Morgan?s Grove aired at meeting
The June 5 meeting was called to order by President Doug Stolipher at 7:33 p.m. Guest speaker Peter Corum opened the meeting with the business meeting following.
Attendance included: Doug Stolipher, Heather Ishman, Mike Blue, Russ Quinn, Andrea Corum, Gordon Hockman, Laura Bowman and Ward Zigler.
Guests included Peter Corum, Bill Aiken, and Mike Harman.
Corum talked on behalf of Morgan?s Grove Farmer?s Market. He presented the new and various features that this market outside of Shepherdstown hopes to pursue including a 60,000 sq. ft. building that will hold several businesses. The focus of the building and market concept will be economic and environmental sustainability. The members were able to understand the concept of the new building through a model and blueprints that were on display.
Committee reports were presented and a donation and old business were discussed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:33 pm.
There are several committees in the JCFB including: Young Farmer?s, Farm and Ranch Safety, Public Affairs, Membership, Policy Development, Investment, County Evaluation, Political Education, and Jefferson County Fair. If you are interested in any of these committees please feel free to contact the JCFB.
The next meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Directors meeting will be held July 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jefferson County Public Services Building. JCFB members and the public are welcome to attend. Any questions may be directed to Heather Ishman at 304-876-0611 or hnishy@gmail.com.
Rural business grant applicants requested
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to help promote sustainable economic development and job creation in rural communities.
USDA is offering Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG) to non-profit corporations and institutions of higher education. The grants also may be used to conduct feasibility studies, create and implement business plans, and help businesses develop new markets for their products and services.
One-year grants up to $175,000 are available. In most cases, grants may be used to pay for up to 75 percent of the cost of establishing and operating rural cooperative development centers. Recipients are required to match 25 percent of the award amount. The grant period should begin no earlier than Oct. 1 and no later than Jan. 1, 2013.
Applications for Rural Business Opportunity Grants are due Aug. 6, 2012. Application instructions may be obtained by contacting a ?http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/StateOfficeAddresses.html? \o ?Opens in new window.? \t ?extWindow? USDA Rural Development State Office.
White oak decline evident this year
CHARLESTON ? Extensive white oak decline and mortality has been observed in several areas of Wood County. A local forester, Jack Mathers, working for Haessly Timber and Logs in Marietta, Ohio, had been tracking this decline for several years and brought it to the attention of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) and the USDA Forest Service.
The WVDA, Forest Services and Mathers recently spent a day looking at several areas where this decline is occurring. One of the first things noted was that trees had substantial evidence of jumping oak gall wasp, Neuroterus spp., on the leaves.
In 2010, there was a severe outbreak of jumping oak gall wasp in Cabell, Jackson and Wayne counties and in previous years, there have also been reports from other counties including: Harrison, Doddridge, Ritchie, Wood, Kanawha, Putnam, Roane, Gilmer, Wirt, Calhoun, Lewis, Braxton and Clay.
?Surveys are under way now to document areas of jumping oak gall wasp and oak decline,? said Agriculture Commissioner Gus R. Douglass. ?At this time, we don?t know how wide-spread the problem is.?
These wasps lay eggs in the tissues of new oak leaves in the spring. Each gall contains a single immature wasp. The young galls look like small, green, flat buttons that turn brown as they mature. When mature, the galls fall off the foliage leaving small pits in the underside of the leaves where they were attached. If there are numerous galls on the leaf, the entire leaf usually turns brown and falls off. Once on the ground, pupation occurs. Second generation adults overwinter inside the galls and will emerge next spring. The wasps are very tiny (1.0-1.5 mm long) and do not sting.
White oak can usually withstand one or two defoliations. But, if this has been occurring over several years with the trees undergoing multiple defoliations, the trees will eventually succumb to the stress.
?This stress leaves the tree wide open for secondary agents such as Armillaria root rot and Hypoxylon canker to establish along with other decay fungi and secondary insects such as wood boring insects,? said WVDA Forest Pathologist Jill Rose. ?This causes further decline of the tree and, eventually, death.?
If you notice any major outbreaks of oak decline, please contact the WVDA Plant Industries Division, 1900 Kanawha Blvd., East, Charleston, WV 25305-0191 or call 304-558-2212.
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