Category: Uncategorized

The Clemson Cooperative Extension Service exists to serve the resident of the state. Our purpose is to help residents meet the challenges through educational experiences that meet the needs of our ever-changing society.  Extension Advisory Councils in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties share responsibility with Extension staff in defining needs, establishing goals, and making appropriate recommendations for Extension programming.  The Advisory Council is a representative group of citizens who volunteer their time, talent, and knowledge to help strengthen the service of the county Extension program and improve the life of county residents.  The partnership between Extension staff and Advisory Councils allows for timely response to identified community needs with valid, quality programming.

Kirsten Robertson 

My name is Kirsten Robertson, and I am the Manager/Engineer for the Greenville County Soil and Water Conservation District.  This means that I assist citizens with erosion, drainage, sinkhole, and flooding advice and help them understand their regulatory responsibilities.  The work includes maintaining nine dams in the county that were built by the federal government in the 70’s and 80’s.  I also work with farmers teaching conservation and soil health principles.  I teach the Soils class in the Greenville Tech Sustainable Ag program and have a farm with chickens and sheep.  My passion is soil health, and I created and ran a 20K+ member Facebook group called the reGenerative Grazing Group.  Patricia Whitener, 4-H Agent and County Coordinator, invited me to participate.

Michael Weeks

I have worked at Roper Mountain Science Center since 2006. I headed up the Living History Farm and Education programs before becoming Director in 2014. I grew up in Ohio, graduated from Kent State University, and worked in the nonprofit, living history farm world for seven years in Ohio and Pennsylvania before moving to Greenville in 2006.  I am passionate about education, local food systems, homesteading, history, sustainability, and my faith and family. My interests include gardening, homesteading in general, college football, hiking, traveling, church community, and the Star Wars and Marvel media universes. Most important to me right now is spending time with my four kids as they grow up and engaging with what their interests are. I was invited to participate by Cory Tanner and Danny Howard. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to support Clemson Extension and advocate for the great programs you all do.

Scott Parks

Scott Park is a Greenville County resident and currently leads the Upstate Forever Land Conservation Program. This nationally accredited land trust currently helps protect more than 25,000 acres of farm, forest, and natural areas in the ten-county Upstate South Carolina region. Overall, Upstate Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects critical lands, waters, and the unique character of Upstate South Carolina. Outside of Upstate Forever, Scott is interested in exploring new trails with his family and friends, preparing meals from local farm products, and highlighting people that source local ingredients as a personal Instagram hobby. George Dickert, District Extension Director, and Cory Tanner, Horticulture Program Team Leader, invited Scott to the Advisory Council.

Brandon Cook

I am the Health Care for the Homeless and Medical Respite Program Director at New Horizon Family Health Services, Inc.  New Horizon is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving the Greenville and surrounding communities providing quality, affordable, patient-centered care for the communities we serve.  The Health Care for the Homeless program ensures that people experiencing homelessness can access primary care and help anyone experiencing homelessness across all 13 counties of the Upstate. My role is to manage the program, support staff, and support the mission and vision of New Horizon Family Health Services, Inc while building strong partnerships and leveraging resources for people experiencing homelessness in the Upstate. My passion is to ensure that everyone can access healthcare in this country rich in resources and opportunities.  I believe healthcare is a human right, and I also think housing is a human right, meaning that no one should have to go without either, especially in the day and age in which we live. My interests are fishing, playing guitar (I received my undergrad degree from the University of South Carolina School of Music studying classical guitar), whittling, and learning new things. Shana Madden, Health Extension agent, invited me.

Gary Cutter

I’m Gary Cutter.  I grew up in Indiana on a small farm and was a ten-year 4-H member.  I graduated from Purdue University with B.S. in Ag Education and M.S. in Agronomy.  I earned a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in Plant Breeding and Genetics.  I am presently actively involved with the Greater Greenville Master Gardeners Association, having served on the Executive Committee for the past five years as Treasurer, 1st VP, President, Past President, and now as 2nd V.P. in charge of membership and communications (315 members). I was in the research department as a corn breeding manager and production research manager during my career. My passions and values center around my family and church. My wife, Karen, and I have been married for nearly 49 years, and 3 of our five children live nearby, along with 8 of our ten grandchildren.  We are also active in our church serving in the marriage ministry and leading a small group. I am not a golfer, hunter, fisherman, or boat enthusiast, but a gardener and spend lots of time outdoors and enjoy sharing my experiences and expertise with others in that area. Jordan Franklin, Horticulture agent, invited me to participate

