Extension E-News September 2021

Disaster Recovery Resources for Homes

It’s always good to be prepared for a weather disaster, but no matter your preparedness, sometimes we need a recovery plan. Here is a video that addresses what to do once water has entered a home. Though Dr. Kirby is walking through a house that has experienced extensive damage due to flood waters, be aware that any flooding of your home can cause issues. Please pay particular attention to the information about water wicking into the walls. There is an entire list of videos that addresses emotional effects, food safety and food storage, safety of pets, basic home clean up, and avoiding pest problems following a flood. If you have concerns or could use further assistance, please contact our office and ask to speak with your FCS Agent, Jessica Zuchinno at 828.688.4811.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have received several calls with questions regarding the sudden decline of apple trees. The most common question being, “What exactly is Rapid Apple Decline (RAD)?” This sudden collapse in apple tree growth is fairly new and there are still a lot of unknowns in regards to the identifying the exact cause. One of the first signs of RAD is a curling of the leaves followed by a change from green to a yellowish-red color. RAD will start on one branch and spread to other branches which in turn causes tree death. The disease can cause death to whole plantings or just target one tree out of several. Grafted trees on dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks are affected more than trees on standard rootstocks.

What are the causes? First, there is no simple answer when it comes to pinpointing one exact culprit. The majority of diseases can be attributed to viruses, fungi, bacteria, parasites, and many times to insect activity. Although, these factors might have some bearing on disease development no definite cause has been linked to RAD. Some pathologists have proposed environmental stresses such as winter injury, drought, and excessive amounts of rainfall in certain regions of the country as causes. Others have proposed that High Density plantings of dwarf trees as the culprit due to tight plant spacing and excessive amounts of fertilizers and chemicals. Research is ongoing at NCSU and NCA&T trying to determine an exact cause, keep up to date by visiting the NC Cooperative Extension website for articles and the latest research data.

4-H Opportunities that Last a Lifetime: A Meeting for Parents and Volunteer Leaders (6:30-7:30, Thursday, September 9th).

Mark your calendars for 6:30pm, Thursday, September 9th for this important meeting to discuss "4-H Opportunities that Last a Lifetime." This meeting will be led by Sharon Runion Rowland, 4-H Volunteer and Eve Kindley, County Extension Director, and is designed to help parents and volunteer leaders learn more about 4-H activities, events and competitions that pay off (literally and figuratively)! Come learn about 4-H college scholarships, developing public speaking skills, learning how to keep good records and other life skills that contribute to the success of our youth. This is a 1-hour meeting packed with information – scheduled at the Mitchell County Senior Center.

Please email Eve or call 828.688.4811 to register to attend. Light refreshments will be provided so it will be helpful to have a headcount, by Tuesday, September 7th.

4-H Youth and Adult Volunteers Needed for Mountaineer

Festival-September 18

At this year’s Mountaineer Festival, Mitchell County 4-H will have an exhibit on the history of 4-H in North Carolina! We’ll have the display as well as information on Mitchell County 4-H and giveaways for those who stop by. We’ll need 2 people per shifts and the shifts are 10-12:30, 12:30-3, and 3-5. Please email Eve or call 828.688.4811. 4-H members, this counts as service to the community! Adult volunteers, this is a helpful way to help out 4-H and Extension! Please sign up no later than September 10.

Extension Advisory Council Meeting - 8am, Tuesday, September 21

The next meeting of Mitchell County Cooperative Extension's Advisory Council is set for 8am, Tuesday, September 21 at the Creek Walk Picnic Shelter in Bakersville! A light breakfast will be served so council members are asked to RSVP to Vonda Vaughn no later than Friday, September 17th.

For more information about Cooperative Extension and the Advisory Council's role in Mitchell County, please contact Eve Kindley, County Extension Director or call 828.688.4811.

Parent Education Opportunities - Open to ALL who provide care

We cannot shout it from the mountain tops enough - anyone who cares for a child can benefit from these opportunities! Sometimes the folks who work behind the scenes have a bias, though. So we want you to have perspective from a participant.

