Starting a CSA

Are you interested in starting a CSA?

CSAs are becoming more and more popular here in western NC. The Henderson County Cooperative Extension Office is holding an Informational Meeting on Starting a CSA, including topics such as the benefits of CSAs, share prices and payment, recruiting and maintaining customers, and developing a crop plan.

Please join us Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 from 9am-11am at Henderson County Cooperative Extension Office, 740 Glover Street, Hendersonville, NC. This is a free workshop. Please RSVP to Ivy Olson at 828-697-4891 or ivy_olson@ncsu.edu. For more information, please click the link below:

CSA Flyer

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

Nursery Pour Through Process

"By routinely measuring the electrical conductivity (EC) and pH of growing media and irrigation water for container-grown nursery crops, growers can monitor nutrient availability and scout for problems. This does not have to be time-consuming, complicated, or difficult. Learn how to use the pour-through extraction procedure as part of your nursery’s quality control program". NC Cooperative Extension has a new "Pour Through" publication outlining this process. Print it off and read it at: THE POUR-THROUGH EXTRACTION PROCEDURE.

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

Energy Grant Available

If you are looking at using alternative energy sources to keep your greenhouse warm, run your equipment, heat your hot-tub, or whatever it is you do with energy consider visiting the following site:

Energy Sources


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

WNC AgOptions Grants Available

The 2010 WNC Agriculture Options are now available. Visit Ag Options Grants for more information.
If you have an idea that might improve your farm or nursery, look at this grant to see if it fits with that idea.


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

Green Tips

The newest edition of Green Tips is now on line at: Green Tips


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

Agricultural Drought Relief Program

Agricultural Drought Relief Program

The Henderson County Soil & Water Conservation District is currently accepting applications for the N.C. Agricultural Drought Recovery Program. This program was made possible through a $6 million grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.

This funding can be used for the installation of 4 best management practices:
1. Renovation of pastures killed or damaged by the drought. (Hayland is not eligible). Participating farmers must agree to manage fertility, stocking rates, and start /stop grazing heights to minimize the potential for overgrazing and to ensure that a good stand is maintained.
2. Drilling wells for farmers whose existing water supplies for livestock watering or irrigation either went dry or was inadequate to meet existing water supply needs. (Spray ponds are currently not eligible)
3. Renovating existing ponds and constructing new ponds for farmers whose existing water supplies for livestock watering or irrigation either went dry or were inadequate to meet existing water supply needs. (Spray ponds currently are not eligible)
4. Retrofitting existing irrigation systems to Conservation Irrigation and Micro Irrigation. These practices are intended to:
-convert center-pivot and lateral move irrigation systems to employ drop nozzles or low-pressure spray nozzles. This practice can also be used to convert an existing traveling gun system to a center-pivot or lateral move system using drop nozzles or low-pressure spray. The practice can also be used to equip existing irrigation equipment with end-gun shutoff devices.
-And to replace and/or reduce the use of other types of irrigation and fertilization such as the traveling gun, center-pivot and furrow irrigation systems unless agronomic necessity (e.g., frost/freeze protection, soil settling) suggest alternate or temporary methods of irrigation.
A 10-year maintenance agreement is required for each practice in order to receive funding through this program. If you have any questions, feel free to call Jonathan Wallin or Laurie Brokaw the Henderson County Soil & Water Conservation District at 697-4949.

Please note that these funds are available in Henderson County only. If you live or have a farm in another county you should contact your Soil and Water District to see what they may have available. Different counties have different funds for distribution.

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

Helping Clients go Green!

Are your clients interested in a more sustainable "Green" approach to landscaping and lawn care? If so consider viewing this video from Gardener's Guild Inc. a California based landscape company and learn how they adopted organic lawn care in their business.
Going Green
If after you visit this video you want assistance in making the switch let us know.

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

Drought Conditions Still Real

Although we have got several inches of rainfall in most of our Western North Carolina counties, dry conditions still prevail. Some areas of Henderson and Transylvania County are still experiencing levels of drought of limited rainfall. Over 67 counties in NC are listed as abnormally dry with 7 considered to be in moderate drought stages.
Visit NC Drought Map to see the changes going on across the state. As we continue to experience reduced rainfall in many areas, we must all continue using water conserving practices. If you are still using a lot of overhead irrigation you may want to revisit converting to drip or low input systems.
These systems can save you time, energy, and money as well as "liquid gold".


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

Speaking of Gardening Symposium: August 28- 29, 2009

Explore great plants at this year's Speaking of Gardening symposium. Two days of garden lectures by six highly regarded designers, research specialists and nurserymen will provide participants with great new ideas and inspiration.

Symposium topics include private and public garden design, new plants from NCSU plant research program, designing with grasses, new perennials from Jelitto and the Human Flower Project. Visit The NC Arboretum Website to register for these two days of workshops. The classes qualify for CEUs in a number of different areas including PLANET. Speaking of Gardening


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

Water Harvesting Workshop

Water Harvesting Workshop in Asheville! A half-day water harvesting workshop is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2009 sponsored by NC State University Dept. of Biological & Agricultural Engineering and NC Cooperative Extension. Professional engineers will earn 4 professional development hours (PDHs) for successful completion of this workshop. NCSU-BAE is also an approved continuing education provider for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Approval of PDHs is pending from the NC Board of Landscape Architects. Approval pending for Irrigation Contractor CEUs.
Location of workshop- The NC Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted WayAsheville, NC 28806. To register and for more information click HERE.

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