George Fisher

George’s expertise is in consulting engineering. He is passionate about water and protecting our resources. He received his M.S. in Environmental Systems Engineering, Clemson University, a B.S. in Civil Engineering from, University of Kansas, and his B.S. in Business Administration from, University of Kansas. George has over 30 years in Water and wastewater systems, Management of Consulting Engineering, and helping communities like Greenville with economic development strategies. George served on Greenville City Council for four years, volunteers with Rotary International as the Veterans Support Chairman, and serves on many boards, including Renewable Water Resource, Appalachian Council of Governors, Greenville Symphony Board, and Southern Connector. He enjoys travel and nature photography, is the proud father of a son and daughter and boasts four grandchildren. Heather Nix, a water resource agent, invited George to join.

Other Advisory Members: Polly Powell, Sue Grubbs, Susan Walrabenstein, Ken Southerlin, Rushawnda Oden, Shirley Thompson, Butch Kirven, Lia Sanders

Amy Mallette, Cherokee County Administrative Assistant

The latest meeting of the Cherokee County Extension Advisory Council met on August 19th at the Cherokee County Administrative Building. Topics included an overview of the Census, a new agent, and the Duke Energy Site.

CUCES Upstate District Director George Dickert cited the Census and stated that South Carolina’s population grew to 5 million and becoming 24th in the country for population. Cherokee County alone increased 3.3% and revealed a high poverty rate within its borders. At this point, George mentions that the Cherokee office will be receiving an Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program or EFNEP agent. He or she will cover both Cherokee and York counties. Since Cherokee has a high poverty rate, an EFNEP agent will significantly impact Cherokee food assistance programs.

Heather Nix, Upstate Water Resources Agent, discussed several upcoming events in the water resource department. They are looking to add more free online courses, such as their dam maintenance course. They are bringing Be Well Informed to our state and will test private drinking water wells for bacteria. They also plan to tackle the cyanobacteria or blue algae problem plaguing upstate ponds by using a grant to teach preventative tactics.

Livestock & Forage Agent Chris LeMaster described various completed action items from previous meetings, including adding Extension to the Administrative website and collaborations to make Cherokee more family-oriented. One of those collaborations is with the Duke Energy Site. 4-H Agent Laura Haddon has already held many successful day camps at the Outdoor Classroom this summer. She and Chris reminded council members to join Duke Energy and Clemson Extension personnel for the ribbon cutting at the Duke Energy Site.

Along with summer camps, many 4-Hers participated in individual projects, including the Honeybee Project, collaborating with Jerry Smith, Cherokee County Bee Club’s president.

Laura announced that she and Chris applied for and received a $1000 grant. This grant will fund the transportation of every second grader in Cherokee County to attend Down on the Farm Day, an idea inspired by Loretta Holmes. This event will take place on April 1st, no joke.

Chris announced a few more upcoming events, including the 1st Cherokee Livestock Show. He listed a couple of locations that present great opportunities for family-oriented activities: Broad River Electric Auditorium and Duke Energy Site.

Frannie Stockwell, Cherokee Chamber of Commerce Director, offered to share her radio time with WZZQ and Hope Broadcasting to help spread the word of Extension.

To close the meeting, Andy Rollins, Upstate Commercial Fruit & Vegetable Agent, spoke about a proposed Peach Museum for the Upstate. He requested anyone that would like to contribute ideas, pictures, or information to contact him. Andy then gave a detailed demonstration of picking the perfect peach. He brought a variety of fruit to sample, including peaches, nectarines, and pluots. The sampling was a hit, and many members left with fruit.

