Marketing Tools for Row Crop Producers, a free online course from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, is an opportunity for crop producers to learn more about strategies for marketing row crops. In this course, you will learn the importance of crop marketing and the primary reason crop marketing is important: market volatility. Due to the uncertain nature of agricultural markets, having a marketing plan to determine when and how to sell a crop is important in managing price risk.

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The cattle inventory is at its lowest point in several years, and prices are higher than they have been in several years. The natural question is when does the cattle herd start to rebuild itself? After all, the cattle cycle shows that historically, the cattle inventory has an inverse relationship with the price of feeder cattle. In other words, when the inventory is higher, the prices get cheaper, and as the inventory goes down, the prices get higher. Figure 1 shows the relationship between price of western Kansas 500 to 600 pound steers and the United States cattle inventory. It should be noted that while Alabama’s local calf price may be lower than western Kansas, they tend to follow the these prices.

While there are no absolutes in the world of cattle production and markets, one thing that is for sure is that when prices get high, cattle producers want to retain more heifers and expand their herd to capitalize on those high price calves. Yet, so far, this hasn’t really started if you look at the data. Why? There are a couple of things to consider.

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Season 3, Episode 7: Nutrients from Poultry Litter: On this episode of the Alabama Crops Report, hosts Litter happens! On this episode of the Alabama Crops Report podcast, hosts Scott Graham and Amanda Scherer talks with Kent Stanford, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutrient management specialist. The groups talks about the nutritive value of poultry litter and how row crop producers can integrate litter into their nutrient management plans.

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Learn the requirements and regulations for safely producing food products as a business.

You’ve decided to take that old family recipe and turn it into a food processing business. One of the many considerations is ensuring a safe product.

All foods prepared at any location and sold to consumers for distribution to retailers are the responsibility of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). ADPH is responsible for regulating and enforcing food safety concerning food processing, handling, storage, and sale in Alabama.

Products sold across state lines are subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and Fair Packaging and Labeling Act regulations. These include labeling, ingredients, preparation, and handling requirements. The FDA offers guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practices in Manufacturing, Packing, and Holding Human Food available on their website at www. fda.gov. Information can also be found in the Code of Federal Regulations 21 CFR117.

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What is the Alabama Extension Master Gardener program?

The Master Gardener program represents an effective partnership between the land grant universities of this state, Alabama Extension agents, and motivated volunteers.  

The concept of the Master Gardener volunteer program began at Washington State University. In Alabama, it began in 1981 with Extension agent Gary Murray and Mary Lou McNabb, a Cornell Extension Master Gardener, who moved to Huntsville. 

Who are Alabama Extension Master Gardener volunteers?

They are Extension-trained volunteers who connect Alabamians to gardening information and educational opportunities. Master Gardener volunteers have completed a 50-hour horticulture training course and contribute their time and expertise as volunteers to various community projects. 

Become an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

Do you love plants? Do you love to volunteer your time? Then you are a great candidate for Extension Master Gardener Intern Training! You do not have to be a garden expert—simply come with a desire to learn and grow.

To be a certified Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, interns must:

1. Earn an Extension Master Gardener Course Certificate (see course information below).
2. Complete a minimum of 50 Extension volunteer hours within a 12-month period.

Important Dates

Apply and Pay

An online application and course payment must be submitted by June 30, 2023 to participate in the fall course. The fall course fee is $150.

• Fall Session Registration: June 1 – 30  

Fall 2023 Class Dates

• Fall Session: Aug. 10 – Nov. 9

Extension Master Gardener Course Information

This course aims to equip volunteers with reliable, research-based gardening information in support of Extension’s mission to educate Alabama residents. The course includes research-based gardening information on topics such as home lawns, trees, shrubs, annual and perennial flowers, and vegetable gardening.

This is a hybrid course requiring online and face-to-face participation. Extension Master Gardener Interns integrate online and face-to-face learning activities to reinforce learning. Face-to-face sessions for the Fall 2023 Master Gardener Volunteer training are hosted in the following counties: Bibb, Blount, Coffee, Elmore, Etowah, Franklin, Mobile, Limestone, Pike, Russell, and Walker. If you live outside these counties, you may be able to participate in the Fall 2023 training. However, travel is required.

For more information regarding class times and specific locations, contact the nearest County Extension Office hosting a Fall 2023 training.

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Learn—month by month—the necessary gardening activities for lawns and shrubs, annuals and perennials, fruit and nut trees, and bulbs, roots, and tubers. Included is a timeline for activities such as soil testing, planting, pruning, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, indoor plantings—from cauliflower to okra, from camellias to dahlias to heirloom roses...

Click here for your June Guide

A properly maintained lawn not only provides aesthetic value and curb appeal to your home but also provides many benefits to the environment.

A well-maintained lawn will prevent soil erosion, serve as a living filter for water and air pollutants, act as an air conditioner during the hot summer, and provide oxygen to the atmosphere.

The quality* of a home lawn varies depending on the level of maintenance provided. A good-quality home lawn receives the essential scheduled maintenance, such as mowing and fertilizing, and may have multiple turf species and a few weeds. A minimum amount of maintenance, money, time, and effort can achieve this level of lawn quality.

