Hello all! My name is Sydney Rentz! I am beyond excited to start as the new Area Livestock Agent for Newberry, Laurens, and Greenwood Counties! I am from Ehrhardt, South Carolina, where I grew up on my family’s beef stocker cattle, row crop, and custom harvesting operation. I recently graduated from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in May where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a concentration in Livestock Production and a minor in Agribusiness. While at ABAC, my studies focused on beef and dairy cattle production, and I was able to gain hands-on knowledge about both through classes and internships. I also served as the 2024-2025 Secretary for the ABAC Cattlemen’s Association. Once again, I am excited to join the Clemson Extension Family, and I look forward to serving Newberry, Laurens, and Greenwood Counties to the best of my ability!
As summer winds down, we’re reflecting on the fun, friendships, and learning that filled our 4-H days. We are thrilled to share that all of our Newberry County 4-H summer camps sold out and were a huge success!
This year’s lineup included:
Engineer Camp – 4-H’ers competed for two days in teams of four to take on exciting engineer challenges.
Crafty Clovers Art Camp – A full day of creativity and fun with pottery, painting, and more hands-on art projects.
Crochet Camp – With the help of our amazing volunteers, 4-H’ers learned basic crochet techniques learning to make granny squares and dish rags.
Camp 4-H – Our Cloverbuds spent three days exploring Natural Resources and Agriculture through engaging activities and outdoor fun.
Farm Tour Camp – We toured local farms and learned more about agriculture right here in our community.
Crafty Clovers Art CampFarm Tour Camp
In addition to our camp fun, three of our senior-aged 4-H’ers attended SC 4-H Congress at Clemson University this summer. They had opportunities to engage in leadership activities, experience college life firsthand, and build lasting connections with 4-H friends from across the state.
Newberry 4-H’ers at SC 4-H Congress
We’re so proud of everything our 4-H’ers accomplished this summer and can’t wait to see what the 2025–2026 4-H year brings!
The Newberry County Forestry Association hosted their 20th biennial Forestry Focus program on Saturday, March 15, 2025. For those who are not familiar with Forestry Focus, it is an all-day event that will run from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. This year we had over 60 people in attendance to learn about a variety of topics related to forestry and natural resources.
Laurens County Spotlight on Agriculture
Laurens County Spotlight on Agriculture recognizes all the agricultural producers in the county. This year Bruce Davidson was awarded the Laurens County Woodlands Manager of the year.
Growing our Future
Growing our Future is a valued gathering for the forest management community.This program is designed for professionals as well as landowners. This year the program was held May 7 at the Phillips Market Center at the SC State Farmers Market. There were over 150 people in attendance.
Woodland Clinic
Every year I get the opportunity to help with the woodland clinic. This is a great program that offers FFA chapters and 4-H clubs the opportunity to compete in forestry skills. Teams compete in tree measurement, tool identification, tree identification, and compass and pacing.
Master Tree Farmer Field Tour
On May 16, we hosted a field tour for the Master Tree Farmer participants. The tour was hosted at Mike Meetze tree farm where participants got to see various forest management techniques that has be implemented on his farm. We had about 15 in attendance.
Master Tree Farmer participants at Mike Meetze tree farm.
Nature Hike at Chester State Park with 4-H
Had the opportunity to lead a trail hike with Robert Carter for a 4-H summer day camp at Chester State Park. Participants learned about the forest that the trail navigates through.
Newberry Soil and Water Mobile Lab Gardening Program
Assist with providing a program on soil sampling and how to interpret a soil analysis.
July 11, 2025 – Fall Gardens and soil health
September 25, 2025 – Winter gardens and soil health
Newberry Soil and Water Mobile Lab
Newberry Forestry Association
May 13, 2025 – Drew Fasano with Arborgen presented on alternative spacing using high end genetics to reduce pulpwood and maximize sawtimber.
August 12, 2025 – Seth Sofferin with Quail Forever presented on a cost share program that they are offering to landowners.
Newberry Forestry Association
Laurens Forest Landowners Association
May 27, 2025 – Dr. Patrick Hiesl presented on the economics of portable sawmills for a landowner.
August 26, 2025 — Seth Sofferin with Quail Forever presented on a cost share program that they are offering to landowners.
Laurens Forestry Association
Edisto Research and Education Center — This past year the Forestry and Natural Resource Team has been more involved in timber management at Edisto REC.
Prescribed Burn
Tree Planting – Planted a long leaf pine for a silvo-pasture demonstration.
