Here’s the latest farm & garden news from Oldham County Extension.  As always, give us a shout if we can help with your farm & garden questions.  Thanks to Therese Reese for sharing this photo a few weeks ago, one of several new foals at Stoneway Farm.  I appreciate learning what’s happening on your farms and always welcome photos of Oldham County farm activities.

Photo Credit:  Therese Reese, Stoneway Farm

FARM NEWS/INFO YOU CAN USE

• 2023 Farm Bill Overview & Update:  https://agecon.ca.uky.edu/2023-farm-bill-overview-and-update
• Equine Insights Podcast with Dr. Bob Coleman – Some great insights on horses, pastures, and more.  https://jstonet.podbean.com/e/equine-insights-with-dr-bob-coleman/
• April Freeze Effect on Corn & Soybeans:  https://www.kygrains.info/blog/2023/4/25/2023-april-freeze-effect-on-corn-and-soybean
• Wheat Cover Crops Benefit Soil and Provide Refuge for Beneficial Insects: https://kentuckypestnews.wordpress.com/2023/04/25/wheat-as-cover-crop-for-soil-conservation-and-refugium-of-beneficial-insects-for-aphid-control/
• Commercial Vegetable Production Resources:  https://kentuckypestnews.wordpress.com/2023/04/04/uk-extension-resources-for-commercial-vegetable-production/
• Improving Communication With Customers — If you’re selling directly to consumers (farmers’ markets, roadside stands, on-farm markets, etc.), it’s important to practice effective communication with your customers. Check out this webinar from the 2023 Direct Marketing Summit as KCARD’s Terryn Varney discusses why and how to improve communication with customers:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dbjJ4lJ92s

WINTER INJURY TO LANDSCAPES

We’ve seen and had calls about winter cold and freeze damage on landscape shrubs.  I’ve seen quite a bit of damage on boxwoods this spring.  Warm temperatures back in February caused new leaf growth to start earlier than normal.  This was followed by at least one hard freeze that killed most of that new growth.  Since then, other warm spells triggered more new growth, followed by more cold injury on these shrubs.  Now it’s kind of a waiting game to see how these shrubs will react.  I’ve seen new growth on mine down in the twig/leaf canopy.  My strategy is to give them a few more weeks to see if new growth will be uniform enough to produce a normal looking shrub.  UK Extension has a couple of new guides that may be helpful in diagnosing general problems on landscape shrubs and trees.

• Common Problems of Common Shrubs in Kentucky:  https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-or-w-31.pdf
• Common Problems of Common Trees in Kentucky:  https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-or-w-30.pdf

OLDHAM COUNTY EXTENSION EVENTS

Please call 222-9453 or reply to register for these events.

• Leadership Series – Keeping Meetings on Track:  Being Effective Leaders and Participants, May 2 @ 6:00 pm                                                      
• Dividing Spring Perennials, May 9 @ 5:30 pm                                                                                          
• Pond Management Field Day – May 13 @ 10:00 am; 1606-A Grange Drive, La Grange