Landscape Maintenance Workshop

Pesticide Credits will be offered at the following program in Waynesville:

Landscape Maintenance Workshop

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

Eligibility for 2009 Disaster Assistance Programs

This news release in from Kelly Springs at the Henderson County FSA office:
For the following disaster programs, Pub. L. 110-398 authorizes a waiver that allows producers to pay a buy-in fee no later than January 12, 2009 for crops having a sales closing date before August 14, 2008, and for which crop insurance was not purchased:

• Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program
• Tree Assistance Program (TAP)

• Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP).

Producers must “buy-in” for all insurable crops that have a sales closing date before August 14, 2008, and are not already covered by crop insurance.

Producers must visit their administrative county to pay the appropriate buy-in fees and complete CCC-752. Fees must be received or postmarked by no later than January 12, 2009.

The buy-in fee for CAT is $100 per crop, but not more than either of the following:
• $300 per producer per administrative county
• $900 total per producer for all counties.

Call the FSA office at (828) 693-1406, ext. 2 to get more information.



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

Rain Water Harvesting Class

Rain Water Harvesting Class

Asheville,NC

December 11, 2008

10:00am – 12:00pm

Location: Avery Creek Community Center
899 Glenbridge Rd SE
Arden, NC 28704

Class includes design considerations, installation practices and selling features for Residential and Commercial properties.

Hamburgers and Hotdogs served at 12:00pm

Please Register at:
John Deere Landscapes
44 Buck Shoals Rd Bldg G-6
Arden, NC. 28704
404 449-2016

Ashevile Rain Harvesting Class


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

Commercial Hort News - Now Available!

The November/December edition of Commercial Hort News is now available. Don't miss out on the 2009 Ag Options Grants for farmers!! Check out the newsletter for more information! I can't beleive this year is almost up! Have a happy and safe holidays!!

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

Public Strategic Planning Meeting for Research Stations

Many of you are interested in the future of the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville. This meeting is a chance to provide input in the planning process for this station:

Planning Meeting The date is Wednesday, January 14th at 1:00 p.m.


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

Green Tips

Green Tips is now on line. Please check it out.
For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Van Wingerden International - Open House

In spite of the damage from a devastating fire, Van Wingerden International will once again hold their annual
Open House event on November 8th. Bert Lemkes has invited all green industry businesses to participate in this event by bringing your displays to market your business. While this is not an opportunity to sell products, you can display products and/services and give out marketing literature. Please call the VWI offices at 828-891-4116 to reserve a space. Over 3000 people come to enjoy this open house event.

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

2008 Agricultural Water Use Survey

As part of the Governor's drought legislation that was passed earlier this year. NCDA&CS Ag Statistics has asked us to partner with them to get the word out about the January 2009 survey. This link Water Use Survey will take you to the latest information. Stay tuned as this survey will be a valuable tool to monitor.


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

North Carolina Farm Energy Efficiency Project

Energy Efficiency is high on the minds of all of us in the green industry. Consider attending the following program:

North Carolina Farm Bureau will host a series of meetings to discuss a new program to make your farm more energy efficient. Presentations will highlight the program and elaborate on how NCFB can provide extremely low cost farm energy assessments. Representatives from USDA will be on hand to discuss how this program leads into their 9007 (REAP) program which provides grants and loan guarantees for energy.
Visit this link for more information:
FEEP or Contact: Scott Welborn 919-782-1705 ex. 8209
scott.welborn@NCFB.org

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

Dear Green Industry Professionals ;

There are a series of regional commodity meetings scheduled this fall with Dean Johnny Wynne of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at N.C. State University. One is scheduled at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center for December 3, 2008 beginning at 11 a.m. ending at 2 p.m. A sponsored luncheon is included.

Many of you are members of the various state commodity organizations and we would like to have you attend. We have sent the invitation to all the commodity groups in the state. If you serve as liaison to any of the commodity organizations located in western NC please remind them of this opportunity. Dean Wynne invites you also to attend this meeting.

