Savannah Valley District

Weekly Field Update

Phillip Carnley, Area Horticulture Agent  Onions Strawberries are looking good around the Midlands. The biggest issue I’ve seen is still Neopest and getting plants to size up. With Neopest, stay on top of a preventative spray with Thiram or Switch. If plants are still small, row covers are your friend and will help force crown […]

Be Well Informed

Charley Greenthaler, Area Water Resources Agent – Calhoun and Orangeburg Counties Be Well Informed Do you rely on a private well for your drinking water source? With more than 20% of South Carolinians falling into this category, these wells must be properly maintained to ensure safe drinking water.  Maintenance of the well is the responsibility […]

Dicamba Updates

Jonathan Croft, Agriculture Extension Agent – Orangeburg County The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented a rule that individuals purchasing and applying restricted-use dicamba herbicide formulations participate in an approved certification-of-use program to obtain a Dicamba use license. The required training was due to the thousands of cases of dicamba herbicide injury to non-target plants across […]

Meet Our New Rural Health & Nutrition Agent!

Roxane Cummings, Rural Health & Nutrition Agent Roxane Cummings recently joined the Rural Health and Nutrition team as the Rural Health Agent for Orangeburg and Bamberg Counties. She is lifelong resident of Cope, a small rural town in Orangeburg County.  After high school, she received her undergraduate degree in English from Southern Methodist College. She […]

Silvopasture Systems Provide Many Benefits to Landowners

Janet Steele, Area Forestry & Wildlife Agent Diversifying land use is an area of growing interest among South Carolina landowners. Increasing focus on using forested acreage to its fullest potential has some landowners and land managers wanting to blend livestock management with timber management by implementing silvopasture. Silvopasture is not turning livestock loose in the […]

Christmas Gifts for Farmers That Promote Farm Safety

Marion Barnes Senior County Extension Agent – Clemson University When choosing Christmas gifts for a farmer, think of farm safety. Protecting their health and safety is a priceless gift that one can give in the form of safety equipment for use on the farm. Small items that make a farmer’s life easier and safer include […]

ATV Safety

Marion Barnes, Senior County Extension Agent All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are typical on many farms and properties and are helpful for work, recreational use, and other modes of off-road transportation. However, ATVs continue to be a source of injuries and fatalities for youths as well as adult operators. According to the S.C. Department of Health and […]

Turkey Prices Looking Better Ahead of 2023 Holidays

David Mansfield, Agribusiness Agent Wholesale prices for frozen turkeys have dropped just in time for the 2023 holiday season. In August 2023, the average price for frozen whole turkeys was $1.27 per pound, which decreased to $1.25 per pound in September, marking the lowest price since July 2021. This price decrease follows a previous rise […]

Fall and Winter Agricultural Programs

Jonathan Croft,  Orangeburg County Agriculture Extension Agent  As we get into the fall and winter, much of our crop harvest is completed, and the meeting season for Clemson Extension Agricultural Agents and Specialists begins.  Agents and specialists will cover program topics such as pesticide safety, agronomic crop production, ag economics and more.  At this time, […]

Leave the Leaves!

Janet Steele, Area Forestry & Wildlife Agent It is that time of year again – football games, trips to the mountains to pick apples and see the pretty fall colors, making plans to gather with family and friends for Thanksgiving, and the hum of leaf blowers. While the first activities on this list are a […]