Pruning Program

Pruning Program Announced

The WNC Green has announced a pruning program dubbed Pruning as an IPM Tool for the region.  This half day workshop will be held on March 20th at the NC Arboretum and participants will be able to view a pre-class power-point before coming to class.  Participants needing pesticide credits will be glad to know that 2 hours of credits will be awarded for the class.  ISA credits are pending and expected to be given as well.  

See the attached flier!    

Green Industry Pruning Flier

Gate fees at the Arboretum have been waived but parking is limited. You will be directed to park at the production greenhouse.  Please dress according to the weather and bring your own hand tools. Water will be provided.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

NC Landcape Contractor's Licensing Law

NC Landscape Contractor's Licensing Law- Some Questions Answered!

Many of you have gotten letters from the NC Landscape Contractor's Licensing Board regarding the new law.  If so perhaps the letter has raised questions.  The following link is to site that will answer some of those questions:  http://nclclb.com/licensing-2/licensing/.

Questions that you as a pesticide applicator may have that may not be answered in the above web site include:

• Q-  If I am a licensed pesticide applicator do I need to become a Licensed Landscape Contractor?
• A- No, not necessarily!  Many pesticide applicators are employed by another entity- landscape company, public agency, golf course, or other establishment.  If so there's no legal reason for you to become a Licensed Landscape Contractor.  As indicated in the legal language of the new law,  only those individuals/landscape companies that perform landscape work where the price of all contracts on a given site exceed $30,000 for any consecutive 12 month period of time.

• Q- Do I need to take an exam?  
• A-  Right now if you qualify to be grandfathered in,  the answer is no.  If you fail to follow through with the grandfathering process before August 1 of this year, or did not meet the criteria required at the end of December 2014 then yes if you wish to become a Licensed Landscape Contractor you will need to take a series of exams.  No new exams will be held until after August of 2015.  The new training manual and exams are due to come out sometime this summer.  Visit the following site to see if you qualify to be "Grandfathered" in: http://nclclb.com/licensing-2/license-application/

• Q-  There's been discussion of continuing education being required. Will there be classes offered nearby or will I need to travel to Raleigh or Charlotte to get these credits?
• A-  Yes, there is a requirement of Licensed Landscape Contractor's to obtain 7 hours of  CEUs- (Continuing Education Units).  Currently, team of NC State faculty, (including extension agent), industry professionals, and community college instructors are working to develop a list of approved classes and content for obtaining CEUs or credits.   These should be readily available regionally through your local Cooperative Extension Center, an area Community College, or on-line.   If you have been maintaining credits on your pesticide licenses, chances are that you have had classes that would have met the criteria of the new license. 

• Q- My business only manages small landscape accounts and never installs landscaping at the $30,000 level; should I get the license?  
• A-  While you are not legally required to get the license and would likely be exempt- see this site to determine exemption:   http://nclclb.com/faq-hold/exemptions/  getting the license under the currently "Grandfathering" period will allow you to bid on projects that require the license and help you avoid taking the exam at a later date.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the  Commercial Horticulture Agent.  You may also send your questions to licensing@nclclb.com

Job Opening at the NC Arboretum

Job Opening

The NC Arboretum has a seasonal position opening.  Please visit the following site for more information:

http://www.ncarboretum.org/assets/File/PDFs/Employment/TNCA05_Grounds_Worker.pdf


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Potential Bermudagrass Sod Shortages in 2015

Kerrie here... We might be in Western North Carolina, but I know many of you work with clients that have or could potentially utilize some warm-season grasses. Check out the latest information from NC State:

Grady Miller, Turfgrass Extension Specialist

In recent discussions with North Carolina sod growers it was apparent that there will be a significant shortage of bermudagrass sod this winter and spring. With good growing conditions the growers may be able to catch up in early to mid-summer.

Why shortages when just five years ago inventory levels were relatively high? There have been multiple factors involved. There was already reduced sod acreage following the downturn in the economy. The increase in construction over the last year and a rapid switch to a preference for bermudagrass by builders has contributed to the shortage. Add to that the poor summer growing conditions (prolonged springs and limited light) for warm-season grasses the last two years and the result is a depleted supply of bermudagrass.

The recent sod survey from GA indicates that they have a similar supply shortfall. (http://www.caes.uga.edu/applications/gafaces/?public=viewStory&pk_id=4996) Sod growers in the southeast suggest this shortage is universal across the region.

What does this mean? All growers, regardless of size and location, will not have adequate bermudagrass sod to meet the demand. This will likely result in an increase in bermudagrass sod cost. In some cases, if sod must be installed during this period, the buyer may have to select an alternative grass.

NC State University is currently surveying the NC Sod industry to get a better estimate of sod supply in 2015 for all the grasses.