Participants can register on line for the meeting at
Meeting Registration

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

Cold Front/ Frosty Air on the Way

Colder weather may be on tap as we move into October. Growers may want to move to protect tender or cold sensitive plants, from light frosts, before next weekend.
Retailers need to move house plants and tropical foliage into heated greenhouse space. Autumn is definitely here and we can expect to see frost on the pumpkins real soon.

This in from the NOAA Weather service.....

There is remarkable agreement among medium range models and ensembles alike indicating a sharp turn to a strongly positive PNA pattern...which supports a deep trough over the eastern US. Look at the plunge in the 1000-850 mb thicknesses late Thursday once the front swings through. If these verify...we could see min temperatures Friday morning of next week in the upper 30s to lower 40s. If this pattern holds, we will really need to undercut MOS guidance during this period. Notice this pattern is projected to hold through nearly the first half of October. It should be interesting to see if this does indeed hold up and if we will need to break out those sweaters.

Please refer back to the following link. NC NOAA

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

Water Wise Works

During this time of drought and limited water resources please consider sharing the following brochure with your clients:
Water Wise Works
You may print them off and add them to your marketing materials. Cooperative Extension offices have a limited supply of pre-printed copies. While more are being printed you may find that printing some of your own or sending this link to your customers just one more way to get out the message.
For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

New Irrigation Contractor's Law

New Irrigation Contractor's Law
Come hear the review of the new law and get a better understanding as to what you need to do to comply. Help us determine
the needed venues to provide additional training. Hosted by Cooperative Extension with sponsorship supplied by John Deere
Landscapes and the Green Industry Council.
Where: Mountain Horticulture Crops Research and Extension Center- off Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River NC.
When: September 15th 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Please help us with the head-count by RSVP- call to confirm 828-697-4891



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

Green Tips

The August newsletter
Green Tips has now been posted.


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

Rain Barrel Sale

The Henderson County Master Gardeners are selling Rain barrels to help customers deal with the drought. Call the Henderson County office at 828-697-4891 for more information and down load the brochure at Rain Barrels
to share with clients/customers who may be interested

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

BRCC Offers evening horticulture classes

Blue Ridge Community College will begin to offer one of their horticulture certificate programs at night, this fall. The certificate program being offered will be the Landscape Design Certificate consisting of 2 semesters of Landscape Design and 2 semesters of Plant Identification. Landscape Design 1 and Plant Materials 1 are both slated to be offered this fall as evening classes. For more information contact Carolyn Evans at BRCC- cm_evans@blueridge.edu or (828) 694-1840.


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

Water Restrictions in Hendersonville

FYI
For those of you selling plants and/or installing plants for customers in Henderson County, in particular to individuals buying water from the city of Hendersonville, please be aware of the new Water Restrictions as indicated in the links to the following website:
Water Restrictions A public meeting will be held on Thursday, August 7th at 5:45 p.m. to allow for public comment regarding these restrictions. Water Restriction Ruling If you feel that this issue is one on which your voice must be heard, I suggest trying to make the meeting at City Hall.

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

WNC Green Industry Tradeshow

The first WNC based Green Industry Tradeshow will be held in Haywood County on September 13th and 14th at the Haywood County Fairgrounds. Growers, Landscapers, and other green industry companies are welcome to participate and market their goods and services. For more information visit the following links: Marketing Flyer,
Arena Layout , and Registration Form

Educational programs with pesticide credits will be available. More information about these programs to follow at a later date.

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

Professors discuss lawn-watering study

Visit the following site to view a short video on irrigation research:

Irrigation News Video

Irrigation systems that conserve water are very important. Consider making the changes needed to upgrade your systems.

