Ohio County Agriculture & Natural Resources

Lawn, Gardening & Pests

Get a yard that feels and looks like home. Get a bountiful harvest. Grow your own and sow something beautiful. WVU Extension has lawn, gardening and pests information you can use.

Lawn, Gardening & Pests News for Ohio 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. 

Agriculture

Practical economic strategies. Investments in local growers. Farming like our future depends on it. WVU Extension offers timely, research-based agriculture information you can put into practice.

Agriculture News for Ohio County

Upcoming EPA changes and how they will affect pesticide use in agriculture

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) governs the registration, distribution, sale and use of pesticides in the U.S. FIFRA gives to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to regulate pesticide enforcement. However, the EPA must meet obligations under other acts, including the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (Figure 1). 

The ESA is overseen by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The ESA establishes protections for fish, wildlife and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered and provides for adding and removing species from the list of threatened and endangered species, and preparing and implementing plans for their recovery. The ESA also provides for interagency cooperation and for issuing permits for otherwise prohibited activities, provides for cooperation with states and implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. 

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. 

Natural Resources

Land you can take pride in. Nature you can appreciate. Keep wild and wonderful just that. WVU Extension has natural resources information from trusted experts.

Natural Resources News for Ohio 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

Extension Calling Podcast

Lawn, Gardening & Pests
Active Alerts in Ohio County

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.

Read AgAlert! Boxwood Blight

AgAlert! Herbicide Contaminated Compost

Compost has traditionally been used by growers not only for supplying nutrients to the soil and plant but also due to its multiple beneficial attributes, such as balancing pH, enhancing water holding capacity, and boosting soil structure and beneficial microbial populations to improve overall soil quality for plant growth and development. Compost can hold nutrients for a longer time and deliver to plants when needed. Nutrients found in compost are released slowly as the compost decomposes, reducing nutrient loss through prevention of off-site movement. Despite all these benefits, herbicide contaminated composts can do lots of harm to plants, especially to those belonging to the family Solanaceae, which includes tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Plant distortion due to growth regulator type herbicide is shown in Figure 1. 

Read AgAlert! Herbicide Contaminated Compost

AgAlert! Cucurbit Downy Mildew

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) has now been found in Monongalia County, West Virginia, as well as neighboring states – Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland. For the latest information, visit the CDM regional map at https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/. 

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) is a destructive disease that can affect most members of the gourd family or Cucurbitaceae, such as cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkin, squash, watermelon and zucchini. However, cucumbers are the worst affected cucurbit that can be completely killed in two weeks from the onset of the disease. 

Symptoms of the disease may vary slightly from species to species, but in general, it causes angular chlorotic lesions on the foliage. These lesions appear angular because they are bound by leaf veins. During humid conditions, the lower surface of the leaf is covered with a downy, pale gray to blackish mildew. 

Read AgAlert! Cucurbit Downy Mildew

Ohio County Ag & Natural Resources News

WVU Extension Service empowers young entrepreneur to add bite to his business plan’s bark

Ten year old Zeb Helmick and his dad, Steve Helmick, started a pet treat company in Wheeling, West Virginia with the help of WVU Extension Service expertise and knowledge. They talk about the business and how it supports the local agriculture community.

Farmers Market

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program is to assist senior citizens with the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in West Virginia during the summer months. To qualify, you must be at least 60 years of age and meet the following income guidelines.

Household of 1 income is $21,590 per year, $1,800 per month.

Household of 2 income is $29,101 per year, $2,426 per month.

Those eligible seniors can sign up for the vouchers are their County Senior Centers after July 1. Please contact your local county senior centers for signup dates and locations. Vouchers can be used at participating markets around the state. A listing of those markets will be given out when eligible participants sign up. Only those fruits and vegetables that can be grown in West Virginia are eligible for purchase with the vouchers.

For more information regarding the program, please contact the West Virginia Department of Agriculture Marketing & Development Division at 304-558-2210 or Ohio County senior center can be reached at 304-232-6730.

Organizations

Ohio-Brooke County Farm Bureau
Meets the 3rd Tuesday, 7 p.m., at the West Liberty Fire Hall, West Liberty, WV.

Tri-State Beekeepers Association
Meets the 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Good Zoo, Oglebay, Wheeling, WV.
Contact Steve Roth at 304-242-9867 or email him.

If your organization exists for the betterment of Agriculture and Natural Resources and you would like your meeting posted on this website please contact the Ohio County Extension office at  304-243-3673. Please have ready: the organization’s name, meeting time and place, and a valid contact, and if possible a web address.

Organizations may be removed from this site at any time for any reason.

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