an effective management strategy for your pond. We will explain how to identify weed, discuss weed management options, as well as a provide information about fish and wildlife management.
It won’t keep the doctor away, but you’re almost guaranteed to get a daily dose of conflict if you’re involved in a community organization. How you handle that conflict can make a difference in your organization’s health. And an apple a day probably wouldn’t hurt, either.
To remind us that spring will return, snowdrops poke their heads out of the ground, sometimes as early as Groundhog Day; but they are prettier than groundhogs, smell nicer, and stick around longer, even under a blanket of snow.
EPHRATA, Pa. -- In many parts of Pennsylvania, getting a cover crop seeded after corn or soybeans can be difficult, especially if it gets cold too soon. And while a cover crop interseeder may provide a way to get seed in when a crop is standing, it's not a perfect solution. Greg Roth, professor of agronomy at Penn State, talked about cover crop interseeders Monday during a webinar on cover crop management.
Penn State Extension has nine educational meetings planned this winter for tree fruit growers throughout Pennsylvania. The meetings are designed to address current challenges with the latest research based information.
Last season, we at Penn State Extension started getting calls about Impatiens losing their leaves and collapsing long before frost. The best calls were requests for bunny rabbit control as gardeners thought that rabbits had eaten all of their Impatiens’ leaves. It turns out that we have a new disease, Impatiens Downy mildew, that specifically hits what most of us know as the “Common Garden Impatien.”
Penn State Extension will be offering Strong Women in several locations this winter and spring. This strength training program is geared for middle-aged to older women and men and is based upon years of research on how strength training and proper nutrition improve the health of all ages. The program was developed to help women and men increase their strength, bone density, balance and energy and help them look and feel better. Participants meet two times a week for one hour sessions and there is a fee to participate in this program. Participants may want to provide their own hand weights and ankle weights.
Registration is now open for an upcoming All-Day Blueberry School. This school will cover blueberry production from A to Z in one intensive day. Topics to be covered include basics on blueberry plant requirements and establishment; irrigation; fertility; varieties; disease, insect, and weed management; bird control; economics; and marketing pointers.
We are now in the heart of the winter season and while many in the farming community are looking forward to springtime and the warmer weather, we must ask ourselves “are we fully prepared for what lies ahead of us in 2013?”
Unsuspecting woodland owners selling timber often fall victim to the practice of "high-grading" or cutting the best trees and leaving the rest. Where this practice has occurred, there generally has been a decline on long term forest health and productivity. How can woodlands impacted by this practice be restored? On Thursday, February 14th at the Cumberland Woodland Owners’ Association meeting, Dr. James Finley, Penn State Professor of Forest Resources, will speak on the “Restoration of High Grade Forests in Pennsylvania.”
A workshop for young, new and minority farmers to gain insight into ag loans and business management. Guest speaker is Clark Seavert, Oregon State University Agricultural Economics Professor.
