Month: February 2023

Learn the basics of canning fruits and vegetables from local farms and home gardens through a unique, hands-on canning workshop. Participants will engage in hands-on activities using current recommended techniques for preserving foods for home use. Those with or without experience are encouraged to attend. Participants will receive the item(s) they prepare in class, a resource book, other printed materials, and knowledge of safe home canning methods.

Cost is $35 – Participants should bring their lunch and wear closed-toe shoes.

Class Size is limited to 10 participants, with a minimum of 5.

If you are interested in attending, Register Here.

Workshop Dates:

Friday, March 24th            Pressure Canning

Saturday, March 25th        Pressure Canning

Friday, April 28th              Jams, Jellies & Soft Spreads

Saturday, April 29th          Jams, Jellies & Soft Spreads

Friday, May 18th               Principles of Pickling

Saturday, May 19th           Principles of Pickling

Friday, June 9th                Pressure Canning

Saturday, June 10th          Pressure Canning

Local Farm Tour: 
K-12^th grade 4-H Members of Fairfield and Newberry counties.

Wednesday, April 5; 10:00-12:00 (for ages 5-10) & 2:00-4:00 (for ages 11-18)

Tour Bowers Farm and see cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, rabbits, ducks, pigs, and both meat and egg-producing chickens. Cost is $10 per participant (including parents). Parents/guardians must stay with non-4-H member participants, but are welcome to stay with 4-H member participants. Transportation to and from the farm is not provided.

Register Here for the Tour.

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Poultry Project:  
K-12^th grade 4-H Members

March-December

In the 4-H Pullet Chain, youth raise day old chicks for 5 to 7 months. Project members will care for, train, and prepare their birds for show and/or final sale. The 4-H Laying Flock Project is designed for youth that have older laying hens or purchased other chicks to raise.

Learn More and Register by March 1^st (for Pullet Chain) and May 1^st (for Laying Flock)

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Rabbit Project:  
K-12^th grade 4-H Members

June- December

The 4-H Rabbit Project is an independent project open. You receive a Rabbit Record Book on caring for and raising rabbits into healthy adult rabbits, have the opportunity to participate in a regional rabbit show, gain access to the Youth Academy of Livestock Learning Rabbit Modules, as well as a regular project newsletter. Youth and families are responsible for providing their own rabbit for use in the project.

Learn More and Register by May 1^st

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Around the World with 4-H Virtual Club:  
3^rd– 8^th grade Students (but all are welcome). Membership not required.

4^th Thursday of each month; 4-5 pm

Travel to a different country each month and explore its cultural recipe.  All are welcome to tour this Virtual Field Trip series which will also include craft ideas.

Register Here to join.

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Take Home Kit Club:  
3^rd– 8^th grade Fairfield County students (based on target ages of activities, K-12 welcome).  Membership not required.

Monthly through May 2023

Receive one free activity kit per month until May 2023. Each kit will explore a different topic related to natural resources, agriculture, STEM, leadership, and life skills.

Register Here for your kit.

FoodShareSC

FoodShareSC provides fresh fruits and vegetables to several counties throughout the state including Fairfield. Anyone in the community is eligible to sign up for the biweekly box, and the organization accepts SNAP cards or cash. A sheet that features quick and nutritious recipes is provided with your produce box. Learn more about FoodShareSC.

Fairfield 4-H has teamed up with FoodShareSC to distribute information and activities for families along with their recipe sheets. 4-H encourages children to get involved in the kitchen to gain new skills and participate in family meal prep. Regardless of whether you currently subscribe to FoodShareSC, anyone can access the Clovers in the Kitchen series (published and upcoming) to get your family cookin’!

