Inside this edition:

Master Gardener Rain Barrel Workshop

1

Upcoming 4-H Events 1

Welcome—Sara Rutherford 1

Join us at 4-H Summer Camp 2

Composting, what is it good for?

2

Remedy for the Extreme Couch Potato

3

Recipe 3

Upcoming Events 4

Welcome! Sara Rutherford, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent

Sara comes to us with a degree in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and a pas-sion for education. She is a native of Virginia, growing up in Goochland Coun-ty. Her ancestors were farmers and plant enthusiasts and she proudly carries the passions they instilled in her. After studying at Virginia Tech, an internship at the Sarah P. Duke gardens at Duke University allowed her to experience the realm of public gardening. After that enjoyable time, she became an assis-tant horticulturist at a Richmond Virginia area golf course maintaining and designing landscapes.

After a move to South Carolina, Sara started a decade of working in floral design and floral management. This allowed her to gain experience in customer service, floral design and teaching. Sprinkled throughout her time since college, she has also worked seasonally in retail garden centers specializing in herbaceous perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, vegetables and herbs.

She has served as the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Assistant for Greensville County and the City of Emporia since January of 2017. During this time she expanded her knowledge of commodity agriculture, livestock forages, commercial berry production, water quality and soil fertility. She enjoys working with and coordinating the local Extension Master Gardener Volunteer group and looks forward to building long-lasting relationships with Greensville County and the City of Emporia. She considers herself a student and educator as there are always new things to learn and teach. She eagerly looks forward to serving the community to the full extent of her new role.

Master Gardener Rain Barrel Workshop

Water Conservation and Usage

April 28, 2018 9:00 AM-11:00 AM

Fee $30.00

Are you interested in harvesting rain water to use in your garden? A rain barrel and spigot kit is included in the workshop fee. Registration deadline: April 18th. Space is limited. Fee payable by cash

or check the day of the event. Contact 434-348-4223 to register. Pre-registration is required!

Website: http://offices.ext.vt.edu/greensville/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/greensville.emporia.vce

Save The Date!

Upcoming 4-H Events:

GCHS Food Challenge – 2:30 PM-4:30 PM , April 10, 17, 24, 26; May 1 and 8

EW Wyatt Middle School, Yoga for Kids/Healthy Living Program – April 9, 16, 23, 30 and May 7

Belfield Elementary School, Yoga for Kids/Healthy Living Program —April/May 2018

4-H Shooting Education Camp—June 25-29 at Airfield 4-H Center

Area Livestock Show and Sale – April 28– Blackstone

4-H Shooting Competition (Southeast District Shoot)— June 16 at Airfield 4-H Center

Jr. Summer Camp—August 6-10

Upcoming 4-H Fundraisers

Livestock Club Krispy Kreme Donut Sale—Deadline to Order: April 18, Delivery Date: April 27

Teen Club Krispy Kreme Donut Sale—End of June/ Beginning of July Please contact the Greensville/Emporia Extension Office for further information (434) 348-4223 or hdp2513@vt.edu

APR 2018 PAGE 1

Greensville/Emporia Extension Office Newsletter

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Sara Rutherford, Extension Agent

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Composting, What is it Good For?

Compost is one of the most valuable resources for beautifying your landscape, and it is virtually free. The leaves you rake, the grass you mow, and the branches you trim are some of the ingredients you can use to make com-post. Finished compost is dark and has a pleasant smell. It is produced when organic matter — such as garden, lawn, and kitchen waste — is broken down by bacteria and fungi.

Truthfully, Virginia is rapidly running out of landfill space. We must make our old landfills last longer by composting yard and kitchen wastes, which constitute an estimated 20 percent of the refuse going into our landfills. Homeowners who compost not only extend the lives of our landfills, they also reduce costs for collecting organic debris. Also, composting recycles waste to create a valuable soil amendment.

Compost improves the structure of soil. With the addition of compost, sandy soils hold water better and clay soils drain faster. It reduces soil erosion and water runoff. Plant roots penetrate compost-rich soil easier and hold the soil in place. Water can run down into lower soil layers rather than running off. Compost provides food for earthworms, soil insects, and beneficial microorganisms. It assists the soil in holding nutrients, lessening the need for chemical fertilizers and preventing the leaching of nitrogen into water. Compost promotes healthy plants that are less susceptible to diseases and insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides. Compost-ing in your backyard recycles wastes that might otherwise go to landfills. Leaves, grass, and debris — often raked into the street for collection — tend to clog storm drains and street gutters and are costly to collect, but they make excellent compost materials.

Grass clippings and fall leaves are abundant compost materials for most homeowners. Weeds free of seedheads and crop residues, such as vines and leaves, are other sources. Collect vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, and similar kitchen waste for your compost pile. Acquire additional materials, such as sawdust (if not from treated wood), manure, hay, or straw from sources such as stables and carpenter shops. Never compost bones, meat or fat products. You do not want to attract local, nocturnal foragers like opossums and raccoons. Also, do not add newspaper or other paper products to your compost.

