Pendleton County 4-H has an opportunity to raise funds for Pendleton County and statewide 4-H programs through the farm license plate voluntary donation program.

Beginning in February 2012, Commissioner of Agriculture James R. Comer announced all farm license plate voluntary donations would be split evenly among 4-H, FFA and the Kentucky Proud program.

Memories can be very powerful and remind us of life’s ups and downs and times of growth, maturity and happiness. Do you remember what your first job was like? What was the make and model of your first car? How did you feel when you held your first child?

Lindie Huffman, Agriculture and Natural Resources

As spring approaches, many homeowners begin to think about their yard’s landscape. The winter months can be damaging to trees and shrubs. To ensure healthy spring plants, homeowners may want to prune the trees and shrubs around their home. But do not just prune for the sake of pruning, make sure you have a valid reason for pruning before you begin.

The marketing assistance loan (MAL) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) provisions authorized in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill) have been extended for the 2013 crop year with the passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

MALs and LDPs provide financing and marketing assistance for wheat, rice, feed grains,
soybeans and other oilseeds, peanuts, pulse crops, cotton, honey and wool. Assistance is available to eligible producers beginning with harvest or shearing season and extending through the program year. The 2013 mohair crop is not eligible for MALs or LDPs because mohair provisions were suspended by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012 and the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013.

MALs provide producers interim financing at or after harvest to help them meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. A producer who is eligible to obtain a loan, but agrees to forgo the loan, may obtain an LDP if
such payments are available.

For more information about marketing assistance loan and loan deficiency payments, please visit your FSA county office or FSA’s website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport.

__PUBLIC__

Adults expect a lot of young people: to learn to treat people fairly and with kindness, act responsibly, get good grades, and become successful. Of course, young people can’t learn everything they need to reach their goals without help from parents and other caring adults. Adults also expect a lot of themselves. Consistently modeling appropriate behavior, teaching values, and at the same time, striving for your own goals, can be challenging. That’s why it’s important to work together.

The Pendleton County 4-H Banquet was held at the Pendleton County Extension Office on January 20, 2013.  All 4-Her’s in attendance were recognized for their participation and accomplishments for the 2012 4-H program year.  Volunteers, 4-H council members, and special guests were also recognized.  Thank you to Wyatt’s for catering a delicious meal and to the 4-H Council for helping put on a very successful 4-H Banquet.  Traditionally, 4-H always selects an Outstanding Teen, Outstanding Leader, and Friend of 4-H. The recipients for these awards are picture below.

Outstanding Teen: Megan Straus. Pictured from left, council president, Travis Alsip, Megan Straus, Shelley Meyer.

Childhood obesity is a  tough issue to tackle and more widespread than many Americans may realize.

Studies show that nationwide, 32 percent of children between the ages of 10 and 17 are overweight or obese.  In Kentucky that number climbs to 37 percent giving us the second highest rate of childhood obesity in the United States.

A number of factors amplify the problem.  Lack of physical activity and poor eating habits are two principal causes.

Here are some guidelines to help your child achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

1.  Offer fruits and vegetables every day.  Prepare them so they are tender but still crisp or offer raw vegetables as an alternative.  Ask children to help prepare vegetable recipes. They are more likely to try new foods when they are involved in cooking them.

2. Invest in family mealtimes.  Regular mealtimes promote better nutrition.  For families that sit down together to eat, this means more fruits and vegetables, fewer fried foods and fewer high-sugar soft drinks.  When children get the nutrition they need, it helps cut down on the desire for “empty” calorie foods.

3. Physical Activity Suggestions:
a. Encourage noncompetitive family sports such as jumping rope, Frisbee disc, tag, or hide-and-seek.
b. After a family meal, take the family outside. Go for a 10-minute walk or bike ride. It will help keep the family from settling in front of a screen for the rest of the evening.
c. Even if you cannot go outdoors, you can still do a little physical activity.  Put on music and dance or check out an exercise video from your local library. 
d. Perhaps most importantly, make sure that your children see you participate in some physical activity.  If you do not take physical activity seriously, how can you expect them to?

Children with excessive body weight are more likely to be overweight as adults which can lead to higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other illnesses.

One way to find out if your child is at risk for excessive weight is to determine his or her Body Mass Index (BMI).  This formula is a measure of weight for height taking into account total body makeup.  Ask your pediatrician to assess your child’s BMI, discuss the results and any additional steps that need to be taken.

For more information about keeping your children healthy, contact the Pendleton County Cooperative Extension Service.

Lindie Huffman, Agriculture and Natural Resources

Humidity and condensation in the greenhouse present big challenges especially during winter when moisture tends to build up on roofs and side-walls.  Large numbers of plants grown in fairly crowded conditions produce even more moisture which adds to an inviting environment for plant pathogens like fungi and bacteria.

Relative humidity greater than 90-percent slows the drying of foliage and increases the amount of time condensation and overnight dew remain on plants.  High humidity also favors plant diseases that thrive on warm air, such as powdery mildew.

The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) requires all foreign owners of  U.S. agriculture land to report their holdings to the Secretary of Agriculture. Foreign persons who have purchased or sold agricultural land in the county are required to report the transaction to FSA within 90 days of the sales closing. Failure to submit the AFIDA report could result in civil penalties of up to 25 percent of the fair market value of the property.

If you have any questions, please call (859) 654-3374.

__PUBLIC__

Kentucky Adjutant General Edward W. Tonini, left, and Agriculture Commissioner James Comer flank the Homegrown by Heroes logo. (Kentucky Department of Agriculture photo by Chris Aldridge)

Agriculture Commissioner James Comer launched two new programs to help Kentucky military veterans find jobs in agriculture and sell their farm products.

Kentucky Proud Jobs for Vets connects veterans looking for work with farmers who need labor. Homegrown by Heroes is a new logo that identifies farm products produced by Kentucky veterans. The programs will operate out of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

“Kentucky Proud Jobs for Vets and Homegrown by Heroes enable Kentucky veterans to pursue careers in agriculture,” Commissioner Comer said in a news conference at the Boone Center National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility in Frankfort. “With these programs, the department is doing its part for those men and women who have already done their part to protect our great nation.”