Sugar cane beetles were a problem for a few corn producers last spring. They became a bigger problem late summer as they were attracted to lights and dug into caulking around windows and doors. They are a problem this year as well. If you have a problem with sugar cane beetles in corn and would like our insect entomologist to help you conduct a pesticide trail at your farm let me know. The beetles have been starting when the corn is 12 or so inches high. If you plant corn and you have them flying around the lights of your home a night, I would think about scouting then spraying.

If you would like to read more about the sugarcane beetle go to following web site. http://msucares.com/newsletters/pests/bugwise/2009/bw0209.pdf

Read more on Sugarcane Beetles (and see photos) in the Alabama AG Alert newsletter: Alabama AG Alert: Sugarcane Beetles (57)

Chip East
eastwil@aces.edu
Regional Extension Agent
Commercial Horticulture
Office 256-354-5976

Beef Plus is a comprehensive four evening program, and a field-day for beef producers seeking timely information about nutrition, health, forages and pest management issues. The program will contain both classroom and hands-on training. Location: ALFA Farmers Federation Auditorium. April 30th Field Day Details to follow later.

April 06, 2010 – 6 to 9 pm – Herd Health Management
April 08, 2010 – 6 to 9 pm – Forage Management
April 13, 2010 – 6 to 9 pm – Feeding & Nutrition
April 15, 2010 – 6 to 9 pm – Pest Management

Field Day – April 30, 2010
Auburn University Beef Teaching Unit
Hands-on Demonstrations:
Working Live Cattle, Sprayer & Seeder Calibration, Hay Sampling & Interpreting a Forage Analysis, Fencing, Tours of Winter Forage Planting Date and Grazing Trials

Meals will be provided
The cost of participating in the four-day program is $75 per person or two family members can attend for $100 and receive one set of information. Pre-registration is preferred by March 31, 2010. To pre-register, simply complete and mail the form – Download the Registration Form [Download not found]

For more information , contact
Henry D. Dorough
Regional Extension Agent
Office: 256-362-6187
Cell: 256-299-0512
Email: dorouhd@aces.edu

During January’s National Radon Action Month, the U.S. Surgeon General and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urge all Americans to protect their health by testing their homes for radon. This is especially important in Zone 1 areas such as Clay County.  Radon is a natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell, or taste but could be present at a dangerous level in your home. As the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. and the first leading cause among non-smokers, radon claims more than 20,000 lives in the U.S. annually. If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix it to protect yourself and your family. For more information about what you can do to protect your health and take action against radon during National Radon Action Month, please visit www.epa.gov/radon/nram/public.html.  Radon test kits are available at the Clay County Extension Office in Ashland.

Marsha S. Moorehead – moorems@aces.edu
County Extension Coordinator
P.O. Box 23
Ashland, AL  36251
256-354-5976
(fax) 256-354-7787

Fall Fruit Harvest in Alabama Workshop

A Fall Fruit Harvest in Alabama Workshop will take place on October 15, 2009, at the Chilton Research and Extension Center in Clanton. Research plots will be visited and muscadine, and bunch grapes, kiwifruit, satsumas, oriental persimmons, and fall blackberries will be featured.
Meeting is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM and wrapped up at 5:30 PM. Please call Donna Daniels at 205-646-3610 by the October 7th to pre-register for the event. The meeting is open to anyone who is interested in growing or marketing fruit crops for commercial or home use. Please, contact Dr. Elina Coneva, program chairman at: 334-844-7230 for more information.

Program:
Jim Pitts – 3:00 PM – Welcome
Dr. William Dozier – Kiwi fruit cultivar selection
Dr. Jay Spiers – Satsuma mandarin production
Dr. Elina Coneva – Muscadine and bunch grape growing in Alabama Dr. Floyd Woods – Health benefits provided by various fruit crops Bobby Boozer – Primocane blackberry production under high tunnel Gary Gray – Oriental persimmon production in Alabama
Meeting Adjourn – 5:30 PM

Chip East
eastwil@aces.edu
Regional Extension Agent
Commercial Horticulture
Office 256-354-5976
cell 256-846-0314

The Alabama Pecan Growers Association annual conference is scheduled for Thursday, September 17th, 2009, at the Gulf Coast Research & Extension Center in Fairhope (http://www.aaes.auburn.edu/researchcenters/gulfcoast/).

