ISSUE
Southern Colorado Ag and Range Newsletter
22
Ma r ch 2015
Page 1
Ag Agent Greeting Inside this Issue Ag Agent Greeting ................................ 1 Drought Monitors .................................. 2 Arkansas River Basin Water Forum ......... 3 Know a Native ...................................... 3 Noxious Weed Control ........................... 3 Vegetable Planting Guide .................. 4-5 Scholarship Opportunity ........................ 5 What Should I Plant? ......................... 6-7 Calendar of Events & Classes ................. 8
Office Hours: Monday—Friday 8 a.m.—5 p.m. (excluding holidays) CSU Extension Pueblo County 701 Court St., Suite C Pueblo, CO 81003 Phone: (719) 583-6566 Fax: (719) 583-6582 http://pueblo.colostate.edu
www.facebook.com/ CSUExtensionPueblo
Spring is here. The grass is starting to green up, calves are appearing and field work has begun. We have had some decent moisture through the winter and let’s hope we continue that trend this spring. As of the latest drought monitor, Eastern Pueblo County is still classified as Abnormally Dry and the further east you go we get into the Moderate Drought category. The NRCS SNOTEL Snow/Precipitation Report updated March 18, 2015 has the Arkansas River basin at 98% of average. If we can continue to receive some of these good, wet spring storms, the growing season will start off in good shape. We all know that can change in a hurry though. At the Annual Meeting of the Pueblo County Stockmen’s Association in early February, Chief Meteorologist Brian Bledsoe gave his long range forecast for the area. His prediction was that through the spring we would see favorable conditions including some much needed precipitation. His outlook was not so good looking out past June and through the summer. He said be prepared for the dry conditions to return. I guess what I am saying is, even though things look good now; they can change at any time. We all need to continue to be prepared for the drought and manage our resources accordingly. Enough about that though. I have completed a full year here as your Ag Extension Agent and have enjoyed meeting new people and learning about this area. We are stepping up our programming and will be offering more classes and services this year. We have recently completed two classes of a beginning bee keeping class that was very popular. Due to the overwhelming interest, we may even hold another in the fall as well as form a bee keeping club for the county. A backyard poultry class is coming up next week. Also, watch for a two-part class to be held in late April and early May on caring for your horse. Details are still being worked out with more information and dates to be announced soon. In this issue, we tried to address some frequently asked questions that we’ve been receiving. MJ has placed an article about vegetable planting and I have included one about rangeland restoration and grass seed. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact our office at (719) 583-6566. Have a great spring and I look forward to hearing from you with any questions or comments you may have.
All articles written by Tom Laca unless otherwise indicated.
Tom Laca is the Extension Agent for Small Acreage/Range/Natural Resources Management in the Colorado State University Extension Pueblo County office. He can be reached at (719) 583-6566 or Tom.Laca@colostate.edu Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Pueblo County cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.