Superior-quality lawns give the appearance of overall uniformity and have a minimum number of weeds. Additional turfgrass maintenance practices, such as supplemental watering, thatch removal, and regular pest monitoring, are required to maintain this lawn. Homeowners can manage this level with a do-it-yourself approach, or they might hire a lawn care service company to maintain the lawn for them.

Whatever you desire, the objective should be to have a healthy, dense stand of turfgrass that serves as a permanent vegetative ground cover. Correctly implementing proper turfgrass maintenance can reduce the need for supplementary practices such as pest control (weeds, insects, disease). Following these home lawn maintenance tips should help you achieve your desired lawn.

There are several reasons someone grows a particular vegetable variety. These may include taste, seed availability, price, shelf life (storage), disease resistance or tolerance, potential yield, fruit shape, size, color, and more. If you do not know what variety to grow or are unhappy with something you are currently growing, you may want to try something new. Before entirely switching from one variety to another, it is recommended to grow a few new ones for more than a year before deciding on planting large acreages. Table 1 lists a few recommended vegetable varieties for 2023. However, this is not a complete list, and there are many more available varieties.

Before purchasing any seeds on this list, it is suggested to make sure the plant has the disease resistance, size, shape, color, and other desirable characteristics that you are looking for. If you have any questions about these varieties and others, contact your county’s Extension office to speak with an agent.

June 7th (12:00-1:00 pm): "Managing Home and Community Landscapes with Wildfire in Mind"
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June 21st  (12:00-1:00 pm): "US Fish and Wildlife services partners for Fish & Wildlife Program"
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During the summer months, FWNR agents throughout the state are called upon to identify and control the invasive growth of duckweed Lemna spp. & Spirodela spp. and watermeal Wolffia spp.   These two small floating weeds generally become the most problematic during this time of year and are commonly found growing alongside on another.  In many cases, duckweed and watermeal can completely cover the surface of small ponds in just a few weeks.  This creates problems not only with common pond uses such as fishing, swimming, irrigation, and aesthetics, but it can also create substantial fish kills by shading out sunlight required for oxygen production.
Identifying duckweed and watermeal is fairly easy as both plants have distinct characteristics.  From a distance they can give the appearance of a heavy plankton bloom or filamentous algae mat but when standing at the water’s edge one can quickly see that the growth is actually free floating and comprised of millions of small, individual plants.  Duckweed can be described as a free-floating, light green plant that resembles miniature clover (often smaller than a pinky fingernail) with 2-4 hair-like white roots on the underside.  Watermeal (the smallest flowering plant on earth) is best described as light green, rootless, ‘grains’ that actually have the texture of corn meal when in-hand.  Often-times the wind will gather or blow the mats of growth throughout the pond.
Although prevention by reducing water clarity with dyes or fertilizer is one of the most effective methods to reducing aquatic weeds issues, little can be done to prevent duckweed and watermeal infestations.   In general, they thrive in small, shaded, ponds that are blocked from the wind and, like any other aquatic weed; excess nutrients can substantially increase their growth.  Wise land use practices such as avoiding adding grass clippings, slowing runoff through vegetated buffers, and excluding livestock (waterfowl included) from the pond can significantly reduce the nutrients that cause significant infestations. 
Stocking grass carp is generally a good option for controlling most aquatic weeds, however, they are not effective for the long-term control of duckweed and water meal control as both species are generally too small for the carp to effectively consume.  Tilapia have been shown to control (not eradicate) watermeal and duckweed although they are generally only cost effective in small ponds.  Stocking tilapia may be the only option for control in ponds used for irrigation.  Tilapia should be stocked at rates of 25-50 lbs. / per acre and, because they die as water temperatures fall below 50 degrees F, they are only effective for one season and must be restocked annually.  In ponds with largemouth bass, tilapia larger than 5 inches must be stocked so that they won’t be consumed.  At this link, you’ll find a list of Tilapia Producers & Dealers.
Aquatic herbicide applications are generally the most economical and effective option for controlling duckweed and watermeal.  There are only two herbicides labeled for control of both species: Clipper, Depth Charge, Flumigard, Knockdown Defense, Propeller (active ingredient: Flumioxazine) and Stingray (active ingredient: Carfentrazone).   Flumioxazine is a flow-able granule that is dissolved into solution while Stingray is a liquid, but both products require even distribution throughout the pond and along the shoreline with a spray tank in order to be effective.  It is important to be sure and spray the margin around the perimeter of the pond carefully as duckweed and watermeal along the shoreline can otherwise escape treatment.  As with any pesticide application, be sure to follow the label accordingly and only apply when water temperatures are above 60 degrees F.  Control can vary from season to season as duckweed and watermeal can easily re-infest a pond from sources within the water shed (i.e. infested wetlands and ponds) and by hitchhiking on waterfowl and shorebirds.  This video series outlines chemical control and gives good visual to the process: Aquatic Weed Control: Managing Duck Weed, Watermeal and Mosquito Fern