Saluda County Upcoming Events

February 24, 2024  Saluda County Cattlemens 32nd Annual Heifer Sale starts at 12:00, Noon

February 27, 2024 – Saluda 4-H Livestock Club Meeting here at the office at 4:00pm

March 3,2024 – Registration Deadline for the 4-H Pullet Chain Poultry Project

March 5, 2024 – State 4-H Legislative Day , Columbia SC

March 6, 2024  – Saluda County CAMM Training at Hollywood Ruritan for 10am to 12.
March 6, 2024 – Saluda County Private Applicators Recertification for Recert. Credits up to 3 Credits Meeting at 1 to 4pm at Hollywood Ruritan in Saluda, SC

March 8, 2024 –  Deadline to register for the 4H Dairy Judging Contest.

March 22, 2024–  4-H Dairy Judging Competition in Pendleton and Dairy Spring Show. Also, deadline to Register for the 4H Livestock Judging Competition.

April 5, 2024 – Deadline to Register For the 4-H Small Garden Project
April 5, 2024 – 4-H Livestock  Judging Competition in Pendleton

April 19-24 – Nation 4-H Conference in Washington, DC

Alana West, Newberry County Coordinator

Newberry County Clemson Extension is blessed to have a supportive Extension Advisory Committee. The committee is comprised of around 15 members who serve 2-year terms. Members are representative of the communities served by Extension, including but not limited to education, agriculture, forestry and land ownership, and community government. The committee’s latest meeting was held in November of 2023 with 12 members and 6 agents present.

Prior to meetings, all members receive a survey via email asking their input on areas of interest covered by Extension programming. Answers from the survey are then used as talking points at meetings. Points of interests from the latest meeting are:

• how to promote Extension as a whole so that the public knows and understands what we offer,
• developing and implementing programs within the community and in schools that offer exposure and growth focusing on animals, farming, woodwork, etc. with the goal of sparking youth interests in different professions,
•  the possibility of hosting a livestock show in Newberry County,
• placing soils sample kits in locally owned businesses throughout the county.

Meetings are held at least once annually, with additional meetings held as necessary.

Drew Jeffers
Horticulture and Natural Resource Agent
Spartanburg County

The annual integrated pest management (IPM) symposium in Greer, SC, was a huge success again in 2023. The IPM symposium offers sound, economical, and environmentally friendly pest management topics to landscapers, growers, and other horticultural professionals. Horticulture agent Drew Jeffers holds the training at the Canon Centre in Greer, SC. The training seats typically average fifty to sixty persons, but this past year was in such high demand that it was converted into a hybrid event to meet demand. Six county offices around the state held a virtual live broadcast to reach more stakeholders. Two hundred thirty-two stakeholders attended the training, receiving valuable information and recertification credits for pesticide licenses. Jeffers is working with fellow agents again in 2024 to expand the training to serve more people.

Travis Mitchell
Livestock and Forages Agent for Newberry & Saluda Counties
Director for The South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association

Summer has been a very busy season in Saluda County.  The Saluda County Clemson Extension Livestock & Forages program has assisted many producers with questions concerning hay production, pasture weed control, and fall armyworm control in pastures and hayfields.  Producers were also assisted in commingling tractor-trailer load lots for marketing their calf crop.  These load lots enabled producers to receive value-added premiums for the calves they sold.

The Clemson Extension Livestock & Forages team, in conjunction with the South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association, hosted the South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association regional meetings from August 29^th through the 31^st.  Over 250 producers from across the state were in attendance during this three-day event.  Dr. Mark Alley with Zoetis gave an outstanding presentation on the importance of vaccines and how they add value to your calf crop.  Dr. Alley then joined Dr. Che Trejo with Merck Animal Health and Mr. Randy Fordham with Boehringer-Ingelheim for a panel discussion about the importance of vaccines.  These three gentlemen answered the producer’s questions and provided further insight on overall herd health.

The Saluda County 4-H Livestock shows were held September 20^th and 21^st at the Central Milk Producers Show & Sale Arena.  Many 4-H youths from across the state exhibited their prize animals.  Seeing so many young people enthusiastically involved in agriculture is always a great time.