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

Speaking of Gardening

The NC Arboretum Hosts Top Garden Lecturers at
“Speaking of Gardening” Symposium this Fall: “Gardening Opportunities in a Changing Environment” is the topic of this year’s “Speaking of Gardening” symposium to be held at The North Carolina Arboretum, September 5 and 6. The program includes two days of garden lectures by five highly regarded garden designers, horticulturists and nurserymen. From various disciplines and experience, the speakers come together to share their perspective and approach to the challenges of weather and climate changes through design, plant selection and maintenance. for more information check about the speakers and their topics check out the full itinerary at: Speaking of Gardening

Fun Online Tree Pruning Guide!

This online tree pruning guide is really cool. Check it out and share with others. http://www.arborday.org/trees/pruning/animation/launch.cfm
This project was supported by the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program on the recommendation of the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC.)

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

NC Pest News

This week's edition of NC Pest News is now on line for viewing. One article in this week's news is particularly important to review:
New Pesticide Product (Acelepryn) Registered

We recently learned of a new pesticide, called Acelepryn, which is now registered in half the states, including North Carolina. This commercial product is labeled for professional applicators and may be used ornamentals and turf on most of the common sites. It was mainly developed for turfgrass pests, but lists leaf-feeding caterpillars, lace bugs and birch leafminers on the label. It also has a bark treatment application for clearwing borers. It works primarily as a systemic insecticide and I think we will see this label expand in the coming years. It has a very low toxicity to vertebrates, such that the label does not carry a signal word.

Thanks go to my colleague in Ohio for bringing this to my attention. The mention of the product is not intended as an endorsement. For more information on Acelepryn, go to the following web site: Acelerpryn.


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

June Edition of Commercial Hort News IS NOW AVAILABLE

The June edition of Commercial Horticulture News is now available for your veiwing. There are a lot of great programs coming up so be sure and check it out. Go to the following link: http://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/11/juneCH08web.pdf

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

Free Fill Dirt

The Hendersonville Water Authority has several tons of dirt to dispose of. Close to 6500 tons in fact. Most of this material is dredged from one of the lakes it will consist of a lot of sediment, sand, gravel, and poorly decomposed organic matter. With the proper attention and soil testing the material could prove to useful in some landscape situations. Anyone needing some of this material should call Ron Reed at the Water Treatment plant. His number is 891-7779.

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

Maintaining Trees, Landscapes, and Healthy Soils

Hosted by Appalachian Arborists, Saturday May 31st, 2008 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. Where: Under the big white tent at Riverside Business Park, 2000 Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC. Workshop topics include: Trees and Turf, Stress Management, Micro-injection systems, effective use of organics in the landscape, proper pH management. COST: $20 per person, includes lunch. Call to register: 828-255-2985. CEU's: ISA Certified Arborist: 5 credits. NC Pesticide: 1.5 credits.

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

Ash Borer a.k.a. Lilac Borer

The pest to look out for this week is the Ash borer or more commonly known as the Lilac Borer.
The ash borer is one of the clearwing moths that resemble a wasp as an adult. They overwinter as late enstar larvae in the wood, usually nearer to the base of the plant. They pupate in the stems and emerge as adults in May/June, roughly. Heavily damaged trees and shrubs should be removed. Preventive bark sprays may help in May and June
For more information about this borer please visitAsh Borer or VT- Ash Borer

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

Landscape Standards for The Ramble

The following information is from Amy Fahmy, Biltmore Farms Horticulturist regarding current standards for landscape work done in The Ramble; one of the developments of Biltmore Farms. This information is shared to merely inform local landscapers of the changes to the standards of The Ramble and is not to be perceived as a reflection of any guidance from, or the opinions, of agents of the NC Cooperative Extension or any other state agency.

