NWS Winter Outlook
This information is provided by Derrick Snyder – National Weather Service, Paducah, KY.
La Niña conditions are favored to emerge and persist during the winter months, with a 75% chance of La Niña by November to January. La Niña, which is defined by much cooler ocean temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, will likely affect temperature and precipitation through the winter season. A typical La Nina pattern will bring disturbances through the Ohio Valley more frequently than usual, but whether this means Kentucky will see more snow than usual remains unclear. During the last few winters, the most impactful winter storms have occurred when a sudden, sharp transition from above normal to below normal temperatures is forecast, so that will be one item to pay close attention to during the day-to-day forecast.

Master Gardener Program
We will be starting our next Master Gardener Program on January 6 and will be meeting every Monday night (except January 20) beginning at 6 p.m. and going through April 21.
Some of the topics include Soils, Botany, Woody Plants, Turf Care, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Fruits, Flowers, Indoor Plants, and Water Quality, among other topics.
Cost for the program will be $75 and covers all course materials and supplemental materials that you may need.
As part of the program, you will be required to donate back the approximate 40 hours of the course time to our local extension programs and to the community within the year. We have plenty of projects to help you achieve these hours.
There is an application that must be filled out and returned to our office with your fee. Registration deadline is
December 6th. Due to the amount of course material, no registrations will be accepted after December 6th.

Beginning Producer Series
In conjunction with the Bullitt Co. Extension Office, we are once again offering some classes for our Beginning Producer Series. Please note that anyone that wants to come is more than welcome to. Here are the classes and locations:
Small Scale Poultry Production: Tuesday, October 29, 6 p.m. Bullitt County Extension Office, 384 Halls Lane, Shepherdsville. https://uky.info/Chickens24

On Farm Water Quality: Wednesday, November 20, 6 p.m. Spencer Co. Extension Office. https://uky.info/WaterQ24
Meat Rabbit Production for Beginners

Thursday, December 12, 6 p.m. Bullitt Co. Extension Office. https://uky.info/Rabbits24

For more information, please click on the links and to register. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Beef Meeting
Please hold Thursday, November 7, as our next Louisville Area Beef Cattle meeting. Registration will be at 5:30 p.m., with the meal beginning at 6 p.m.. Speakers will be Dr. Jimmy Henning, UK Forage Specialist, discussing “Rejuvenating Hay and Pasture Fields,” and Kelly Baird, KY Beef Council, will be giving us an update from the Cattlemen’s Association. Please call 502-477-2217 to RSVP by November 4.

CAIP Program
Spencer County Conservation has enough funds for a few more applicants for the 2024 CAIP Program.
They will be taking applications through August 14th except for August 2nd and weekends until 3:00 p.m. each day.
Bring your drivers license and a matching utility bill. For information call 502-477-1157 or visit http://www.spencerccd.com

Summer Intern
I would like to extend a warm welcome to our summer intern, Josie Kurtz. She has been here a few weeks and is about halfway through her time with us. Here is a little more info from Josie.
Hello! My name is Josie Kurtz and I am excited to be serving as the summer intern for the Spencer County Extension Office! I am an upcoming senior at the University of Kentucky pursuing a degree in Career and Technical Education with minors in Agricultural Economics and Animal Science. At UK, I serve as the Philanthropy Chair for Sigma Alpha, Vice President for Agricultural Education Society, member of Block and Bridle, and am an employee at the University’s Visitor Center. I grew up here in Taylorsville and I am so happy to be back home for the summer serving the community I hold so close to my heart.

As I write this, it’s a beautiful sun-filled day after a day of some intense wind and rain with tornadoes to the west and south of us. I’m always keeping an eye on the weather, especially during the spring when these types of storms can approach our area. On page 3 of this newsletter, there are some tornado tips and facts from the National Weather Service. I hope you’ll take a look at those.
Summer officially begins on June 20. I want to wish everyone a happy and safe upcoming summer. As always, feel free to call or email me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Bryce Roberts
Spencer County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources

Rinse and Return Program

Farmers Market Opening
The Taylorsville Farmers Market will be opening up on Saturday, April 20, and will be open every Saturday from 8 a.m. until 12:00 noon until the end of October. The market is located next to Fresh Take Market and the Kentucky Farm Bureau office in Taylorsville. I’ll have more
information on the market in next month’s issue.

Spring Weather—Be Prepared
As March begins and winter starts to wind down, now is the time to start thinking about being prepared for what the unpredictable spring weather can throw at us. March is a transitional month where we need to be prepared for anything and everything. In recent years, we’ve seen snow and cold snaps, but we’ve also experienced flooding and tornadoes as well. March tends to represent the battle between winter ending and spring beginning. Eventually, as we move into April and May, signs of winter disappear and spring develops in full force.
Spring can bring beautiful weather, with warm temperatures and sunny skies - great to get the flowers blooming. But it can also bring violent, dangerous weather. Do you or your family know what to do if severe weather strikes where you are? Preparation can be key for everyone’s safety!

Beginning Producer Session

We had to postpone our November Beginning Producer Session until February. Here is the updated information. It will be held on February 27 beginning at 6 p.m. and it will be held at the Spencer Co. Extension Office. Following up with our September meeting on Farm Estate Planning/ Transitioning, we will have Keith Jeffries, Attorney at Law, in attendance to provide “An Attorney’s View on Farm Estate Planning and Transitioning.” Keith will have a short presentation, but he is prepared to answer any questions that you may have about this topic. Pre-registration is required as a meal will be served. Please call our office at 477- 2217 or you can click here to register: https://bit.ly/3vIchSc

Soil Sample Now
As we are now into winter, this is one of the best times to sample your fields, gardens, or lawns to see what type and how much fertilizer you need to make the soil as productive as possible. For each sample you want to submit, we need at least one pint (sandwich bag) of dry soil 4-8 inches below the soil surface. Please put your name and sample ID (north lawn, hayfield 2, etc.) on each bag.
Bring those in now so that you can get the results more quickly and in some cases go ahead and apply the fertilizer now so that the soil will be ready for your yard or crops.
This is a free service provided by the Spencer Co. Conservation District. Thanks to them for sponsoring the soil sampling
program.