Silva-Pasture Demonstration – thinned some trees to open alley ways that will be planted for grazing, along with opening another stand to plant grasses under trees.
Prescribed burn at Edisto REC
Solar Kiln
Had the opportunity to help Dr. Patrick Hiesl build a solar kiln for some research that he will be conducted. This solar kiln is designed for small scale use with portable sawmills.
Solar Kiln
4-H Shooting Sports Trailer The 4-H Shooting Sports Trailer has been busy the last few months. We use the trailer to raise funds for our 4-H Shooting Sports Program. We have been fortunate to raise enough funds to purchase and maintain our supplies, so the participants do not have to pay any extra fees for the clubs.
Walker Days – February 21-22, 2025
Camp Conservation – June 20, 2025
4-H Shooting Sports Trailer
Upcoming Events:
Union County Agricultural Fair – October 14-18, 2025
Union County 5K Day at the Fair – October 16, 2025
A new 4-H year is here, and we couldn’t be more excited for all the opportunities, adventures, and learning experiences ahead! Newberry County 4-H is thrilled to announce that we will be offering 11 amazing clubs starting this September—there’s something for every interest and age group.
This year’s club lineup includes:
Clovers in the Kitchen
Kids in the Kitchen
Seniors in the Kitchen
Clovers STEM Club
Kids STEM Club
Teen Council
Needleworks Club
Homeschool Club
Sharpshooters Air Rifle Club
Shellshockers Shotgun Club
Eagles Shotgun Club
We’re also growing in more ways than one! This year, eight schools in Newberry County will be participating in our School Garden Program. These schools will receive four plant deliveries throughout the year so their students can enjoy hands-on planting and gardening right at school.
School Garden Program
And we can’t forget one of our favorite spring traditions—the 4-H Embryology Project! We’ll be working with local schools to give students an up-close look at the life cycle of a chicken, from egg to fluffy chick.
Of course, that’s just the beginning. We’ll be offering fun camps and hands-on workshops throughout the year, so keep an eye out for announcements—you won’t want to miss a thing.
Here’s to another year of growing leaders, building friendships, and making memories in Newberry County 4-H!
Fall is busy time in Extension with local fairs and the State Fair. I am actively involved in the Union County Agricultural Fair, so that consumes most of my time in October. This is a time we also get a lot of calls about fall food plots. This year we also saw the armyworms come and damage many of the early planting for fall food plots.
Site Visits/Office Visit You never know what may come through the door at the office or what you might expect to see at a site visit. Fall and winter are the times when we start seeing the winter annual weeds pop up. Landowners and homeowner often times bring samples in for identification and management recommendations. Late summer early fall also is a time where we see a lot of foliar diseases on plants from the warm humid conditions.
Union County Agricultural If you have never been to the Union County Agricultural Fair you need to plan a visit next October. This county fair has everything from rides, feature shows, livestock exhibits, home economics exhibits, and agricultural products exhibit. Clemson Extension manages the livestock shows, home economics exhibits, agricultural products exhibit, poultry barn exhibits, and livestock exhibits. Premiums and ribbons are given out to participants that place in the categories. We put a lot of work in the fair to make sure it is a successful event and promotes agriculture.
5-K Day at the Fair 5-K day is always a favorite of mine. All the kindergarten students in the County come to the fair as a field trip for school. We set up five minutes lessons to teach them about agriculture. These lessons are set up throughout the barn and the classes rotate through each lesson. We teach the students about beef cows, dairy cows, goats, horses, chickens, rabbits, bees, and crops. My job is to teach the kids about crops. I plant these crops in early May as a demonstration for the fair and to use for this program. We offer this program every year on Thursday when the fair is in town.
Newberry Forestry Association The Newberry Forestry Association hosted meetings in November and February. In November we had Chris Gordy and Steve Salsbury from West Fraser present a program on mill updates in Newberry County. They spoke on the sawmill in Newberry and the OSB mill in Joanna. The February meeting featured Kevin Burkett with Clemson Extension speaking on timber taxes and looking at claiming losses since hurricane Helene had an impact in our County.
Laurens Forest Landowners Association The Laurens Forest Landowners Association hosted meetings in November and February. In November, Jeff Fellers with Clemson Extension presented a program on interpreting soil samples. The February meeting featured Dr. Adam Kantrovich speaking on timber taxes and loses since Laurens was affected by Helene.
