Chilton County’s love of nature and its understanding of the importance in growing the agricultural economy has been on display recently.

This past week, I covered three separate events that strike at the heart of that message.

 

The Chilton County Master Gardeners Association held its monthly meeting on Tuesday and gave an update on its demo garden located near the Chilton County Research and Extension Center.

A “keyhole” garden will be featured at the demonstration with construction set to begin soon. After years of planning, the project is scheduled to be complete by Aug. 6.

The “keyhole garden” is a circular garden that has a v-shaped cutout so that the gardener can use to tend to any point of the garden.

On Wednesday, the Chilton County Extension Office hosted a beekeeping class designed to inform residents who have considered becoming a beekeeper either as a hobby or full-time capacity.

Facts about honey bees and the various types of plants that they pollinate were discussed, as well as stereotypes often associated with bees.

The best was saved for last, as the Alabama Future Farmers of America Association hosted its central district eliminations at Jefferson State Community College and the W.A. “Bing” LeCroy Career Technical Center.

It was a sight to see as schools from Chilton County and the surrounding area participated in the competition.

Teams and individuals participated in events that included livestock, forestry, safe tractor driving and agricultural mechanics.

In the six months since moving to Chilton County from Jacksonville, Fla., the most immediate takeaway that I learned was the respect that the county gave to agricultural.

Anthony Richards is a staff writer for The Clanton Advertiser. Look for the next installment of his column in a future edition of the newspaper.