Cummings and Goings in Agriculture
District 4-H Horse Club Winners On Way To State Horse Show
By Steve Cummings
Congratulations to the Yalobusha County 4-H Horse Club for winning the Northwest District 4-H Horse Show in Batesville last weekend.
Only ten 4-Hers and one Pre-4-Her competed in the show. The show started with a bang as the junior 4-H Horse Bowl posted a major upset and ended with the club winning the high point county award.
The junior 4-H Horse Bowl team of Tyler Epes, Shade Epes, Casey Moss, Liz Roark, and Breanna Scroggins won the highly competitive contest. Breanna Scroggins placed second in the public speaking contest. The horse bowl team and Breanna advance to the State 4-H Horse Show in July.
Also, Casey Byford, Clarissa Carmichael, Shade Epes, Tyler Epes, Casey Moss, J.W. Pipkin, Liz Roark, Mallory Ward, and Shae Ward all had art work and photography that advanced on to the State 4-H Horse Art and Photography Contest.
It would be difficult to list everyone’s rankings at the district horse show, so I will try to give a short concise summary of these 4-Hers’ accomplishments at the District 4-H Horse Show. The club qualified for the State 4-H Horse Show in 66 classes, had 4 Grand Champions, 3 Reserve Champions, and won 24 classes. Casey Byford qualified for State in 10 classes, had a Reserve Champion and won one class. Delta Gill qualified for State in two classes as did Hayden Harbour. Carley Little won one class and qualified for State. Casey Moss qualified in 13 classes, had 2 Grand Champions, and seven first places. J.W. Pipkin qualified in five classes and had one first place. Liz Roark qualified in four classes for State and had one Reserve Champion.
Breanna Scroggins qualified in twelve classes and won one class. Haley Smith qualified in three classes for the State 4-H show. Shae Ward qualified in 14 classes, had one Reserve Champion, and eight first places. Abbi Roark was Yalobusha County’s only Pre-4-H Buck-A-Roo entry and won first place in the class.
In addition to the class awards, Casey Moss was named Junior High Point Exhibitor and Casey Byford was named Senior High Point Exhibitor.
Congratulations to the Yalobusha County 4-H Horse Club exhibitors on a great District 4-H Horse Show. We wish them the best for the State 4-H Horse Show.
Also, a big thank you goes out to the families of these 4-Hers and the volunteers who helped make this group of young people so successful. And, thank you to all of the Yalobusha County residents that came to the show to support these young people.
Last Sunday night while watching the Channel 9 news at 10 p.m., I happened to see our secretary, April Kilpatrick, on Walt Grayson’s “Walk Around Mississippi”. This segment covered the Teachers’ Association Workshop. April attended this week-long course at Jones Junior College as she is working on her Master’s Degree from Mississippi State University.
If you are a graduate or supporter of Mississippi State University, you are encouraged to attend the MSU alumni program at 5:30 p.m. on July 7, 2008, at the Yalobusha County Multipurpose Building. Dr. Vance Watson, Interim President of MSU, will address the alumni via distance interactive video. Please call our office at 675-2730 if you have any questions.
Horticulture Tips:
Pumpkins need to be planted by July 10 to be ready for Halloween. Larger pumpkins may not be fully mature by October 31, but the color will be developed enough to put on display. Make sure that the pumpkin vines have plenty of room to spread, since many varieties will have vines longer than twenty feet. It is better to have the pumpkins planted after a highly fertilized crop like onions, broccoli, sweet corn or tomatoes than to follow greens or Southern peas. A healthy pumpkin vine is less susceptible to diseases. To grow the quickest, largest pumpkin remove all but one pumpkin from the vine and don’t let the plant run out of nutrients or water during the entire growing season.
Aphids are attacking garden vegetables as the surrounding areas mature and are suffering from lack of water. Check the underside of leaves and apply appropriate control measures when you see the insects. One telltale sign of aphids is an accumulation of black mold on the underside of the leaf. Aphids secrete honeydew as they suck sap and process it for energy. Fungi find the honeydew an excellent growth media and reproduce on it. Killing the aphids will do away with the problem.
