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Darrin Parmenter
Position: La Plata County Extension Office

Food-safety awareness crucial for producers and consumers

Not only will we have produce this summer from local farms, more local producers will be selling baked goods, jams, jellies, tea mixes, spice rubs and flavored honeys. I am refe...

Young farmers plant seeds for success in our region

Way back when – perhaps the late 1990s – I wanted to be a farmer. I was close to getting mybachelor of science degree at Montana State University and was taking those “fluff” cla...

Steampunk Wipeout will test kids’ obstacle-course skills

In anticipation of Steampunk Snowdown 2015, La Plata County 4-H is teaming with great local sponsors to put on a fun event for families. Celebrating Healthy Communities, Durango...

Radon: Winter best time to test your home for this silent killer

Radon – a gas second only to cigarette smoke in its ability to cause lung cancer – can’t be seen, smelled or tasted. This gas kills about 500 Coloradans annually. It is a Class A...

Build cold frame to grow vegetables during winter

In the middle of winter, the selection of “fresh” vegetables can be quite meager. Sure, the produce on the store’s shelves could be considered fresh, but it’s highly unlikely it w...

4-H volunteer leaders provide invaluable support to program

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. It is always exciting to embrace a new year and the possibilities of new opportunities on the horizon. Personally, ...

You can celebrate holidays without eating too much

By now, you are probably quite busy with community or family gatherings. The dinner is cooking (or you already have plans for eating out), and Christmas wrapping and gifts are scattered all ...

This parasitic plant gives us reason to pucker up at holidays

Traditions. Many of our families have them. You may remember my last column talked about the “new” Parmenter tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving somewhere in the desert – dinner by lantern...

4-H’er starts fundraising campaign for 6-year-old suffering from cancer

La Plata County 4-H is a partner of the Celebrating Healthy Communities coalition, which collaborates with organizations to provide education and awareness to community members. ...

Protect personal information when holiday shopping online

’Tis the season! Whew, we have made it past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but there still are 20 shopping days left. This season also is a busy time for theft. According to the ...

Wherever you are today, gives thanks and smile

I had a date on Tuesday night. Nice dinner, warm atmosphere, engaging conversation. It wasn’t our first, but it has been a while since we just sat and talked, so it was nice to just reconnec...

La Plata County earns award for garden at state 4-H forum

I attended the annual Colorado State University Extension Forum in Fort Collins last week. The forum is an opportunity for Extension agents from around the state to review and p...