For a complete list of NC Sod Producer Association member growers and sod types visit: www.ncsod.org

ORIGINAL POST: http://turffiles.ncsu.edu/Alerts.aspx#005640

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Ag Breakfast

Please join us at the next Friends of Agriculture Breakfast, to be held on February 17th at 7:00 a.m.  Our guest speaker will be Ila Hatter, wild crafter, interpretive naturalist, storyteller, folklorist and North Carolina treasure. She is an author, a publisher, and renowned resource for anyone interested in the utility of the native plants of the Southern Appalachians.  Ila will be sharing some of her plant wisdomand cultural gems that have been garnered over 25 years of teaching and field experience.  The breakfast is held at the WNC Ag Center in Mills River and will begin at 7:00 a.m.am

See the flier on the following link:

Ag Breakfast Flier

If you're interested in attending please RSVP to Meghan Baker at

meghan_baker@ncsu.edu.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

job opening

Landscape Crew Position:

Full-time landscaping position available at large retirement community in South Asheville. General skills required- mowing, pruning, pesticide and fertilizer applications, etc. Certified Plant Professional and N.C. pesticide license preferred. Apply in person at Deerfield Retirement Community, 1617 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC, 28803.   828.274.1531 *3245

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

National Safety Council First Aid Course

First Aid Course

We will be partnering with the NC Department of Labor to offer a First Aid, CPR and AED course on February 17th from 9:00 A.M.  until 5:00 p.m.  The course is in our shared classroom a the Cooperative Extension Office in Buncombe County. (94 Coxe Avenue Asheville)  The class is open to 15 people only and I have 5 already pre-registered so the next 10 that contact me can enroll.  

MSHA and OSHA require that a person on every mine or jobsite be capable of performing basic first aid in the event of an emergency.  This class will meet the requirements for both federal regulatory agencies (MSHA and OSHA).  However, it is not just about being compliant.  You will learn skills to provide care for life threatening and non-life threatening situations, so you can also care for loved ones, neighbors and others along with co-workers. 

This is a National Safety Council course and is provided by an experienced instructor.  The class will consist of classroom and hands-on training.  The course agenda is as follows: 

1.     How to act in an emergency

2.     Preventing disease transmission

3.     Checking the victim

4.     Basic life support

5.     Recovery position

6.     Chocking

7.     Heart attack and chest pain

8.     Bleeding and wound care

9.     Shock

1    Burns

1    Bone, joint and muscle injuries

1    Sudden illness

1    Allergic reactions

1    Poisoning

1    Cold and heat emergencies

1   Moving a victim.

The complete course will take between 6 and 8 hours depending on individuals retention skills.  You will be provided with National Safety Council materials (book and DVD) for you to keep and share with family members.  Upon satisfactory completion of the course you will also be provided with a certificate, including a pocket card, for First Aid, CPR and AED.  You must at least complete the First Aid requirements before continuing with CPR and AED.

Remember this contains the hands-on portion on the use of dressing and bandaging, and also CPR, which requires that you must be able to get in the floor to practice skills of CPR. 

The cost for this class is nothing.  This is provided through the NCDOL as part of a State Grants program regarding compliance with required regulatory requirements.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Webinars for the Greenhouse Industry

E-Grow Webinars

Find it increasingly hard to make it to greenhouse programs?  If so you may find attending these webinars the solution to that problem,   We are offering several on-line short classes in conjunction with several of the other land grant university faculty.  These webinars are scheduled for several consecutive Fridays but should be available to be watched by recording at a later time.  (Typically, 2+ weeks after the original posting)
To access the webinar menu click on the following link:

Webinars



For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Certified Turfgrass Short Course

CTP

Registration is now open for this winter's Certified Turfgrass Professional Short Course.  This year's class will be held on the beautiful campus of Asheville School surrounded by several acres of various types of athletic turf.  If you manage turf for a living, whether it is home lawns, a golf course, athletic turf, or a sod farm, this course is one you should not miss.  There is limited space in the class so get your registration in soon!



Registration form:
Certified Turfgrass Short Course


Location
Asheville School

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

NC Survey for Turfgrass Professionals

NC Survey for Turfgrass Professionals 

   

Turfgrass researchers across the southeastern US are gathering data on preferences and needs across different segments of the turfgrass industry. 

NC State representatives would like your participation to this short survey which should take less than 5 minutes for you to complete.  Your answers will be extremely helpful in planning for the development of new grasses that will benefit the turf industry as a whole.

The survey will be open until Nov. 23. Click on the link below to participate.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-5KmHUQSZ0ONq9-T8ggvZHUYwnczMgOvHBaqYEgWNJw/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.