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

Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Conference
2010 Vegetable Growers Workshop
March 18th @ Cane Creek Community Garden
9am – 2pm ~ Registration begins at 8:30am
Cost $3.00 per person
*Lunch included IF you pre-register*

WorkShop Agenda (tentative)

• 9:00 Asparagus Production for Local Markets – Arnold Caylor, Superintendent of the North Alabama Horticulture Research Station
• 9:25 A New Look at Older Watermelon Varieties – Mike Reeves, ACES Regional Extension Agent
• 9:50 Southern Pea Production – Doug Chapman, ACES Regional Extension Agent
• 10:15 Break
• 10:30 Farm Accounting Issues – Robert Page, ACES Regional Extension Agent
• 10:55 Controlling Fungal Diseases of Cucurbits – Dan Porch, Blount County Extension Coordinator
• 11:20 Insect pest identification and control in asparagus, pea, and cucumber – Ayanava Majumdar, Extension Vegetable Entomologist
• 11:45 Outcome Assessment Extension Survey – Ayanava Majumdar, Extension Vegetable Entomologist
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:00 Overview of High Tunnel Vegetable Production – Chip East, ACES Regional Extension Agent

Download Registration Form & Agenda – [Download not found]

Directions to Cane Creek Community Garden included in Registration and Agenda form.

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

Alabama County Extension Home Grown Pruning Seminars

Muscadine Grapes Pruning Seminar
Monday, February 15, 2010
Ledgers Landing Vineyard 3865 Central Plank Road (Hwy. 9 North)
Wetumpka, Alabama
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
LEARN HOW TO PRUNE MUSCADINES FROM THE EXPERTS
THIS IS A HANDS-ON ACTIVITY! BRING YOUR PRUNING TOOLS!

Download Registration Form & Details – [Download not found]

Fruit Trees Pruning Seminar
Monday, February 22, 2010
Neighbors Farm located at the 8 mile marker on Hwy. 259 between Alexander City and Equality
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
LEARN HOW TO PRUNE APPLES, FIGS, PEACHES, & PEARS
THIS IS A HANDS-ON ACTIVITY! BRING YOUR PRUNING TOOLS!

Download Registration Form & Details – [Download not found]

Home Orchard Pruning Demonstration
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Home of Roger & Sara Harris 623 Harris Drive
Lineville, Alabama (Near Delta)
9 a.m. to 12 noon
LEARN ABOUT ORCHARD MANAGEMENT.
SEE PRUNING DEMONSTRATIONS ON APPLES, BLUEBERRIES, FIGS, PEACHES, & PEARS

Download Registration Form & Details – [Download not found]

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

Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Conference
February 20, 2010
Registration: 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Conference hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Auburn University, Lowder Building (411 West Magnolia)

Guest Speaker: Don Wambles, Director of the Farmers Market Authority

Topics will include:

• Tree Fruit Production (Satsuma, Peach, Persimmon, Heirloom Apples)
• Small Fruit Production (Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Muscadines)
• Vegetable Production (Tomatoes, Southern Peas, Asparagus)
• Various High Tunnel Production Systems

Pre-registration due by February 13, 2010:
Pre-registration – $40.00, which includes 2010 AFVGA membership fee.
On-Site Registration – $50.00, which includes 2010 AFVGA membership fee.

Download the Registration Form – [Download not found]

Download the Conference Agenda – [Download not found]

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

Learn more > Read this USDA Press Release [Download not found]

Chip

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

Marketing Food Specialty Products Webinar
December 3. 2009 2-3 p.m. (Central Time)

How can food retailers – such as grocery managers, farmers, restaurants, or food specialty entrepreneurs – utilize the vast amount of online marketing options? If you or a client want to gain skills in online business decision-making, tune in to “Marketing Food Specialty Products Online” on December 3, 2009 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m (Central Time). This free interactive Webinar is sponsored by the Southern Rural Development Center as part of its National Extension e-Commerce Initiative. To find out how to participate in this important program, visit http://srdc.msstate.edu/ecommerce.

Chip East
Regional Extension Agent
Commercial Horticulture
Office 256-354-5976
cell 256-846-0314

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. If you are interested to attend, please call Donna Daniels at 205-646-3610 by the October 7th to pre-register for the event.

Please, visit the CREC web page by the link provided http://www.aaes.auburn.edu/researchcenters/chilton/ for directions to the Chilton Research and Extension Center.  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.

Tentative program itinerary includes:

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