Have you noticed some large bees and wasps around your house and property this summer? Are you worried that you have murder hornets? Luckily, there have been no reports of murder hornets in North Carolina or any of the surrounding states. However, there are such insects as European Hornets, Carpenter Bees, and Cicada Killers which can appear to be large like a murder hornet. This article from NCSU Extension provides a comparison of large bees and wasps to help you identify what bee or wasp you may be dealing with.
Join in on the fun this year at the Annual Tractor Parade and Ag Day on September 25, 2021. There will be food, music, cloggers, and a lot of fun activities for the children. The activities on the square will start at 10 with the tractor parade starting at 12. If you would like to drive a tractor in the parade, register that morning at the Hayesville High School parking lot, the registration fee is $15.
Registration Now Open for the Carolina Backyard Naturalist Program!
13-week, online Naturalist Program: Register Now!
Increasing urbanization, habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, water pollution, and other factors threaten the function and viability of ecosystems across North Carolina. Improving residents’ understanding of their natural environment is critical to its protection and enhancement. Read more
Club Meetings
Livestock Club - meet on Sept. 15th, 6:30 at the Brasstown Community Center
Trails and Rails - meet on Sept. 20th, 6:00 at the pavilion behind the ballfields
USDA Updates Pandemic Assistance for Livestock, Poultry Contract Producers and Specialty Crop Growers
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2021—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry
and producers of specialty crops and other sales-based commodities. CFAP 2, which assists producers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to COVID-19, is part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has set an Oct. 12 deadline for all eligible producers to apply for or modify applications for CFAP 2. Learn More »
September is National Food Safety Education Month
Every year, an estimated 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from eating contaminated food.Anyone can get sick from a foodborne illness (also called food poisoning).But some groups of people are more likely to get sick and to have a more serious illness.These groups are
Adults aged 65 and older
Children younger than 5
People with health problems or who take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and
Pregnant women
There are things you can do to protect yourself and your family.As you prepare and handle food, follow these four steps:
Clean: Wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces often when you cook.
Separate: Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs. Separate them from cooked foods and produce.
Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to an internal temperature that kills germs.
Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods and leftovers within two hours. Chill within one hour if it’s above 90○F.
For more information about keeping foods safe and preventing foodborne illness, visit these websites.
Free business development training for North Carolina agribusinesses.
Are you a small business owner? The Miller School of Entrepreneurship and Crisp Small Business Resource Center's Accelerate Rural NC program begins Oct. 11, 2021.
The free 10-week course meets online M-Th for one hour.
The program is grant-funded and no cost to participants.
Participants will receive intensive innovation and entrepreneurship training; prototyping and new product development assistance; web development and e-commerce development; market plan development; and export target market identification assistance.
Participants also work with mentors.
Accelerate Rural NC is a rural business accelerator focused on helping small businesses gain access to global markets with innovative products and services.
Congratulations to the graduates of the 2021 Master Gardener Class! We look forward to your contributions to the Clay County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Association and to the residents of Clay County. Thank you for all of your hard work and for your commitment to the community.
Pictured from the left; Polly Creech, Christine White, Brenda Hartshorn, Stephanie Connor, Judy Price, Pam Howard, Ruth Harrell, Sue Yancey, Diane Britton. Not Pictured; Roni Murphy
September Gardening Tips
Plant container-grown trees and shrubs.
Continue spraying rose bushes for black spots.
Healthy plants should produce fall blooms.
Collect flowers to dry for arrangements.
Collect seeds for next year's flower beds.
Plant your spring-blooming bulbs.
Christmas Cactus and poinsettias need to be located where they will get 12 hours of continuous darkness every night for about 6 weeks until flower buds begin to show.
Dig sweet potatoes before frost.
Clean up the garden after harvesting is done.
Plant onion seeds or sets, lettuce, and greens.
Collect herbs for drying or freezing for winter use.
Submit soil samples from the vegetable garden to NCSU.
Continue feeding hummingbirds. Migrating birds need lots of feeding stations along their way.
Mysterious Bird Illness May Have Reached North Carolina
This summer there has been a number of bird illnesses affecting songbird populations in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states, including some reports of dead birds in North Carolina. The NC Wildlife Commission is monitoring the situation and asks residents that find dead songbirds to send an email to hwi@ncwildlife.org with a photo of the bird and the location of the dead bird so they can keep track of the spread here in North Carolina. Scientists are still learning about these bird diseases but believe that they are spread via
bird feeders. They suggest for the time being that all NC residents take down their bird feeders to prevent the spread of these bird illnesses or that they are cleaned frequently with a 10 % bleach solution. To learn more about this please see this article from the NC Wildlife Commission, https://www.ncwildlife.org/News/Blog/wildlife-commission-monitors-mysterious-avian-disease
VISIT THESE WEBSITES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CLAY COUNTY CENTER'S UPCOMING EVENTS AND NEWS
Individuals who have stated they have
beef: Mark Kephart – (Hanging Dog Community) Jamie Lance – (Martins Creek Community) call 828-360-5771 for ½ or whole hanging weight price
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.
Extension's 4-H program is the largest youth development organization in North Carolina. We help over 247,000 young people grow into active, contributing citizens each year.