4-H Shooting Sports Trailer The 4-H Shooting Sports Trailer has been busy the last few months. We use the trailer to raise funds for our 4-H Shooting Sports Program. We have been fortunate to raise enough funds to purchase and maintain our supplies so the participants do not have to pay and extra fee for the clubs. We hosted trailer at the Union County Agricultural Fair in October. This is our big event, as we open the trailer every night of the fair. We also hosted the trailer at the Grand American in Orangeburg and the Southeastern Treeing Walker Days in Union. Both of these events attract participants from many states and allows us to promote 4-H and our program to many people outside our County. In Orangeburg, over 25,000 people typically attend. While the Southeastern Treeing Walker Days is not as big, we still see thousands of participants at that event as well.
Forest Health Workshop On March 3rd I hosted a Forest Health Workshop with Dr. David Coyle. This program was geared toward forestry and natural resource professionals and offer continuing education credits that are required in their field. Topics include Pesticide regulatory update, Pine insects and diseases, hardwood insects and diseases, market update, herbicide application techniques, and invasive species management.
2025 Forestry Focus 2025 Forestry Focus is our 20th biennial program. This year the program will be hosted on March 15, 2025. Forestry Focus is hosted by Clemson Extension and the Newberry Forestry Association. We host this program every odd year. This is an all-day event that is geared toward landowners and professionals. We offer continuing education credits in both forestry and pesticides. This year our topics included Local Market Updates, Estate Planning, Forest Health, Nuisance Wildlife, and Pond Management.
Upcoming Events:
Newberry Forestry Association – May 13, 2025 – Drew Fasano with Arborgen will presenting on recommendations for spacing on higher end genetics with a focus on reducing pulpwood and maximizing sawtimber.
Laurens Forestry Association – May 27, 2025 – Patrick Hiesl will present on the economics of a portable sawmill for landowners.
Alana West – Assistant Program Team Director SC 4-H Youth Development
Newberry County 4-H Hiring New Agent
For 13 years, Alana West served as 4-H Agent for Newberry County. Under her guidance, the program grew to reach 37% of youth aged 5 through 18 in the county. Opportunities have included programs in animals and agriculture, leadership, personal development, healthy living, STEM, and natural resources delivered via camps, workshops, school enrichment, clubs, and independent projects.
In March, Mrs. West accepted the position of Assistant Director of the South Carolina 4-H Youth Development Program. In this role she will work with state level staff to support the team of 4-H agents that represent South Carolina’s 46 counties. While she does have an office on the campus of Clemson University, she will keep her home office in the Newberry County Clemson Extension building.
Currently, Clemson Extension is in the process of hiring a
new 4-H Agent. Interviews should take place soon with hopes of the program
being back in full swing by Christmas.
In the meantime, there are a few 4-H volunteers keeping
clubs running and statewide projects are still available for local youth. For
more information on 4-H in Newberry County contact Alana West at 803.768.8442
or awillin@clemson.edu.
New Face at Newberry County Clemson Extension Office
When visiting the Newberry Extension Office please make sure
to welcome the new Administrative Assistant, Mrs. Rachel Horne. Rachel is
originally from Kinards, SC. She grew up on her family’s small farm and spent
many years working for Satterwhite Farms. She has a degree in Diversified
Agriculture from Piedmont Technical College and a bachelor’s degree from
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Agribusiness. She most recently worked
for Farm Bureau Insurance, but is excited to be coming back to her agriculture
roots by working for Clemson Extension. Rachel currently resides in Pomaria
with her husband, Parker.
Summer has arrived.
With it comes dry weather, high temperatures, insects, and fungal
diseases. All can stress our plants and
lead to more site and office visits to look at stressed and diseased
plants. This summer has been no
different. I always enjoy talking with
clients and trying to help them identify their problems and find ways to help
them. Below are some of the interesting
programs I have been associated with over the last few months.
Site Visits/Office Visit You never know what may come through the door at the office or what you
might expect to see at a site visit. We
receive a lot of questions on small gardens throughout the summer. These can range from blossom end rot, to
stink bugs, to powdery mildew, and many other common pests and diseases found
in the garden. I also get tree calls
from around the area. These have ranged
from lichen, dying oak trees, pine beetles, and numerous other insects and
diseases that affect our trees. Aquatic
weeds in ponds also become more of a problem in summer, and I do numerous
identifications and treatment options for landowners. I
always enjoy the specimens that clients bring in. There is always an
opportunity to learn about new insects and diseases that I have not seen
before.
Camp Conservation Camp Conservation is hosted by the Newberry Soil and Water Conservation District. I have participated in this camp for the last several years by taking the 4-H Shooting Sports Trailer. I normally take the trailer on the Friday of the Camp (June 28). Participants learn about gun safety, parts of the gun and how to shoot. The youth then get to shoot air rifles as they rotate through the different stations for the day.
