April 2024 Newsletter-Granville County Center

As April unfolds, our Extension programs are gearing up for a season of growth and community engagement. From gardening workshops, youth presentations, and summer camp, to family financial literacy classes, our office is buzzing with activities and opportunities to serve Granville County.

Spring is a time of renewal, and our office is at the forefront, offering a wealth of resources and programs tailored to the needs of the community. Ready to work in that garden? Extension agents can provide expert advice from soil health to pest management. Need activities for the young people in your life, there are presentation workshops available to hone their speaking skills and new summer camp opportunities that will keep them learning and having fun.

April serves as an opportune time for our office to connect with the community through outreach events and educational seminars. Whether it is a nutrition workshop or a financial literacy class, agents are dedicated to equipping individuals and families with the knowledge and skills they need to lead healthy, prosperous lives. And please remember to stop by and say hi, when you see us at a community festival or resource fair!

Whether you're a seasoned gardener, a parent looking for enriching activities for your child, or simply someone eager to learn something new, Extension programs have something for everyone this spring. So why not embrace the season of growth and discovery by getting involved with your local Extension office this April?

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Sincerely,

We had an amazing week for Small Farms Week. Thank you to all that participated and contributed to help us make this week happen. We were able to collect 20 meal bags for local families in Granville County during our Food Drive. Our Digital Agent, Ashley Cummings posted several helpful videos on our social media sites on how to use agriculture apps that are available. We distributed wildflower seeds and farmer thank you bags across the county. We hoped to encourage the support of local small farms and raise public awareness about the importance of agriculture.

If you missed out on Small Farms Week, check out our social media for pictures and videos we posted through out the week.

Field Crops Agent Mikayla Berryhill is working on organizing and managing small-plot and on-farm research trials to help support grower decisions by providing research based information on variety selection, product efficacy, and management decisions. She currently has trials in the field focusing on tobacco greenhouse fertilizer management, wheat variety performance, wheat nitrogen application timing, and cover crop benefits. This summer, she plans to have trials displaying pesticide programs and performance, corn and soybean varieties, deer repellent products, economic benefits of managing wheat straw, and others. Keep an eye out, because she will showcase many of these trials at field days over the summer. You can read about past local research here.

If you have questions about past research that has been performed in the area or would like to see the current trials in the field, reach out to Mikayla Berryhill at 919-603-1350 or mikayla_berryhill@ncsu.edu.

Join N.C. Cooperative Extension on Wednesday, April 17 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Antioch Christian Church located at 5789 Antioch Church Road Seagrove, NC 27341 for a deep dive into forage production topics!

Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the first presentation will begin at 9:00. There will be breaks between topics to give attendees the chance to interact with the Conference Sponsors/Trade Show.

Topics include:

forage management plans/calendars
forages species selection (including Native Warm-Season Grasses and niche
species)
weed control without herbicides
soil fertility
bale grazing

Speakers include:

Dr. Chris Teutsch from the University of Kentucky
Brad Thompson Agronomist with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Cody Wright, Producer

This workshop carries three hours of pesticide credits (K, N, O, D, & X) and 3 hours of animal waste credits, so bring your license numbers to the workshop. A hot lunch will be covered by your $20 registration fee. We will wrap up the day by visiting a farm with a Bale Grazing test plot!

Register on Eventbrite.

Contact Kim Woods, Livestock Agent – Person & Granville Counties, at
kim_woods@ncsu.edu or 919-603-1350 for more information.

The Central Piedmont Junior Livestock Show and Sale will be held April 9 & 10 in Orange Grove. This event has been going on for over 75 years and we now have grandchildren of some of the first exhibitors showing market animals. Hogs, cattle, sheep and goat will be exhibited by 4-H and FFA members from several surrounding counties, including Granville. We will have the BBQ supper and live auction again this year. Come out and support these kids with their livestock projects.

Show website can be found here: Central Piedmont Livestock Show