Via the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County:

WHAT: Wine Grapes: Growing and Pest Management. Topics to be discussed in this FREE workshop are pruning, disease prevention, insect and wildlife management.  Speakers are from the UNH Cooperative Extension:

• Cheryl Smith Extension, Plant Health Specialist
• Becky Sideman, Sustainable Horticulture Specialist
• Bill Lord, Fruit Specialist Emeritus
• Nada Haddad, Agriculture Extension Educator

If interested in pesticide recertification credit, 2 credits are available. Workshop is free, rain or Shine. Registration is not required but is helpful.

WHEN: Thursday, April 15, 2010, from 3:15 to 5:30 pm

WHERE: Zorvino Vineyards at 226 Main Street, Sandown, NH

COST: FREE!

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Deb at 679-5616 or Deb.Stevens@UNH.edu. If you need special accommodations in order to participate, please call 10 days in advance. See all events on the UNH Cooperative Extension calendar

Ready to get your hands into the soil and bring back the green? On Saturday, April 24 (rain date: Sunday, April 25), join an inspired community in helping to bring new life to the historic gardens at Strawbery Banke Museum. The day starts with the Strawbery Banke Earth Day Volunteer Garden Cleanup and continues into the afternoon with a Slow Food Potluck and an Heirloom Seed Plant-In.

Other work opportunities also will be available throughout the site for those not inclined toward gardening, but all work done will help the museum get ready for its May 1 opening.

Morning: Garden Cleanup

Volunteers should arrive at the Strawbery Banke Visitors Center between 8:30 and 9:00 am for work assignments and refreshments. Please feel free to bring your favorite gardening tools, wheelbarrows, rakes, and gloves. All other tools will be provided by the Museum. Park in the lot by the Visitors Center at 14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth.

Midday: Slow Food Potluck Lunch

An optional Slow Food Potluck Lunch will follow at 12:30 pm. Visit the Slow Food Seacoast website and About Our Potlucks to learn more about Slow Food Seacoast and our potluck events.

Afternoon: Heirloom Seed “Plant-In”

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and to further the day’s theme, join us for an Heirloom Seed Plant-In from 1:30 to 4:00 pm!  Slow Food Seacoast is partnering with Strawbery Banke and the Chefs Collaborative to teach how to grow and eat food from your own backyard. Participants will receive free heirloom seeds and plants, and enjoy free workshops and talks. Afternoon sessions will include Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) information sessions, gardening tips, and heirloom seed planting, plus plenty of opportunities to get dirt under your fingernails.

>>Please RSVP by April 19 to volunteers@strawberybanke.org or 1-603-433-1110; tell us if you plan to bring gardening tools and a potluck dish.<<

Program Schedule and Locations [subject to change]

8:30–9:00 am: Volunteers arrive at Strawbery Banke for work assignments and refreshments (Visitors Center)

12:30 pm: Slow Food Potluck Lunch; visit About Our Potlucks to learn more about Slow Food Seacoast potluck events (Visitors Center)

1:30 pm: RAFT Heirloom Seed Plant-In and plant giveaway (Visitors Center)

1:30–4:00 pm: “Planting for Kids and Families” ongoing in the Children’s Garden with UNH Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners (Victorian Children’s Garden)

1:45 pm: David Buchanon of Slow Food Portland—”Slow Food in the Garden” The Ark of Taste and RAFT programs (Visitors Center)

2:00 pm: “Planting and Saving Heirloom Seeds”—Return to the gardens for a hands program planting early crops at the 1695 Sherburne, 1919 Shapiro, and 1944 Victory Gardens (meet in front of the Visitor Center)

2:30 pm: “Community Gardening”—Suzanne MacDonald (Community Gardens)

3:00 pm: “Slow Food—Sustainable Gardens” with John Forti, Slow Food Seacoast (Visitor Center)

Via Nada Haddad, Extension Educator, Agricultural Resources, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension:

Growing Your Farm Markets and Profits: Alternatives to Cash Payments

Who should attend this workshop? Growers selling at summer or winter farmers markets, farm stands, PYO operations, or selling through Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs); market coordinators and volunteers; and anyone exploring alternatives to cash payments. Besides growing your farm markets and profits using alternative to cash payments, you will also make food accessible to low-income families and increase nutrition for the well-being of individuals and families.

Sponsored by UNH Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County, the workshop will be held on Thursday March 18, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., at the Rockingham County Nursing Home Auditorium in Brentwood.  The workshop will cover alternatives to cash at farmers’ markets and farmstands. The alternatives include Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) coupons; (WIC and Senior) coupons;  Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food stamps/EBT cards; as well as debit and credit cards.

