Perry County- Alabama Extension

05/29/2026

Spring is the perfect time to refresh your routine and focus on healthier habits! 🌱💙 Small lifestyle changes can make a big difference in managing diabetes and improving overall wellness. Learn helpful tips for healthy eating, staying active, and maintaining balance this season.

Read more: https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/diabetes/spring-into-healthy-habits-for-diabetes-management/

Spring offers a chance to refresh habits that support diabetes management through simple, sustainable changes.

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

In observance of Memorial Day, the Perry County Extension Office will be closed on Monday, May 25.
We honor and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
Our office will resume regular hours on Tuesday, May 26 at 7:30 a.m.
Thank you, and have a safe Memorial Day

05/25/2026

🌿🌼 Get Outside with Alabama Smart Yards – Free Webinar!
Join the Alabama Cooperative Extension System Home Horticulture team for a fun and informative webinar in the Get Outside with Alabama Smart Yards series!
🗓 May 27
🌱 Topic: Soft Landings: Small Natural Plantings that Support Native Wildlife
🎤 Led by Jason Somerville, Alabama Extension Home Horticulture Agent
Learn how simple, natural plantings can create beautiful landscapes while supporting native wildlife right in your own yard! 🐦🦋
This 30-minute online session is perfect for anyone interested in gardening, sustainability, and making a positive impact outdoors.
💻 Don’t miss it!

Join Alabama Extension for the Get Outside with Alabama Smart Yards webinar series, brought to you by the Home Horticulture team.

05/24/2026

📈 Historic Beef Prices: Looking Beyond the Price Tag 🐄
Beef prices are making headlines—but what’s really driving the increase? This helpful article from Alabama Cooperative Extension breaks down the bigger picture, from supply and demand to long-term impacts on producers and consumers.
Whether you’re a farmer, rancher, or simply a consumer wanting to understand rising food costs, this is worth the read!

While some consumers may think beef prices have cattle famers watching the money pour in, grocery store price tags do not tell the full story.

05/22/2026

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is offering ServSafe Manager Classes across multiple counties this summer—bringing food safety certification opportunities closer to you!
📍 Locations include:
• Tuscaloosa County (May 26 & 27)
• Hale County (June 22 & 23)
• Dallas County (June 29 & 30)
⭐ Perry County Residents—Join Us Locally!
📍 Perry County Health Department
1748 S. Washington St., Marion, AL
📅 July 27 & 28, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM start time each day
Take advantage of this opportunity to complete your training right here in Perry County—no need to travel far!
💲 Cost:
• $150 (includes instruction, exam, and ServSafe book)
• $80 (instruction and exam only, no book)
✅ Earn your National Restaurant Association ServSafe Certification upon successful completion.
🔗 Register today: www.aces.edu/go/servsafe
📞 For more information, contact Alice Moore at (334) 216-0738
Spots are limited—secure your seat today and get certified locally

05/22/2026

Master Gardener Fall Applications Open June 1

Alabama Extension Master Gardener Internship applications open June 1. This program offers participants the opportunity to expand their knowledge of gardening, connect with their local community, and share their skills through volunteer service. Fall classes will run August 13 through November 7. Program details here.

05/22/2026

🚨 This fast-moving vine can blanket trees in no time—here’s how to recognize kudzu.

🚨 This fast-moving vine can blanket trees in no time—here’s how to recognize kudzu.
🌿 Kudzu is a fast-growing, deciduous climbing vine that can easily overtake shrubs and trees, with the ability to climb up to 60 feet in a single season.
🍃 The leaves are compound, with 3 large leaflets. Shapes can vary from mitten-like to lobed or unlobed.
🌸 This plant blooms July through September and produces pink-purple, pea-like flowers—usually found on vines draped over other vegetation rather than trailing on the ground.
🫘 Fruits are flattened seed pod legumes with hard-coated seeds.
🌿 Vines can reach 10 inches or more in diameter, with a starchy, tuberous root that can extend 12 feet deep and weigh up to 200–300 pounds.
🌎 Highly adaptable, kudzu thrives in natural areas, forests, roadsides, rights-of-way, and pastures.
⚠️ Introduced for erosion control, forage, and ornamental purposes, kudzu spread widely across the South. Its rapid growth now allows it to shade out and smother native vegetation, creating serious ecological issues and hosting pests that affect Alabama agriculture.
📣 Now is a great time for control efforts that can prevent further spread. Learn more about kudzu’s history and impact:
🔗 https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/forestry-wildlife/the-history-and-use-of-kudzu-in-the-southeastern-united-states/

05/22/2026

Ever wonder which wild residents our team relates to most? Swipe through to meet the "animals" of our Forestry, Wildlife, and Natural Resources team! 🦉🐻✨