"To ensure that all residential landscape work in The Ramble meets minimum standards for quality, Biltmore Farms will require landscapers to be pre-qualified beginning September 1st , 2008. The List of Qualified Landscapers will be distributed to the builders who work in the Ramble, and will be available at the Preview Center. If you are interested in working in The Ramble, we would like to hear from you! Please submit copies of the documents listed below to Amy Fahmy, Biltmore Farms, 100 Town Square Blvd., Suite 330, Asheville, NC, 28803. Fax 828-209-2150. Please include your phone number, fax number, and email.

Basic Qualifications
The owner, or his representative assigned to The Ramble, must provide proof of all of the following qualifications:
Licensed Landscape Contractor (Certificate Number)
Certified Plant Professional OR Certified Landscape Technician (Copy of Certificate)
(Information on certification is available at www.ncnla.com)
Ground Pesticide Applicator's License (License Number)
Liability Insurance and Workers Compensation (Certificate of Insurance from Insurer)

The Ramble Planting Requirements
In the event that the Landscaper receives contract specifications that require less than is specified here, the Landscaper must meet The Ramble requirements listed below. If contract specifications exceed the Ramble requirements, the Landscaper must meet the terms specified in that contract. Any Landscaper who fails to comply with these requirements will be removed from the List of Qualified Landscapers.

1. Storm water Management:
It is the responsibility of the builder to ensure that the rate of runoff leaving the property does not exceed pre-development rates. Concentrated discharges onto adjacent properties are not allowable unless a natural drainage way exists. If the design plan provided to the landscaper does not address drainage issues on the site, the landscaper must notify the builder that a solution is required.
2. The Landscaper must pre-till any compacted clay (except around tree roots)to a depth of 5", then till a minimum of 3" of compost/Nature's Helper thoroughly into the soil along with required amendments – including superphosphate, fertilizer and lime per soil test.
3. Plants must meet the American Nursery and Landscape Association's Standards for Nursery Stock.
4. Planting containerized plants: Roots must be loosened before planting. Plant holes must be twice the size of the root ball. Plant holes must be amended with at least 30% compost.
5. All Rhododendron, Kalmia, and Pieris are to be planted high, in well-drained, amended soil.
6. Excess burlap must be cut from the top of b&b root balls.
7. For all plants that require good drainage, plant holes must be tested for drainage and problems resolved before planting.
8. All plant materials must be guaranteed for at least 1 year."


The above standards are for The Ramble only but do reflect a similar trend that many gated communities are following.

For more information regarding training opportunities to assist you in achieving any one or all of the above certifications contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

"Greenify Your Classroom"

This internet article was share by a faithful reader of the WNC Green Industry News Blog: 50 + ways to Greenify your classroon.
I am sharing as there are some interesting tips that individuals in the green industry may find useful in their efforts in working with local schools. All concepts in the article are not necessarily endorsed by Cooperative Extension but found to be great food for thought.

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

Green Tips for May

The May addition for Green Tips has now been posted. This month's newsletter is in a printable format. Sorry for the delay.




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

OSHA Safety Training Event

Due to a collaborative Effort between the NC Cooperative Extension and the NC Industrial Extension there will be a safety training event held at the NC Arboretum on May 28th from 8:30 until 12:00 For more information about this training visit the following link:Alway Safety
All green industry companies are encouraged to send employees to this program but seating will be limited so call one of the local extension agents listed in this blog for reservations. the program is free to green industry professionals!

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

Waterwise Gardening

NCDA&CS, nursery/landscape industry team up to promote water-wise gardening, landscaping Grant from Golden LEAF helps fund public information campaign

RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the state's nursery and landscape industry have launched a campaign to educate the public about how they can successfully grow plants in the home landscape even during periods of drought and water restrictions, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced today.

The Water-Wise Works! media campaign is a partnership between the department, the N.C. Green Industry Council and N.C. State University's Department of Horticultural Science. The campaign emphasizes ways that will help homeowners maintain an attractive landscape with less water.

