Boomtown Boise, 4H Building & Farmers Market Time

Tuesday Jun 5th, 2012 35 Views Northwest Report

Boomtown Boise, 4H Building & Farmers Market Time plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Now that June is here a lot of local farmers markets are gearing up and many of offer far more than just fruits and vegetables. Check around to find your local markets and enjoy some wonderful fresh products.

A rise in 4-H clubs around the world is playing a part in building sustainable food systems in developing nations for both boys and girls according to Mary Crave of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

CRAVE: For a variety of reasons in some countries perhaps women especially or girls have not been given the opportunity to learn more contemporary or modern agricultural skills and 4H can become a way of developing clubs where boys and girls are learning together. One of the things we hope to do with the 4H program is help boys and girls see gardening as agriculture, as a science

Also...Boise is being ranked by a number of publications as having one of the fastest improving real estate markets in the nation. A national survey by Corelogic ranks Boise as the second-most improved real estate market in the nation. Realtor.com lists the 'City of Trees' as one of the country's top ten "Turnaround Towns." And "Investors Business Daily" says the Boise area is one of the next real estate boomtowns in America. And while Boise’s market has never been really bad, this is good news for homeowners.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

Once desired by the horticultural trade for being a fast grower and a hearty survivor, the tree-of-heaven is now considered a Class C noxious weed in Washington. It’s an attractive tree with its grayish bark, and small clusters of light green or yellow flowers. But its fast growing and reproductive nature has caused it to outcompete native plants, along with allowing it to come up along forest edges, woodlands, fence rows, roadsides, railroad embankments, old fields, and urban parks. The tree-of-heaven also leaches a variety of allelochemicals into the soil that have demonstrated toxic effects on neighboring plants. It’s a prime example of an invasive plant that can end up causing serious problems in waterways, fields, pastures, or urban settings. All states have a list of problematic plants. With summer being the prime time for family vacations and cross country road trips it’s good to be aware of that, and that those “beautiful plants” along the roadside might not be the best thing to bring back as a souvenir. That lovely plant might end up being not only your yard’s, but your state’s worst nightmare. Don’t be the cause of “weeds gone wild”.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.