Author: lholson

Bryan Smith

Laurens County has a very active Beekeepers group.  The Laurens County Beekeepers Association meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm in the Joe Adair Educational Center, 110 Scout Creek Ct, Laurens.  The Association provides programs that are educational and informative to both new and experienced beekeepers.  Their average meeting attendance is 30 persons.

Secretary Jessica at secretary@laurensbeekeepers.com for more information. Dues are $10.00. Contact Association
 

The Laurens County Spotlight on Agriculture is an annual awards banquet held each year to honor the accomplishments of our local farmers and farm families.  The event will be held this year on March 13, 2025, in the First Presbyterian Church Family Life Center in Clinton, South Carolina.

We are very pleased to announce that Mr. Chip Carter, host of RFD TV’s “Where Food Comes From” will be our speaker for this year’s Laurens County Spotlight on Agriculture.  Mr. Carter has traveled the country, seeing just how food gets from the farm to our tables.  His adventures include “busting” watermelons in the Rio Grande Valley, pulling Vidalia Onions in Georgia, making cheese in Wisconsin, and plowing with a mule and a single-bottom plow.

This event averages over 300 persons in attendance each year and is funded by sponsors of the event.   Tickets for the event are $10.00 each and are available at the Laurens Extension Office on 219 W Laurens Street in Laurens and from the Laurens Extension Advisory Committee members.

Bryan Smith

We are happy to announce that Mrs. Lauren Smith has accepted the Laurens County 4-H Agent position.  Her first day was March 3, 2025. 

Lauren has a B.S. in Animal and Veterinary Sciences from Clemson University.  She has spent the past several years working as the Outdoor Program Manager with the Girls Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands (based in Spartanburg), providing over 40 programs each year as well as hiring and training seasonal staff.

We are excited to have her in Laurens County.  Welcome, Lauren!

Bryan Smith, Area Extension Agent-Agricultural Engineer

This fall a huge number of Fall Armyworms invaded Laurens County.  Fall Armyworms are usually in our county in some small number each year, but this year’s numbers created quite a bit of damage in landscapes, pastures, and hayfields.

Fall Armyworms migrate northward each year from the Gulf coast and may arrive in Laurens County as early as August.  There may be as many as three “waves” of armyworms each year depending on many factors.  The Fall Armyworm life cycle is typically 30 days in the summer, with the larval or caterpillar stage being the destructive one.  Fall Armyworms remain in the caterpillar stage for 14 days and are most destructive during the last 4 days of that stage.  They then pupate and emerge as moths, which feed on nectar from various flowers and are not destructive.

Fall Armyworms seem to prefer bermudagrass, crabgrass, johnsongrass, millet, and sorghums.  They will ignore other grasses such as fescue and bahia while sufficient quantities of their preferred foods are present.  However, if those food sources are exhausted before they pupate they will move to less desirable species and decimate them as well.  This happened in 1977 in Laurens County when Fall Armyworms killed entire pastures of fescue after they had eaten their preferred crops.

Rainfall does encourage the growth of fungi that are detrimental to Fall Armyworms, but it does not kill them.  Clemson Extension recommends that insecticides be used to control them when growers see 3 armyworms in a one square foot area.  If Fall Armyworms are found in a hay crop we recommend that the hay be harvested if it has enough growth to do so – Fall Armyworms eat green growth and will not eat cured hay.  Local Extension Offices can provide a list of insecticides labelled for use in lawns, pastures, or hay fields.

Reid Miller, Area Livestock and Forages Agent

On April 2^nd, 2024, the Greenwood County Extension office and the Greenwood Soil and Water Conservation District held a Winter Forages Field Day at the Henderson Farm in Ninety Six, SC. Planning for this event began in the fall of 2023 with the planting of a winter annual variety trial. In total, twenty-three different varieties of small grains, ryegrasses, and legumes were planted. Variety trials give producers a side-by side comparison of different forages, so they are more educated about their choices of forages before they purchase seed for themselves. Planting was conducted in late October on a plot of two acres. The field day began with a showcase of the forage variety trial given by Greg Henderson (Greenwood County Soil & Water Conservation District board member and retired Clemson Extension Agent), Dr. Liliane Severino da Silva (Forage Specialist, Clemson Extension), and Reid Miller (Livestock and Forages Agent, Clemson Extension). The next section of the field day was a pasture soil fertility discussion over an intensively grazed pasture of winter annuals given by Greg Henderson and Reid Miller. The last part of the program was an NRCS cost share program update given by Myra Jones with American Forest Management. In total, we had forty people in attendance from Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Abbeville, and Edgefield Counties, and all producers involved in the Climate-Smart program received credit for their attendance.

