Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture

Agent provided a presentation to the Rotary Club on Noxious weeds and overall weed management. 32 members were present and received information on what are noxious weeds, what is a weed, and management options for weeds. Members were able to ask questions and take home a noxious weed calendar to assist in identification. One member commented “so this is why I can’t kill that weed, I have been going about it the wrong way and spending to much money”.

The Socorro office receives over 400 phone calls a year from homeowners needing information on gardening, pests, tree questions and general landscaping. In order to help clientele gain all the needed information, the Agent hosted 7 classes on various horticulture topics. Seventy-six clients participated in organic gardening, entomology, pecans, hoop houses, intro to gardening, soils, and vegetable production. Attendees gain knowledge of many practical applications that assist them with their home projects. 4 producers have established pecan orchards after the presentation on nut trees, 1 hoop house was constructed and utilized, and several homeowners were successful in their gardens for this year. Workshops are developed to reduce the number of calls, but once clientele found out the wealth of information to obtain they become frequent uses of these resources.

Urban Horticulture:

As the urban population in Dona Ana County continues to rise there are fewer acres being devoted to traditional agronomic crops. Dona Ana County continues to experience a diverse influx of new residents from all over the United States. These new residents, along with those already here, have created a surge of interest as to what can be grown in Dona Ana County either ornamentally, or as sustainable food crops. The agent of Dona Ana County is taking on the task of developing new programs to meet the needs of his constituents. This agent was involved in activities within his county, and as a result brought not only research based information to the public, but also knowledge of the role and purpose of the Extension Service.

Based on my advisory committee and the partnership with Dona Ana County, extension urban programming is being focused more on school and community gardens. This push is due to the ever shrinking rural community we now live in. People living in society today are becoming less attached to their land and growing their own food and more dependent on processed foods from manufacturers. While processed food may not be bad, it has left us vulnerable to a society which cannot feed itself. One of my objectives in urban horticulture is to work with my community on educational endeavors to bring food production principles back into the schools by the establishment of school gardens. Through the establishment of school gardens in elementary and middle schools, principles of soil cultivation, plant growth and care, and nutrition can be taught to our youth. Through these teachings valuable lessons will be taught and instilled in our youth that will carry over into the adult years and hopefully lead to a better quality of life for generations to come.

This past year saw a new school garden being installed at Hermosa Heights Elementary School. With a grant from the Rio Grande Basin Initiative of $2400, Master Gardener Volunteers, School and Teacher help, and donations from the community the garden became a reality. Putting in a new school garden is not an easy accomplishment due to bureaucratic and legal red tape. The project of installing the gardens along with an irrigation system and timer took four months to accomplish, this can be added to the eight months it took to propose the garden and have the school system approve the project. It was great to see the garden finally become a reality even if it was after the school system had been let out for the summer. This garden project was the second such garden established in this district, the first began with Conlee Elementary School in 2008.

Results from the gardens at Conlee Elementary School are still being gathered. However, early observations indicate a change in school children who participate in the gardens. The gardens are being used as an outdoor teaching lab where children learn the life processes of plants. Speaking with teachers I have learned that these children seem less agitated in class, have developed more interest in science, and are beginning to change their eating habits for the positive, i.e. eating more fresh vegetables and fruits. This same process is being implemented now at Hermosa Heights Elementary School and in the future at other participating schools.

In April 2010 I partnered with Bertha Silva of the ICAN, (Ideas in Cooking and Nutrition), program to provide an educational opportunity for the La Mesa pre-kindergarten classes. I provided a working demonstration of how to plant sunflower seeds, cultivate them, grow the seedling, and then harvest the sprouts for consumption. The ICAN program used the sprouts to teach the children how to harvest the sprouts, prepare them, consume them, and how tasty and healthy these sprouts are for them. The purpose of these educational opportunities is to instill within our youth at a young age the ideas, principles and health associated with producing your own produce.

Community Gardens have been established in the Mesquite Historic District, Chaparral Community Center, Anthony, Vado and elsewhere. These gardens are important for communities, however, unlike school classrooms direct information can be difficult to monitor because those that participate are scattered throughout their own communities. Community gardens serve as insurance that those who participate in them are getting a healthier selection of produce to choose from and this will translate into healthier participants.

