Agriculture

LaRue County Farm Bureau is offering a total of $3,000 in college scholarships in 2012. These include four $500 college scholarships open to both high school seniors who will enter college this fall, to undergraduate college students and to adults interested in entering college or continuing their college education. Preference will be given to applicants pursuing careers in agriculture or related fields.

The 4-H Dog Club will meet 10 a.m. Feb. 18 at the LaRue County Extension Office.  Members may bring their dog on a leash, if the weather is not rainy or snowy.  New members are welcome to attend.
The 4-H Dog Care and Training Project is a valuable experience that teaches youth to raise and understand animals as well as master important life skills.

The new year for fishing licenses begins March 1.
This coming year presents some new opportunities to catch rainbow trout, blue catfish, redear sunfish, also known as shellcrackers and white crappie.
Black crappie now dominate the population in Taylorsville Lake, and a good spawn last year should lead to good fishing for blacks in the coming years. Also, three years of white crappie stockings should lead to great fishing this spring.

For the first time since 1990, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated its Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Plant hardiness zone designations represent the average annual extreme minimum temperatures. Low temperature during the winter is a crucial factor in the survival of plants, according to the USDA.
LaRue County is among the areas that have been upgraded for planting temperatures due to the overall warming trend. Although that probably won’t make that much difference to gardeners, according to LaRue County Extension Agent David Harrison.