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Harrison County

Agriculture and Natural Resources Newsletter

September - November 2015

“Good seasons start with good beginnings “~ Sparky Anderson With fall, the agriculture and natural resources workshops are ramping back up for an exciting line up of workshops. Opportunities to earn credits towards your private applicator license will definitely be available. We have several programs already planned and I’m sure there will be plenty more added to the roster as we continue through the winter months. Please be sure to keep checking our website, Facebook pages, the newspaper and individual mailings for updates! In this newsletter, I’ve added a couple of highlights from people in our community. Our Master Gardeners have been working hard this summer. Check out their latest project! We also have a great article written by a young professional and farmer. We are looking for volunteers in any capacity, if you are interested, please let one of us in the Extension Office know! A lot of work goes into putting together educational programs, events at the extension office, and mailings. Whether you’ve got just an hour to spend with us or an afternoon, we’ll take it! We appreciate all you do for the county! Sincerely, Miranda Ulery Check us out on Facebook!

www.facebook.com/HarrisonCoExtension www.facebook.com/harrsioncountyfarmersmarket

www.facebook.com/HarrisonCoMasterGardener

Www.facebook.com/CorydonFarmersMarket

It is the policy of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service that all persons have equal opportunity and access to its educational pro-

grams, services, activities, and facilities without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual

orientation, disability or status as a veteran. Purdue University is an Affirmative Action institution. If you have special needs call us prior to the event at 738-

4236 or call 888-EXT-INFO and ask for the Harrison County office.

Purdue Extension Harrison County

247 Atwood St. Corydon, IN 47112

812-738-4236 (office) 812-738-2259 (fax)

http:\\www.extension.purdue.edu\harrison

The Junior Master Naturalists from Harrison

and Floyd Counties kayaked/canoed down

Blue River collecting litter, helping keep our

area beautiful.

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Calendar of Events:

September:

7– Labor Day, Extension Office Closed

10– Why Local Foods Matter Webinar, 11am

11– Grazing for Conservation and Soil Health Webinar, 9-10:30am

11-13– Lanesville Heritage Weekend

14– Beginning Farmers Tour, Morning Harvest Produce

16 - Last Wednesday Market for Harrison County Farmers Market, 3:30-6:30 pm

17– Master Gardener Meeting, 6:30pm, Extension Office

21– IBEP Bull Off Test

22-23-Category 7b Termite Control Commercial Applicator Workshop, Purdue University

24– IBEP Freeze Branding

26– Junior Master Naturalist Glow Walk for the Barn Owls, 6pm, Hayswood Nature Reserve

October:

6-7– Pest Management & Lawn Maintenance Workshop, Purdue University, 3B Credits available

11– Teaching Resources Roundtable Webinar, 9-10:30am

12– Columbus Day– Extension Office Closed

15– Master Gardener Meeting, 6:30pm, Extension Office

17– IBEP Bull Sale

30– Last Day of Corydon Farmers Market, 4-7pm

31 - Last Day of Harrison County Farmers Market 8 am - 12 pm

November:

3– Farmers Market Winter Meeting, 6-8pm, Extension Office

10– Area II PARP Program

11– Veteran’s Day– Extension Office Closed

17– Annual Extension Board Meeting, 6pm, Extension Office

19– Master Gardener Meeting, 6:30pm, Extension Office

25-26– Thanksgiving Holiday-Extension Office Closed

Volunteer Request: Corydon Farmers Market– need volunteers to wear pea and carrot costumes, educate customers, and

to serve as parking lot attendants every Friday from 4-7pm. Volunteer for an hour or the whole time!

Contact Catherine or Tom at 738-0120

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IDNR Nursery Program

Tree Seedling Ordering Now Available!

Pick up an order form at the

Extension Office today!

Any individual may purchase seedlings as long as

that person agrees to plant them in Indiana for

conservation plantings as stated in the Nursery

Program mission statement. Plant materials cannot

be redistributed or resold for profit. If seedlings

produced by our nurseries are to be

given away, the buyer must conduct

an educational program stating the

Nursery Program mission prior to

distribution of the seedlings. If you

are consulting with a forester or tree

planter, please be sure that only one

order is submitted.

Forage, Feedstuff, and Soil

Analysis Available! We strongly encourage checking the nutrition of your forages and feedstuffs before feeding them to your livestock. You may be surprised at how much energy and

nutritional value may be lost in a year of storage! Soils should also be analyzed before planting a new crop, whatever it may be. We have several options for analysis depending on what your needs are. If you have questions about how

to sample your forages, feed ingredients, garden, field, or yard, please contact me!

