New Services Offered by Powell County MSU Extension Are a Hit

Published: 2020
By Bo Walker

Powell County MSU Extension offers many agricultural and horticultural services including forage and soil testing, noxious and weed free hay certification, insect and weed identification, plant disease diagnostics, and agricultural and environmental consulting. This year over 50 local producers and residents used these services, a significant decline when compared to previous years. However, the Powell County MSU Extension office was closed for several months (due to COVID-19) during the growing season, which is normally the time of year with the highest demand for these services. In total, three local gardeners had soil tests conducted, five producers and local residents utilized environmental and agricultural consulting services, six local gardeners had plants diagnosed for disease, eight producers had hay tested for nitrates, 12 producers had hay certified as noxious and weed seed free, and 18 Powell County residents brought in insect and weed samples for identification. Despite the decline in customers, perhaps the most exciting new services offered by Powell County MSU Extension are the agricultural and environmental consulting services. Consultations this year included: enhancing water quality and trout habitat in a privately-owned pond; strategies for reducing livestock-predator conflict; creating small pasture enhancement plans; reducing bank erosion potential through native grass stand restoration; and, managing weeds in irrigated hay fields. Powell County MSU Extension expects to continue to increase the number of local residents and producers that take advantage of consultation services, as satisfaction with these services was high and word of mouth tends to be the best form of advertising in our community. Overall, these services save Powell County constituents hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the amount and type of work completed, and help enhance the environmental quality and economic viability of our rural communities.