Andy Rollins, CUCES Upstate Commercial Fruit & Vegetable Agent

Although, I officially work in 5 counties, Spartanburg, Greenville, York, Union, and Cherokee, this year, I have assisted growers across multiple states with various research projects:

• On-farm research trial of sun-protectant materials on peaches:  This study focused on bacterial canker and discovering which factors affect the location of the disease initiation.  SC Peach Council provided grants for this study.
• Bacterial spot survey across South Carolina:  Dr. Hehe Wang established a bacterial spot survey across the entire state.  I assisted a commercial farm with a establishing a weather station and taking leaf and fruit disease ratings.
• Bloom and fruit thinning product trial: Dr. Juan Carlos Melgar and I repeated this trial with different equipment during various times of the day to discover the discrepancies on two distinct varieties.  This project will be repeated next year.
• Nematode survey: Dr. Churamani Kanal, one of his students, and I conducted a nematode survey on a few farms in the upstate.  Our goal is to continue collecting data until we have completed surveys for all Upstate growers.
• Herbicide trials: Wayne Mitchem of NCSU, Chris Holmberg, and I launched a two separate herbicide trials. Of the two cases, one grower has decided to forgo his standard herbicide in favor of the newer based on the results.

  

In addition to conducting trials this year, I also helped organize a commercial strawberry program from another state, held an online zoom meeting for small fruit producers, and held my commercial peach production meeting.  I assisted and advertised many others’ online programs for growers.  At these meetings, we shared research from the past year and any information pertinent to the industry.

The Upstate Peach meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 20^th 2022.  The Upstate Strawberry Production meeting will be the 3^rd or 4^th week of February and the Upstate Commercial Vegetable meeting will be the 3^rd or 4^th week of March.

Lastly, the most important part of my job is to address growers specifically on farm problems.  Much of this was and is handled in person on farms.  I made every effort to abide by the safety rules set before me.  I am so thankful for my job and the ability to serve upstate producers.  Thank you all for your support of Clemson Extension Service.

Smartphones, More Than Just a Communication Device for Forest Landowners

By Jeff Fellers

Click here for pdf printable version- Smartphones, more than just a communication device for forest landowners

Though the first cell phone was released in the early 1990s, most of us probably did not go out and buy one right away. The majority of us probably did not get a smartphone until the early 2000s. It was not until Apple launched the first iPhone in 2007 that the smartphone world was set on fire. Since that time, the capabilities of smartphones have increased drastically. They are now often used as tools with many applications (apps) that help forest landowners better manage their forests.  

There are numerous devices available to forest landowners to access technology. Smartphones, computers, GPS units, and tablets, just to name a few. With the evolution of smartphones and the apps associated with them, many forest landowners no longer need computers, GPS units, or tablets to access the new technology. Now, some forest landowners do not want to fool with new technology or smartphones. That is ok. Utilizing new technology often provides a great opportunity to get younger generations involved in property management.

This article will look at how technology can be used and some of the apps available that may interest forest landowners. Some apps are free, and others may be purchased. Keep in mind; it is impossible to list all the applications that are available for forest management. It can often be very beneficial to talk with other landowners and see what apps they use and like.  

Mapping – Mapping can provide a birds-eye view of a landowner’s property. It can be used to delineate timber stands, wetlands, food plots, calculate area, or just view aerial photographs. Many of the apps available have the option to reference the smartphone’s GPS and automatically locate your position. Below are some apps and webpages that may be of interest.

Google Earth – Available for free on both mobile devices and computers. Projects can be edited on the computer and then viewed on a smartphone. It also has a time slider that allows a landowner to look at aerial photographs from different years. This is a great tool for landowners. The user interface is probably one of the easiest to use. Google Earth can be downloaded at https://www.google.com/earth/. The app is available for both Android and Apple devices.

Avenza Maps – A free program with options to purchase different maps. The app gives the option of using the program offline when cellular service is lacking. This is one big difference from some of the other mapping programs. This program is a little harder to use than Google Earth but may give you a few more functions. For more information on Avenza maps, visit https://www.avenzamaps.com/. The app is available for both Android and Apple devices.

My Land Plan – A web-based program that gives the landowner the ability to map properties and store records for individual features. As a landowner, you will be able to map your property, set goals, and then customize your information based on your management activities. This program is not as mobile-friendly and is accessed through a web browser. For more information on My Land Plan, visit https://mylandplan.org/.  

Area Calculation – This is important to help determine stand acreage or acreage in general. There are numerous apps available that work great. Many can measure distance and area. A simple search of “area calculation” on your smartphone’s app store will bring up a variety of area calculation apps that should work fine.  

