EFNEP Programs Help Break Cycle Of Poor Nutrition And Poverty
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre J* 3 '' 6 Umiicd access to affordable, 20. Many of these girls make nu- Surveys show that upon enter- ing. Others have had their children
Co.) This year marks the 25th healthful foods, including fresh tritionally poor food choices. ing EFNEP programs, only one- returned to them from foster care,
anniversary of the Expanded Food aod vegetables. Their diets Of the infants bom to teenagers third of the participants had diets For many clients, EFNEP pro
and Nutrition Education Program *‘kely to be deficient in vita- who gam less than 20 pounds dur- containing recommended quanti- grams have been a starting point
(EFNEP), a federally funded pro- 01108 A and C, calcium and iron.” ing pregnancy, more than 15 per- ties of foods from all five food for turning their lives around. “I
gram offered by Penn State Co- ® ne 10 s ' x Pennsylvanians age cent have low birth weights. These groups. This number increased to learned how to prepare creative
operative Extension to low-in- or younger lives below the low-birth-weight babfes are more more than three-fourths by com- and nutritious meals on a low bud
come families throughout Penn- that’s nearly prone to a wide range of health pletion of the programs. get,” says Dcnita Anderson, a mo
sylvania. 440,000 children. Long-term, problems and disabilities. But EFNEP paraprofessionals ther of six in Meadville. "When
EFNEP paraprofessionals help chronic undernutrilion slows “Participants in EFNEP pro- arid volunteers do more than teach you have a big family, that means
thousands of families especial- learning and cognitive develop- grams learn ways to stretch food nutrition. They help participants a lot.
ly those with young children m6 °U lowers motivation and hind- dollars and provide nutritious further their education, find jobs “But that was just the begin
and pregnant teens choose a ers concentration. mea | s f or tiieir families,” says and become more self-sufficient, ning,” Anderson says. “The pro
healthful diet on a limited income. Poorly nourished children and Hcald. “This includes information Graduates often report that they gram also helped me make con
“ Families living on an extreme- 16608 also have weakened resis- on preparing food', food safety, are making use of educational-as- tacts to further my education,
ly tight budget often are chronical- 13066 10 viruses and other infec- reading food labels, making good sislaoC6 programs and other ser- Thanks to the encouragement 1 got
ly undernourished,” says Judith tions. In addition, approximately use of food stamps and other re- VIC6S - Ma °y have returned to the through EFNEP. I’m going to at-
Heald, EFNEP program manager 40 percent of all girls in low-in- sources, eating sensibly during work f° rce or have enrolled in high tend Penn State and major in agri
m Penn Stale’s College of Agri- come families become pregnant at pregnancy and feeding babies and S6 b°°l* general-equivalency di- cultural business.”
cultural Sciences. “They often least once before they reach age children.” ploma (GED) classes or job train-
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Prevent Fire Blight In
Woody Ornamentals
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. With proper
management, you can extinguish Tire blight
before it damages the woody ornamentals in
your landscape, says an expert in Penn State’s
College of Agricultural Sciences.
“Fire blight is a disease that can attack more
than 73 species of trees and shrubs,” says Dr.
Gary Moorman, associate professor of plant
pathology. “Susceptible plants include apple,
pear, quince, mountain ash, crabapple, haw
thorn, cotoneaster, scrviceberry and pyracan
tha.”
Infected plants display a variety of symp
toms. Twigs, branches and leaders on trees
and shrubs wilt and blacken, especially during
flowering. Affected twigs and branches may
bend over into the shape of a shepherd’s
crook. Blackened flower parts remain attach
ed to the tree. Cream-colored liquid may ooze
out of the cankers and run down the trunk and
branches in the spring if contilions arc very
wet.
“The bacterium that causes fire blight over
winters on infected plants in darkened, slight
ly sunken cankers,” Moorman says. “In the
spring, the bacteria are spread by insects, rain,
wind and birds. Although plants are most sus
ceptible during flowering and new shoot de
velopment, fire blight can continue to spread
later in the season.”
Certain conditions promote fire blight.
“Fcrtilicalion practices that product very suc
culent growth can make plants more susccpu
blc,” says Moorman. “Temperatures between
70 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit, combined with
high relative humidity and rainfall during
flowering, provide optimum conditions for
the disease. Injury due to hail or wind-blown
soil opens plant tissue to infection.”
Moorman says to avoid fire blight, you
should grow resistant varieties when ever
possible. “Purchase and plant only disease
free trees and shrubs, and remove severely in
fected plants.”
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Once the disease has begun, Moorman re
commends a three-pronged management
strategy:
• During the growing season, inspect sus
ceptible plants and prune infected tissues.
Look for blackened twigs, branches and flow
er parts. Find the sunken, darkened cankers on
the wood. Prune when the weather is dry, cut
ting at least 12 inches below the canker. Dis
infect pruning tools between cuts by placing
them in one part household bleach to nine
parts water for 10 minutes, then rinsing them
in clean water.
• During the dormant season, prune infect
ed tissues by cutting at least four inches below
the canker. Disinfect pruning tools between
cuts.
• If necessary, use a chemical that is regis
tered for use on the type of plant infected or
contact a professional landscaper or arborist
for treatment. When using pesticides, be sure
to read and follow all directions and safety
precautions on labels.
For more information on plant diseases,
contact the Penn State Cooperative Extension
office in your county.