Growing Chatham NC Coop Ext~Chatham County~May 2022

2022 Dr. Kim Ingold 4-H Photography Contest

Formally known as the NC 4-H Photo Contest, this statewide annual contest highlights NC 4-H’ers photographic achievements. The winning photos will be displayed on the NC 4-H Photo Contest website. In addition to 4-H In Action and Nature’s Beauty, the new category for 2022 is SPECIAL EFFECTS. Be CREATIVE! Research how to take the best picture possible and practice, practice, practice. Most of all, just have fun being creative!

Electronic entries are due to Liz or Ginger by August 17, 2022.

Join in on the 2022 4-H AIRE Program!

This year's 4-H AIRE (Application, Interview, Resume, and Electronic Video) Program registration will begin on May 1st and run through June 10th in 4-HOnline. This program is open to youth ages 11 – 18 and is a great opportunity for new and experienced members to develop career and college readiness skills in either a competitive or non-competitive format. For more information, please contact Ginger or Liz - we'll be glad to help!

County Deadline: May 18th

Horsekateers Excel at 2022 NC State 4-H Horse Judging Contest

Members of the Chatham County Horsekateers 4-H Club attended the 2022 NC State 4-H and FFA Horse Judging Contests on April 9th at Martin Community College, where 131 4-H’ers competed in the Senior, Senior Rookie, Junior, Junior Rookie, and Cloverbud divisions. Contestants placed four halter and nine performance classes, with Chatham County Horsekateers competing in Senior Individuals, Senior Rookies, and a Senior Team, which placed first in every competitive division. Congratulations to our 4-H members for their exceptional work! Click on the link below to view the individual winners.

2022 4-H Summer Camp Registration Now Available

Registration is now live for all Chatham County 4-H summer camps. Chatham County 4-H is offering both day and residential camp programs once again this summer! We’re excited to offer these fun educational learning opportunities for youth in the community, and thanks to the continued generous support of the United Way of Chatham County, we will be able to provide need-based scholarships to qualifying families as well.

Get Ready for Chatham County Activity Day

May 9-10, 2022

County Activity Day is the county competition where 4-H Presentations and 4-H Entertains talent show competitions are held to determine who advances to 4-H District Activity Day.

4-H Presentations and Public Speaking allows youth the opportunity to present information by demonstration or illustrated talk for competition. Presentations are judged by subject and age categories (8-10, 11-13, 14-18); Cloverbuds (ages 5-7) may also do presentations, but cannot compete. The time limit is generally between 5 and 12 minutes with specific time regulations in specific categories. 4-H Entertains is a talent showcase that occurs in conjunction with District Activity Day (DAD). Each county may register two acts to perform at DAD. Acts will then be selected to perform at the state talent show at 4-H Congress in July.

County Activity Day will be held in-person this year in Pittsboro (Ag Center) on May 9th and Siler City (First Baptist Church) on May 10th from 3pm until 5pm. Contact Liz or Ginger for registration information.

Chatham Clover Creators Donates Supplies to the Animal Shelter

On April 20th the Chatham Clover Creators went to the Chatham County Animal Shelter to deliver several items for the animals. They donated 2 dog houses, 4 birdhouses, and cat and dog toys, all of these donations were built by the Chatham Clover Creators! They also took several bags of dog, puppy, cat and kitten food, laundry detergent, kong toys, blankets, towels and bleach that community members had donated. The Clover Creators appreciate all the help and support from their friends in the community for their donations. The Chatham County Animal Shelter staff were very appreciative when they received all the donations. After the donations were unloaded, the Clover Creators were able to tour the new animal shelter. They learned a lot about the work that it takes to run the animal shelter and caring for the animals. They also learned about animal behavior and how to prevent dog bites. 4-H leader, Ms. Jazmin fell in love with a cute guinea pig that was up for adoption. She went back the next day and adopted him!! So their visit resulted in a forever home for the guinea pig!

The Chatham Clover Creators would like to say Thank You for all your support of their Community Service Project and their club.

Upcoming Extension Gardener Webinar:

Fundamentals of Composting

May 24, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Webinar will be recorded if you cannot attend live.

Food scraps and yard trimmings together account for more than a quarter of household waste. Instead of trucking this waste to the landfill, use composting – the controlled decomposition of organic materials into a soil-like substance – to turn it into a valuable soil amendment! Join Matt Jones Extension Horticulture Agent – N.C. Cooperative Extension, and Shannon Culpepper, Recycling and Education Specialist – Chatham County Solid Waste and Recycling for a webinar are backyard composting. Participants will learn about the science of the decomposition process, understand the types of materials that are readily compostable, how to fine-tune the composting process by finding optimal temperature, moisture, aeration, and pile dimensions, and troubleshooting common composting problems. . We will present research-based information from NC State Extension Specialist Rhonda Sherman.