Parcels – Having access to land parcel data can help a forest landowner learn who owns adjacent properties and see an estimate of property lines. Keep in mind that this data may not be survey grade or 100% accurate, but it gives you a good idea of where property boundaries are located.

Websites – In South Carolina, most counties have a GIS database where you can access parcel data for the county. Most of these county sites will provide free data. An example of the Newberry County GIS site can be found at the link below.

https://map.newberrycounty.net/parcel/ 

LandGlide – An app that allows access to parcel data. It is available for Apple and Android devices with a fee. The app provides online and offline access to data. This is beneficial when cell phone reception is poor. The app can still be used if data is previously downloaded. For more information on LandGlide, visit https://www.landglide.com/. 

Tree Identification – This is another tool that landowners may find useful when managing their property. Many of the apps available allow the user to take a photo of the tree characteristics and then the app will show suggestions for the identification of the tree. While it may not always be 100% correct, these apps are pretty good. Most of the time, they can lead you in the right direction in identifying the tree species.

vTree – An app developed by Virginia Tech. This app uses your location to narrow down the trees commonly found in your area. Instead of using a picture, this app asks you a series of questions to narrow down the identification options. It is available for Apple and Android devices. For more information on the vTree app, visit https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/vtree.htm.

LeafSnap – Allows the user to take a picture of any plant. It has a claimed accuracy rate of 95%. This is a free app available for Apple and Android devices. For more information on LeafSnap, visit https://plantidentifier.info/.  

Technology has made many more resources accessible to forest landowners by using a smartphone. This article lists only a few. Most of these apps are easy to find and install on a smartphone. The user interfaces are typically easy to navigate as well. Don’t be afraid of new technology. Try it…you might actually like it.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.

I was also able to test out a new botanical omri (organically) approved botanical fungicide for use on peach for blossom blight.  I was able to perform two tests of this product on farm to see its effectiveness. I was able to test it at Glory Farms in York Co. SC on Downy Mildew of several leafy greens and this was under a protective structure. I was also able to test it on Blossom blight of peach at peach farm near Chesnee SC. Neither test was randomized. I will summarize my findings separately.  Glory Farms is an organic farm and had a problem in their spinach greens but upon investigating it was downy mildew and the disease was widely spread throughout multiple greens varieties and species and throughout the entire protected house. The disease was progressing rapidly. There weren’t many options for her organically and I wasn’t sure what I was going to recommend.  I remembered that I had the new product you had told me of EcoSwing but I had not considered it because my plans were to use it for peach.  After speaking with the company representatives, it was labeled and worth giving it a try even though this was more of a “rescue” kind of situation at that point.  On March 6, 2020 I sprayed the product myself on 4 rows of greens.  There were 2 rows of spinach 1 ½ rows of Arugula, and ½ row of Mustard. I mixed the product at a rate of 1 fl.oz./gallon of water and sprayed each 40 foot row with 1 gallon of product. In the worst areas on each row I made sure to leave a small 3 foot area of row unsprayed to be able to see the difference between sprayed and unsprayed easily. I had the grower inspect the plants for the next two days after application and there was no foliar damage from applying the product even though I had applied during the hottest part of the day. After 2 weeks, I returned to assess the results. I found that product was able to control this disease. My controls were completely destroyed with very few plants remaining in those entire blocks but my treated areas were fully intact albeit the disease wasn’t completely eradicated. I should have had actual stand counts before and after to better show this more accurately, but I only did estimates of % of full stand.  Spinach before treatment was estimated at 75% of a stand and 2 weeks later still retained 75% of a stand or possibly slightly higher. The Arugula and the mustard were in similar situations but started with slightly higher stands 85% and finishing with 85%. The untreated controls for spinach started with the 75% but ended up with less than 10% as did the arugula and mustard went from 85% down to less than 10% of a stand 2 weeks after application.
I also tested EcoSwing in the bloom of CaroKing variety peaches. The grower in this case sprayed twice with product during bloom.  I evaluated the bloom by taking bloom counts between the control and the treated row.  Unfortunately, the disease pressure was very low and, unknown to me at the time, I did not have a true untreated control. I had trees that had EcoSwing being compared to trees that had Bravo applied at the same interval. On each branch I just looked at the number of surviving blooms/fruit versus number total number of flowers present to try and compare. I wasn’t able to find anything that I knew for sure was blossom blight so this was an attempt to see if there were any differences between the two treatments. There were none.  The Bravo treated trees and the EcoSwing trees both had nearly identical numbers of surviving flower/fruit. Cold damage had also hurt this crop as well. It is a little more bud tender than many. Assessment was done on March 20th. Picture below shows one of the shoots I would take data on counting number of live flowers/fruit to total number of flowers/fruit per shoot.  I still have some product left over that was not used. Hopefully, this coming year I will have more time to plan a small protocol for evaluating it on peach or possibly strawberry.  I am thankful I now know more about this product and what it is capable of doing.