"Drought and water restrictions across North Carolina have severely reduced demand for nursery and greenhouse plants and related services," Troxler said. "Many of these businesses report that sales have declined as much as 40 percent, and employee layoffs have approached 30 percent. This campaign will help people understand that even during a drought, you can still enjoy beautiful North Carolina-grown plants if you practice water-wise gardening.

"These tips make sense even as we return to more normal rainfall patterns," he said. "They focus on making the best use of the resources we have and not being wasteful. They're good principles to live by."

The statewide campaign is using public service advertisements on radio and television to tout the importance of water-wise landscaping and gardening. They feature NCSU horticulture expert Bryce Lane, host of UNC-TV's "In the Garden." The ads refer consumers to the Web site Tarheel Gardening for tips and other information. The site was developed by the N.C. Nursery and Landscape Association and NCDA&CS.

The campaign is supported by a $215,475 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation and funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

TV spots are slated to run across the state from now through May. Radio ads have been running since late March. Ads also will be running in Our State magazine.

"Golden LEAF is pleased to support this project as the green industry is such an important sector of the agricultural economy in North Carolina," said Valeria Lee, president of Golden LEAF. "In addition, the whole state benefits as we adopt these practices for wise water use."

A report released last year estimated that the green industry contributes $8.6 billion to North Carolina's economy and employs more than 151,000 people. The industry comprises growers of greenhouse/nursery stock, Christmas trees and flowers, sod producers, and related businesses such as landscape and irrigation contractors, lawn care professionals, arborists and retail lawn and garden centers.
Visit Green Industry Council for more information.

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

USDA- Woody Plant Seed Manual

USDA FS Agriculture Handbook 727 - The Woody Plant Seed Manual, a handbook on seeds of trees and shrubs, is not available in hard copy format. But, you don't have to wait for this information. We have the April 2008 version on our Woody Plant Seed Manual page.

If you are considering planting tree or shrub seeds check this site out for more information about the preparation procedures for these plants.


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

Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies coming to WNC!

Griffin will be holding a day long seminar in Asheville June 11th. They will offer 5.5 hours of seminars that should all earn pesticide recertification credits. They will cover insect and disease control, greenhouse sanitation, plant growth regulators, pesticide resistance and more. There will be a lunch served as well. Normally there is a charge of $125 per person but because it is their first time in this area it will be FREE of charge. Registration information coming soon! If you are not familiar with Griffin check out their website, http://www.griffins.com/. They offer supplies for the nursery and greenhouse industry. Griffin has an office in Knoxville, TN and will ship to the Asheville area. The Knoxville office phone number is (865)546-9608.

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

NC Urban Forest Council hosts "Conservation Arboriculture."

Philip van Wassenaer and Neville Fay are the guest speakers. The seminar will be held at the Biltmore Estate, Asheville on June 16, 2008. More information coming soon. Contact the NC Urban Forest Council for more information, (336) 774-0215, NCUFC@aol.com In this first seminar we intend to explore the principles of Conservation Arboriculture. We will review heritage trees in North America, veteran tree habitat, biodiversity, co-evolution, conservation management techniques etc. Additionally, in the context of operating within a risk-averse society, we intend to explore the principles of non-defensive arboriculture, the role of device-based tree assessment in modern arboriculture (e.g. Picus tomography and wind-load simulation, tree pulling tests) and how reasonable risk decision-analysis can take account non-safety values of trees.

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

New, Native Plants for Wildlife Website!!

Announcing the opening of a new, native plants for wildlife website for NC!!!!

The URL is www.ncsu.edu/goingnative/
The website contains multi-layers of information, an interactive native plant database, recommendations for identification and management of select invasive plants, and a 10-minute video. Please forward to other individuals or groups that might find the site interesting or useful.

