Polk County Extension Update

Due to damage to the County’s U of A Cooperative Extension Service Building from the recent tornado, the Extension Office is temporarily being housed at the Polk County Fairgrounds. We have the same office hours of 8 to 12 and 1 to 5 each weekday.

The April 9 tornado will leave a mark on our minds as well as on our landscape. We have all stages of recovery going on in our community. Many do not have homes at this point and have many hard and tiring decisions to make regarding their future. Others are trying to deal with saving or cleaning up trees from their yards and streets. No matter what the issue, your U of A Extension Service has resources available to guide you in some of those decisions.

We have several publications to help with managing your decisions regarding finances, valuables, and insurance claims. We have information to help you and your family deal with the stress related to our recent trauma. If you need to get information related to caring for damaged landscape plants or even what types of plants you need to choose from for reestablishing your lawn or shade trees, those are available as well. We have resources to set up informational and educational meetings about various issues caused by the storm. Let us know what we need to t do to help with your recovery process.

All of our traditional services such as soil testing, pest ID and control, foods and safety are up and running. We are just not quite as easy to find as we were. Give us a call or stop by and see us for assistance. We may not be quite as organized as we were in our former office but we are her to help you. Our fact sheets are also available online if you have internet access. Go to our website at http://division.uaex.edu/publications.htm If you have trouble locating something you need, call us at 479-394-6018.

I have had a request from some folks about organizing a bulk or mass purchasing opportunity to presale and have some larger landscape trees delivered to our area. This could possibly save some money for those who are ready to replant some of their lost shade trees. The same opportunity is also available for those needing to reestablish lawns using zoysia, centipede, or Bermuda grass sod. There are lots of new sunny lawns since so many of the trees are gone. Many will be having to change the way they care for their lawn and home. Information is available for that as well.

We are also working on a public educational meeting to help people with storm recovery. As soon as the date and schedule are ready, we will start publicizing the meeting.

Carla Vaught
County Extension Agent-Staff Chair
April 27, 2009
479-394-6018
Cvaught@uaex.edu