We are a little over a week into the fall season and the weather has definitely shown this to be true. With every afternoon in the mid 80s this week it has been perfect for enjoying the outdoors. I encourage everyone to find some extra time to go outside and find something constructive to do. Whether it is planting a garden, taking a child or grandchild to the park, going fishing, playing ball or simply enjoying nature sitting down. These days are a blessing and we all should enjoy them because they don’t stay around long.

Q: Now that the weather is cooling down, should I work on my pond problems?

A: I apologize we had to cancel our pond management workshop and have yet to reschedule, but calls referring to pond management have been abnormally high lately. One thing we have discussed with multiple land owners is maximizing your pond’s potential. In many cases testing has proven that the pond would benefit from the addition of lime.

The best time to lime ponds is in the fall and winter. One reason for the cooler season is that the lime may cause a temporary drop in pond fertility by reducing phosphorus concentrations. The other reason is that limestone dissolves slowly, so application is best done well before the warmer months, which is the growing season for warm water fish.

The lime requirement is determined by soil testing. In general, ponds that need lime will require at least one ton per acre, usually two or more. Ponds in the sandy soils of South Mississippi usually do benefit from the addition of agricultural lime every three to four years, depending upon the amount of water flow through the pond along with other factors.

Q: Are there any horse classes coming up soon?

A: After the impact Silverado has made some people are taking an interest in horse programs around the area. Believe it or not Mississippi has a booming equine industry. A recent study in a publication of The National Association of County Agricultural Agents has provided some amazing numbers for the state’s equine sector.

We have 72 public agriculture facilities in the state that support the equine industry and 26 major breed associations active in the state. With an estimated 113,063 horses living in Mississippi that is about one horse for every 24 people.

A separate research study by Dr. Al Myles from the MSU Economics Department showed that all facets of the equine industry contributed about $1.02 billion to the state economy in 2006, while impacting nearly 38,000 jobs in equine related areas. That is nowhere near the $17.4 billion the forestry sector contributes, but I think it is safe to say horses have been in Mississippi for a long time and with a growing trend in urban areas like Jackson, Hattiesburg, Biloxi and Desoto County, the trend will not be slowing any time soon.

Now for those of you that want to make a true impact in the horse world, on Nov. 15 we will be hosting a St. Jude Trail Ride at Sandy Creek Farms here in Natchez to raise funds for children’s research. If you love horses, love to ride, or like to be around them mark this date on your calendar and look for more information in the coming weeks.

David Carter is the director of the Adams County Extensions Service. He can be reached at 601-445-8201.