September Newsletter - Burke County

Adults and Children Familiarize Themselves with Local Foods through Veggie Varmints

NC Cooperative Extension, Burke Center was pleased to host the Veggie Varmints competition at the Drexel Community Fair on August 24th. Veggie Varmints is a free activity for the young and young-at-heart. Participants use local produce to craft “varmints”. Some of this year’s varmints include a dolphin, dinosaur, horses, fish, rabbits, and more truly unique creations.

Of course, this event would not be possible without support from local businesses and producers who graciously donated pounds of produce.

Many crops are in-season during the month of September. Visit local farm stands and farmers markets to get your hands on figs, bok choy, garlic, leafy greens, hot peppers, squash, sweet potatoes and more. Buying local produce supports local economies, builds farmer-consumer relationships, and reinforces the importance of agriculture.

Fall Forage Tips
Damon Pollard, Extension Agent Livestock

August and September are good timed to accomplish fall pasture maintenance. With fall arriving, now is the time to apply lime and fertilizer to pastures and hayfields planted with cool season grasses. Cool season grasses make their peak growth in the cooler weather of spring and fall and any fertilizer applied in spring is long gone. Additional nitrogen now will increase growth for fall grazing.

If you have fields planted in summer annuals like Sudex or Pearl Millet, they can be over seeded with winter annuals as well to provide winter grazing. For cattle and small ruminants, you can utilize oats, wheat, rye or ryegrass. Rye is the highest yielding choice.

For horses, the best choices are oats and ryegrass. Oats will produce heavy spring yields and horses love them. Ryegrass is a good choice for both spring and fall grazing, as it will produce more fall forage and a heavier spring yield than any other winter annual suitable for horses. If managed properly, it will provide grazing throughout the winter, cutting down on the grain requirement.

The most expensive forage for livestock is hay. By investing in fertilizer and seed now, you can reduce hay needs for this winter.

Burke County 4-Hers were recognized at the Burke County Board of Commissioners Meeting held on August 15, 2023.

Burke County 4-H recently had 6 youth travel to Raleigh to compete in the NC State 4-H Horse Show.

We are pleased to announce that Burke County 4-Her - Lily Drake, was named the Senior Ranch Champion and won the Senior Sportmanship Award! She also won the Western Intro High Ride and several other class categories on her Horse, “LC Gin and Tonic.”

Elli Hudson was named the Little Britches State Champion on her horse, “She’s Got Cold Feet.”

In addition, the 4-H State Electric Congress was also held in July where a Burke County 4-Her also walked away with the top honors.

Jacob Hanlon won Overall State Senior Electric Portfolio and won First Place in the Duke Energy Carolinas Territorial Achievement Award.

Seven Burke County 4-Hers attended State 4-H Congress the last week of July. Youth competed in 4-H Presentations, public speaking contest, where Jacob Hanlon won in Communication Arts with his Photography presentation. He was also recognized as an Emerald level Ambassador, elected as the 2023-2024 State 4-H Reporter, and inducted into the State 4-H Honor Club, the highest honor a 4-Her receives.

September is National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month and a great time to formulate a plan for weather emergencies. Are you ready to face the unexpected like a sudden storm, power outage or even a local disaster? What would you do? September is a time to empower yourself, your family, and your community to take action and be prepared for the unexpected emergency.

Begin by creating a family emergency plan. Families should develop a comprehensive emergency plan that includes communication procedures, meeting points, and evacuation routes. Be sure all family members are aware of the plan and practice it through drills. Don’t forget to help senior adults that may live alone have a plan as well.
Remember, your pets are an important part of your family so include them in your emergency plan. Locate a safe place where you can take your pet before disasters happen. If you do not receive emergency alerts, check out Ready.gov to identify the different types of alerts and how to receive them.

Prepare emergency kits with crucial supplies like food, water, medications, first aid items, flashlight, batteries, and other necessities. Keep these kits in readily accessible locations at home, in your car, and at work. Be sure to check your insurance policies to find out if any of your policies will pay for temporary shelter in an emergency.

Generators can be a lifesaver during power outages, but did you know their exhaust can be lethal? Know ahead of time where you would run a generator. Always place generators outside, away from vents, windows, and doors. Never use a generator indoors – not in your home, basement, garage, tent, or any enclosed space. Carbon monoxide is a silent danger that can build up quickly and linger for hours, with disastrous consequences.

Take control of your safety, starting this National Preparedness Month. Together, we can build a more resilient community.