NC State College of Ag and Life Science Guide to Spring Planting for Summer Blooms

Spring in North Carolina is here! Now’s the time to decide what flowers to plant this spring to ensure beautiful summer blooms. Here’s your guide on how to get started with choosing plants for the sun, shade and a container.

How to Become a Master Gardener Volunteer:

2022 Training Schedule

1. Attend the Information Sessions scheduled for 5/9/2022 6:00 -7:00 p.m.
2. Attend at least five (5) Extension Gardener classes
3. Submit your application by May 27, 2022 (Application link can be found below)
4. Submit the application fee with the application by May 27, 2023. The total application fee is $125.00.
5. Complete Extension Master Gardener Core Training

The Extension Gardener series of webinars and workshops are open to the public (anyone can attend), and also serve as a foundation for understanding research-based home gardening and horticultural practices for prospective Master Gardener Volunteers℠. Prospective Master Gardener Trainees need to attend five workshops or webinars before July 2023. Due to the prolonged delay from COVID-19, Extension Gardener workshops and webinars attended since 2020 will count towards the minimum five. Click on the link below for a list of planned Extension Gardener webinars and workshops through February 2023, with more to come later in the spring and summer of 2023.

NC State University’s Turtle Rescue Team Cares for Injured or Sick Native Herps

Now that spring is here we are starting to see turtles crossing the roads, where inevitably many of them get killed or injured by vehicles. Did you know that NC State University has a Turtle Rescue Team that cares for injured native turtles and other reptiles and amphibians? Learn all about it and meet some of their patients and success stories on the Growing Small Farms website.

See the Turtle Rescue Team in Action

Challenging the Conventional Wisdom About Praying Mantids

Folks of all ages delight in finding praying mantids in the garden. These charismatic predators are large and easy to spot and have a reputation for being cool beneficial insects, helping to dispatch garden pests.

But what if I told you I have an annual early spring ritual where I devote time to purposely removing and destroying praying mantid egg cases from my pollinator garden?

Why would I want to remove praying mantid egg cases? Because unfortunately the most common praying mantid in most North Carolina landscapes is the invasive non-native Chinese mantid (Tenodera sinensis), and they can be a menace in the garden. They produce the egg cases that I seek out and destroy.

Register for Spring Pollinator Garden Tours!

Agriculture Agent Debbie Roos will kick off her spring Pollinator Garden Tours on May 14. She has scheduled nine spring garden tours between May 11 through the end of June. The Pollinator Paradise Garden in Pittsboro has over 225 species of plants, 85% of them native to North Carolina. Visit her Growing Small Farms website for a list of tour dates and links to register.

2022 Farm Animal Welfare & Handling Training Success

On April 12th, we had 26 participants from 7 counties, including law enforcement, animal control, emergency management, and other personnel, attend our Farm Animal Welfare & Handling Training.

This training was designed for law enforcement, animal control, emergency management, and other related professionals to learn more about livestock welfare and handling. Participants learned about animal welfare issues, husbandry, stockmanship, and euthansia in the classroom before heading outside for hands-on training. We had dairy cattle, beef cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and a pig in separate pens and participants rotated to each group to learn more about each species. Speakers discussed body condition scoring, handling, and more in these groups. Participants were also able to practice catching a loose horse and moving cattle in this controlled environment. The content in this training provided participants the tools and education they need to handle livestock situations with confidence while also ensuring their personal safety. In the post-event evaluations, one participant wrote, “It was great. Best I’ve had yet.” Another participant wrote, “I think every deputy and county officer should take this training.” We would like to recognize our speakers for this event: Dr. Karen Jordan, Jim Thomas, Ashley Robbins, Kristina Britt, and Adam Lawing. We would also like to thank our sponsors for their support: Chatham County Farm Bureau, NC Cattlemen’s Association, and Southern States of Siler City. Big thanks to Tucker Withington, Cory Robbins, and Jim Thomas for allowing us to practice with their animals. Photo credits to Sara Pack with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

Private Pesticide Applicators: X Credit Opportunity

We will be hosting a pesticide recertification class: "Minimal Risk to the Applicator and the Environment" on May 26th, 6-8PM at the Chatham County Ag Center. To register please click on the link below.

