Stripe Rust Alert: Strip Rust Identified in the Magic Valley 5/28

Stripe rust was observed in the Magic Valley as of 5/28/2012 and confirmed on 5/30/2012 by Dr. Oliver T. Neher, University of Idaho.  Infection was reported on winter wheat ‘Brundage’  planted the second week of September the previous year.

 Resistant varieties should not need fungicide applications, but nevertheless, growers should scout all wheat fields as the prevalent strains of the fungi can change, affecting different varieties.

Barley Commission Activities and Educational Opportunties

Wallace Center’s National Good Food Network Free Webinars

The Wallace Center is offerin the following free webinars that could be potentially helpful to ranch operators in central Idaho

May 31, 2012 at 9 AM Eastern:
The One Page Business Plan and One Page Financial Plan

June 21, 2012 at 3:30pm Eastern:
Grass-Based Beef: The Business Case

June 21, 2012 at 3:30pm Eastern:
Grass-Based Beef: The Business Case

The Wallace Center supports entrepreneurs and communities as they build a new, 21st century food system that is healthier for people, the environment, and the economy.
Our role is four-fold:

• We build links in the growing and diverse network of food and farm innovators with events and communications that bring participants together.
• We strengthen this network by gathering information from it and sharing participants’ learning through the network and with policy makers.
• We prime the pump of change by monitoring the emergence of useful models and helping others adopt or adapt them.
• We work to bring financial resources and other capacity-building support to good-food innovator

• Please note – all of these webinars are completely free of charge. Times are listed in Eastern – please adjust as necessary for your time zone.

If you would like to hear about these opportunities as they come up (we run a webinar every month) , sign up for our newsletters here. The webinars are announced on the National Good Food Network mailing list. 

Celestine Duncan Coming to Custer County May 30th

I am happy to announce that Celestine Duncan from Helena, MT will be joining us in Custer County on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 to teach a Weed Identification & Control Course (see attached flyer for additional information). Celestine brings with her a large variety of live plants (weeds) that she grows in her greenhouses in Montana. This provides a great, hands-on learning environment for those in attendance.

Besides weed identification, Celestine will be covering integrated weed management, new herbicides on the market, important considerations for herbicide application, and sprayer calibration.

The class will be held at the Y Inn Dining Room from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. Lunch will be served. 4 re-certification credits have been applied for. Cost of the workshop is $20/person. This fee includes lunch and all course materials.

Cow Camp Chatter: The Postpartum Anestrus Period

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture

        The structure and function of a cow’s uterus is fascinating. It accepts the calf, a substance that is completely foreign to it, while blocking the body’s normal defense mechanism designed to destroy foreign invaders.  The uterus nourishes, protects, and sustains the developing calf while growing up to 24 inches or more in diameter. When the time is right, the uterus receives a signal from the calf and transforms itself into a delivery system forcibly expelling the calf. It then begins the amazing process of  preparing itself for a repeat of the whole cycle.  The recovery process for a cow between calving and her next pregnancy is critical to a profitable beef enterprise and is quite frequently misunderstood.          

Entrepreneurs and Their Communities: Direct Marketing Webinar May 10th

Thank you for joining us on Thursday, April 12 for the Entrepreneurs and Their Communities webinar on product displays for direct markets. The recording and presentation materials are now available at http://www.extension.org/pages/16076/etc-webinar-archive. Please feel free to share the link with others that may be interested and feel free to explore some of our other topics while you are there.

Our next webinar will be Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 2:00pm Eastern. We will pick up the discussion where we left off this month continuing the discussion of the art and science of direct marketing. Be sure to mark your calendar and join us.

No pre-registration is required and there is no fee to participate. About 10 minutes prior to the start time simply go the Adobe Connect Pro meeting room at https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/etc-cop. You will be presented with a login screen that has an "Enter as Guest" option. Enter your full name then click "Enter Room" to join the conference. You will be able to hear the audio directly from your computer’s speakers.--

Mary Peabody
UVM Extension, Community & Economic Development
617 Comstock Road, Suite 5
Berlin, VT 05602
Phone: 802-223-2389 x202

Email: Mary.Peabody@uvm.edu

Food Safety Training for Growers and Food Vendors at Farmer's Markets May 9th

The Southern Idaho Public Health District is sponsoring a workshop to  help producers and vendor everything from fresh produce to ready to eat food do a safe job o operating at their farmer's market.  Particpation is reasonably priced.  Contact Meloday Bowyer at 208-737-5909 or mbowyer@phd5.idaho.gov is you cannot get the registration form sent in.  If they have a reasonable showing, the will work to providing more workshops around the district and the state.