So, use compost throughout your landscape: dig it into gardens and flower beds, add it to the soil when renovating your lawn, or put it through a sieve and use it in potting soil. Your plants, and the environment, will thank you for it!

Hannah D. Parker, Extension Agent

4-H Youth Development

Join us at 4-H Summer Camp!

Spring is here, and summer is quickly approaching. Although it may not seem like spring time, it is time to start planning

your summer activities.

Have you, a friend or a loved one ever attended 4-H Summer Camp? 4-H Camp is truly an amazing experience for youth

and the caring adults that help make camp possible. At camp, youth are able to gain independence, make new friendships, explore new ex-periences, and learn about a variety of different educational subject areas. Youth will step out of their comfort zone by meeting new people,

making new lifelong friendships, exploring a new place and learning about topics that are not typically taught in schools. Youth will have a

variety of classes to choose from at camp including topics in robotics, fishing, canoeing, archery, riflery, cooking, leather crafts, nature,

animal sciences, healthy living, drama and much more. Camp teaches youth important independent skills, such as good hygiene, cleanliness and self-responsibility away from home. Most importantly, youth are able to have fun and learn in a safe environment while being surround-

ed by caring adults, camp staff and teen counselors.

This year, Greensville/Emporia 4-H will be camping at Airfield 4-H Center in Wakefield, VA during the week of August 6th-10th. Our

camp week is quickly filling up and there are only a few boy and girl camp spaces available! Please contact us at the office if you are inter-

ested in learning more. We are excited to provide this opportunity for the youth in our community!

Although summer camp provides wonderful educational opportunities to youth, many of the youth in our area would be unable to attend

without donations from people like you and our community. 4-H appreciates your volunteer time and financial assistance! Thank you for

your continuous support!

Be on the lookout for more information about other summer opportunities, such as youth day-camps, workshops and field trips. Like us on

Facebook (GreensvilleEmporia4-H) and follow us on Instagram (@greensville_emporia_4h) to keep up-to-date on the latest 4-H news in

our community.

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Tia Powell Family Nutrition Senior Program Assistant

Remedy for the Extreme Couch Potato

Such a humorous name for a serious issue that is plaguing Americans every day. Becoming an extreme couch potato is more common than you may think. If this title catches up to you, it can take over your identity as a human being. The term defines people who live in the world of television or electronic de-

vices, a comfortable couch and a bag of chips or junk food. Couch potatoes or idlers live as if it is Sunday every day: they rarely move off the couch. What they fail to realize is, this kind of lifestyle leads to a risky disorder, which is the couch potato syndrome. This syndrome is rapidly growing in kids and adults alike. The biggest fear is the growing rate of obesity and its related issues in children who live this sedentary lifestyle. It invites many cardiovascular diseases and many other health issues. Being an idler will not only make your body store more fat, but it will also affect your mental health. Some of these effects are social withdrawal, loss of interest, mood swings, memory loss, and low levels of confi-dence. Removing ourselves from this lifestyle is difficult to do. Whereas being healthy may require effort in the begin-ning, but it leaves you feeling good and healthy for a long time.

Ways to remedy this behavior:

Physical Activity and Exercise- The health benefits of exercising can transform your body, eventually giving you en-thusiasm and energy. Try making some small modifications in your schedule to jumpstart an exercise regimen. Hit the gym regularly; find a fitness partner to inspire you. Make sure you walk a lot whenever possible.

Find a Hobby- Some hobbies are considered as a great source of physical activity. Gardening or landscaping your yard are great places to start. However, if you are feeling more adventurous try yoga, cycling, Pilates or even line dancing classes. Not only will you start to burn calories, but you also will have fun with these activities.

Have fun with your family- Just like in the old horror films get out of the house! Try to engage more with your fami-ly/children. Play some outdoor games like volleyball, basketball, tennis or toss the Frisbee around. If that is too much activity in the beginning, try taking a walk.

Spring Cleaning- Nobody ever wants to think of housework as a physical activity, but it is. Now that spring is here, take advantage of the fresh clean air blowing through your house and clean. Remember if you have time to lean, you have time to clean!

Eating Smart- We all have cravings for salty, sweet and fatty snacks, but it is never too late to change these behaviors. Try to keep healthy snacks in the house like grapes, baby carrots, apples, nuts, raisins and seeds. These choices will help to curb your appetite. Especially when it comes to grabbing for our unhealthier snack choices.

Our brains are our most powerful organ and it will take some dedication to start these behavior changes. It is possible to retrain your brain and get on the right track to better health. Think positive and motivate yourself into not becoming trapped by your couch, television or other electronic devices.

Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients: Non stick cooking spray 1 cup skinless chicken, pre-cooked and shredded 2 tablespoons chunky salsa 1/4 onion, chopped 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 4 whole wheat flour tortillas

Directions 1. Spray a non stick skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium. 2. Mix chicken, salsa, onion, and green pepper (optional). 3. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture on the bottom half of a tortilla and top it with 1/4 of the cheese.

Equipment: Cutting board Knife Non stick skillet Spatula Bowl Grater

Number of Servings: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes

Greensville/Emporia Cooperative Extension Office 105 Oak Street Emporia, VA 23847 434-348-4223 Hannah D, Parker Associate Extension Agent 4-H Youth Development hdp2513@vt.edu Kimberly Martin Associate Extension Agent Family and Consumer Sciences- SnapEd kimartin@vt.edu Sara Rutherford Program Assistant Agriculture and Natural Resources srutherford@vt.edu Tia S. Powell Program Assistant Family Nutrition tia01@vt.edu Sammi Kent Unit Administrative Assistant sammi@vt.edu

LIKE US on

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For more information or to register for any program please call (434)-348-4223. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devic-es, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Greensville/Emporia Extension Office at (434) 348-4223 during business hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Serving the Needs of the Community

We are an educational outreach program of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, with cooperation from local governments and the United States Department of Agriculture. We are a dynamic organization that stimulates personal and societal change, leading to more productive lives, families, farms and forests as well as, a better environment in urban and rural communities. Our mission is to provide research based educational programs to people in their communities to help them improve their lives.

Website: http://offices.ext.vt.edu/greensville/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/greensville.emporia.vce

Workshop Registration: https://register.ext.vt.edu/

Upcoming Events

Regular Monthly Meeting Schedules ANR Master Gardeners Meeting 2nd Monday of every month 5:30PM

4-H Shooting Sports Club 2nd Monday @ 6:30 Ruritan Club

4-H Teen Club Meeting 3rd Thursday of every month 6:00 PM

ANR Southside Beekeepers Meeting 4th Thursday of every month 6:00PM

4-H Livestock Club 4th Monday of every month 6:30 PM

All events are at the Extension office unless otherwise noted and may require registration

Clubs, Workshop Schedules *denotes date or time changes

4-H 4-H Food Challenge, Meherrin River Chef Competition Apr 5 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

ANR Master Gardeners Meeting Apr 9 5:30PM-6:30 PM

ELC Meeting Apr 9 Canceled

4-H Shooting Education Club Apr 10 6:30 PM-8:30 PM @ Ruritan Club

FCS VHDA Homeownership Class (must complete both classes for certificate) Apr 10 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

4-H Teen Club Meeting Apr 11 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

FCS VHDA Homeownership Class (must complete both classes for certificate) Apr 12 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

4-H Central District Contest Apr 14 8am-Noon, Appomattox, Virginia

4-H 4-H Food Challenge, Meherrin River Chef Competition Apr 19 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

4-H Animal/Livestock Club Meeting Apr 23 6:30 PM-8:30 PM

ANR Southside Beekeepers meeting Apr 26 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

ANR Master Gardener Rain Barrel Workshop Apr 28 9:00 AM-11:00 AM

4-H 4-H Camp TALT (Teen and Adult Leaders Training) Apr 28 at Airfield 4-H Center

4-H 4-H Summer Camp CIT/ Counselor Interviews Apr 3-4 TBD

4-H Jr. Master Gardener Program May 5 TBD

4-H Shooting Education Club May 8 6:30 PM-8:30 PM @ Ruritan Club

ANR Quail Management Field Tour May 8 8:45 AM-3:30 PM

4-H 4-H Food Challenge, Meherrin River Chef Competition May 10 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

ANR Master Gardeners Meeting May 14 5:30PM-6:30 PM

4-H Teen Club Meeting May 17 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

ANR Mushroom Growing Workshop May 17 TBD

4-H 4-H Food Challenge, Meherrin River Chef Final Competition May 19 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

4-H Animal/Livestock Club Meeting May 21 6:30 PM-8:30 PM

ANR Southside Beekeepers meeting May 25 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

Extension Office Closed May 28

4-H CIT/ Counselor Trainings May/June 4-H Jr. Master Gardener Program Jun 2 TBD

ANR Master Gardeners Meeting Jun 11 5:30PM-6:30 PM

4-H Shooting Education Club Jun 12 6:30 PM-8:30 PM @ Ruritan Club

4-H Teen Club Meeting Jun 14 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

4-H Animal/Livestock Club Meeting Jun 25 6:30 PM-8:30 PM

ANR On-Site Pond Workshop Jun 26 10:00 AM-12:00 PM

ANR Southside Beekeepers meeting Jun 28 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

4-H 4-H Congress Jun 25-29 at Virginia Tech

4-H 4-H Intermediate Congress Jul 16-20 at Virginia State University

4-H Jr. Summer Camp Aug 6-10 at Airfield 4-H Center