Speakers:

• Laurie Desmarais (Vendor Manager, Nutrition and Health Promotion Section, NH Department of Health & Human Services)
• Peter Conti (Assistant Director, Field Operations, USDA Food & Nutrition Service, Northeast Region)
• Diane Souther (Grower, Apple Hill Farm, Concord, NH)
• Amy Miller (Farmers Market Coordinator, Lebanon, NH)
• Joel Breton (President, MJM, Associates Merchant Service, Hooksett, NH)
• Nada Haddad (Agriculture Extension Educator, UNH Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County)

No cost; registration is required. Email Deb Stevens or Nada Haddad or call 603-679-5616.

10+ Marketing Strategies & Tips to Consider When Selling Farm Produce”  Workshop

Are you looking at potential farm markets for next season? Or  are you wondering how to juggle different markets in one season? To tackle these questions, the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County,  has organized a day-long workshop “10+ Marketing Strategies & Tips to Consider When Selling Farm Produce” . Specialists, a panel of growers from New England and industry professionals will discuss different aspects and types of markets, branding, pricing, profitable crops as well as crop and revenue insurance.The workshop is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2009 from 8:30 am till 3:30 pm at the Rockingham County Nursing Home Auditorium in Brentwood (William Sturtevant Way - off North Road) in New Hampshire.

Speakers are Richard Bonnano (Pleasant Valley Garden, Methhuen, MA), Josh Jennings (Meadow’s Mirth, Stratham, NH), John Moulton (Moulton Farm, Meredith, NH) and Bill & Anna Spiller (Spiller Farm U-Pick, Wells, Maine). Michelle Chambers from “Red Tomato” will talk about the importance of branding to engage and empower customers. Pricing farm products and cost of production will also be presented. Michael Sciabarrasi, Extension  Professor, Business Management Specialist

UNH Cooperative and David Tuttles from Tuttle Farm in Wells, Maine, will also be speakers. The Pros and Cons of Crop Insurance will also be discussed.

Who should attend: Anyone exploring new markets or adding new ones to their existing one such as selling at Open Air Farmers Markets, Winter Farmers Markets, Community Supported Agriculture, Pick-Your-Own,Restaurants, Supermarkets, Institutions, Farmstands..

Registration before October 26 is  $15 per person and includes lunch. Late registration is $20. This workshop has been made possible with the support  from the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA).Download a flier with details from  http://www.extension.unh.edu/ or contact Deb Stevens at 679-5616.

In the coming weeks, Seacoast residents will have several opportunities to learn how to can and preserve the summer’s harvest.

Yes You Can! is a food preservation demonstration that will be provided s at the Exeter Farmers’ Market, Swazey Parkway on Thursday, August 13 from 2:15-6:00 pm and at the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market at City Hall parking lot on Saturday, August 15 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Another presentation is scheduled for the Rye Public Library on Tuesday, August 25 from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM.

The demonstrations are offered free-of-charge and will be provided by Claudia Boozer-Blasco, Extension Educator in Family and Consumer Resources with the UNH Cooperative Extension in Rockingham County.

Participants will learn the most up-to-date techniques for canning fruits and vegetables safely in a water bath canner.  Safe canning techniques will be demonstrated by making tomato salsa.  Proper equipment for canning will be displayed and current recipes by the US Department of Agriculture will be available.

This demonstration is designed for those who are preserving foods for the first time or for those who have been canning for many years. The exhibit and demonstration is open to the public and wheel-chair accessible.

Both the Exeter and Portsmouth Farmers’ Markets are coordinated by the Seacoast Growers Association.  More information can be found at www.seacoastgrowers.org

All programs are FREE (your tax dollars at work!) and open to the public.

UNH Cooperative Extension announces a meeting and workshop on growing small fruit (blueberries/raspberries) and vegetable on Thursday, August 20, 2009 form 5:15 pm till 7:30 PM.

The event will be hosted by Ron and Lois Laurence, Blueberry Bay Farm at 38 Depot Road, Stratham, NH

Topics are:
- Integrated Pest Management
- Transitioning to Organic farming
- Cultural practices
- Update on insects, diseases on blueberries, raspberries and mixed vegetables
- Organic, natural pesticides and alternatives
- Biological control
- Bird and netting control

Sponsored by:
UNH Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County, Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-NH), NH Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Speakers from UNH Cooperative Extension are: Alan Eaton, Entomology and Integrated Pest Management Specialist, Becky Grube, Sustainable Horticulture Specialist, Cheryl Smith, Plant Health Specialist, Nada Haddad Agriculture Extension Educator and Janis Connor, Agriculture Inspector with the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food

The meeting  was approved for 2 (two) pesticide re-certification credits (Private and Commercial)

The twilight meeting is open to all and there is no cost to attend; registration not required. Rain or shine
For more information call UNH Cooperative Extension: Deb Stevens or Nada Haddad @ 679-5616 or visit www.extension.unh.edu Persons requiring specialaccommodations should call two weeks prior to the event so that proper consideration can be given to the request.