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

Henderson County Government Blood Drive

Henderson County Government will hold a Blood Drive
at the Henderson County Cooperative Extension Center
740 Glover St. (Jackson Park), Hendersonville

When: Wednesday, 4/30/2008

8:45 am - 1:15 pm

Sign up online at membersforlife.org/cbsr (code 14145) or call Ivy Olson at 697-4891 to schedule your donation appointment. Donate & Do Disney! Enter drawing for 3 night stay, 4 two-day passes to Disney World & 4 Delta Airline tickets!
In honor of our County & City Employees

Hendersonville Pentecostal Holiness Church will be providing hot dogs
from 10 am until 2 pm for donors at the main shed beside the Cooperative Office!

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

Storm Water Management Programs for Landscapers

Please RSVP to join the NCSU Water Quality Group/ French Broad Training Center as they present the following two events:


TRM Swale Installation*: Learn how to install turf-reinforced matting on a slope to control stormwater velocities, minimize erosion, and partially treat runoff AND…

Commercial Scale Rain Garden Planting: Learn about the planting plan and techniques for the highly visible Baker Center rain garden/bioretention cell in the second workshop of a two-part series.



Date and Time: Thursday, May 1st from 12:30-1:00pm

Location: The North Carolina Arboretum in front of the Baker Exhibit Center

TNCA

*The TRM Swale installation event has been rescheduled from April 17th to May 1st in order to coincide with the planting of the Baker Center rain garden.
These workshops are free of charge but require an RSVP by April 30th to: carter_cone@ncsu.edu. For questions, please call 665-2492 x339.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the NCDENR/EPA 319 Program, NCDENR Water Resources, NC Arboretum, UNCA and Pigeon River Fund.

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

Cost-share program to help farmers recovering from drought

RALEIGH — North Carolina farmers reeling from drought can obtain help under a program unveiled Tuesday in Raleigh. The program will cover 75 percent of the cost of restoring drought-damaged pastureland and providing additional water supply for livestock and crops.



The N.C. Agricultural Drought Recovery Program will be administered statewide through local Soil and Water Conservation district offices beginning May 1. It was made possible by a $6 million grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.



“This grant makes it possible for more than 1,000 farmers and farm operations to restore some of the damage from last summer’s severe drought and to prepare, so the next long, hot and dry summer doesn’t do as much damage,” said Billy Ray Hall, president of the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center.



The Rural Center worked with the General Assembly’s Joint Select Committee on Agriculture Drought Response, the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, several state agencies and other agricultural interests to design the program and arrange funding. The Division of Soil and Water Conservation, which will administer the program, is part of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Others participating in the program design were the N.C. Department of Agriculture, North Carolina Grange, N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. State University Agricultural Extension Service, N.C. Foundation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, U.S. Department of Agriculture, N.C. Soil and Water Conservation Commission and Agricultural Advancement Consortium.



Rep. Ray Rapp, co-chairman of the legislative committee, said a bill seeking an additional $6 million to extend the program to more farmers will be submitted to the General Assembly in May.



“We recognized that any proposal we made to the legislature could not go into effect before July at the earliest, too late to save many of our farmers,” Rapp said. “Fortunately, the friends of agriculture in North Carolina are not limited to members of the General Assembly. Money from the Tobacco Trust Fund lets us put this project into effect immediately.”



The U.S. Department of Agriculture last year designated 85 of North Carolina’s 100 counties as natural disaster areas. As of April 8, 80 counties remained under drought conditions with the other 20 considered abnormally dry.



Farmers affected by the drought may apply to one of the state’s 96 Soil and Water Conservation district offices for help with several types of projects. These include pasture renovation, drilling and redrilling wells, pond construction and renovation, converting closed lagoons to fresh water ponds, and upgrading existing irrigation systems to more efficient models. The program is open to farmers with a total adjusted gross income of less than $250,000 or those who derive 75 percent of their income from farming operations.

“North Carolina farmers lost a half billion dollars in crops last year because of this drought – that’s 17 percent of total crop revenue in a typical year,” said Sen. Charlie Albertson, also a committee co-chair. “The damage wasn’t merely in lost harvest. Pasture land needs to be renovated and reseeded before livestock can graze again, and we’re still in this drought. Farmers really need our help to go forward.”

