Solutions in Your Community

Charles County ConnectionCharles County ConnectionSummer 2020Summer 2020

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In This Issue ~

From the Desk of ShelleyKing-Curry, Southern AreaExtension Director4-H'ers Stand StrongThrough ChallengingTimesNature . . . Just What theDoctor Ordered DuringThis Pandemic!Mental and BehavioralHealth Specialist JoinsUniversity of MarylandExtensionAre You or Someone YouKnow in Need of FoodAssistance?Donate Healthy Foods toFamilies in YourCommunityLooking to Enjoy Some ofthe Bounties of Summer?New Name, New Look,But the Same MissionProtect Your Identity!Develop Your NutrientManagement Plan Nowand Be Ready for Fall!Growing Blackberries?What You Need to Know!Master GardenersAnnounce the 2020Scholarship Recipients

Greetings and SummerHappenings at the Charles

County Extension!I think we all agree that we are experiencing asummer not quite like any before. Most of ourtraditional summer activities, events andexperiences have been put on hiatus or onhold as we collectively respond to meetingneeds for assuring the health and safety ofourselves and each other in our families andcommunities.

There has been significant impact, too, formany of the programs and services we provideto Charles County residents from theUniversity of Maryland Extension (UME). Whileour programs have adapted in many ways,there are many things we are not able to dothis year such as summer 4-H camp, in-personprograms and much of the work in gardensthroughout the county. In times like this we atUME Charles County have come to learn how

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great the need has been for what we do andhow we contribute to the quality of life, healthand vitality of Charles County residents.

We have continued to work during this time ofCOVID-19 and are slowly transitioning back toour office location from workingremotely. Please continue to reach us viatelephone or email for questions, and formaking appointments. Through all of this,each one of us here at UME Charles Countyhas become more resilient, creative andinnovative in how we do our work and serveyou. The benefits have been many fromidentifying new program opportunities andaudiences to delivering virtual and onlineprograms that have allowed us toexpand outreach and our community oflearners. We will integrate what we havelearned into what we have traditionally done inand for our programs to come out on the otherside of this more visible and responsive.

In this issue, look for sharing on new programinnovations, staffing updates, and upcomingopportunities from UME Charles County. Enjoythe read and please welcome it as a newsummer activity. We hope it reaffirms thatsome change can be for good. Feel free to letus know how we are doing and remember wewill continue working for you!

Stay well and stay safe!

ShelleyShelley T. King-Curry, MSUniversity of Maryland ExtensionArea Extension Director - Southern MarylandClusterCalvert, Charles and St. Mary's Counties 9501 Crain Hwy, Box 1Bel Alton, MD 20611301-934-5403 Ext. 300

Growing with 4-HGrowing with 4-H

4-H'ers Stand Strong ThroughChallenging Times

Bonnie Boyden, Program Management Specialistbboyden@umd.edu

Each fall, 4-H members proudly show off their hard work with their project animal andbuilding exhibits at the Charles County Fair. Coronavirus has led to cancelling not only theFair but also the livestock show and sale for 2020. Our 4-H members will be selling theiranimals through private treaty this year. Any sales will be arranged directly betweenbuyers and 4-H members. The 4-H members will be reaching out to last year’s buyers andsupporters asking if they would again this year be purchasing their animals. Through thisprocess, our youth will be gaining entrepreneurship skills by developing an individualmarketing plan.

We are in uncharted territory and want to do what is right for the 4-H exhibitors and thesupportive community. Our hearts are broken for the 4-H exhibitors who have spent manyhours preparing their 4-H projects and caring for their livestock. The health and safety ofour youth and their families are the foundation of our decision to cancel the 2020 4-HLivestock Show and Sale. We all wish we could have a show and sale, but we are inunsafe times and must focus on people's health and well-being.

4-H relies heavily on in-person club meetings in order to help the youth gain livestockknowledge, leadership skills and improve public speaking. During the stay-at-home orders,we are continuing to hone these skills by hosting a variety of virtual activities and clubmeetings. We will be offering a virtual showcase on our website that allows 4-H membersto show off their livestock and give you the opportunity to see the youth and their animals.We all love the excitement and camaraderie of a local fair and sale, but this year we mustensure that young people can market their projects and be acknowledged for theiraccomplishments while keeping everyone safe.

This is one of the most heartbreaking decisions we have ever had to make, however, weare dedicated to helping 4-H’ers, volunteers and their families continue to learn and growthrough innovative experiences that prepare 4-H’ers to be the next generation of problemsolvers and leaders by private treating their animals.