Women Owning Woodlands On April 12, I assisted in a field tour for Women Owning Woodlands. This tour was held at a tree farm in Laurens, South Carolina. At the field tour they learned about wildlife food plots, soil sampling, how to interpret a soil sample, prescribe fire, pine management, and various other topics. Women Owning Woodlands aims to educate women in the stewardship of the land by connecting them to resources and trusted professionals.
Lynches Woods
Trail Hike On August 17, I led a hike at Lynches Woods in Newberry, South
Carolina. Newberry Parks and Recreation
hosted the hike on National TRACK Trails Day.
Participants learned about tree identification, keeping forests healthy,
and various other plant related topics as we walked the trail.
Newberry Forestry Association The Newberry Forestry Association hosted meetings in May and August. The May meeting featured a presentation by Jake McClain, a wildlife biologist with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. Jake presented on creating and managing quail habitat. The August meeting featured a presentation by Scott Danskin with the SC Forestry Commission on the current status of timber markets and mills in reference to the area. The Newberry Forestry Association also gave out three $500 scholarships to local students who will be majoring in a field that benefits forest landowners.
Laurens Forest Landowners Association
The Laurens Forest Landowners Association hosted meetings in May and
August. The May meeting featured a
presentation by Jake McClain, a wildlife biologist with Pheasants Forever and
Quail Forever. Jake presented on
creating and managing quail habitat. The
August meeting featured two presentations.
Matthew Wannamaker from the Farm Service Agency presented on the agency’s
forestry related programs. The second
presentation was by Holly Welch and Devin Orr on potential free stewardship
management plans for landowners in Laurens County.
Broad River Conservation
Partnership In March of 2024, the Broad River Conservation Partnership hosted their
first landowners meeting. Landowners
attending the meeting heard testimonies from those who have benefited from
working with land trust to help conserve their properties. This is a program that is spearheaded by SC
Department of Natural Resources, with the help of numerous other
organizations. The goal is to conserve,
protect, and elevate the importance of our natural resources in the Broad River
Watershed.
Clemson
Experimental Forest Southern Pine Beetle Tour
Unfortunately, there is currently a Southern Pine Beetle outbreak in the
Clemson Experimental Forest. The
Forestry and Wildlife Team toured numerous spots on Friday August 9, 2024. This was a great opportunity to see how the
Experimental Forest was managing the problem.
The team was able to see active spots, controlled spots, and a salvage
harvest.
South Carolina Society of American Foresters Annual
Meeting The South Carolina Society of American Foresters held their annual meeting
in Newberry, SC June 12 through June 13.
I assisted in the planning and hosting of this meeting. On June 12, we had a tree farm tour with a
social. June 13 was classroom sessions
that focused on forest markets and the projected outlook.
Woodland Clinic Woodland Clinic is a forestry skills competition held at Connie Maxwell
Children’s Ministries property in Greenwood, South Carolina. High schools from across the state are
invited to attend and compete.
Participants compete in tree measurement, forestry tools, compass and
pacing, and forest pest identification.
I have helped for numerous years in the compass and pacing
competition.
Master Tree
Farmer Tour On May 10 we held a Master Tree Farmer Tour for participants of the class
at Mike Meetze’s tree farm in Newberry, SC.
Participants were able to see a typical pine rotation from planting to
harvest. They were able to see a stand
marked for pole harvest along with an operation sawmill on the property.
Upcoming Events:
Union County Farm Show – September 21, 2024, Union County
Fair Grounds
Union County Agricultural Fair – October 15 – 19, 2024,
Union County Fair Grounds
5K Day at the Union County Agricultural Fair – October
17, 2024
Travis Mitchell Livestock and Forages Agent for Newberry and Saluda Counties Director for The South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association
Livestock and Forage producers around South Carolina are certainly ready for spring. The spring bull and replacement heifer sales are in full swing, as this always seems to be a very busy time of the year. As we move into 2024, input costs in every agriculture sector continue to rise. Producers will face many challenges this year as they manage their budgets to navigate the rise in input costs. The South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association held its annual meeting and convention on February 2 at the T.Ed. Garrison Arena in Clemson. The educational components of the meeting focused on the beef cattle market outlook and investment strategies during market peaks. Scholarships and state awards of excellence were also presented. The South Carolina Cattlemen’s Foundation awarded four scholarships to deserving college students. The Saluda County Cattlemen’s Association will hold its 32nd Annual Replacement Heifer Sale on Saturday, February 24. Over 85 bred and open heifers will be auctioned from Saluda County cattlemen. The Saluda County Cattlemen’s Association met on February 6. Participants listened to an excellent presentation from Mr. Matthew Fischer, Clemson Extension Ag Economist. Mr. Fischer gave producers a look into market expectations as we move through 2024. The Saluda County Extension Service will offer a CAMM Recertification course on March 6 at the Hollywood Ruritan. Participants interested in attending can call the office for further details on how to register. 2024 marks the end of the recertification block for producers holding a Private Pesticide Applicator license. License holders are required to obtain five recertification credits by December 31, 2024. A recertification course will be offered on March 6 at the Hollywood Ruritan Building. Please call the Saluda County Extension office at 864-803-1123 to register.