I tested two products (AKX‐835 / AKX‐244) for cold freeze protection claims as compared to a control early this spring.  Agro-K is a fertilizer company and have two proprietary products they allowed me to test for frost freeze protection.  They were applied according to there protocol with temperature recorders in each treatment and at different heights within the trees.  Treatments were not replicated but were randomized within a block of ‘Flavorich’ peach trees at a farm near Cooley Springs, SC.  Multiple applications were made of the products approximately 24 hours before each of the freeze events as directed from early bloom through end of bloom.  Fertilizers were sprayed thoroughly into the trees at approximately a 200 gal/acre total volume with the appropriate product at the suggested rate.  Bloom began shortly before February 26, 2020 when recorders were placed in the trees and first application made.  Our first freeze event in the bloom occurred on February 27th (27F low), 28th (25.5F low), 29th (28F low), March 1st (21.2F low).  Second application was made on March 6th and we had freezing temperatures on March 7th (24.8F low), 8th (29F low), and 9th (29.8F low).  These products never claimed to give this degree of protection in fact after talking with company representatives they didn’t expect the products to have worked at all.  I waited until after fruit had fully pollinated and fruit had grown to golf ball size but had not been thinned.  Dr. Guido Schnabel and I did random branch fruit counts on each of the treatments and the control.We found no significant differences between treatments even though there appeared to be a higher fruit load on the AKX-835 treatment.  The grower estimated only ½ bu per tree in the AKX-234 and 2 ½ bu per tree in the AKX-835 and the control treatment.  The control treatment was badly selected as it was an outside row receiving more sunlight which was exaggerated because the trees were planted in east to west orientation.  The control trees also bloomed about 1 week later than the rest of the block of trees.  I am glad I did this work with the assistance of the grower.  Further examination is planned for next year.

Planted onfarm muscadine trial with novel true seedless plants developed from Gardens Alive Nursery and also some plants from the breeding program at the University of Georgia, Dr. Patrick Conners program on a large muscadine farm near Inman, SC.  The purpose of establishing this test site was to expose the significantly sized grower some other options that are available to him.  I also plan on doing demonstrations on this site in the future and including other novel varieties that I receive from breeding programs that show promise.  This years work amounted to planting and multiple visits to prune, tie/train, fertilize and spray if needed to take care of these plants.  Many of these plants have reached the top wire and are now developing the cordons.  Some fruit data will be available next year.  Also with the help of a master gardener volunteer we were able to take diameter measurements at planting.  I will measure them again this winter to get a measure of how much each of them grew this year.  Bloom, fruit yield and fruit quality will all be measured next year.

Insect monitoring paid off in assisting all of the peach growers in the Chesnee area with critical information on whether or not their sprays were controlling a fruit worm that had done significant damage in previous years.  With the information we were able to provide we were able to save growers and the environment from ineffective sprays.  We also helped make recommendations as to rotations of insecticides that would be helpful for controlling this pest.

I remained vigilant this year on assisting growers with there on farm needs related to insect and disease problems as well as weed control problems and the like.   I am currently assisting many growers with planting of strawberry plants.  We have 1 new grower in the area and many others who have never used the type of plant they are having to use this year directly because of problems with getting strawberry plants due to COVID outbreaks in the strawberry plant growing regions.  It was a very different year but a very successful year for many of the farms.  Thank you so much for your continued support of Clemson Extension Service!