Thank you for your support over the years and we look forward to being together in 2021.Please reach out to me if you have any questions or are interested in purchasing ananimal or supporting the 4-H’ers. Bonnie Boyden, bboyden@umd.edu or 301 934-5404,ext. 401.

Nature . . . Just What the Doctor Ordered During ThisPandemic!

Amy Lang, 4-H Youth Development Educatoramlang@umd.edu

We are living through a very unique and challenging moment inhistory right now. Coronavirus has had significant, lasting impacts onall of us; but it has also provided an opportunity to slow down a bit,spend more time with family and hopefully more time in nature. Asmany of our recreational and entertainment venues have beenclosed or severely limited by COVID restrictions, many of us have

turned to more natural outlets for enjoyment: hiking, fishing,gardening, birding, or just exploring. This return to nature might bejust what the doctor ordered during this COVID pandemic, andbeyond.

In recent years, hundreds of research studies have proven thebenefits of spending time in nature, and the detriments of a lackthereof. Nature Deficit Disorder is a term coined by Richard Louvin his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children fromNature-Deficit Disorder. It refers to the psychological, physical andcognitive consequences stemming from a lack of time in

nature. This reality contributes to a lack of social and gross motor skills, as youth becomeincreasingly socially isolated and don’t spend time learning to navigate the physical andcognitive challenges nature provides. They are missing opportunities to climb trees, buildlog or stone bridges across streams, and develop wilderness shelters we referred to asforts.

The solution to Nature Deficit Disorder is simple – get outside. Nature exploration hasbeen linked to countless benefits in each and every domain of early childhooddevelopment!

Learning SurvivalTechniques

Developing Friendships Identifying Trees

So, in this era of COVID, we at 4-H have tried to use nature as a tool to help our childrendeal with the anxiety sparked by the virus and all of the associated changes that havecome with it. We continue to offer our Outdoor Discovery Club with virtual meetings andsuggested outdoor activities each month. We have launched both a state-wide virtualNature Camp and a Virtual Nature in Your Backyard Activity Club encouraging youth toget outside and giving them exciting adventures to pursue and discover right outside theirdoors. The youth love sharing their experiences in our follow up meetings and are reallybonding over a shared love of the outside world. These programs focused on outdoorexploration and discovery have been shining stars in the desolate era of COVID. We hopethat each and every one of you takes time to renew your spirits by getting out for a walk orgrabbing an old fishing pole and heading to the river, or better yet seeing nature throughthe eyes of a child. I promise you, they will show you things you never imagined. All theyneed is an enthusiastic adult willing to participate with them.

So today, I ask you if you will join us in supporting children’s exploration by joining them inoutdoor nature play, creating opportunities for them to experience nature, and sparkingcuriosity that will lead to the development of lifelong learners. Simple methods to bringchildren and nature together include planter boxes, worm bins, I Spy walks, and adequateall-weather gear for mud, snow, and rain play. Doing so, might be just what the doctorordered.

Above is an excerpt. Click on "Nature . . . Just What the Doctor Ordered During ThisPandemic" to read the full article.

Family and Consumer SciencesFamily and Consumer Sciences

New! Mental and Behavioral Health Specialist Joins UME

Did you know that the University of Maryland Extension has recently hired a Mental andBehavioral Health Specialist to coordinate mental health programming across the state?The position is a new one within Extension and is now occupied by Alexander Chan, PhD,LMFT.

Dr. Chan offers informal educational programs, expert consultation, and written resourcesdesigned for youth, families, and professionals of any background. Stress/anxietymanagement, adolescent mental health, dating violence prevention, and communicationskills are a few examples of the topics he can cover for you or your group or business.

Please consider reaching out to him to discuss your group's educational needsat alexchan@umd.edu.

MARYLAND SNAP-EdMARYLAND SNAP-EdAre You or Someone You Know in Need

of Food Assistance?Charles County has many pantry options available. Find out more by visitinghttps://southernmarylandfoodbank.com/charles-county-pantries.

An additional reminder that Lifestyles will be providing summer meals to children at 10Charles County sites from August 17 to August 28, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. A list oflocations is available on the CCPS Facebook page.

Looking to donate to any of these pantries? Contact the pantry to inquire about theirpolicies, and support their desire to provide healthy foods to folks by donating some ofthese items.

Looking to Enjoy Some of theBounties of Summer?

Try out this simple Corn Salad recipe withsweet corn, juicy tomatoes, bell peppers, andonion. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned.

Prefer fresh? It highlights in-season producethat you can pick up at the La Plata or WaldorfFarmers' Markets!

