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Our March newsletter is brimming with numerous upcoming events, and we encourage you to mark your calendars and join us for many of these occasions. Your presence is valued, and your voice matters! Let's dive right in!
Last month, we introduced you to our new Digital Literacy Skills Agent, Ashley. She's been busy planning exciting workshops to educate our community on various digital applications. This month, we're thrilled to introduce you to our new Extension Program Assistant, Mackenzie Hutson. Mackenzie will be supporting our Extension agents in programming as well as marketing efforts. Learn more about Mackenzie below.
On March 27th, we invite you to join us and the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments for a discussion on local food systems. We're eager to hear about the experiences, challenges, and successes of local farmers, processors, retailers, restaurant owners, food pantries, area partners, and community members in Granville County. Your input will help shape future initiatives in our local food system. For more details, please refer to the flyer below.
Also, join us the week of March 24th-30th to celebrate Small Farms Week. North Carolina Agriculture and Technical University (NC A&T) marks the 38th Annual Small Farms Week Celebration during this time. This event serves as a yearly homage to small-scale agriculture, featuring a range of in-person educational programs throughout the week. Activities will take place at the Environmental Sciences Extension and Research Farm Pavilion at A&T University. Farmers and members of the public keen on participating can register for all events through the Small Farms Week web page.
Each year, the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Granville County Center organizes its events to bolster support for small farmers and raise public awareness about the significance of agriculture. Take a look at the schedule of activities outlined below. Please take special note of our food drive. The recipe card below shows the food we are collecting to create 1 meal for a local family. All food donations can be dropped off at the Extension office.
As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. *Remember to click "view the entire message" at the end of the email to see the entire newsletter.*
Sincerely,
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Charissa M. Puryear
County Extension Director
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Welcome our new Extension Program Assistant, Mackenzie Hutson
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I am so glad to be back with Granville County Cooperative Extension after working as the 2023 4-H Summer Intern! As the Extension Program Assistant, I hope to act as a support for the Granville County agents through social media and events. I am from a family farm in Vance County and attend North Carolina State University. I plan to graduate December 2024 with a major in Crop and Soil Science. I look forward to seeing where this opportunity takes me and how I can contribute to Granville County.
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Registration Open for Gardening Seminar
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Northeast Piedmont Grain Production Meeting
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The Field Crops Programs in Granville, Franklin, Vance, and Warren Counties worked together to put on the Northeast Piedmont Grain Production Meeting that was held in Granville County on February 20th. Growers had the opportunity to learn from Extension Specialists and make decisions about what to do on their farm this year. The topics discussed included the North Carolina On-Farm Trial Program presented by Field Crops Agent Mikayla Berryhill (you can learn more about this topic in this article), disease management of soybeans presented by Dr. LeAnn Lux, optimizing maturity groups and planting dates of soybeans to maximize production presented by Dr. Rachel Vann, and an update on the carbon credit market in North Carolina and its impact on farmers by Extension Associate Austin Menker. If you would like to learn more about the topics discussed at these meetings and the local research performed for field crops, please visit https://granville.ces.ncsu.edu/field-crops-program/.
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Coggins and Equine Vaccination Clinic
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Granville County Cooperative Extension teamed up with a local large animal veterinarian and a farm supply store to host an equine vaccination and Coggins clinic. This allows horse owners to
travel to a closer location to have their horses vaccinated against diseases and test their horses for EIA. Additionally, the veterinarian does not charge a trip fee to each horse owner since they animals are brought to them. 27 horses were seen on February 24, 2024.
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Forage Grower's Conference Registration Coming Soon!
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The Piedmont Livestock Team is in the process of planning a Piedmont Forage Grower’s Conference for April of this year. This will replace the Beef Conference and Sheep/Goat Conference that has traditionally been held in the spring. Forages are essential to all three of these species, and the team wanted to provide this information to producers of multiple species.
The event will be held April 17, 2024 in Seagrove, NC. We will start out with topics covering forage management, forage species selection and soil fertility. After the provided lunch, we will go look at a bale grazing demo site. Click here to see the agenda and to receive an alert when registration opens.
