Author: jrddl

Melissa Bales, Health Extension Agent

Growing Health is entering year 2! Growing Health is a program that was developed by the Greenville County Rural Health and Urban Horticulture Agents to help beginner gardeners in Greenville learn to grow their own vegetables and incorporate these vegetables into a healthy diet. In order to help beginner gardeners, learn about vegetables that can be grown throughout the year, Growing Health is presented in accordance to growing seasons – spring, summer, and fall. Those who participate in the program receive information and growing materials to take home.

We held three programs in correlation with the growing seasons in 2022. Six individuals attended all three program dates and there has already been significant interest in the program for 2023. The 2023 Growing Health program will continue to emphasize growing your own food and how it impacts your health but will also offer an opportunity to showcase some of the work that other Agents are doing in Greenville County and how their expertise can link with gardening and health.

Our collaboration with the Greenville State Farmers Market has allowed the program to be hosted at a lower cost and has allowed us to begin thinking about opportunities for the growth of the program. This year, we will offer programs on April 1^st, June 17^th, and August 26^th from 11am-12pm at the Greenville State Farmers Market. Interested individuals can sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/327485827927 or contact Melissa Bales at mbales@clemson.edu or 864-365-0635.

Ellie Lane, Statewide Rural Health and Nutrition Extension Agent

The Rural Health and Nutrition Team’s free health programs are expanding! We have listened to your feedback and are currently developing a program designed to keep you strong and healthy for life. Practical Strength will launch Summer 2023! The goal of the Practical Strength program is to emphasize sustainable, functional fitness. We will help you develop the strength to do whatever you want throughout life safely and efficiently. The program will be appropriate for all ages and mobility levels and will be hosted weekly through live, online classes. Certified fitness professionals will lead participants through a strength training workout appropriate for all bodies. Recordings will be available for those that cannot make the lives classes and for participants that want to practice their favorite sessions again.

Why is strength training important? We need our muscles in any activity we do throughout the day – whether it is walking, getting out of a chair, grocery shopping, enjoying your favorite hobby, or chasing the grandkids. For us to keep those muscles as strong as possible, we need to challenge them on a regular basis. We do this through strength training. We need at least two days per week of strength training with enough resistance to challenge our muscles to stay healthy lifelong. Benefits of strength training include preserving muscle mass we lose as we age, strengthening bones to prevent injury and osteoporosis, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, improving quality of sleep, increasing energy, lowering stress levels, and boosting confidence, among many others.

We know that strength training can seem intimidating – it is possible that by training your body with improper form or pushing your limits too quickly, you could experience injury or burnout. Practical Strength will set you up for success in reaching your fitness goals by demonstrating proper form and offering modifications to meet your body where it is each week. We will keep you at an appropriate pace for sustainable muscle building and emphasize consistency in healthy behaviors over intensity.

Join us this summer to stay accountable towards your health goals and keep your body functioning smoothly and lifelong!  

Over the last few years, Health Extension for Diabetes has grown. We are so excited to have in-person classes offered in additional counties. As of October 2022, Health Extension for Diabetes is now offered in person in Laurens County. Our first cohort in the county was offered at the Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy and we are so excited to work with them as we bring Health Extension for Diabetes to Laurens. We will begin our second in-person cohort for Laurens County on February 20^th at the Clinton Family YMCA. We are so excited to continue to expand our reach for this program and help as many individuals with diabetes as we can.

Melissa Bales, Health Extension Agent

Representatives from the Rural Health and Nutrition (RHN) Team, including the Greenville County RHN agent, and individuals from the horticulture and 4H teams, attended the Extension Appalachian Region Health Summit in Roanoke, Virginia in November. The summit was an opportunity to showcase what the Clemson RHN team is doing to address the health of South Carolinians as well as learn more about the different health and family consumer sciences teams from Extension services across the Appalachian region.  The summit opened up opportunities for additional collaboration between Extension services for how we can best serve our stakeholders.