Bryan Smith, Area Extension Agent-Agricultural Engineer

Cicadas are extremely noisy insects that hatch once every 13 or 17 years depending on the brood. There are more than 20 separate broods, with most of them being 17-year broods.  The United States had two broods of cicadas hatch this spring across the country, Brood XIII, which is a 17-year brood, and Brood XIX, which is a 13-year brood.  Thankfully only one brood, Brood XIX, was predominate in Laurens County.  Even so residents endured considerable noise from the huge numbers insects as they emerged from the ground, bred, and laid eggs that later hatched and returned into the ground for another 13-year hiatus.

After the cicada noise subsided many residents became concerned with what they thought might be an oak tree disease.  Oak trees across the county showed signs of small branches or twigs near the outer edges yellowing and dying.  This was not a disease of oak trees, but a part of the cicada life cycle.

After cicadas breed they lay their eggs in the young stems of hardwood trees.  Eventually those stems die and break off, falling to the ground.  The cicada eggs then hatch and the young move into the ground.  This does look like a disease issue for the tree, but it does not cause any health concerns for healthy trees.  So the yellowing of small branches are not a cause for concern – they are just the parting act of the cicada.

Bryan Smith

Area Extension Agent-Agricultural Engineer

The Laurens County Extension Office is currently hosting a hybrid Master Gardener course.  The Master Gardener course began on August 15, 2023 and will meet each Tuesday through December 5.  This year’s course has 13 students.

Students in the course will complete 16 three-hour classes on subjects including lawn care, vegetable gardening, urban tree care, soils and plant nutrition, tree fruits and small fruits, and many more.  Each class is presented by an Extension Agent or a Master Gardener graduate that has experience in the subject matter, which allows them to provide practical experience along with research-based information.

This year’s course is a hybrid model, which includes 8 in-person presentations and 12 presentations by video (20 presentations in total will be presented over the 16 week course).  The hybrid model is an attempt to provide the same training to Master Gardener students across the State so they will all have the same base knowledge in the “Core” subjects.  The in-person classes allow coordinators to tailor the course for each county’s needs by offering local topics most useful to their students.

After completing the course the students will provide 40 hours of community service over the next 12 months to become Certified Master Gardeners.

For more information about the program visit https://www.clemson.edu/extension/mg/ .

Reid Miller

Area Livestock & Forages Agent

With help from the Greenwood Soil and Water Conservation District and the Upper Savannah Land Trust, our program titled “The Future of Your Farm” was held on April 20th, 2023, at the Connie Maxwell Oasis Farm in Greenwood, SC. This program was developed due to the current issues the agricultural community in South Carolina is facing. The number of farms has been decreasing and the average age of the farmer has been increasing for years. However, due to the current economic climate, housing developments and land prices have been increasing at a rapid pace in certain rural areas of the Piedmont Region consuming farmland in the process as heirs sell inherited land and assets from relatives who have passed on. The Future Of Your Farm had these goals in mind: informing farmers and landowners of the current climate in the real estate market, about land easements and other conservation programs, and about agricultural taxes and how to transition the land from one owner to the next. Our speakers Lonnie Gillespie (Greenwood Soil and Water Conservation District), Wade Harrison (Upper Savannah Land Trust), and Adam Kantrovich (Clemson Cooperative Extension) did a great job informing the audience of the current issues and how to protect their land and resources for future generations. We had a great turnout at our first meeting with twenty-eight people attending from five counties in South Carolina. Be on the lookout for the next meeting of this series coming later this year.

Jeff Fellers

Area Forestry & Wildlife Agent

The last few months have been a busy time in Extension.  I have offered numerous programs, field days, and visited with many landowners.  Our programs have ranged from timber taxes, carbon credits, field tours, and many other current issues concerning natural resources.  Office visits and landowner visits have ranged from vegetable garden problems, pine beetles, nuisance wildlife, and ponds.   I always enjoy this time of year since there are more one on one landowner visits to discuss better ways to manage our natural resources.

The Laurens Forest Landowners Association has hosted three meetings this year.  Our first meeting was held Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at the Laurens County Farm Bureau Office.  At this meeting David Jenkins from the South Carolina Forestry Commission spoke on Insects and Diseases of the South Carolina Forest.  We had 29 people in attendance at this meeting.  Our second meeting was held on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at the Laurens County Farm Bureau Office.  Todd Mahan from AgSouth spoke on programs available to forest landowners through AgSouth.  We had 31 people in attendance at this meeting.  Our third meeting of 2023 was held on August 22, 2023, at the Laurens County Farm Bureau Office.  We had 28 people in attendance to hear Lucas Clay with Clemson University speak on carbon markets.  We also recognized Matt Stewart, with Quail Pines Tree Farm LLC, with the Woodland Owner of the Year Award at the Spotlight on Ag.