Jeff Fellers Area Forestry & Natural Resource Agent Chester, Laurens, Newberry, Union, & York
One thing I love about working for Clemson Extension is the
diversity of work throughout the seasons.
Rarely do we have the same tasks day after day. It often changes with the season. The fall
and winter seasons bring about fairs and festivals, along with our normal
activities.
Union County Agricultural Fair October is all about the fair in Union County. The Union County Extension Office is heavily
involved in managing the livestock, poultry, agricultural products, and home
economics sections. We also operate the
Union County 4-H Shooting Sports Trailer throughout the week of the fair. On Thursday of the fair, we also host a 5K
day where all the Union County public schools bring their kindergarten classes
to the fair to learn about livestock and agriculture. I always enjoy presenting on the crops
section for this field trip. If you have
never visited the Union County Agricultural Fair I highly recommend coming by
and seeing us.
Kids in the Parks Track Trail I
had the opportunity to lead a trail hike for the Newberry County
Recreation Department for their grand opening of the Kids in the Parks
Track Trail. This trail is located at Lynches Woods in Newberry
County. I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with the children and
helping them identify some trees and shrubs, along with learning about
growth rings on pine trees. The Newberry County Recreation Department
has a nice kiosk with brochures that help educate those who take the
hike.
Wood Magic Forest Fair Wood Magic Forest Fair is a free field trip for fourth graders, hosted by
the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
The program provides a learning experience about the forest industry in
South Carolina that meet fourth grade school standards. Volunteers from around the forest industry
come together to teach fourth graders all about forestry. This year I had the opportunity to teach the
Gifts of the Forest station at the Harbison State Forest location. For more information on Wood Magic visit: https://www.scfc.gov/education/wood-magic/.
Learn to Burn In November, I had the opportunity to assist with a Learn to Burn program in Union County. This program was hosted by the Piedmont Prescribed Fire Cooperative at a private landowner’s property. Participants were able to actively participate in a burn on a mature pine stand. They were able to see the process from planning, preparation, execution, and mop up. Learn To Burn provides a great educational experience to landowners that are wanting to learn how to implement prescribe fire on their property.
Newberry Forestry Association The Newberry Forestry Association had their last quarterly meeting in 2023
on November 14. We met at Mt. Pleasant
UMC. Eddie Reese, with NRCS, presented
on forestry cost share programs. Our
next meeting will be February 13, 2024, and our topic will be estate
planning.
Laurens Forest Landowners Association
The Laurens Forest Landowners Association had their last quarterly meeting in
2023 on November 28. We met at the
Laurens County Farm Bureau Office. Chris
Gordy, from West Fraser, presented on local and statewide mill updates. Our next meeting will be February 27, 2024.
Grand American This was the first year that we took the Union County 4-H Shooting Sports Trailer down to the Grand American in Orangeburg, SC. Along with Forged In 4-H, we set up a display to help raise funds for the two programs. Just like at the Union County Agricultural Fair, the trailer is set up for participants to have fun shooting air rifles. For those less experienced shooters, we spend a little extra time helping them learn the basics of shooting. Forged In 4-H also provided forging demonstrations, while selling some of the items that were made through the program. The Grand American provided an excellent venue to advertise our program and educate participants about what great programs we have to offer.
4-H Food Plots One of my favorite activities in this job is judging 4-H Food Plots. We typically do this in January, so the weather is normally not cooperative. This year however, we had a very nice day to be out in the woods. We judged 1 in Newberry County and 2 in Union County. For more information on the 4-H Food Plot Project visit the following link: https://www.clemson.edu/extension/4h/program-areas/natural-resources/wildlife-food-plot-project.html.
February 24, 2024Saluda 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