The South Carolina Dairy Heifer Project began in 1974 and is one of the oldest 4-H projects of its kind in the Nation. This project was designed to provide youth in South Carolina an opportunity to raise a dairy heifer and experience the dairy industry, and then sell their heifer at the South Carolina Dairy Heifer Project Bred Heifer Sale. Throughout the years, thousands of South Carolina youth have taken part in 4-H dairy work. These 4-H and Dairy Heifer Project alumni can be found in all “walks of life.” Many are outstanding farmers and leaders of the dairy industry, while others are doctors, veterinarians, and teachers. In nearly every case, these people look back on this 4-H dairy experience as an outstanding part of their youth.

As the dairy industry has changed and evolved over the years, so has the South Carolina Dairy Heifer Project. Due to COVID restrictions, the 2020 Bred Heifer Sale was held online for the first time with great success. Due to that success, the sale has been permanently moved to an online format and the event dates have been adjusted to better suit the needs of the dairy industry. Through all the changes, the South Carolina Dairy Heifer Project has continued to thrive and reach youth across the state. Thirty-seven heifers are currently in project and under the care of 4-H youth and eighteen of those youth are from York County.

The 4-H and FFA dairy project members exhibit their dairy project animals at fairs, shows, and events in nearly every region of the state. Millions of people have seen or learned about 4-H and FFA through these youth dairy exhibits at the many fairs and events in South Carolina. This offers a tremendous opportunity for 4-H, FFA, Clemson Cooperative Extension, and the dairy industry to educate and inform the public about the dairy industry and youth dairy programs. Many thanks go out to the industry for the support of the program. Heifers for the project come from project alumni and producers across the Southeast who have seen the impact the project has had and is continuing to have on our youth.

Lauren Venegas Black

4H Agent for Saluda County

🗣Have you heard?! Registration for the Regional Video Presentation Contests have been extended to March 6th!

The purpose of the 4-H Presentations Contest is to allow participants to practice and perfect their presentation skills and receive valuable feedback on those skills. All junior and senior members (ages 9-19) are to participate.  🍀

Contact your 4-H agent for more information! #PresentLikeAPro #SC4H

The price of eggs is up and it is the perfect time to expand your flock. Registration is now open for the 2023 4-H Poultry Projects. Youth ages 5-18 from across the state are welcome to participate. Read all about this years opportunities and learn how to register here: https://sites.google.com/g.clemson.edu/sc4hpoultry2023/home

Congratulations Mya! She was Crowned S.C. Miss 4-H Queen !

Travis Mitchell
Livestock and Forages Agent for Newberry & Saluda Counties
Director for The South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association

The spring season is in full swing across the Carolina’s. It is a joy and relief to see pastures greening up and cattle grazing. Spring always brings optimism which was evident in the “beef cattle market outlook” presentation Dr. Andrew Griffith gave at the South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association Annual Meeting. Cattle producers from across the state met at the T. Ed Garrison Cattle Complex on February 3rd for this event. Dr. Griffith, an Extension Livestock Economist with the University of Tennessee, presented to the group a favorable market outlook report indicating higher cattle prices for the next two years. Producers also enjoyed a presentation from State veterinarian Dr. Michael Neault. Dr. Neault presented on the Asia Longhorn Tick, educating producers regarding control measures and identification strategies. The meeting concluded with a joint awards banquet with the Clemson Bull Test.

Be on the lookout in next month’s issue of the Carolina Cattle Connection for photos and awards of excellence winners. I want to thank each of our Prime, Choice, and Select members for putting on an outstanding trade show and for their financial support in making the 2023 Annual Meeting a huge success.

Bryan Smith
Area Extension Agent-Agricultural Engineer

We have had quite a number of contacts in recent months asking how to sell local produce and edible goods from home.  These questions range from selling eggs to milk to any number of products.  Selling fresh produce to friends and family generally does not require a license, but packaged or perishable goods (like milk) do require registration.

The SC Cottage Food Law covers the registration and labeling requirements for these goods.  Clemson Extension provides a factsheet to help growers navigate through the registration and licensing needs:

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/south-carolinas-home-based-food-production-law-cottage-food-law/

This factsheet helps growers start out on the right foot when marketing and selling their products.

Saluda County Upcoming Events

Happy New Year!  We hope this finds you and yours doing well after the holiday season.  We all have been looking forward to 2021 and in many ways, putting 2020 behind us.  As you all know, our offices have been closed to the public for the final nine and half months of 2020.  They continue to be closed to the public but that does not mean your Extension staff is not doing their job.  The creative and unique ways that many agents and staff have found to help the people and communities in South Carolina never end.  Just to give you a little insight into what we’ve been doing, let’s go and visit with each one …