The Newberry Forestry Association has hosted two meeting and one field tour this year.  Our first meeting was held at the Stoney Hill Community Center on Tuesday February 14, 2023.  Dr. Adam Kantrovich presented a program on timber taxes, we had 28 people in attendance.  Our second meeting was held on May 9, 2023, at the Pomaria Community Center, where Lucas Clay from Clemson University presented information on Carbon Markets.  We had 30 people in attendance for the meeting.  We hosted a field tour on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at Hallman Farms Wildlife Nursery.  We had 18 people in attendance to learn about how Mr. Benny Hallman grafts trees such as persimmon, apple, and pear.  These trees are then grown and sold to landowners interested in providing quality fruit trees for better wildlife habitat.  At this meeting, we also presented William Folk with the Newberry Forestry Association Scholarship of $500 to continue his education.

This year I was also able to offer Forestry Focus again after taking 2021 off due to covid.  The program was hosted on March 4, 2023, and had 63 people attend the program.  Topics at this program included SC Landowner Issues, Hardwood Management, Local Market Impacts, Wildlife Food Plots, and Herbicides in Pine Management.  There were 39 evaluations completed which showed that 15,789 acres owned, and 43,399 acres managed could be potentially impacted by this program.

The Forestry and Wildlife Team hosted another hybrid Master Tree Farmer program this spring.  After completion of the virtual part of the program we hosted several field days across the state.  On April 21, 2023, we held a field day at Mike Meetze’s tree farm to visit various sites and see numerous timber practices being put into place.  We had a good turnout at this field day with 17 in attendance.

The Indian Creek Quail Restoration Committee held a field day on Friday June 16, 2023.  This field day allowed participants to see what private landowners and the US Forest Service has done to improve quail habitat management.  We visited old agricultural fields converted over to pollinator habitat, completed prescribed burns, and timber stands where herbicides had been used to control invasive weeds.   We had 23 people in attendance for this field day.

I also had the opportunity to take the 4-H Shooting Sports trailer to the Newberry Camp Conservation.  Campers had the opportunity to learn about gun safety while learning how to shoot air rifles.  There were 30 plus campers in attendance at the camp.

As summer turns into fall, festivals and fairs will pick up along with site visits.  The Union Extension Office had the opportunity to set up a booth and demonstration at the Environmental Art and Music Festival at the Piedmont Physics Garden on April 25, 2023.  Participants were able to see the Forged in 4H program, Home and Garden Information, Natural Resource Information, and Rural Health Information.  You will also be able to find us some of the upcoming events like the Union County Antique Farm Show and the Union County Agricultural Fair.  Make sure to check out the upcoming events in our newsletter to see what is coming this fall and winter.

Adam Petty

Laurens County 4-H Agent

The Laurens County 4-H Program in conjunction with the Laurens County Cattlemen’s Association hosted the annual Youth Livestock Show on August 24-26. The show is traditionally held at the Exchange Club Building on Fairgrounds Rd, but due to renovations, this year’s event was held at the Laurens County Park.

The show began on Thursday evening with a youth dog show, featuring a costume class, showmanship, obedience, agility, confirmation, and rally. Maureen McKowen of the Greenville Kennel Club served as judge.

Friday night was the Junior Beef Show, judged by Greg Anderson of Marion, NC. Besides showmanship classes, there were bucket calf, steer classes. There were also breed classes for British, Continental, and Crossbred heifers.

In addition to the beef show, Friday was the night of our youth rabbit show. Due to the heat, this was held at the Joe R. Adair Outdoor Education Center in Laurens. Showmanship and breed classes were judged by Alicia Grondski and Tina Reif.

Our Junior Dairy Show was held on Saturday morning, including a costume class, showmanship, and breed classes featuring Holstein, Jersey, and Brown Swiss. Our dairy judge was Glen Easter of Laurens.

Saturday afternoon saw our Junior Meat Goat Show closing out the day. Noah Henson of Canton, NC served as judge and following costume and showmanship classes, we had SC4ME, open SC Meat Goat Project, and open market wether classes. The show concluded with our market doe classes.

The Laurens County 4-H program thanks all sponsors, volunteers, and parents for their support and assistance with making this a successful opportunity for our 4-H youth. We are especially grateful for the cooperation with the Laurens County Parks and Recreation Department that helped make the show possible. We would also like to congratulate all participants and winners on a job well done.