A New Name, New Look, But the Same Mission

This year, Maryland's Food Supplement Program (formerly, Food Stamps, also known asEBT) changed its name to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to alignwith the federal name of the food benefit program. This occurred due to legislation passedby the General Assembly. As FSNE is the educational component to this benefitsprogram, our new program name will be Maryland SNAP-Ed in accordance with bothfederal and state programs. Our mission to improve the health of low-income Marylandershas not changed, and we look forward to continuing our work in Charles County!

Jessica Conjour, MPHProject Leader and Nutrition EducatorMaryland SNAP-Edjconjour@umd.edu

Money MattersMoney MattersProtect Your Identity!

Patricia MaynardFCS Educator-Financial Wellness

pmaynard@umd.edu

Identity theft is a common problem throughout theworld, even more so during this unprecedentedtime of COVID-19. Identity theft is when someoneuses your personally identifying information withoutyour permission or your knowledge to obtain creditcards, phone services, loans and mortgages,obtain employment and commit other fraudulentacts all in your name. We’re all vulnerable tobecoming a victim of identity theft regardless of ourbackground, our job, or our financial status. It ismore important than ever to safeguard yourself so

it doesn’t happen to you.

Here are some simple tips and resources that can improve the security of your identity.

Start Today!Routinely monitor your credit report and other financial statements. During thesetimes of COVID-19, accessing your credit is more important than ever. Equifax,Experian and TransUnion are now offering free weekly online reports through April,2021. To obtain a free credit report, go to: www.annualcreditreport.comKeep your ID in a safe placeNever leave your purse or wallet unattendedLimit the number of credit cards you have, and cancel any inactive cardsWrite “request photo ID” on the back of credit cardsUse a paper cross shredderNever provide personal information over the phoneProtect your personal data. Use a locked mailbox and collect your mail dailyUse direct depositRoutinely change passwords. Don’t use your mother’s maiden name!Memorize your passwords and PINSProtect your PINKeep account numbers, expiration dates and telephone numbers of customerservice for your credit cards, and bank accounts in order to contact themimmediately if cards are lost or stolenNever throw pre-approved credit card offers, credit card receipts or utility bills in thetrash before shredding them

Unfortunately none of these steps are guaranteed to prevent identity theft, but you canmake it more difficult for someone to steal your identity…so take control.

If you suspect you may be a victim of identity theft, get help immediately. Contact the creditbureaus and request a fraud alert. Initial alert is good for 12 months.

They will take steps to verify the information surrounding the suspicious activity. If a victim of ID theft/fraud, an extended fraud alert is good for 7 years (must providepolice report or FTC ID Theft Report).File a report with the policeFile a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

AGRICULTUREAGRICULTUREDevelop Your Nutrient Management

Plan Now And Be Ready for Fall!It is always a good idea to come in early to begin thedevelopment of your Nutrient Management Plan, but thatis especially true this year as we may become backed updue to new policies on identifying stream buffers.

If you are making a decision about applying Nitrogen inthe fall for wheat or barley, even if the fields are enrolledin the Maryland Cover Crop program, we can help! It isimportant to have the Fall Soil Nitrate Test (FSNT) doneto see if fall recommendations are needed. This test,performed here at our office, can give you the informationyou need to determine whether or not you should applynitrogen in the fall on your small grain. Samples for thefall nitrate test should be taken at an 8” depth and dried quickly. Please call for moreinformation and to schedule your fall nitrate test.

Below is an abbreviated list of important items that will need to be addressed in order toupdate your plan for the next cropping season:

Soil Tests (less than three years old) - Pastures must be sampled as well, even ifno nutrients are applied. Manure Samples (less than 1 year old) - Required every year that manure isspread.Livestock Information - Type of animals, average weight, confinement periods,and amount of bedding material.Field Histories & Intended Crop Rotation - Multiple cropping scenarios can beplanned for!Yield Goals - Should be developed based on prior yield records.Farm Maps - Note any changes, bring maps of new farming properties.

Most farm operations should have an updated plan completed every year. If you are readyto have your plan updated, please give me a call at (301) 934-5404, Ext. 201, to schedulean appointment.

I look forward to working with you!

Francis WarringCoordinator, Nutrient Management Advisor301-934-5403fwarring@umd.edu

Growing Blackberries? What YouNeed to Know!

Dr. Alan LeslieExtension Educator, Agriculture and

Food Systemsaleslie@umd.edu

Blackberries are an attractive alternative crop for many fruitand vegetable farmers in Maryland, and present anopportunity to add diversity to pick-your-own, direct sale, orwholesale operations. In general, blackberries are welladapted to growing conditions in Maryland, but newervariety releases from state breeding programs in Arkansasand North Carolina have yet to be thoroughly tested in thisstate. In collaboration with the Southern MarylandAgricultural Development Commission, we established avariety trial, testing six newer varieties at the CentralMaryland Research and Education Center in UpperMarlboro, MD. The blackberry varieties included in the trialare A) Arapaho, B) Freedom, C) Natchez, D) Osage, E)Ouachita, and F) Von (Figure 1, right).

