With the uncertainty of Covid in 2020, we decided to shut down the hydroponic system at the Union County Clemson Extension Office. This year as we settled into a more normal work week, we decided to start the hydroponic system back up. This system provides a great hands-on demonstration of three different hydroponic growing systems. We have ebb and flow beds, floating beds, and Dutch buckets. Ebb and flow beds fill and dump on a continuous basis using a mechanism known as a bell siphon. Floating beds have a raft that floats in a continuous water supply. While Dutch buckets have a continuous flow of water that filters through the bucket and growing medium.

This is about our ninth or tenth year operating the system and we have grown numerous vegetable crops, along with flowers in the system. We have also operated the system as both hydroponic system and an aquaponic system. An aquaponic system also incorporates fish in the system. The fish provide nutrients for the plants, and then the plants filter and clean the water for the fish.

This system will be open for viewing during the Union County Fair, but we also get many individual visits from people who are interested and want to see how it works. If you are interested in visiting the system, please let us know.

Over the past 18 months things have been very different than anything most people have ever experienced.  With orders to not meet in person, canceling of events, and shutting the doors to our offices, it would be easy to just sit and wait for it all to pass.  Not in Union!  We have been hard at work on many projects.  One of these projects is the upgrades being made to the livestock facility.

Having somewhere to conduct livestock educational events, as well as shows, is very important.  Union County Fairgrounds has hosted many educational events and livestock shows over the years.  As plans are being made to increase the number of events held at the fairgrounds, repairs and improvements were needed. With help from Union County, City of Union, Union County Tourism, and donations from Stella-Jones Corp. and parents from the livestock show community, supplies were bought for this project.

Over the summer the livestock barn was re-wired and re-plumbed.  The wiring was old, outdated, and unable to handle the number of participants that come to events.  A new water meter was installed that is dedicated to the livestock barn.  Before, the barn was dependent on the health of the plumbing system of the entire fairgrounds.  If a break occurred in another area of the fairgrounds, the barn would be without water for however long.  In a warm climate with large numbers of livestock, this is unacceptable.  Now the reliability, usability, volume, and pressure of the water system is greatly improved.

Fencing has also been constructed around the wash rack adjacent to the barn.  This has improved the convenience, usefulness, and most importantly, the safety of this area.  We are looking forward to utilizing our facilities and all the improvements with events that will be held here very soon.

More upgrades are in the works, and some major plans are being made for the fairgrounds.  Stay tuned for word of these plans in future newsletters.  Hope you all have a great and productive day.

Union County Upcoming Events

September 18, 2021 – Union County Farm Show

• Open from 9:00am to 3:30pm. FREE ADMISSION. Antique tractors, kid’s activities, woodcarvers, pie eating contest, farm safety demonstrations, food vendors, and more. https://www.facebook.com/unioncountyfarmshow

September 23 – 25, 2021 – UCLA Upstate Livestock Show

• Open to youth 5 to 21 years. Early registration deadline August 30, 2021. Visit their Facebook page for more information. https://www.facebook.com/upstatelivestockshow/

September 28, 2021 – FCL Introduction to Quilting Class (6:30pm)

• Learn the basics of quilting, for free! This is an evening class for those that are unable to participate during the day. The FCL Patchwork Quilters will be teaching the basics of quilting. Please bring your own sewing machine if you have one. The class will begin at 6:30pm in the meeting room at the Union County Clemson Extension Office, at 120 Kirby Street. To sign up please call 864-427-6259, ext. 0.

October 6, 2021 – FCL Introduction to Quilting Class (10:00am)

• Learn the basics of quilting, for free! The FCL Patchwork Quilters will be teaching the basics of quilting. Please bring your own sewing machine if you have one. The class will begin at 10:00am in the meeting room at the Union County Clemson Extension Office, at 120 Kirby Street. To sign up please call 864-427-6259, ext. 0.

October 19-23, 2021 – Union County Agricultural Fair

• At the Union County Agricultural Fair, you can enjoy all the sights, sounds, smells, and entertainment of a large fair packed into a smaller county fair. Come see the agricultural displays of vegetables, row crops, poultry, rabbits, and livestock.  In the home ec. section, there will be quilting, needlework, baked goods, and canned goods.  There is also a livestock show every night Tuesday through Friday.  If you are interested in showing, entering goods, or other information on the Union County Agricultural Fair visit: http://itsmyfair.com/

The Union County Clemson Extension always plants a demonstration garden to use as an educational classroom during the Union County Fair.  This garden will have a variety of crops to demonstrate what used to be grown in the past, along with some crops that are currently growing within Union County.  Past plantings have included sorghum, cotton, corn, soybean, peanuts, and numerous garden vegetables.

One of the main purposes for the demonstration garden is the 5K day at the Union County Fair.  Every year, all the 5-year-old kindergarten classes in Union County visit the Union County Fair.  During their visit, Extension Agents and volunteers give them a tour of the barn and demonstration garden with a short lesson at each stop.  At the demonstration garden, students learn about crops that used to grow in Union and how those crops were used.  Many students have not seen cotton, soybeans, or peanuts growing.

The demonstration garden is also available for numerous other events that occur at the Union County Fairground through out the year.  It provides a great learning experience throughout the growing season and benefits multiple events hosted on the fairgrounds.  Please feel free to stop by and look at the demonstration garden, it is located on the Union County Fairgrounds next to the old farmhouse.