Since March 2010 I have been working with the Anthony Youth Group, Aurora Martinez, and Dan Darbyshire on growing vegetables at the new 14 acre Agricultural Business and Training Center facility located in Anthony, NM. There is a lot of enthusiasm from the youth participating in this project who want to learn how to become farmers. Youth range in age from 14-19 years of age, and there are about 15 youth participating in the program at present. A new hoop house style greenhouse is scheduled to be built on this site in order to extend the winter growing season, the original date for construction was November 5, 2010, however, due to scheduling problems at the facility this date is being postponed until spring 2011.

In July 2010 I worked with the Youth Conservation Corp in Chaparral, NM to provide several educational lectures/powerpoints for the youth. My contact was Wendy Kent, Executive Director for the YCC. I provided information on plant propagation and native plant selections as specified by the YCC to 12 youth participants. I also discussed business opportunities on growing native plants to these youth participants. Several of the youth expressed an interest in beginning a native plant nursery.

This past year I worked with Dr. Michael Patrick on presenting a Farmers Market Workshop in January 2010. I was asked to present a lecture on season extension using a hoop house style greenhouse. I gathered information for a powerpoint and presented the information to about 85 people in attendance. The remainder of the programs dealt with vegetable and fruit productions geared toward the smaller farmers market gardens. The workshop was a great success and this is where the greenhouse project for the Anthony Youth Group began. Prior to this workshop I worked with Del Jimenez, Ag Agent from Acalde, NM, and Jeanine Castillo, NMSU Small Farms Coordinator to build a hoop house style greenhouse at Jeff Graham’s organic farm here in the Mesilla Valley. The construction involved recruiting volunteers, providing food and water, equipment, and the building expert, Del. The hoop house went up in one day and was a great success. This was the first time I was involved in the construction of this particular style of greenhouse. Since the building of this greenhouse there has been several requests for construction projects of this type in other locations of Dona Ana County.

Some of the other events and programs I provided throughout the year were: Cotton Production Filming for KRWG-TV’s ‘Road Trip’ PBS series; Honey and Pistachio products filming for KRWG-TV’s ‘Road Trip’ PBS series; High School Job Fair at Las Cruces High School; Lunch and Learn monthly lecture series held at Branigan Library in Las Cruces, NM; National Night Out, providing activities for families to share together for this Las Cruces city event; the Southern NM State Fair to showcase agriculture in Southern NM; the Green Infrastructure Conference to find solutions for storm water runoff and rainwater harvesting; and providing teaching assistance for the Pesticide Applicators Workshop.


DONA ANA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM:

MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM (2009-10): This is perhaps one of the agent’s most important programs. Ordinary citizens are encouraged because of their love of plants to enter into the MG class where they undergo intense training in horticulture. Because of the expertise and education provided by Extension Specialists and other noted individuals, these ordinary citizens are transformed into a volunteer force for the promotion of urban horticulture and agriculture. While a lot of effort is needed by these individuals to learn and assimilate all that the course provides, they seem to do it with a joy in their hearts. The class encompasses varied citizens from those who have no more than a high school education, to retired Professors of Agriculture. The one thing they have in common is a desire to learn and help others. This course provides both learning, and community outreach. As a requirement for MG certification the class must first complete the 14 week course work and then fulfill community service requirements. This community service, directed by the agent, provides a larger conveyance of the extension service through its MG’s participation in community events. MG’s provide an invaluable resource in volunteerism at many of our larger events, including the Chile and Pecan Conferences. MG’s also provide a huge service through our office by way of the MG hotline to answer community questions about gardening. Their contribution allows the agent time to meet other obligations while still directing the MG’s activities. It is clear that the Master Gardener program benefits this community through its outreach. Residents living in Dona Ana County are knowledgeable that if they have a question regarding horticulture, a good source for information is the Master Gardener organization. This speaks highly of our office and its training of the public, we help our citizens grow, who then go on to help others in their community, this in turn leads others back to our office for training, who then go out to help others grow in their community, etc., etc., you see, the circle of knowledge keeps growing ever outward, that is this agents mission and objective.

