Marion County Agriculture & Natural Resources
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WVU Extension offers a variety of programs related to horticulture, agriculture and natural resources available for the residents of West Virginia. For a complete listing of all the information WVU Extension has for home gardeners, visit our lawns, gardens and pests section. While you're there, learn about the WVU Extension Master Gardener Program and how it benefits individuals and communities. Be sure to check out the latest from our popular WVU Extension Garden Calendar.
If you’re a producer,
whether with large-scale animals or vegetables for your local market, visit WVU Extension's farming section for more in-depth information about agriculture.
If you’re interested in learning about the all the things that make West Virginia wild and wonderful, visit our natural resources section.
This Month in the Garden Calendar
Cultivating Rich and Unique Bloody Butcher Corn
When thinking of heirloom field corn that holds a significant place in our state’s history, West Virginians cannot help but mention Bloody Butcher Corn, which dates back to the early 1800s.
While most white and yellow corn varieties are harvested at a rate of 190 to 250 bushels per acre, the open pollinated Bloody Butcher is maximized at 100 bushels per acre. The stalks can grow to heights of 12 feet or taller, so wind and hard rains can knock the stalks down easily. Another reason is the corn’s days to maturity reach upward of 100 days. The corn will always produce two ears per stalk that are usually 10 to 12 inches in length.
Lawn, Gardening & Pests News for Marion County
Join the Winter/Spring 2025 Master Gardener Training
WVU Extension Master Gardener training, which used to be offered through in-person courses organized by WVU Extension offices around the state, will once again be available online via Zoom sessions.
WVU Extension will continue offering online Master Gardener training classes for late winter/spring 2025 term, beginning on January 9 through May 15. Classes will be held every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m.
AgAlert! Boxwood Blight
Boxwood blight is a fungal disease that affects one of West Virginia's most popular landscape shrubs.
Boxwood blights are a fungal disease that can be fatal if no measures are taken to manage the disease at the early stage of infection and symptom appearance. There are two different fungal pathogens involved with blights – Volutella buxi and Calonectria pseudonaviculata.
Join the Winter/Spring 2024 Master Gardener Training
WVU Extension Master Gardener training, which used to be offered through in-person courses organized by WVU Extension offices around the state, will once again be available online via Zoom sessions.
WVU Extension will continue offering online Master Gardener training classes for late winter/spring 2024 term, beginning on January 11 through May 2. Classes will be held every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m.
Master Gardeners
We’re growing
The WVU Extension Master Gardener Program provides people interested in gardening with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and sharpen their skills by taking part in Basic/Level 1 and Advanced/Level 2 training programs that provide in-depth training in various aspects of horticulture.
The program helps residents better understand horticultural and environmental issues through community engagement in gardening and beautification projects at schools, parks, public institutions, community organizations, and locations throughout the state.
Benefits of becoming a WVU Extension Master Gardener
Among the many benefits for getting involved with the WVU Extension Master Gardener program, here are the highest-ranking ones:
- Getting to know more about gardening and horticulture to expand personal horizons and be able to help others
- Significant improvements in quality of life, including physical activity, social activity, self-esteem and nutrition
- Offers opportunities for professional development through continuing training opportunities
- Meeting like-minded people and engaging in the garden activities you are passionate about
- Opportunities to assume responsibility
- Encourages individual independence
- Gaining respect in the community for your newly developed horticultural skills
- Flexibility to conduct volunteer work
How do you join?
The first step is to contact your county office and ask about the training program. The WVU Extension Master Gardener Program is offered
through our
local WVU Extension offices. The training program is currently an online-hybrid platform.
You will still need to contact your local WVU Extension office to go over the registration,
fees, paperwork and how to get the manuals.
The Winter/Spring 2025 training series will run from January 9 until May 15. Classes will be held every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m.
Over the course of the 18-session online training program, you will receive 54 hours of instruction in a variety of topics, including botany, plant propagation, entomology, pesticides and pest management, plant disease, soil science and nutritional management, turfgrass management, vegetable gardening, tree fruits, small fruit, pruning, landscape design, woody ornamentals, indoor plants, herbaceous plants, garden wildlife management and West Virginia native plants. Learn more here.
From there, pass a test and complete 40 hours of initial volunteer work and you’ll have earned the right to call yourself a WVU Extension Master Gardener.
Extension Master Gardener Volunteer ApplicationExtension Master Gardener Policy Statement & Guidelines
Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Agreement
Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Code of Conduct
How to order a WVU Extension Master Gardener Manual
County Master Gardener Program coordinators are responsible for signing up new trainees and will take care of ordering the manuals for those participants. Each coordinator will submit their county’s manual order to the WVU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources office by contacting Carra Higgins ( Carra.Higgins@mail.wvu.edu) or Mira Danilovich, WVU Extension Master Gardener Program Coordinator ( Mira.Danilovich@mail.wvu.edu). The office will prepare the invoice and send it with the shipment of the manuals.
Manuals are available in two formats: a printed version and an electronic version. Printed manuals are $75, and the electronic version is $30. You will find all the related information covered in 22 chapters across more than 1,000 pages. The fee for the training course is $100 if you choose to have a printed manual or $50 if you prefer the electronic version of the manual.
Master Gardener Member Resources
Agriculture News for Marion County
Lease Recommendations for Land Owner & Tenants
Ben Goff, WVU Extension Agent in Mason and Putnam counties, offers recommendations for landowners and tenants who want to prepare for the upcoming farming season and work to minimize their respective risks.
Goff covers a variety of tips for farmers and landowners regarding farm leases, including:
Register for 2021 Pasture Management Certificate Training
The Pasture Management Certificate Training is offered as part of Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College Agricultural Innovation Workforce Trainings & Certifications.
Instructed by Kevin Shaffer, Ed Rayburn and Ben Goff from WVU Extension, this certification will teach farmers how they can improve sustainability to their operation by improving their pasture management so there is more available forage year-round.
Making Quality Hay - Mountaineer FarmTalk
Join us and our special guests every Friday at 10 a.m., for Mountaineer Farm Talk! Learn, share, laugh and enjoy a cup of cowboy coffee (or herbal tea for non-coffee drinkers). We encourage audience participation so have your questions ready.
https://wvu.zoom.us/j/98991307779
Meeting ID: 989 9130 7779O or call 888-475-4499 and 877-853-5257 US
Toll-free.
Featured next on Mountaineer FarmTalk:
Beekeeping
The Marion County Beekeepers Association in Fairmont, W.Va., shares love for
bees and helps new members learn about how to care and nurture their hive
by way of experienced members' mentoring new members.
Visit the association website for events the association is participating and
hosting, and how to join.
Natural Resources News for Marion County
Register for White Oak in West Virginia Webinar
Join us as we dive into the opportunities and challenges related to sustaining and harvesting white oak trees in West Virginia.
Tuesday, February 2
Register for West Virginia Woodland Stewards Seminar
Join us as we dive into a variety of educational topics and learn more about how we can be better stewards of West Virginia's woodlands.
Tuesday, February 9