Melissa Bales, Health Extension Agent

Melissa Bales, Rural Health and Nutrition Extension Agent 

Know Diabetes by Heart (KDBH) and Health Extension for Diabetes (HED) offer classes in English and Spanish. Eight percent of individuals living in Greenville County speak Spanish. Through the delivery of HED and KDBH in English, we identified a need for these programs in Spanish. Statewide Rural Health and Nutrition agent, Camden Bryan, and Greenville Rural Health and Nutrition agent, Melissa Bales, collaborated with program team leaders to translate and culturally adapt the two programs for the Spanish-speaking population.

HED had its first Spanish cohorts in 2022 and is starting additional cohorts in February of this year. KDBH had its first Spanish groups in early 2022 and will offer many program dates in 2023. The first KDBH offered in English and Spanish for Greenville County was offered in January. For more information about KDBH and HED in Spanish, contact Camden Bryan at cnpatse@clemson.edu or 843-504-0299.

There are five online cohorts for English HED enrolling in February for Greenville County and one in-person English HED enrolling in February for Laurens County. KDBH was offered in both languages in January both in-person and online. For more information about KDBH and HED in English, contact Melissa Bales at mbales@clemson.edu or 864-365-0635.

Mary Vargo, Horticulture Agent

Start Your Own Vegetable and Flower Seeds This Year

Want to learn how to start your own vegetable and flower seeds this year? Join Greenville County Horticulture Agent Mary Vargo and the Greenville Master Gardeners for a seed-starting workshop on February 25, 2023, from 11 AM to 12:30 PM at the Greenville State Farmers Market. Participants will receive a seed starting tray with a humidity dome and learn new techniques and methods to start their own seeds at home successfully. There will be lots of show and tell, as well as vegetable and flower seeds to share! The cost is 12.00, and registration is required for this event. Contact Mary Vargo with any questions: mavargo@clemson.edu

Registration: https://tinyurl.com/tsu8ysav

Carolina Yards Online Course

Registration is now open for the Carolina Yards Online Course.

This asynchronous online class will provide information and techniques to help you create and maintain a more environmentally friendly landscape. Participants are encouraged to complete at least 18 action items from the Carolina Yards Scorecard in order to receive Carolina Yard Certification although yard certification is not mandatory. The course is organized into modules. Each of the 12 content modules contains five parts: Action Guide, Presentation(s), Resources, Discussion, and Measure Up. Modules must be completed in chronological order.

An optional field day will be offered the week of May 8 in the Columbia area. This is an un-graded course. A digital Certificate of Completion will be issued for completing all coursework. A digital badge will be issued for completion of coursework and a minimum of 80% on each module’s Measure Up.

Stay in the Loop

Be on the lookout for additional local gardening programs this spring and summer on various topics taught by Horticulture Agent Mary Vargo and the Greenville County Master Gardeners. Use the Clemson Extension Event Calendar to stay in the loop!

Master Gardener Course Postponed

The Greenville County Master Gardener Course was postponed due to difficulty securing a new location to host the class and is now slated to begin in the fall of 2023.  Complete this form, and we will let you know when pre-registration is available.

For over 120 years, 4-H Youth Development has engaged youth with high-quality developmental settings with an emphasis on academic motivation and success, social competence, high personal standards, connection, personal responsibility, and contribution to others through leadership and civic engagement. The 4-H Thriving Model is the theory of change for positive youth development in 4-H. The model illustrates the process of positive youth development in 4-H programs by connecting high-quality program settings to the promotion of youth thriving.

The Regional 4-H PYD Champion Network consists of 4-H professionals from Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) across the five Extension Regions. Clemson University Cooperative Extension is proud to support Patricia Whitener as a champion for SC 4-H and part of the southeastern regional working group. Her focus as a thrive champion is on capacity-building efforts for 4-H professionals and volunteers with both Clemson University and SC State. Her focus is on promoting a consistent, correct, and complete understanding of positive youth development throughout the state and region.