***     ***      ***      ***      ***      ***      ***      ***
Nada Haddad
Extension Educator, Agricultural Resources
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension       Rockingham County
113 North Road
Brentwood, NH 03833-6623

Phone: (603) 679-5616
Fax: (603) 679-8070
e-mail: Nada.Haddad@unh.edu
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At RiverRun Bookstore on Monday, May 18 at 7 pm: a free workshop on New Ideas for Preserving Nature: Useful Tips for NH Landowners, Gardeners, and Landscapers

With rural areas fast disappearing in the Northeast, it seems the only way to preserve our identity as a place where people, plants, and animals can share the land is to integrate the landscapes around our homes, communities, and work spaces with the natural world. What does that mean and how do you do it?

And what about landscaping’s far-reaching effects on water quality? No matter where you live in New Hampshire, the actions you take make a difference. Why? Because we all live in a watershed, where water drains into a lake, river, wetland, or coastal estuary. How do we protect that natural resource?

Take some time to “sit at the feet” of experts who will share what they’ve learned—and taught—over many years. Mary Tebo, a community forestry educator, and Lauren Chase-Rowell, a landscape design expert, will present information from two books they’ve co-authored with other experts: Landscaping at the Water’s Edge: An Ecological Approach and Integrated Landscaping: Following Nature’s Lead, both published by the UNH Cooperative Extension.

You will learn

• How to establish landscapes that look and feel as if they belong
• To integrate natural principles into beautifu, functional landscapes
• To create landscapes that sustain themselves with minimum cost, energy, and effort.
• To think in terms of plant systems, rather than mere collections of individual plants.
• How to use and apply plant-system models designed for challenging conditions
• Where to find alternatives to invasive species.
• How to create landscapes that benefit wildlife, both above and below ground.

RiverRun Bookstore is located at 20 Congress Street in downtown Portsmouth. For more information on the event, visit www.riverrunbookstore.com or call (603) 431-2100. The event is free and open to the public.

This just in from UNH Cooperative Extension

The New Hampshire Small Family Farm Conference Capturing Local Markets will take place Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Sponsored by UNH Cooperative Extension in partnership with the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, and the NH Risk Management Education Group, the conference is geared towards small family farmers who want to improve direct marketing and merchandising skills.

Attendees can expect to learn how to identify and take advantage of opportunities for enhancing sales in local markets. Lecture topics will include the small farm advantage, opportunities for farmers’ markets, homestead licenses, protecting against market losses, and real life marketing plans.

Time will be allowed for discussion and questions. Anyone interested in learning more about strategies to capture greater sales in local markets is encouraged to attend.

The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn in Concord. For more information, contact Cooperative Extension Specialist Mike Sciabarrasi at 2-3234 or Richard Uncles at 603-271-3685. Registration is required.

Online registration is available at:
https://www.events.unh.edu/register.shtml?event_id=3971

…and a plum and an apple and — well, you get the idea. If you have fruit trees, you may be interested in attending this demonstration offered through the UNH Cooperative Extension.

Tree Fruit Pruning Demonstration

The UNH Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County, will be holding a tree fruit pruning demonstration on Thursday, February 22 at 9:30 am until noon time. Bill Lord, Tree Fruit Specialist will demonstrate how to prune apples, peaches, cherries and plums.

The pruning demonstration will be hosted by Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry. Dress for the weather. Directions to Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry: Exit 4 off Interstate 93, West on Route 102, four miles, turn right at Sunnycrest sign on the right. Drive one mile to farm at 59 High Range Road. Demonstration is free and open to the public. Registration not required. For more info call UNH Cooperative Extension at 679-5616

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension will be offering a Greenhouse Production Basics workshop on Wednesday, February 21.

Designed for novice growers, this daylong workshop will cover site selection, greenhouse construction, growing media, plant nutrition, budgeting, niche marketing and plant selection. The workshop will be held at the Massabesic Audubon Center in Auburn. A follow-up twilight meeting at a local greenhouse in March will cover insect and disease problems. Registration cost is $30 per person and advance registration is required before February 14. Space is limited. For registration information call Gail at 679-5616 at UNH Cooperative Extension, or you can download the registration form by visiting the Extension’s website.