All varieties are thornless, floricane-fruiting types,with the exception of Freedom, which is a thornless,primocane-fruiting variety. Floricane varietiesproduce fruit on the second-year growth of the plant,which results in earlier fruit production and typically ashort fruiting period with high yields (Figure 2, left).These varieties require overwintering of the first-yeargrowth, and can be sensitive to extreme wintertemperatures. Primocane varieties develop fruit onthe first-year growth, and therefore typically do not

mature until late summer or early fall, which can extend the harvest season. Primocanevarieties do not rely on winter hardiness of first-year canes, and therefore may be moreresilient to abnormally cold winters. For this trial, we retained the first-year growth ofFreedom plants to measure both floricane and primocane production in a single season.However, future reports will focus on primocane production in this variety.

The variety trial was initially established in the spring of 2018, with four replicates of eachvariety planted in a randomized complete block design. Each replicate contained threeplants of that specific cultivar, each spaced 3 ft apart. For the initial two years, data werecollected on plant vigor and survival, with 2020 being the first year that yield data werecollected. Fertilizers and protective fungicides were applied according to production guiderecommendations. Weeds were controlled with herbicide application in early summer andmowing between trellised rows. A single application of lambda-cyhalothrin (Warrior II) wasmade to suppress insect pests, but regular insecticide applications were not made throughthe season. Fruit loss to insect damage was substantial, and yield values are expected tobe higher with better insect scouting and spraying. Therefore this year’s yield data mainlyhighlight differences in yield between varieties, and do not necessarily represent the actualyield potential for any individual variety. The primary insect pests observed this year werespotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) andbrown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys).

Ripe berries were picked weekly between July 13 and August 10 and weighed todetermine yield per replicate. Because replicates had uneven plant survival, we thendivided the yield values by the number of surviving plants to present yield on a per-plantbasis as well as a per-plot basis (Table 1). A subsample of harvested berries were

counted and weighed separately to determine average berry size. Yield totals for the entireseason are summarized in Table 1, with Arapaho, Von, and Osage producing the highestyield on a per-plant basis during the harvest period. Figure 3 shows differences in timingof fruit production, with Osage peaking earliest in the season (Jul 20), followed by Arapahoand Von the following week (Jul 27). Ouachita had a less pronounced peak, and hadsimilar yields through two weeks of harvest (Jul 20 - Jul 27). Figure 4 shows the meanberry size by variety. Arapaho produced the highest yield and the largest berries, whileVon and Osage, which produced the second and third highest yields, had the smallestberries on average.

Figure 3 Mean yield per plant through 5 weeks ofharvest during summer 2020.

Figure 4 Average berry size for each blackberryvariety tested.

These data represent the first year of observations on yield for these varieties in Maryland,and multiple years of data will be required to draw any generalizations about theperformance of these cultivars under growing conditions in this state. However, earlyobservations indicate that varieties Osage and Von are good candidates for commercialproduction in Maryland. Arapaho had the highest per-plant production, but had the lowestsurvival through establishment. One other interesting note was the overall poorperformance of Natchez, with the second lowest survival (66.7%) and the lowest per-plantyield among floricane varieties. Future work will repeat measurements of yield and berrysize, and will include measures of berry quality and flavor parameters for each variety. Theoverall goal is to provide objective assessment of the quality of these different blackberryvarieties for the Maryland farmer.

MASTER GARDENER NEWSMASTER GARDENER NEWSMaster Gardeners Announce

the 2020 ScholarshipRecipients

Charles County Master Gardeners have awarded $1,000 scholarships to two 2020graduating La Plata High School seniors. Makayla Kret plans to pursue her degree inAnimal Sciences and a certificate in Agricultural Business and Management at theUniversity of Maryland. Luke Szoch’s academic goal is to study for a degree in BiologicalEngineering at North Carolina State University. Both recipients more than fulfilled all of therequired criteria to receive the scholarships.

Congratulations Makayla and Luke!

Makayla Kret Luke Szoch

The Maryland Master Gardener Program is a volunteer educational organization of theUniversity of Maryland Extension (UME). The program puts research-based knowledgeand environmental power into the hands of people who want to create sustainablegardens and landscapes, and protect and improve natural resources. Master Gardenersare citizens from all walks of life who combine their love of plants, people, and theenvironment to help residents solve problems and make environmentally-sound decisionson public and private properties.

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