This past year Doña Ana County Master Gardeners contributed over 5,067 volunteer hours towards helping the people of Dona Ana County. Based on the national volunteer hourly wage rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of $20.85, these volunteer hours translate into $105, 646.95 dollars. This is also equivalent to hiring three full time employees at a living wage salary, or seven minimum wage employees. Under the direction of the Dona Ana County Agent the Master Gardeners have also improved their MG Newsletter to become more of a small magazine with important educational information than simply a letter of informational facts.

City of Farmington Parks and Recreation Employees (32 people) participated in an Urban Forestry Short Course held once a week for six weeks (6 hours of instruction). The class covered the value of trees to the urban environment, species selection, prevention and control of common insect pests, pruning, identification and prevention of common diseases and nutrient deficiencies, and special considerations for management in the urban environment. The evaluation instrument indicated a 60% increase in the knowledge of the Urban Forestry topics addressed and 89% of participants indicated they would use the information learned at work and at home. The agent was responsible for planning the course, developing the course materials and served as the instructor of 4 of the 6 sessions.

The agent oversees and coordinates the San Juan County Master Gardener Program. There are currently 15 active members that provided over 400 hours of community involvement this year.
-Booths that provide Extension publications and the opportunity for the general public to ask basic gardening and landscape questions of Master Gardeners were conducted at the following events: Aztec Ruins National Monument Earth Day Celebration, San Juan County Employee Health Fair, San Juan County Fair, and the Farmington Farmers’ Market.
- Master Gardeners were able to enhance their personal expertise by networking with other Master Gardeners and the County Extension Agent at monthly meetings. Advanced training opportunities were also arranged in the areas of composting (Curtis Smith) and entomology (Carol Sutherland).
-The San Juan County Master Gardeners conducted a Master Seed Program. All 4th grade teachers in the county received an invitation to participate. A Master Gardener was assigned to each teacher that responded to the invitation. The 4th grade students that participated learned how plants grow, what is necessary to have a successful garden, and some health and economic benefits associated with spending time outside working in a garden. To conclude the lesson each child received a pot, a seed and assistance in starting a plant of their own. A total of 1,139 4th grade students participated in the program.
-A program was conducted for the benefit of the residents of Navajo United Methodist Center. The center serves as a home for single mothers who require a safe place to rebuild their lives after them, or their children, have been the victims for domestic violence, drug issues, and/or have become homeless. The 9 families were given the required materials and taught how to grow salsa gardens in containers outside their homes. Our hope is these women can take the skill of growing their own food with them when they return to life on their own. Many will return to very remote locations on the Navajo Reservation.

A workshop for farmers’ market vendors (55 people attended) was held in conjunction with Michael Patrick, Extension CRED Specialist. The agenda was compressive in nature and covered a wide variety of areas that must be addressed to minimize risk and increase the profitability of small farmers and backyard market gardeners. Session 1 addressed crop diversification and season extension methods and strategies for growing products typically in short supply at our local markets such as spinach, lettuce, carrots, garlic, and berry crops. The second session was an introduction to a variety of marketing concepts that can be utilized in farmers’ market setting. Value-Added Products was the topic of the third session which included a very timely update of recent regulation changes from the New Mexico Department of Health. Session 4 introduced vendors to business planning and cost/return analysis of a variety of market garden crops. The day rounded out with a session on pest control in a small farm/market garden scenario. It became evident that many people where interested in more in-depth information about berry production. As a result a follow-up workshop was held where producers had a hands on demonstration of raspberry and black berry production. 25 people attend the follow-up “Berries for Profit” workshop. The agent was responsible for developing the agenda of both events in conjunction with Michael Patrick, Extension CRED Specialist, and the local Farmers’ Market Managers. The agent was responsible for securing facilities, coordinating and collecting registration, soliciting sponsors, contracting a caterer, contacting speakers, and served as the moderator on the day of the event.