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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 [email protected]. 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.
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