Registration begins at 8:00am and the educational program runs from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Registration is $5.00/person and includes fried shrimp lunch.  This meeting is open to anyone who is interested in gowing or marketing pecans for commercial or home use. No advance registration is required. Please contact Monte Nesbitt, program chairman (251) 990-8417 for more information.

Tentative program itinerary
8:30     Call to Order & Welcome
9:00     Dr. Bill Goff – China*s influence on pecan culture and marketing in the U.S.
9:30       Dr. Lenny Wells (UGA) – Management of clover and poultry litter for pecan orchard nutrition
10:00    Break    20 minutes
10:20     Dr. Jason Brock (UGA) – Pecan disease management and fungicide recommendations
10:50      Mr. Monte Nesbitt  – Low Input, Sustainable and Organic pecans in the Southeast
11:20     Ms. Cathy Browne – Getting all you can from the APGA Website
11:35          APGA business meeting
12:00     Lunch on the grounds
1:15    Mr. Hilary Langlois  – Experiences in growing and grafting pecans
1:45    Dr. Bill Goff – Pecan cultivars of interest for Alabama and the Southeast
2:15        Break            20 minutes
2:35    Special session on stinkbug management
Dr. Ron Smith, Auburn University – Stinkbug development & control in cotton
Dr. Russ Mizell, Univ. of Florida – Use of trap crops for stinkbug management in pecan orchards
Question/Answer session with specialists
3:50     Dr. Jean Weese – Understanding Salmonella & its potential impact on orchard crops
4:20    Mr. Monte Nesbitt – Pecan Crop Estimate
4:30     Announcements and Adjourn

Chip East – eastwil@aces.edu
Regional Extension Agent
Commercial Horticulture
Office 256-354-5976
cell 256-846-0314

With the unfolding health crisis, it’s easy to become concerned about the spread of germs. Most health experts agree that one of the best lines of defense against H1N1 flu (swine flu) is properly washing your hands.

Cold and flu germs are generally spread by inhaling micro droplets that others have expelled through coughing and sneezing and by picking up germs from contaminated surfaces, then touching one’s mouth, nose or eyes.

Frequent hand washing, using warm, soapy water helps fight the spread of germs, says Dr. Jean Weese, a food safety scientist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. All public areas — shopping malls, offices, schools, child care centers and churches — are full of surfaces that are touched. The transmitted germs come home and can be transferred to doorknobs, light switches, refrigerator handles and food.

Germs live for different lengths of time. Some are harmless almost immediately, while others live for weeks. One sure way to shorten their life-span is to frequently wash your hands. A good routine to get into is to wash your hands immediately upon returning home, says Weese.

Young children come in contact with many germs through other children, teachers and staff, especially in day care or school settings.

Many health experts consider hand washing to be the single most important way to reduce the spread of infectious diseases, as hands are the most common way germs spread, Weese adds. Therefore, it is important to practice proper hand washing techniques. Follow these simple steps:

Wet hands with warm, running water.

Add soap and rub your hands to make a lather. Do this away from the running water so you won’t wash suds away.

Wash front and back of hands, between the fingers and under the nails for 20 seconds or as long as it takes you to sing the alphabet song or happy birthday.

Rinse hands well under running water to wash away the germs that are suspended by the soap.

Dry hands thoroughly with a clean paper towel and then throw towel away

The County Extension Office is available to present programs on hand washing as well.
There is a link to swine flu information on the Cooperative Extension homepage at www.aces.edu

Marsha S. Moorehead
County Extension Coordinator
P.O. Box 23
Ashland, AL  36251
256-354-5976