The Food Systems and Safety team has been hard at work delivering virtual programs on home food preservation, produce safety, human and pet food manufacturing, and food safety for food entrepreneurs. Additionally, individual conversations with clients have addressed questions on ServSafe® certifications, and in each of the areas previously mentioned.  Highlights of the programs delivered by the Upstate Food Systems and Safety Agent, Rebecca Baxley since the beginning of April include:

• · Introduction to Home Canning virtual webinar.  42 participants logged in live, 40 viewed the recording.
• · Food Preservation for SC Educators webinar.  SC School and Community Garden summer workshop series.  142 attendees.
• · Preventive Controls for Animal Food Manufacturing webinar.  Team member.  12 participants representing 9 individual firms.
• · Learn to Can Blueberry Jam video for TD Market Educational Series, Greenville SC.  319 views.
• · Jams and Jellies virtual workshop, team member.  Live canning in real time via zoom.  5 participants.
• · Estimated over 100 individual interactions with stakeholders through phone call and email

As we move into the fall, there is no time to slow down.  A few things Rebecca is working on to be introduced in the coming months are below:
Coming Soon…
A new Food Systems and Safety blog is under development.  Look for a link to our new blog that will serve as a hub for information and allow stakeholders to interact with agents.
Home Food Preservation Roundtable on November 7, 2020.  In this virtual hour-long discussion, we will feature a recipe (Apple Wedges in Red Hot Cinnamon Syrup) and a canning method (Atmospheric Steam Canner).  Registration link is here:  https://clemson.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0kd-muqTsrEt3jxoziLY9HlVjoosQasdZL
Home Food Preservation and Food Safety educational cards are under development for point of purchase distribution.  Look for these cards with preservation tips, recipes, and food safety information at farmer’s markets, produce stands and farm stores beginning in the Spring of 2021.

The warm weather has many Cherokee county residents preparing fields, lawns, and gardens for spring. Let Clemson Extension help you make this the most productive season. We offer various sampling and testing services to help you grow the best lawn, tomato, or herd of cattle. While we provide analyses of surface water, plants, poultry litter, feed, and forage, our most popular test is soil sampling. Whether you plant a raised bed or hundreds of acres of soybeans, sampling can prescribe the correct amount of fertilizer or soil amendment to help the plant reach its full potential. Without a test, it’s just a guess. Guessing at the amount of fertilizer or lime is poor practice. Excess nitrogen and phosphorous runoff cause algae bloom and many other issues that have been demonstrated to have serious impacts on our environment, human health, and economy.

Of course, soil sampling requires planning ahead to allow shipment and processing of the samples. Most of the year, the lab can process samples in 5 days, but it can take as much as 10 to 14 days during peak season. So plan on getting by the office soon to get your samples sent off. For your convenience, we added a drop box at the front door of the county administration building. There you will find the soil sample bags and forms. Standard soil samples are $6 and payable by check or card. Soil samples may be dropped off Monday through Friday 8:30 to 5; all other samples must be scheduled. For more information on the dropbox, call the office (864.489.3141) or contact the Home and Garden Information Center at 1-888-656-9988 for more information on sampling and other garden questions. Follow this link for a how-to video on collecting a soil sample.

https://hgic.clemson.edu/how-to-take-a-soil-sample/

Christopher LeMaster
Livestock and Forage Agent
Cherokee, Spartanburg, Union, and York
Clemson Cooperative Extension Service
clemast@clemson.edu

Clemson Extension ceased all in-person trainings and meetings last March due to COVID-19 concerns.  We realize that while we all need to take action to protect each other from the virus, our clients continue to have questions and training needs for their various enterprises.

Clemson Extension continues to respond to phone calls and emails on a daily basis, but we also have responded by creating trainings using the Zoom online video conference program.  Extension agents are able to set up a date and time in the Zoom program and simply send a link to our clients.  Clients then are able to click on the link to join the meetings.  These meetings are not recorded, but are presented live.

Since March 2020 the Laurens County Extension Office has offered live Zoom trainings that include 22 Confined Animal Manure Manager recertification trainings (with 14 more scheduled), a Small Pasture and Hayfield Irrigation training, three Master Gardener classes on residential irrigation for various online classes around the State, a Horse Manure Management training, and a training on Feeding Horses.