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

Pest News

This information comes in weekly from the NCSU Plant Disease and Insect Clinic from mid April until October. The following is an alert from Steve Bambara:

European Red Mites


We haven't seen this mite often in the landscape the last few years, but it has shown up twice in the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic at North Carolina State University over the last two weeks. European red mites usually overwinter in the egg stage. The tiny orange-red colored eggs hatch at about the time when apple trees bloom. The European red mite is an introduced pest that in North Carolina primarily infests apple trees. Although it is reported to infest various shade trees and ornamental plants in the landscape, cherry laurels seem to be the major ornamental plants that European red mites infest. The European red mite causes typical pale stipples on the leaves of their host plants, but this spider mite spins very little webbing. This mite is slightly different from the southern red mite. With your hand lens you should be able to see that the hairs on the back of the mites each arise from a small, white bump whereas the hairs of southern red mites arise from red bumps. I believe any horticultural oil spray should give adequate control. Oils will not significantly harm beneficial predator mite populations are often preferable for this reason. For professionals, most of the favorite miticides will also work.


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

AGR-Lite Online Training

AGR-Lite
This link will take nursery growers and farmers to an on-line course to help them in making good decisions in regard to the AGR-Lite Risk Management Tools/Insurance. The course can be taken at your own pace in the comfort of your home or office. As other on-line courses become available we will attempt to post links to them as well.

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

Irrigation Workshop

There will be an irrigation and sprayer workshop on April 16th at the MHCREC in Fletcher. This event will be from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. Call Denny Thompson at 684-7197 by 9:00 on Tuesday, April 15th to pre-register. Topics to be discussed included Frost Protection, Greenhouse Propagation Equipment, Drip Irrigation, and various sprayers. Several irrigation companies are sponsoring the lunch and workshop.


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

Weather Alert

The attached weather alert update shows temperatures expected below those originally predicted. Growers should use all precautions necessary to protect their crops. See the attached predictions at: Weather Alert



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

Green Tips for April

The green industry newsletter for April has now been posted at GreenTips
Enjoy!
For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Dr. Tom Ranney Wins Award

Dr. Tom Ranney, NCSU Researcher base at the Mountain Horticulture Crops Research and Extension Center has won the H Marc Cathey Horticulture Award. Dr. Ranney has been very instrumental in conducting research on new and improved ornamental plants. The link above will provide you with more information about this award.


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

Commercial Pesticide License School and Test- May 7-8

Need to get your commercial or private pesticide applicators license? On May 7-8 at the Mountain Horticulture Crops Research & Extension Center, Fletcher NC we will be having the pesticide school (May 7, 8:30 am- 3:30 pm, May 8, 9:00-11:30 am) and the exam (May 8, 1:00 pm). You will need to study for this test! To order your study manuals or register for the school, go to this website http://www.ncagr.com/SPCAP/pesticides/exam.htm
and "click" on 'Pesticide School Schedule' for the school registration form. On this school registration form you will also see a link for "study manual order form". Click on this and print off the form to mail in with your money. Attending the school is completely optional. You can study on your own and just come May 8th to take the test. You will need to call (919)733-3556 to register for the test. There is no charge to take the test, it's free.

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

Commercial Hort Newsletter - Now Available

The March edition of the Commercial Horticulture Newsletter is now available. Please click on this link to view the newsletter. http://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=site

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

New Market Opportunity

Have over-grown trees and shrubs in your nursery? This company is looking for cut branches of various trees and shrubs and are willing to pay for them. At present any overgrown Magnolia, cherry, dogwood are on their needs list. So, any fields that are overgrown, ready to be bulldozed, cleared or needs serious whacking...they are interested. Call: Suzanne @ Country Blossoms 252-244-5990. These large branches are sold by the bundle to the Northeast....they will pay some amount for the supplies; but this is not "pruning"....cut the trees/shrubs to the ground or whatever is possible. They will come here if there is anything they can use in season...that is, not just magnolia etc. could be boxwood, river birch etc. depending on the season and their needs. Also, of course, flowering quince, overgrown forsythia, pussy willow, redtwig dogwoods etc. Large dramatic decorative branches are the key.