The Fairfield Post

The Fairfield Post provides news to the Fairfield County School District and the community through a weekly newspaper. Many articles are written by the students taking journalism at the high school, but local organizations may also submit pieces. Fairfield 4-H has been writing a series of articles about life skills involving technology. Check out the featured articles as well as work by the teen writers of our community:

September 16: TikTok and Media Literacy

December 9: Social Media Careers

January 20: Money for Teenagers

                     Current News and Archived Editions

Christopher LeMaster
Livestock & Forage Agent
Cherokee, Spartanburg, & York Counties

This past December, I had the opportunity through South Carolina Farm Bureau to travel to Washington DC with a few other Young Farmer and Ranchers from across our state to meet with our legislators, government ag agencies, and Farm Bureau staff. It was eye-opening and humbling to see how policy for our country is made. We had the privilege to sit down with policymakers and tell them exactly what we do and the challenges we face as farmers. They were eager to listen and provide feedback on legislation that will keep Agriculture the number one industry in our state. Many of the discussions led back to farmland loss as we learned that South Carolina is 8th for the fastest loss of farmland. That statistic was alarming. I work with many multi-generational farmers that have no succession plans. I also work with first-generation farms that are clawing to get access to land. Both are affected by the increased urban sprawl in our state. This trip was a reminder to help my producers to be able to tell their stories and communicate with people who don’t understand farming. Also, this sparked a renewed interest in promoting ways to keep the farm viable to keep farmers on their land.

Also, I hosted a workshop on Farm Successional Planning that presented information on strategically transferring the business and the land. We also discussed conservation easements and other strategies to keep farmland affordable for new and veteran farmers. As we look forward to the Spring, we will continue with programs that focus on the business aspect of farming because we know that profitable farms with good succession plans don’t give way to strip malls and townhomes nearly as easily.

Adam Petty
Laurens County 4-H Youth Development Agent

On Saturday, January 14^th Laurens County 4-H hosted the 2023 SC 4-H Showcase at Clinton High School. The Showcase (formerly the Miss 4-H Pageant) is a unique event that is meant to highlight the achievements of 4-H’ers across the state. The goal of this long-running fundraising program is to assist contestants in developing confidence, building public speaking skills, and encouraging 4-H’ers to step out of their comfort zone to try something new. This year’s program included eleven contestants ranging in age from 7 to 18.

Our contestants competed in three onstage categories: business wear, 4-H project wear, and formal wear. In addition to these categories, our 4-H Teen and 4-H Queen contestants participated in an interview with the judges earlier in the day. This was a great opportunity for them to practice public speaking skills and gain self-confidence.

Members of the local community were chosen as judges:

Finica Floyd – Michelin Tire, Mountville

Peden Styles – Running G Farm and Arena and South Greenville Fair

Courtney Stonell – Keep Laurens County Beautiful

Matthew Brownlee with Allen Tate Realtors served as our Master of Ceremonies.

The winners of the 2023 SC 4-H Showcase were:

Little Miss Cloverbud – Eden Reece Lindsey

Little Miss Cloverleaf – Shelby Birkenstock

Miss 4-H Teen – Ellen Rose Shaw

Miss 4-H Queen – Mya Chapman

 

 

 

Mr. Adam Petty accepted the Laurens 4-H and Youth Development Agent position this fall and began working in Laurens on October 5, 2022.

Adam is excited to make connections in the community and to develop engaging programs to serve our youth. With a degree from Clemson, he has four years of experience in education, teaching middle and high school math in a private school. Most recently, he served as the school’s administrator in addition to his teaching responsibilities. Adam also operates a small vegetable farm in Union County with his wife, children, and their growing number of animals. He is active in his local community and church.

His goal is to make a positive impact on the youth in Laurens County and empower them to be outstanding citizens through the many programs, projects, and events offered through 4-H.

Adam can be reached by phone at 864-705-1102 or by email at akpetty@clemson.edu .

Laura Haddon
4-H Youth & Development
Spartanburg County

The Cherokee County 4-H Cloverbud Club is for our youngest 4-H’ers, ages 5 to 8.  This club provides a monthly 4-H activity from one of the 4-H Program Areas including Natural Resources, Healthy Lifestyles, STEM, Ag and Animals, and Leadership and Citizenship.

Other club activities have included learning all about cranberries and making cranberry sauce and cranberry smoothies, crafting Christmas ornaments to share with Meals on Wheels recipients, making Grinch pancakes, and building “snowmen” using baking soda and hair conditioner.

Our club year starts September 1^st and runs through August 31^st.  During that time, we have eight club meetings and Christmas Break and Summer Break Day Camps.

Our first meeting of the year was held at Thomson Park in Gaffney and was led by a special guest from the Cherokee County Soil and Water Conservation District.  Ms. Sarah Allen, CCSWCD Director, brought her Enviroscape and showed the youth how pollution affects the water we drink and use every day.  After her demonstration the club members enjoyed making edible watersheds.