Patricia has received $25,000 through a competitive distribution of Extension Innovation funding to further the implementation and adoption of the 4-H Thrive model.  This will be accomplished through PYD capacity building with 4-H professionals and volunteers, leading to improved PYD programming, and stronger and clearer program impact. Ultimately the aim of the thrive sessions is to educate and empower 4-H professionals and to secure the position of SC 4-H as a regional leader in positive youth development programming through delivering professional development, developing effective professional development evaluation, and supporting quality program implementation standards. The impact of the initiative is widespread. Research demonstrates youth programs must be done well if they are to make a positive difference in the lives of youth. Long-term outcomes of quality Developmental Context (i.e., 4-H programs) are academic or vocational success, civic engagement, employability and economic stability, happiness, and wellbeing.

Patricia Whitener, 4-H Youth Development Agent

Food Systems and Safety Agent Alex Ryan Thompson is helping to educate Upstate South Carolina residents on a range of food safety topics. As a part of the Food Systems and Safety program team with Clemson Cooperative Extension, Alex Ryan Thompson hosts home canning workshops covering all forms of canning. Types of canning boiling water bath, pickling, jams and jellies, and pressure canning. These workshops are hands-on experiences where participants will learn about the process of canning, the scientific principles behind canning, and how to identify research-based canning recipes. Canning workshops are hosted by Alex across the Upstate. No previous canning knowledge is required to attend these workshops. For the most current schedule of upcoming workshops and to register, visit the Food Systems and Safety team page here:

https://www.clemson.edu/extension/food/events.html\

Upstate South Carolina residents who own pressure canners can also reach out to Clemson Cooperative Extension to have their pressure canners inspected and their dial gauges tested for accuracy. The Food Systems and Safety team recommends having pressure canners inspected and dial gauges tested annually to ensure safe pressure canning. Contact your local Extension office to schedule an appointment to have your pressure canner checked.

Furthermore, the Food Systems and Safety Team hosts ServSafe Food Handler and Manager trainings and can proctor ServSafe examinations for Upstate South Carolina residents. If you or someone you know needs ServSafe training, contact your local Extension office to schedule training or an examination.

Whether you want to know if your leftovers in the refrigerator are safe to eat or want to start a food business, the Food Systems and Safety team with Clemson Cooperative Extension is here to help!

Contact:
Alex Ryan Thompson
Food Systems and Safety Agent
Clemson Cooperative Extension
352 Halton Rd Suite 302

Greenville, South Carolina 29607

Phone: (864) 365-0628

Growing Health is a program that was developed by the Greenville County Rural Health and Urban Horticulture Agents to help beginner gardeners in Greenville learn to grow their own vegetables and incorporate these vegetables into a healthy diet. In order to help beginner gardeners learn about vegetables that can be grown throughout the year, Growing Health is presented in accordance with the growing seasons – spring, summer, and fall. Those who participate in the program receive information and growing materials to take home.

So far, the program has been a great success with 6 participants returning from the original class on tomatoes and peppers to the most recent class on herbs. Participants in the program have reached out to show their thanks for the program in addition to showing off their successful plants. The program will continue through next year. We also would like to thank the State Farmers Market on Rutherford Road for their support in allowing us to continue to come back to their site to offer the program!

Melissa Bales, Rural Health and Nutrition Extension Agent 

Finding a facility to harvest and process your livestock is a challenge for producers of any scale. This challenge has been exasperated by labor shortages and increased local meat demand. Fortunately, an exemption for small-scale poultry producers allows them to harvest and sell their meat.

Many South Carolinians bought poultry during the pandemic as a hobby and our call volume regarding poultry harvest and processing has certainly increased. To safely and humanely process chicken requires hands-on training. This can be a complex skill and is certainly not something you’d try to handle “virtually”.

Through an extension innovation grant, we have secured funding to put together a mobile processing unit. This consists of an enclosed trailer that houses the necessary equipment to teach producers on-farm the proper practices of processing. We are still outfitting the trailer but have planned its first two outings. We will use the mobile processing unit at a “train the trainer” meeting and then will offer a poultry processing workshop to the public on November 11th. The goal of the mobile processing unit is to educate producers of any size on humane harvest, efficient processing, safe food handling, good marketing practices, and even some good cooking recipes.

I anticipate a busy fall with livestock shows, cattlemen meetings, and our extension workshops. Thank you for your support of Clemson Extension.

Christopher LeMaster, Livestock & Forage Agent