Harrison County Master Gardeners, Inc.

The Master Gardener club meets every third Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm. If

you are not receiving emails from either Ken or I, please let us know! Also, if you

have not been very active lately and would like to try and become more involved, we

have options for you to get started again. We would love for anyone who has taken

the training in the past to join our efforts to improve our community! Ask Miranda

how!

Interested in a Gardening or Farming Magazine but don’t want to sign up

for the whole year?

Check out the extension office library! We have several issues available for:

Vegetable Grower

Fruit Grower

Hobby Farm

Indiana Prairie Farmer

Hoosier Farmer

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From the Perspective of a Farmer Written by Natalie Harris

As I sit here and grill a hamburger, I think about where our

meat came from. I think about the life of the calf that

produced the meat; was he happy? In awe of all the things I

have read lately online and what the actual truth is, I realize

that many of you do not have the same luxury as my family;

to have 100% locally grown, all natural ground beef, free

from hormones and steroids. Does this sound familiar? I'm

here to tell you that you have this same opportunity. Many

may not know but 87% of farms in the USA are family

farms! Thirty-eight percent are 3rd generation and beyond,

however, less than 2% of the population are farmers! As for

this hamburger I am about to eat, I know the day the animal

was born, what cow he came from, and the fact that he ate

out of my sons hand. I'd venture to say he had a happy life!

Even small farms feed the world. I'm a third generation

United States farmer, raising the 4th generation. My

children can look forward to the opportunity to help feed the

world, learn the values of working the land, raising an animal from conception to death,

and being proud of the product they created. Children of farmers learn at a young age

what hard work is, and develop a work ethic that many youth today lack. Even though our

family farm is a small 56 acres, it has taught me more about life than any book.

Annually my family sells 10 to 15 calves that will eventually enter the beef market and wind

up on a grocery store shelf. Yes, this is a smaller amount compared to many other family

who produce beef in the Southern Indiana area, but our calves sold at the market might

end up on tables across the world! The calf that my family raised, could even be on your

grill tonight! What does that mean to you? With all of the "USDA Organic" or Non-GMO

products popping up on shelves everywhere, I thought it was time to share our story!

We do not market our animals as “Organic” or "Certified Organic." The amount of time and

energy it takes to just do the paperwork and upkeep is more work than my family and I

want to take on at this time. We choose to sell conventional beef at an average rate

compared to organically produced at a $200 premium per calf. Why? The cost associated

with being organic is high and the time and effort is not something we can manage.

Everyone in my family works full time jobs away from the farm but agriculture is our

passion, so we keep producing livestock on the side. I guess what I really want to say is,

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the meat you buy in the grocery store is from farmers just like my family. If you’re still

concerned about where your meat comes from, then contact your local Farm Bureau,

your local Extension Office, post it on social media or visit your local farmers market. I

know someone out there can get you to a local farmer that would love to sell you

produce, meat, veggies or whatever your heart desires.

We are losing farm land daily which is vital in feeding the ever increasing population.

This is why farmers take genes from one plant and cross it with another and get

genetically modified organisms or "GMOs." With more mouths to feed, we need higher

yields! NEWS FLASH, we do the same with cross breeding livestock, organic or not,

yet everyone keeps screaming GMO'S are bad. They are not bad! We have been

crossbreeding cattle forever. We may have a cow with a strong foundation that lacks in

muscle tone so we find a bull that will be able to produce a calf with a higher amount of

muscling. Then we breed them. This is also called hybrid vigor, basically selecting

traits from two different animals to get a better product. Processes like these are

necessary to feed the world and without

them, millions of people will eventually

starve to death. I'm sorry but I don't

want to be the one that makes that final

call. People I beg of you, talk to a

farmer. Learn their practices and if you

can, buy local! Stop pushing bills

through legislation that you do not

understand! It seems to me that

everyone is trying to put a farmer out of

business. It's in everyone's best interest

to save the farms!

We [my family] go to the grocery store to purchase the same goods as the rest of the

world; we do not pump chemicals into your food nor do we want to harm anyone. I, as

a farmer just want to feed hungry people with a product that I am proud of. Organic

serves its purpose and people pay a higher price for those items, if that's what you

want, fine. Don't try to eliminate GMO'S, traditionally grown produce and meat. If that

happens, a lot of the world will either starve because there isn't enough food available

or it’s too expensive for them to buy. Today farmers are doing all they can to be

stewards of the land through more conservative practices and less chemicals used.