The Laurens 4-H Program has offered many 4-H projects on-line and continues to offer projects and interaction in a non-contact manner utilizing the Zoom program.  SC 4-H Agents also developed the “SC 4-H @ Home” program, a national award winning program that allowed them to utilize online content to hold educational events and programs for SC 4-H’ers (many 4-H’ers in other states also participated in this program as well).

Laurens County Extension is currently working with agents from Abbeville, McCormick, Greenwood, Edgefield, and Union to develop monthly residential horticulture classes held via Zoom.  These will be 60 to 90 minute classes, and will offer topics such as Basic Vegetable Gardening, Fire Ant Control, Excluding Wildlife From Your Garden, and a wide range of other topics useful to our clientele.  The classes will be held in the evening to allow more clients to attend.

The State Master Gardener Program has also responded to the need for virtual programming, creating a live, on-line Master Gardener course for the entire state since local counties are not able to offer in-person courses at this time.  78 SC residents are enrolled in the current virtual Master Gardener course.

The South Carolina Bull Test Sale has also moved to an on-line format, allowing cattle growers to buy excellent bulls for their herds without having to attend a crowded auction area to do so.

Clemson Extension continues to provide information to our clientele through phone calls, emails, Laurens Extension Facebook posts, and newspaper articles.  Laurens County Extension is also currently developing a quarterly newsletter to be shared with clients via email, which should be live in February 2021.

Laurens County Extension Agents have also been able to make one-on-one farm visits when needed, practicing social distancing and safe, masked interaction with local clients while addressing their needs.  Our Extension Agronomy Team developed a “map pinning” app, which allows row crop farmers to place a “pin” on a map noting an area that they need help with.  The row crop agent then visits the area noted by the pin and provides recommendations for the problem.  This allows them to help clients with no contact required.

Helpful links for more information:

Laurens Count Extension web page
https://www.clemson.edu/laurens

Laurens County Extension Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/LaurensCountyClemsonExtensionService

Laurens County 4-H Program Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/4Hlaurenscounty

Home and Garden Information Center
https://hgic.clemson.edu/

SC Master Gardener Program
https://www.clemson.edu/extension/mg/

Clemson Extension Livestock and Forages Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ClemsonBullTest/

SC Confined Animal Manure Manager Program
https://www.clemson.edu/camm

Bryan Smith, County Coordinator
wsmth@clemson.edu
864-705-1101

2020 South Carolina Dairy Youth Heifer Project Bred Heifer Sale

The South Carolina Dairy Youth Heifer Project, a Clemson University Youth Livestock program initiative, gives any active 4-H or FFA member, age 5-17, the opportunity to raise and show a registered dairy heifer. During this 18-month project, participants learn how to care for, manage, train, and show their heifer while exploring the world of dairy cattle. The goal of the project is for youth to gain knowledge about the dairy industry and learn how to responsibly care for a dairy animal and, in the end, have a well-grown, bred dairy heifer. The project concludes with the sale of the heifers at the South Carolina State Fair in October each year. Participants show their heifer one last time during the dairy cattle show, and then all heifers are sold in the Bred Heifer Sale.

2020 brought many challenges to the South Carolina Dairy Youth Heifer Project Bred Heifer Sale. With the cancellation of the 2020 South Carolina State Fair and pandemic restrictions the decision was made to move the sale to a virtual format. The Heifer Project committee, volunteers, participants, and supporters took it all in stride and made the 2020 Sale a huge success. With the new sale format, the catalog and pedigree pages were given a new look and youth were encouraged to help promote the sale and their individual heifers. Pedigrees where made available to previous and potential buyers along with pictures and videos of the available heifers.
After weeks of preparation, the sale was held on October 6, 2020 with 24 registered dairy heifers sold at an average of $1,450 each. Over 150 potential buyers, committee members, and participants and their families logged in to view and bid. With the online format, there were 4 first time buyers and over a dozen additional first-time potential buyers. The success of the sale was due to the months of hard work these youth put into raising and caring for these heifers and the dairymen who placed heifers in the project, giving these youth the opportunity to shine. Even with the restrictions this passed year, these youth continued to work with these heifers and, in the end provided an outstanding group of heifers for potential buyers, proving why the SC Dairy Youth Heifer Project is one of the oldest and best of its kind.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.