Ramsey County

Howdy!!!!
Well my vacation week came and went so fast that I never had a lot of time to enjoy relaxation.  I did however get to fish 2 days of that week while the rest of the time was either spent judging exhibits at the state fair or crop tours.  My wife also took off last week and towards the end of the week we did get to travel to the northern part of the state and west then proceeded to Minot for a wedding and a trip around the state fair. 

Even though we had a lot of rain this past June we can be really thankful for the rain we received as there is a mess up around Bottineau and the surrounding area.  We were also up into Manitoba and the rain took its’ toll on all living things there as well.  The crops in Canada looked half a crop at best in the area we drove.

It is funny how we take everything for granted in our lives until we see something that affected other folks in different areas of the world.  This year being a prime example of our crops in the lake region.  Even though the wheat looks like the best crop in many years, the disease factor is playing a large roll in producers’ net outcome.  I toured the county on Thursday and found scab on every wheat field I checked with varying amounts of disease on the crops.  I would say the least amount of damage I found would be in the 5-10 percent range. 

Now for the brighter picture for our area.  The cucumbers are really good, we have been eating potatoes for 3 weeks now and the pea crop is already done for the year in our garden.  The corn fields, soybean fields, canola fields and edible bean fields are looking very good however as much as I hate to say this they really could use a shot of rain.  It is amazing how we can have so much rain and now be that dry in most of the county.  Keep in mind I am not talking about the water that is already sitting in the country side but am talking about the crops that are presently growing, along with most gardens and lawns.

2005 Master Gardener Program
The NDSU Master Gardener program will be held this fall on Friday mornings.  The first class will be held on September 9th, 2005 and run consecutive Fridays through October 28, 2005  from 8:30AM to 12:30PM CST.

There will be separate registrations for volunteer and non-volunteer participants.  Volunteer registrants will pay $100.00 and will be expected to return 40 hours of horticultural work approved by their county agent. This can include assisting with programs, planting at REC's, volunteering to make formal presentations at Extension sponsored events, etc. At the completion of this volunteer work, Master Gardener Certificates will be issued to each participant.

Non-volunteer participants will pay $200.00, will not perform volunteer services and will not receive a certificate.

Each registered student will receive a "Sustainable Gardening " packet that is published by the Oregon-Washington Master Gardener program. The text of this packet has been reviewed by Ron Smith and
found to be an excellent source of generic horticultural information. State specific information for ND will be supplemented as handouts throughout the class sessions, or can be downloaded from NDSU's website.

This class will be different from ones in the past.  Students should not enroll expecting to be empty vessels that will be filled with glowing gardening information, but instead will be expected to engage in a Socratic method of exchange. NDSU's blackboard will be utilized with thought-provoking questions that the students are
expected to discuss during classes. Formal presentations will be made, of course, but at least half of the class time will be spent engaging in Q & A's.  Internet access is essential, as materials for the class will need to be accessed, printed, and brought to class by the students.  Quizzes will need to be taken on-line as well. 
Students who do not have Internet access should contact their Extension Agent for a copy of the material.

Registration will come through the Fargo office only. That way we can keep track of the number of registrants with greater accuracy and have all the essential information for mailing, contacting, etc., as well as ensuring that we do not get an overload of participants at any one location.  A registration form is attached.  Registration deadline is August 12th, 2005.

While the speaker's schedule is still in the making, here is a quick glimpse of what registrants can expect this fall: "Sex in the Garden", Ron Smith; "Tree Physiology and Care", Joe Zeleznik; "Diseases of Plants", Diagnostic Lab; "Annual Flowers", Barb Laschkewitsch; "Perennial Flowers", Harlene Hatterman-Valenti; "Computer Access to Hortiscope and Other Relevant Hort Info", Dave Rice, plus more.
  

524 4th Ave NE #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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