Aaron Lichtenberg: UNH Cooperative Extension is a valuable resource

To The Daily Sun,

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lichtenberg, I'm afraid it's terminal. It's not a matter of if; it's only a matter of when. We're still conducting research on the disease, and we're very sorry for your situation."

Thankfully, these words could have been spoken about my overwintered spinach planting and not my health.

As a small-scale vegetable grower in the Lakes Region, I was out at the high tunnel in early October for my first harvest of fresh, sweet winter spinach. To my dismay, however, I noticed what I thought to be spinach downy mildew on the otherwise beautiful leaves of green. This "terminal" disease could possibly mean the end of my spinach planting, all my hard work and loss in potential sales after just one harvest. 

The vegetable growing world in N.H. is close-knit. Everyone typically knows everyone, and a fellow farmer is usually just a phone call away. However, a fellow grower isn't always able to help, especially in this situation. This is where UNH Cooperative Extension enters the story — just like they have on a multitude of occasions in almost a decade of running my small agricultural business here in Belknap County.  

Within a half hour of sending a photo of our diseased spinach leaves to our Extension specialist, I not only had a response indicating my suspicions were correct but was also simultaneously connected with two other Extension specialists from around the country. Our spinach was about to board a plane, overnight to Arkansas, for further study and identification of this terrible plant disease.

What’s important to note in this story is the incredible resource that is UNH Cooperative Extension.

Extension has four different program areas that provide a direct link between UNH and the citizens of NH. Extension plans and conducts educational programs responsive to the needs of taxpayers in the state and has been operating across N.H. for over 100 years!

Whether you are a young family looking for opportunities for your children in 4-H or the Nutrition Connections programs, or a landowner with questions on how to manage your woodlot, Extension has a specialist ready to assist. Does your local school want to grow a garden? Extension can facilitate a Master Gardener or other volunteers to help you get started. Do you operate a small business and need guidance on how to create a road to recovery following the pandemic? Extension’s Community and Economic Development team is ready for your questions.

In these challenging economic times, we can't ask for better leveraging of our tax dollars than what Extension has to offer our communities. In fact, for every Belknap county taxpayer dollar invested in Extension in 2020, they have provided $2.78 worth of statewide resources.

I urge readers to check out all that Extension has to offer by heading to their website at extension.unh.edu. Between regular Facebook Live sessions on UNH Extension’s Facebook page to a brand-new Granite State Gardening podcast available on your favorite streaming sites – there’s always something new at UNH Extension.

Aaron Lichtenberg

Alton Bay