If any of the 5- to 8-year-olds in your life would like to be a part of the Cherokee Cloverbuds please contact Laura Haddon by email at lhaddon@clemson.edu or by phone at (864) 489-3141.

Reid Miller
Area Livestock & Forages Agent

Rainfall has been a big topic of conversation over the last year. Six months ago, we would have taken any drop we could get. Now, it’s a much different story. With all this rain and feeding hay comes mud….and lots of it. Too much mud can drastically affect cattle performance and pasture conditions. A study from the University of Nebraska gives us a range for loss of gain due to mud from 7% at dewclaw deep to 35% at belly deep with shin deep coming in at 14%. So how do we manage against this?

There is no silver bullet, but here are some tips to help you mitigate mud accumulation on your operation:

1. Choose your feeding areas wisely. Feed hay in pastures that are well drained (higher ground), and maybe a pasture that could use a fertility boost. Waste hay and manure can provide needed fertility for the upcoming growing season (mostly beneficial for summer grasses). Updated soil tests can help with proper feeding placement. This works best in a temporary situation where the animals are not there long enough to dismantle the soil structure. Some type of drag to help evenly distribute manure and hay can help as well.
2. Rotate between multiple feeding or sacrifice areas if possible. If one area begins to have an excess of mud, give it a rest, and use a different area for a while. Temporary fencing can help for those with electric fence.
3. Avoid feeding near streams, ponds, or other water sources to prevent contamination and added potential for a muddy situation. Also, while feeding on a slope or hill can assist with drainage, consider the effects of runoff.
4. For high traffic or heavy use areas such as dirt roads, feed bunks, water troughs, and hay storage, it may be worth installing either concrete or packed gravel. Your local NRCS office should have information about their EQIP programs that can help with these issues.

Alex Thompson
Food Systems & Safety Agent
Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, & Spartanburg Counties

ServSafe is a family of training programs offered by the National Restaurants Association that trains restaurant owners, managers, and employees on food safety. ServSafe certifications are recognized by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) as meeting their standards for restaurant food safety training. Clemson Cooperative Extension offers ServSafe Food Handler and Food Protection Manager trainings and exams, as well as recertification exams for Food Protection Manager’s whose certifications have expired. Contact your local Clemson Cooperative Extension office to schedule a training or recertification.

 

Bryan Smith
Area Extension Agent-Agricultural Engineer

We do not often see sub-20 degree weather in the Piedmont, but when we do many people immediately become concerned about pipes freezing in their home.  Several sources recommend allowing a faucet in the house to run continuously to help prevent freezing, with a pencil-lead-thick stream of water flowing from the faucet.

We measured the flow rate of this pencil-lead-thick stream of water flow in our Extension Office to see how much water would actually be used in this practice.  The stream filled a 12 ounce cup in 1.8 minutes.  There are 128 ounces in a gallon, so using this conversion we were able to calculate the flow rate from the faucet of approximately 3 gallons per hour.  Now let’s talk about homes using wells and homes using city or county water.

If a home has a standard well with a 40 gallon bladder tank, the actual “drawdown” amount (the amount of water that leaves the tank from the time the pump turns off until it turns on again) for the tank is about 13 gallons of water.  If the homeowner left one faucet running with a pencil-lead-thick water stream, the well pump will probably turn on once every 4.3 hours (with no other water use).  Typical pump run times to refill a pressure tank are in the 2 to 3 minute range, so the electricity use would be minimal.  Quite frankly the homeowner may want the pump to turn on a bit more often than every 4 hours.

If a home uses city or county water the concern will be about the increased water bill.  3 gallons per hour from one faucet translates into 72 gallons of water per day.  For comparison, a normal SC household uses about 120 to 150 gallons of water per day per person.  So a single running faucet may add 12% more water cost per day used for the home, which is very minimal since the intense cold front may only last two or three days.

Regardless of the home water source it will be fine to leave one or two faucets running during a sub-20 degree cold snap.  The moving water will help prevent freezing, and the amount of water or electricity used will certainly not break the bank.  Homeowners may find that allowing two faucets to flow in this manner will more adequately prevent pipes from freezing.