Jennifer McKinney says this about the Circle of Parents class, which is one of the six programs being offered. "In spring of 2020, I was working from home with two young kids. All childcare had closed, and we couldn’t risk using a babysitter, since we had high risk family members and there were so many unknowns with the novel coronavirus that was emerging. I felt alone and overwhelmed. When voicing frustrations to a friend, she told me about Circle of Parents. In the group, I was able to share concerns and hear that I was not alone. In addition, I gained resources and ideas that helped me through that tough time. The class completely changed the way my husband and I parented and reined in my children’s trying behavior. Between my new tools and the fun activity bags the kids were given, we had a new lease on life."

Our fall line up of offerings, as always, requires no payment. In fact, we try to “pay” you for your time by providing meal assistance and activity boxes for your child/ren. Visit the Parent Education Opportunities portal to read about each model and explore start dates (many starting very soon!) and meeting platforms. Choose a model you believe will be best for your family, register, and we’ll reach out to you to follow up. Call our office at 828-688-4811 and ask for Jessica if you have questions or would like further assistance. We invite you to share this information with any caregivers you know.

4-H Club Meetings for September!

The Megabytes 4-H Club will meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month and the
4-H STEM Club will meet on the 4th Thursday of each month beginning at 3:30pm. Club meetings will be held at the Extension Center in Bakersville. These clubs are led by Steve Rowland but more help is welcomed!

Each club’s meetings are scheduled for the following dates in September:

Megabytes 4-H Electric Club
Thursday, September 16 @ 3:30pm

4-H STEM Club

Thursday, September 30 @ 3:30pm

You may attend one or both club’s meetings! We just need to know so contact Eve or call 828.688.4811 to sign up!

Back To School: How to Support Teenagers

Students are returning to school with this being the third school year disrupted by COVID 19. It may be frustrating to continue with precautionary measures and/or being worried about anticipated activities being postponed or canceled. As adults, we know this may be a thought so how can parents or guardians help teens handle this?

It’s important to remember that teenagers need to express their emotions and feelings freely in an appropriate manner. If your teenager talks about what is bothering them, it's important to tune in and empathize instead of responding with alarm or advice. A part of effective communication is listening intently and offering genuine compassion, this may be all that’s needed to keep your teenager’s emotions from escalating to an overwhelming feeling.

Talking may not be how your teenager expresses themself, but crying or engaging in physical activity might be. Just be sure they are safe. Even listening to sad or angry music can help young people process and ease distress. Effective ways to express feelings is important, but so is regulating it. So if your teenager wants to read a book, go on a walk, or watch TikTok videos, it may be helpful to give them those opportunities that may quiet their nerves.

If your teenager still doesn’t open up, find other ways that allow them to open up like going on a walk or car ride together. This may be more comfortable for them since there is less eye contact. Or you could ask a question indirectly and have them share how their classmates or friends feel about the new school year to initiate a conversation.

It’s important to be calm and patient and, if needed, find healthy distractions and return to the conversation later if they become agitated. Only if you observe your teen unable to control their everyday life and activities should you speak with their school counselor or a professional.

It’s safe to say that life during a pandemic has been a long and dreadful ride for many adolescents, but by continuing to help adolescents regulate their emotions, we can ensure that they will be able to handle a lot more in the future.

Productive 4-H Summer Garden

The 4-H Youth Stepping FOURward (4-H YSF) Garden is winding down. With the end of summer approaching so has tomato blight giving way to lower weekly yields. However, to date 92lbs of produce (squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplant) has been delivered to the selected local food pantry for distribution. We can't say enough about these 4-H members (and their supportive families) for making this effort successful. Weekly watering, weeding, mowing, weed-eating and harvesting doesn't just happen. Thanks so much for caring!

National 4-H Week highlights 4-H youth in our community and showcases experiences that 4-H offers young people.

During this year’s National 4-H Week, we’ll celebrate with special recognition in the Mitchell News-Journal to be published on Wednesday, October 6. 4-H members AND volunteers are asked to answer this simple question; “What does 4-H mean to you?” Please write a few sentences (it doesn’t have to be to long), include a high-quality picture of yourself and send them to Eve or mail them to PO Box 366, Bakersville, NC 28705. In Order for you work to be published in the Mitchell News-Journal, it must be received no later than 5pm, Wednesday, September 22.