Education is key, talk to a farmer!!!

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Pest Management & Lawn Maintenance

Workshop

October 6-7

8:30am-4:00pm Purdue University West Lafayette

3B Credits Available

This hands-on program will include instruction on

Indiana’s pesticide applicator licensing

requirements, basic turf maintenance, turf pest

management programs, calibration and use of turf

pesticide application equipment, and rules and

regulations specific to lawn care applicators.

Registration Fee: $200

Open to the public. Registrations will be accepted

on a first-come basis. Register online at https://

mdc.itap.purdue.edu/wk_group.asp?

wk_group=Pesticide

Category 7b Termite Control

Commercial Pesticide Applicator

Workshop

September 22-23

8:30am-5:00pm Purdue University West Lafayette

7b Credits Available

This hands-on program will include instruction on

biology of wood destroying pests, elements of

construction, inspection tips and graph

preparation, inspection forms, equipment and

calibration, volume calculations, the Indiana

Pesticide Use and Application Law, and

preconstruction treatment.

Registration Fee: $200

Open to the public. Registrations will be accepted

on a first-come basis. Register online at https://

mdc.itap.purdue.edu/wk_group.asp?

wk_group=Pesticide

Harrison County Annual Extension Meeting November 17, 2015

6:00pm

$15 per adult, $5 per child

Dinner Served.

Bylaw revisions will be voted on this evening, please contact the Extension Office for a copy prior to the meeting. Extension Board elections will also be held during this meeting. Entertainment provided by the

Historical Society of Harrison County, “Down in Old Corydon”

Each year thousands of farmers or members of their families and farm workers sustain

life changing injuries or develop serious health conditions. If you or someone you know

is one of them, the AgrAbility Project was created for you. AgrAbility experts can give

you ideas on how to modify your buildings, your equipment, and your home. They can suggest ways to

restructure your work to maximize productivity through local peer support networks. AgrAbility experts can

also introduce you to others who face challenges just like yours. AgrAbility staff helps farmers, ranchers, and

farm workers as well as their family members identify ways to make the most of their abilities. Ideas and

suggestions from AgrAbility can help men and women involved in production agriculture maintain their

independence and their rural way of life. For more information or a free consultation, call AgrAbility today at

800-825-4264 or visit www.AgrAbility.org. The local contact is Linda Tarr, Hoosier Uplands (812) 849-4447

or via email at ltarr@hoosieruplands.org. AgrAbility is a program of the USDA.

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September 14, 2015 9am-11:30am: Breakfast, networking and marketing discussion

11:30am: Lunch

1:00pm: Tour of Morning Harvest Farm

Informational event, networking opportunity and farm tour (registration limited and required)!

The morning event, which includes a light breakfast, will address developing local markets for

your produce, including marketing to institutions, such as hospitals and schools. This session

will be held at the Palmyra United Methodist Church. After lunch, drive a short distance to

tour the Morning Harvest Farm in Hardinsburg, Indiana. Learn how Brenda Hash and her son,

Keegan, developed their own hydroponic system to grow lettuce, herbs, strawberries and other

produce, and how they tapped into several local markets to sell their produce. Register Online

here: https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/wk_sessions.asp?itemID=22054

Why Local Food Matters -

Debra Tropp, Ag Marketing

Services, USDA

Thursday, September 10, 11 a.m.

EDT.

This webinar will provide an

overview of what we know about

changing consumer demand, some of

the drivers behind these changes in

demand and how USDA Ag

Marketing Services Local Food

Research and Development Division

is trying to help farmers and food

marketers take advantage of the recent

surge in local food demand through

grant assistance, primary data

collection, applied research on

emerging business models, technical

assistance and market facility design.

To view this webinar, visit https://

msues.adobeconnect.com/

_a828402417/srdc/

Farmers Market Winter Meetings

1st Tuesday of every month beginning in

November 2015.

6:00-8:00pm

Extension Office

Topics will include: Marketing Social Media

Food Safety

Setting Prices

Preparing for the Market Season

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The Master Gardeners worked with Corydon Elementary third graders to renovate the landscaping at their school

on Country Club Rd. The students learned about plant

selection and helped prepare the garden beds.

Engagement with the youth was an important factor for the Master Gardeners and they plan to continue to work

with groups such as this to engage the community while

educating them about gardening and horticulture. Check out their hard work next time you pass by the elementary

school.