We are looking for your help with three things related to our Penobscot County 4-H Program: 

1. We want to help youth learn how to raise sheep and be in 4-H. Do you know youth ages 9-18 who are already raising sheep or who would like to learn about joining 4-H and showing at Bangor State Fair 4-H Shows? We are trying to form a new 4-H club or find new members for a few local 4-H clubs.
    
2. If we cannot find enough youth who are 4-Hers to participate in the Bangor State Fair (BSF), we may need to contact some farms to display about 5 sheep/pen for 7 days of the fair, let us know if you might be interested. At this time, we do not know how many pens, if any, might be available at the fair.  The fair wants to support 4-H & local farmers and we need a variety of sheep to make a good exhibit, but note, the BSF Sheep Show is only for 4-Hers.
    
3. If you are interested in becoming a supporter or leader of a 4-H sheep club or a 4-H Market Sheep club or provide a sheep or market lamb educational clinic, please let us know very soon. 

Consumption of crops is outgrowing the production of crops around the world. Malnutrition and starvation are major international issues. Fertilizers can help growers increase food production, but how? The January 22 Sustainable, Secure Food blog post explains how fertilizers help growers provide nutritious, affordable food for the world's growing population.

According to blogger Amanda Ramcharan, Pennsylvania State University, "Without the use of fertilizers-whether organic or inorganic-we cannot currently feed the world's population. It is estimated that at least 30-50% of crop yields globally are attributable to fertilizer application. This makes fertilizers a key ingredient for maintaining food production to meet global population growth. Agronomists continue to develop better management practices to grow enough nutritious, affordable food while protecting the environment."

The blog explains the nature of different fertilizers and their use.

It's not just about yield; it's also about the nutritional content of the food. Ramcharan uses an example of two tomatoes grown in a home garden. "Let's say you plant two tomato plants of the same variety," she writes. "One tomato plant goes into a robust, nutrient-rich soil in one area of your garden. In another area of your garden, you forgot to add compost last fall or didn't add fertilizer. That soil is nutrient-deficient, but looks fine to your eyes. You plant your second tomato there. Both plants yield red, juicy tomatoes that taste the same. But the tomatoes-if tested for nutrients-would be different. The one grown in the healthy soil will have more nutrients for you to consume than one grown in a poor soil. But you cannot tell that just by looking at the tomatoes! It's also quite likely that your garden will yield fewer tomatoes from the plant grown in nutrient-deficient soil."

To watch videos about healthy soils and healthy foods, go to our YouTube channel to watch visit Soils Support Agriculture: or  Soils Support Health

Sustainable, Secure Food: This blog is sponsored and written by members of the  American Society of Agronomy and  Crop Science Society of America. Our members are researchers and trained, certified, professionals in the areas of growing our world's food supply while protecting our environment. We work at universities, government research facilities, and private businesses across the United States and the world.

Monthly Safety Blast:  Produced by the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education,  January 2018

It was planting season, and stress was high. Matt worried about the weather and worked around the clock to get his crop in the ground on time. He hadn't slept in three nights and was struggling to make decisions.

 

"I remember thinking 'I wish I could pick you up and put you in the car like you do with a child,'" Ginnie says. "And then I remember thinking ... and take you where? Who can help me with this? I felt so alone."

 

Ginnie felt an "oppressive sense of dread" that intensified as the day wore on about her husband. At dinnertime, his truck was gone and Matt wasn't answering his phone. It was dark when she found the letter. "I just knew," Ginnie says. She called 911 immediately, but by the time the authorities located his truck, Matt had taken his life.

 

A few years back, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that people working in agriculture - including farmers, farm laborers, ranchers, fishers, and lumber harvesters - take their lives at a rate higher than any other occupation. The data suggested that the suicide rate for agricultural workers in 17 states was nearly five times higher compared with that in the general population.

Warning Signs of Suicide:

If someone you know is showing one or more of the following behaviors, he or she may be thinking about suicide. Don't ignore these warning signs. Get help immediately.

Don't wait for the 'final seed' sometimes called the 'last straw.'  Get help for yourself or your loved ones before a  trying time becomes a tragedy.

 

In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is  1-800-273-8255. 

Take the  The Final Seed quiz to test your knowledge!

 

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