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

Green Tips for March

The March edition of GreenTips is now available on-line at:
Please make a note of several programs coming up soon for Green Industry Professionals.
These include opportunities to earn pesticide credits, gain knowledge about pest identification, acquire information about pruning as well as to gain skills needed to prepare for the CPP exam. The latter 2 of these are now offered in both English and Spanish.

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

Shade Tree Pruning Workshop

Pruning Young Trees for Quality During Nursery Production
Wednesday March 19, 2008 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center

Pruning correctly early in production can increase the value of shade and flowering trees. Learn how at our hands-on pruning workshop at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center. This workshop is tailored for nursery workers responsible for pruning field and container grown trees. We will demonstrate the techniques, provide reference material for use later, and then you will prune
trees planted especially for this pruning workshop. All trees were donated as branched whips last year by Carlton Plants, Inc. They were planted with you in mind - so get out here and learn to prune!!! The workshop is being provided in both Spanish and English. We will meet at the parking lot in front of the Lathe House on the research station farm.


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

Tax Deduction Question

A question that many growers have asked is: Is it possible to take a tax deduction on my losses after last year's freeze damage to plants?
This is the answer that we must share:

Most generally no. The nursery, if they grow the plants from cutting or seed deduct the costs over the period these plants are being brought to "marketable size". So the nursery has gotten the tax benefit.

The freeze is treated as a casualty loss (unusual, sudden, unexpected event). Tax rules limit casualty losses to the LESSER OF, basis (costs of product) or the decrease in fair market value. Since, based on the first paragraph, the producer has zero basis (he/she has deducted all expenses) there is no casualty loss and no tax deduction for plant losses due to a freeze.

Has there been an economic loss, yes, no doubt. But there is not a tax loss we can use.

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

Drought Monitoring

Here is a link to the Drought Monitor website,which is a risk management
tool to convey current and predictive information about drought conditions
throughout the U.S. This link is for North Carolina. In the table, there
are a number of drought levels given for each time frame over the last year.
The numbers in the table are the percent of area in the state (shown on map)
that are experiencing that drought type. It looks like the current area in
exceptional drought (46.2%) and extreme drought (78.6%) has changed ± 5%
since last fall. Of course 100% of the state is still in severe drought
conditions: Drought Monitoring

The good news from this map is that many of the counties in Western NC have moved from Exceptional drought conditions to Extreme drought conditions, but the bad news is that the areas east of us, where our larger urban markets are located, have actually gotten dryer; moving from Extreme drought conditions to Exceptional drought conditions. The uncertainty of the weather is very real and it behooves us all to develop solid, research based, risk management strategies!

Waver: Do not open and read this website if you are prone to panic attacks!

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

Extension Online News

Visit Extension Online News
to view a video between Cooperative Extension Director, Dr. Jon Ort and State Climatologist, Ryan Boyles as they discuss the impact of last year's drought. Mr. Boyles also speaks on projected issues related to the drought and water availability for the summer of 2008.

From his comments I think it would be safe to say that we in the green industry need to be looking at all of the best management practices we can implement to conserve water and sell water conservation ideas to our clients along with the plants and services we provide.

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

Green Tips for February

The Green Tips Newsletter for February 2008 is now online at GreenTips
Please view the link to the events calendar as there are some new and exciting programs scheduled for the months ahead. As always your input is welcome.
For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Green Tips for January

Your January version of Green Tips is now on line at GreenTips
Please note all of the different programs that are coming up and register early!
For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.