Soil Acidity and Liming: Basic Information for Farmers and Gardeners

After this year's fertilizer prices, you might be wondering why in the world you need lime any way. Lime is an important tool in increasing pH to the optimal level for the plant or crop you're trying to produce.

Nearly all North Carolina soils are naturally acidic and need lime, which neutralizes the acidity, for optimum growth of crops, forages, turf, trees, and many ornamentals. Even though most of these soils have been limed in the past, periodic additions of lime based on soil tests are still needed. Soil-test summaries and field records compiled by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) emphasize that poor management of soil pH accounts for a high percentage of the “crop problems” in North Carolina.

Chatham County Youth Livestock Team Update

Our Chatham County Youth Livestock Team is hitting the ground running! Our recent practices have included general livestock terms and facts, breed identification, and tools! We have some excited events coming up this summer including farm visits, feed mill tour, processing plant tour, and more!

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NC STATE EXTENSION FORESTRY PUBLICATION: Zoning and Land Use Regulation of Forestry

This publication, authored by Dr. Bob Bardon - NCSU Extension Forestry, discusses how zoning and land use regulations impact the practice of forestry in North Carolina. Forest landowners and others involved with forest management practices need to know about county and municipal jurisdictions and the land use laws and regulations that apply to their forestlands. This publication further explains planning jurisdictions, components of a zoning ordinance, and where to go for more information.

Does Prescribed Fire Threaten Quail Nests?

Lauren McLaughlin, NCSU College of Natural Resources

Prescribed fires, often called controlled burns, have become increasingly important tools for land management and wildlife conservation. Research shows that they not only prevent forest overcrowding and reduce the risk of wildfires, but they also improve habitat for a wide range of plants and animals. However, prescribed burns conducted during the spring and summer – called growing season burns – occur when northern bobwhite quail and many other wildlife species are breeding and nesting. That’s why NC State researchers recently set out to determine whether the timing and frequency of prescribed fire poses an ecological threat to quail nests.

Extension Adds a New Agent Position in Randolph County

Randolph County Is Recruiting NC's First Digital Literacy and Skills Extension Agent.

The agent will provide opportunities and experiences for Randolph County residents to increase their knowledge and skills for using digital resources to help them earn, learn or be well. The agent is a subject matter resource for current and emerging digital technologies.

This Agent will interact with the public through the delivery of skill-building programs and provide broadband access information and resources to increase the adoption and utilization of digital resources in Randolph County. This position will be responsible for providing leadership to the Digital Skills Training Corps (DSTC) in Randolph County. The DSTC will help increase the digital skills capacity in Randolph County by providing training and coaching opportunities.

Affordable Connectivity Program

The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more.

The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

The Affordable Connectivity Program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

Air Fryers 101

Surprise Mom with a Homemade Mother's Day Brunch!!

It’s Mom (and Grandma’s) big day, so start her Mother’s Day off on the right note with a well-deserved brunch. Most of this menu can be prepared ahead of time, plus many of the main ingredients can be found locally grown!

When Curb Marketing Became Big Business

for NC Farm Women

It's been 101 years ago since North Carolina's first curb market for women started on the lawn at the Anson County courthouse. By 1935, the curb market movement had spread out until farm women in more than one-third of North Carolina's 100 counties were working together to take advantage of this platform to market their poultry, eggs, vegetables. fruits, cream, butter, canned goods, flowers, meats and home-cooked foods.

In a fifteen year span, curb markets sales were measured in hundreds of dollars, and by 1935, these cooperative sales totaled well over a million dollars.

By 1935, there were 34 curb markets operating with farm women running these markets. These 34 markets worked with the NC Cooperative Extension service with a newly hired extension specialist, Mrs. Cornelia Morris. She supervised and helped to develop the curb markets. Before Mrs. Morris stepped into this position, she served 17 years as district home demonstration agent and was very familiar with the struggles that farm women faced with marketing and selling their products.

In the March 22, 1923 edition of the Chatham Record, residents were showing interest in having a curb market established in Chatham County.

By March 1940, it appears that a curb market ran by the farm women never became a reality, according to Mrs. R.G. Perry from Pittsboro who sold her goods in Burlington.

In the summer of 1954, residents of the Brown's Chapel community worked together to bring a half day curb market in Pittsboro.

Chatham County currently has three active farmers' markets who sell a variety of items just as the farm women did 101 years ago. Support your local farms by visiting a farmers' market!