Upshur County Extension Office

10/22/2026

🌱 Healthy Soil = Healthy Farms! 🌾

Healthy soil starts beneath our feet! Cover crops help improve soil health, reduce erosion, build organic matter, and support beneficial microorganisms.

🧪 Have you tested your soil lately? WVU Extension offers soil testing through the WVU Soil Testing Laboratory to help farmers and gardeners better understand their soil’s nutrient needs.

📞 Contact your local WVU Upshur County Extension Office for more information on soil testing, cover crops, and improving soil health!

🌿 Healthy soil today means a more productive tomorrow!

Farmers don’t just cultivate crops or livestock; they also cultivate an entire microbiome beneath their feet. In one teaspoon of soil, there can be millions of microorganisms that work to break down organic matter and increase soil health and fertility. Farmers who work with those microorganisms will have a healthier soil and more productive farm overall. One way to work with them is to start planting cover crops. Not only do they keep the soil covered, but they also provide food to the microorganisms as they are broken down. The microorganisms then provide an increase in soil organic matter.

See your local NRCS office for more information about cover crop mixes and how you can get started!

Photo: Cover Crops in Small Grain stubble, Brookings County, SD. NRCS South Dakota Colette Kessler, Pierre, SD, 2013

10/20/2026

🌾🚜 It’s Conference Week! 💛💙

The 2026 Women in Agriculture Conference is happening THIS WEEKEND, October 23–24, in Morgantown, WV!

Come join us for two great days of networking, agricultural tours, educational sessions, and opportunities to connect with women who share a passion for agriculture! 🌻🐑🐄

Whether you’re a farmer, agricultural professional, or simply interested in agriculture, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn, share ideas, and make new connections!

📅 October 23–24, 2026
📍 West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV

🔗 Learn more about the conference:
https://extension.wvu.edu/agriculture/women-in-agriculture

We hope to see you there! 💛💙

📅 A friendly reminder to save the date!

The 2026 Women in Agriculture Conference is coming up October 23–24 at WVU 💛💙 in Morgantown!

10/20/2026

Help shape the future of 4-H and Extension programming in your county! 🍀

WVU Division for Land Grant Engagement is conducting a statewide needs assessment to identify West Virginia's most pressing educational, agricultural, and health-focused needs.

We want input from people who know 4-H best: alumni, families, and everyone involved in our programs.

Your feedback will help identify priorities, guide future programming, and ensure resources are focused where they can make the greatest impact.

Participation is voluntary, confidential, and open to West Virginia residents age 18 and older. The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Thank you for sharing your perspectives!➡️ https://tr.ee/iwENI6

10/13/2026

🌱 Good gardens start with knowledge!

Ready to grow your gardening skills? WVU Extension’s Grow This! Community Gardener Training offers online lessons to help you build confidence and put practical gardening knowledge to work.

🥕 Explore five learning modules covering:
🌿 Soil health
🌿 Basic botany
🌿 Plant diseases
🌿 Insects
🌿 Vegetable gardening

🏅 Earn your Grow This! Community Gardener Badge by submitting your Garden Journal and scoring at least 80% on the final assessment.

Whether you’re planting your first garden or building on years of experience, there’s always something new to learn. Cooler days are a great time to prepare for your next growing season!

👉 Start learning:
https://share.articulate.com/6HfPUjcTGrx8hua19dTOm #/lessons/drCBWwt7JOxZlRSaY8E0dxy5dZREzpk5

Share with a friend who’s ready to grow! 🍅

10/08/2026

🎃🍂 Look who’s hanging out at the WVU Extension Office in Upshur County! 🍀

Our festive fall friend Aiken Drum is all dressed up and ready to celebrate the season while spreading a little 4-H spirit!

Whether it’s agriculture, 4-H, or community education, WVU Extension is here to help our communities LEARN, GROW, and THRIVE! 🌱

👀 Be sure to give our pumpkin-headed friend a wave if you’re passing by the office!

🍁 Happy Fall from Upshur County WVU Extension! 🍁

10/07/2026

This coming Monday, October 12, 2026, the Upshur County CEOS are hosting a Breast Cancer Awareness event.

10/05/2026

🌿 Attention, pesticide applicators! WVU Extension is offering Pesticide Recertification Training on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

📍 Nearby location: St. Paul’s United Methodist Church
203 Currance St., Parsons, WV

Other locations are: Morgantown, Kearneysville, Romney, Marlinton, Lewisburg, Beckley, and Parkersburg.

Choose the attendance option that fits your credit needs:
🕙 10 a.m.–noon: 4 credits
🕓 10 a.m.–noon and 1–4 p.m.: 10 credits
💲 $10 per person for either option

This training provides pesticide credits for Categories 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, and 12. Pesticide credits are also available for Private Applicators, International Society of Arboriculture, and Society of American Foresters.

✅ Preregistration is required! Have your WV pesticide license number ready when registering.
👉 https://go.wvu.edu/PestCert

🍴 Lunch is not provided. Bring your own or go out during the noon–1 p.m. break.

Training is available at eight sites across WV. You must attend at a designated site; there is no option to watch from home.

Questions or need help registering? Call the Lewis County Extension Office at 304-269-4660.

Please share with other pesticide applicators!

10/05/2026

Today’s classrooms are growing tomorrow’s agricultural leaders!

Thank you to the teachers who help plant the seeds of curiosity, responsibility, and a love for learning. You never know which lesson might inspire the next generation of farmers, agricultural professionals, scientists, and leaders. 🚜🌾💚

FUN FARM FACT: Agriculture can be a classroom all on its own!
From measuring plant growth and studying soil to learning where food comes from, agriculture gives students hands-on ways to explore science, math, nutrition, and the environment.
On National Teachers Day, we’re thankful for the educators helping plant seeds of curiosity in the next generation. 📚🚜

10/02/2026

The Upshur County CEOS are hosting a Breast Cancer Awareness event on Monday, October 12, 2026. Mark your calendars.