January 2025

Happy New Year from

Moore County Cooperative Extension!

As we step into 2025, we extend our gratitude to the wonderful community we serve. Your support and participation make our work meaningful, and we look forward to another year of learning, growing, and thriving together.

This year, we remain committed to providing valuable agricultural resources, youth development programs, health and nutrition education, and community support to help Moore County flourish. Whether you’re a farmer, gardener, 4-H member, or simply someone who loves learning new skills, we’re here for you!

May this new year bring you prosperity, good health, and many opportunities to connect with the land and each other. We can’t wait to see what is yet ahead in 2025!

Best wishes for a joyful and successful year ahead!
– The Moore County Cooperative Extension Staff

Join us for a Kidding/Lambing and Pasture Management Field Day at Ithíka Acres Creamery on Saturday, Feb 22 2025 at 09:30 AM for a fun and informative day. Learn all about kidding/lambing and how to properly manage your pastures. Our experts will be on hand to answer all your questions and provide valuable tips. We will go over what to expect before, during, and after kidding/lambing along with dealing with the unexpected. Don't miss out on this hands-on experience.

Register here. Fee includes lunch and door prizes.

Get Ready for Spring

Spring is right around the corner! It's time to get ready and start planning to ensure a successful growing season.

Begin by choosing seeds, preparing tools, and planning your garden layout. With the average last frost typically the first week of April, February is perfect for starting sensitive vegetables indoors. Use a greenhouse, a sunny windowsill, or even indoor grow lights to give seedlings a strong start. Before transplanting, harden off seedlings by gradually introducing them to outdoor conditions over a period of 7-10 days. This helps them adjust to the stronger sunlight, wind, and temperature fluctuations. For hardier vegetables like radishes, peas, and spinach , sow directly in the garden mid-to-late February. These crops can tolerate light frosts.

For general pruning, wait until after the last frost to encourage vigorous spring growth. This applies to many plants, including hedges, which should be pruned back to promote robust new growth.

Garden maintenance also impacts pollinator habitats. Perennial stems provide nesting sites for native solitary bees. Many species overwinter as larvae or young adults in hollow or pith-filled stems, emerging in spring. Careful timing of stem pruning can preserve these habitats.

For more information about getting your garden ready for spring contact Christian Flores at Christian_Flores@ncsu.edu or at 910-947-3188.

Christian Flores
Horticulture Agent, Moore County Center

Raising Backyard Chickens

Spring is a time of new life and chicks! I’m talking about baby chickens. This time of year most local feed stores have a wide variety of laying hen breeds to choose from so you can raise your own backyard chickens. Raising chicks is a great experience for the whole family and can help
teach children responsibility and to care for another life. Here are some basic recommendations to get started. It’s never too early to start preparing to bring home your new chicks.

Before you bring your chicks home, you will need to have some equipment. If you get chicks that are younger than eight weeks old you will have to brood them. Brooding means you are providing a safe, dry, warm place for the chicks to grow until they get all of their feathers and are able to be out in their coop. You will need a container with high sides, a heat lamp, feed, water, a feeder and waterer, and bedding material. Before they are fully feathered they cannot regulate their own body temperature so you need to provide a heat source, usually a heat lamp. In their first week of lif, they need to be kept at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and every week after that
decrease by five degrees Fahrenheit until they are fully feathered and can be outside, depending on breeds that will be six to eight weeks (the night time temperatures should be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit before they live in their coop).

You also need to provide fresh, clean water and food. Any brand of chick starter is a good food source. It is recommended to get the medicated chick starter, which helps keep coccidiosis at bay, a protozoal disease that can cause diarrhea and dehydration and can lead to death. Most
people use wood shavings as bedding material. The main goal is to provide a non-slip surface to prevent any leg issues and something that is relatively absorbent and easy to handle. When setting up the brooder, you will want to put the heat source at one end and the feed and water at
the other. This set up allows the chicks to get away from the heat lamp if they get too hot. You also want to make sure you have enough space in the brooder for the number of chicks you will be raising. Just remember, you do not need a rooster for hens to lay eggs, they do it naturally. The only reason a rooster is needed is if you want fertile eggs and to hatch your own chicks.

Biosecurity is something to keep in mind when raising chicks. It is important to be mindful about where you have been in what clothes and what you wear around your chickens. Microorganisms that are at your house may not be at someone else’s, meaning if you go to a friend’s house who also has chickens or to the feed store where chicken owners frequent you could bring something back to your chickens that could make them sick. Have visitors who own chickens wash their shoes before and after leaving your chickens, or ask them to wear shoes and clothes
that they have not worn around their flock. Don’t have “play dates” with your friend’s chickens as this passes diseases. Keep your waterers and feeders clean and free of bacteria and protected from wild birds. If you introduce new chickens to your flock, keep them isolated from your
existing flock for at least two to four weeks to determine if the new chickens are healthy and are showing no signs of illness. Have a pair of shoes that you only wear around your chickens and not around town. Make sure to wash your hands after handling the chickens and eggs.

If you have any questions about raising chickens or any other livestock, please contact Liz Joseph, NC Cooperative Extension, Moore County Center at 910-947-3188 or liz_joseph@ncsu.edu.

Liz Joseph
Livestock Agent, Moore County Center

For Your New Year Resolution,

Take Your Mother's Advice

Getting healthy is one of the top one or two New Year resolutions. To do this, listen to your mother: "Eat your fruits and vegetables!"

Eating more fruits and vegetables have countless benefits; not only for your physical and mental well-being but also for mitigating chronic diseases, high health care costs, and more.

All to often New Year resolutions fall by the wayside, because they become boring and uninteresting, causing a lack of motivation. To help you adhere to your vow to eat healthier throughout 2025 find new and appetizing recipes from the Extension Local Foods Recipe Library, and follow your mother's advice to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Deborah McGiffin
County Extension Director, Moore County Center

It is with great excitement that we introduce Kimberly Singleton to our team here at the Moore County Cooperative Extension Center. Kimberly is stepping into the role of 4-H Program Associate and will be a vital part of our Moore County 4-H team. This position will not only support the 4-H Extension Agent role, but will support youth programming across Moore County as a whole.

Kimberly Singleton holds a Master’s degree in Public Health with a focus in Health Behavior from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Originally from northwest Indiana, she brings a unique perspective to her work as a military spouse and mother, combining personal experience with professional expertise. Specializing in addressing critical issues like mental health, self-esteem, and healthy behaviors among youth, Kim is passionate about empowering young people to thrive.

A dedicated supporter of 4-H’s mission, she blends her knowledge in health promotion with a love for mentoring, helping youth build confidence, resilience, and leadership skills. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys running, being outdoors, visiting new cities, savoring a cup of tea with a good book, staying organized, early afternoon naps, and the simple beauty and resiliency of wildflowers.

Kim can be contacted at kimberly_singleton@ncsu.edu or at
910-947-3188.

Welcome Ansley,

Future 4-H Member

The Moore County staff would like to announce the birth of the newest future
4-H'er, Ansley Catherine Lawing, born January 17, 2025 at 2:09 pm, weighing 7 lbs/2 oz, and measuring 20" long. Ansley is the daughter of proud parents, Adam Lawing, livestock agent in Randolph County, and Kaley Lawing, 4-H agent in Moore County.

Please join our staff in welcoming Ansley into the Extension "family," and congratulating her parents, Adam and Kaley.