Greetings Everyone,

I am sure all of you are busy trying to harvest as much of your crops as possible as Irene approaches.

A couple of things to keep in mind, the houses will do best if they are closed as tightly as possible.  Wind getting inside the house amplifies the power of the storm.  If you have movable frames be sure to secure the anchors, alternatively you can remove the covering or tie it to the ridge pole.  For more information on preparing your structure for the storm see Tina Smith's (UMass) article about preventing storm damage to tunnels and greenhouses. Tina’s article can be found here: http://www.negreenhouseupdate.info/index.php/september/888-reducing-storm-damage-to-your-greenhouses.

Those of you with vine crops:   Use a preventative spray for cucurbit downy mildew on all cucurbit crops, especially cucumbers. Downey mildew is in southern NH and the storm is certain to bring more disease with it. Try to get sprays on tonight, or early tomorrow am (if it's not raining). You should have the crops protected by Friday afternoon. The forecasts can be found at http://cdm.ipmpipe.org/  The site also has a photo gallery of the symptoms.

Preventative fungicides include:

    Gavel 50 WG (NOT for use on pumpkins or winter squash)

    Presidio 4FL + protectant

    Previcure Flex + protectant

    Ranman 3.6SC + protectant

    Tanos 50 WG + protectant

   (protectants include chlorothalonil, Manzate, Penncozeb, & Dithane)

Once Downy hits, all the above EXCEPT Gavel are recommended.

--
Mark Hutton, Ph.D.
Vegetable  Specialist

Assoc. Professor Vegetable Crops
University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Highmoor Farm, P.O. Box 179

Monmouth, ME 04259-0179
207-933-2100 ext 104
Fax 207-933-4647

August is National Water Quality Month

So, What is Water Quality?

Water quality is defined as the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more living species and or to any human need or purpose. Simply put, it is knowing that the water you use for a specific purpose is safe.  For example; the water you use to wash your car may not be suitable for drinking; or the lake is great for boating, but hazardous for swimmers.  For most people water quality is simply knowing if the water is good enough for drinking, playing in, or if the lakes are safe for plants, animals, and recreation.

More often nowadays, we are hearing situations where the quality of water is not good enough for normal uses. Bacteria and microorganisms have gotten into drinking-water supplies causing illness; sewage spills have occurred forcing people to boil their water as well as close beaches; oil spills endanger plant and animal life; and, runoff containing pollutants such as phosphorous channel into streams and lakes leading to excessive aquatic plant growth.

Learn the Issues:Water

Annual Accomplishments

2010 (pdf)

2009 (pdf)

2008 (pdf)            

Annual Reports

2007 (pdf)

2006 (pdf)

Newsletters

Second 2008 (pdf)

First 2008 (pdf)

Fourth 2007 (pdf)

Third 2007 (pdf)

Second 2007 (pdf)

First 2007 (pdf)

Press Releases for Grant Projects

Farm Days Press ReleaseANDROSCOGGIN VALLEY SWCD

Forestry Press Release

Marketing Carbon Credits for Agriculture and Forestry Meeting to be Held (pdf)

 Nequasset Lake Phase 1 Success Story (pdf)

Carbon Credit (pdf)

Nequasset Lake Grant Announcement (pdf)

Nequasset Lake Phase 1 Public Meeting Announcement (pdf)

District Activity Press Releases

Other Events

Congratulations
Edward Little High school

Winners of the Maine State Envirothon

Good Luck at the Nationals!

Lead Poisoning is Killing our Waterbirds

Loons are a symbol of Maine lakes. Most lake residents and summer visitors delight to the haunting calls and the breath-taking visual of these beautiful, majestic and graceful creatures. Many lake associations have a local loon counting program to monitor the health and viability of loon populations.   Of the many threats to loon populations, lead poisoning is the number one cause of death of adult loons in New England. To learn more about what you can do please go to http://www.somersetswcd.org/index.htm and click on loons & Lead. There are easy alternatives that can save lives.   

2006AnnualReport.pdf