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Registration Open for Central Piedmont Livestock Show and Sale
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Plans are under way for the 2024 Central Piedmont Livestock Show and Sale. This event is for 4-H or FFA youth, ages 5-18 from Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Guilford, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, and Wake Counties. These youth can exhibit Market Lambs, Ewe Lambs, Feeder Steers, Market Steers, Beef Heifers, Market Goats, Meat Goat Breeding Does, and Market Hogs. The show will be held April 9 and 10 in Orange Grove in southern Orange County.
Registration for the show is now open and will remain open until March 15.
Market Steers needed to be on the youth’s farm by November 1, 2023 and market hogs had to be on the youth’s farm February 1, 2024. All other animals have a placement date of March 1, 2024. There is still time to find animals for youth to exhibit. This is a great opportunity for
youth to learn life skills and animal husbandry practices. If you know a youth interested, please have them contact the Extension office for more information. Mark your calendar and plan to come watch these kids and their animal projects. It is a great time! Plus, there will be a BBQ super and animal auction on the evening of the 10th.
Show website can be found here: Central Piedmont Livestock Show
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Family and Consumer Science
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It's National Living Well & National Nutrition Month!
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March is National Living Well Month and National Nutrition Month. Use this 31 day calendar to improve your overall health and wellness this month.
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Many older adults have a fear of falling. Are you interested in improving flexibility, balance and strength? A Matter of Balance is an evidence-based program specifically designed to reduce the fear of falling and improve activity levels among older adults. It uses a variety of activities to teach fall prevention strategies. The Granville County center will hold this eight-week class each Tuesday beginning March 12 - April 30. The class will be held from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Space is limited to 15 participants. Sign up starts NOW! If you would like to register, please call the senior center at (919) 693-3383.
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Registration Open for Extension at Home Series
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Our next class in our Extension at Home series is called “Cooking with Ease: Tips, Tools, and Gadgets”. It is coming up on March 12th at 12 pm. Use the link to sign up!
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Congratulations to Nine Granville County Youth at the North Central District Horse Bowl Competition!
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On February 10th, nine Granville County youth took on the North Central District Horse bowl Competition. Horse bowl is a game kind of like jeopardy but with questions pertaining to all things horses! The Junior team placed 1st and the Senior team placed 2nd, both teams will advance to the State Competition on March 9th!
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Granville County 4-H Achievement Night
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Granville County 4-H Achievement Night was held on February 7th at High Rock Farms in Oxford NC. This was a wonderful night to celebrate all of our 4-H'ers accomplishments from the 2023 year. We had Representative Frank Sossamon and Senator Mary Wills Bode as our speakers. Catered by Family Diner, Florals by Stephanie Garret AFID.
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Registration Open for 2024 Four County Poultry Show and Sale
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The 2024 Four County Poultry Show and Sale is now open for registration! Please visit the link below to learn more and sign up by March 28th: Four County Poultry Show
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Come Out to the Community Resource Festival!
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Have you heard about the upcoming Community Resource Festival at Vance-Granville Community College on Wednesday, March 13? The Extension office will be there with dozens of other local businesses and nonprofit organizations who will be on hand to assist with a range of services to show what the Granville and Vance (and beyond) communities have to offer.
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The Centre for Homeownership & Economic Development via The E-Lounge-"Entrepreneurs Lounge" is proud to announce an exclusive event aimed at unlocking the potential of businesses in rural communities. Scheduled for Thursday, April 4, 2024 from 9 am - 4:30 pm, this event brings together leading business experts to address key challenges and opportunities for businesses in rural areas, empowering entrepreneurs with the knowledge and resources needed to thrive in today's dynamic business landscape.
Attendees will have the opportunity to:
-Discover innovative marketing strategies
-Refine their target audience strategy
-Connect better with their customers
-Lead generation techniques
-Enhancing conversion rates
-Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges in the workplace.
-Valuable insights into attracting funders and investors to fuel their business growth
-Demystifying the world of AI, and highlighting its role in driving growth and monetizing businesses for long-term success.
-And, Business exit strategies and estate planning
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NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.
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