Check out our website for information that you might have missed:
https://stokes.ces.ncsu.edu/

June 1, 2025

Do You Sell Hay? Add It to our New Hay Directory

Hay dealers and encourage to create an account on our brand new NC Hay Finder Directory.  Visit https://www.nchayfinder.com/, and click Create a Listing, create your account, and then list your product. Photos (that match the listing) are encouraged. Avoid label claims. 

Trouble-Shooting Backyard Flocks

Join Poultry Specialists from NC State University on Thursday, July 17 at 6:30 p.m. to talk about health concerns for your poultry flock and more including: 

• dealing with cuts/peck marks
• egg bound chickens
• broody hens
• bumblefoot
• best disposal methods (trash/compost)
• zoonotic diseases
• biosecurity 

We will be meeting at the Stokes County Extension office at 700 Main Street Danbury (behind Riverstreet). Click here to learn more. 

Egg-Cellent Egg Judging Contest

Youth are encouraged to submit their "best" half-dozen eggs from their hens in the Egg-cellent Egg Judging Contest. Registration is due August 1. Visit https://go.ncsu.edu/2025eggcontest for more information. Youth must be enrolled in 4-H Online to participate and those that are not already enrolled can enroll online at https://4honline.com/.

There will be an orientation Zoom on August 5, an in-depth training Zoom on August 19, $15 payment is due by August 22 (to Hoke County) and then eggs for judging and your supplemental learning material will be due before September 17 (tentatively due to the Stokes office on the 15th). 

The Cost of Manure

The Food Animal Initiative is doing a research-based project focused on how manure is marketed in North Carolina and exploring ways to better connect livestock and poultry producers with purchasers or service providers who can assist with manure transport and management. We're also aiming to improve crop budgets to more accurately reflect the value and costs associated with using manure.

Interviewers will work around your schedule. interviews may be completed over the phone, via Zoom, or in-person at your farm. Your privacy will be protected. Please contact April Bowman, awbowman@ncsu.edu, 336-593-8179 or Stephanie Kulesza at 919-515-5290 or sbkulesz@ncsu.edu if you are interested in participating. 

We are looking for:

• Swine, poultry, and dairy producers

• Row crop and hay farmers

• Service providers such as agronomists, consultants, third-party haulers, and others involved in manure management

• Producers who do not use manure on their farms (their perspectives are also very important!)

NC A&T Small Farm Field Day

The 2025 Small Farms Field Day will be held June 20, at the NC A&T State University Farm at 3020 McConnell Road, Greensboro from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Register by June 6 for an exciting day of learning, networking, and hands-on experiences. The event will include specialized tracks for plant and animal agriculture. Topics include small ruminants, beef and dairy cattle, and swine, and will feature a walk through of their poultry processing equipment. Visit https://www.ncat.edu/caes/cooperative-extension/small-scale-agriculture-development/sffd/index.php to learn more and to register. 

Wool Pool

The third annual Stokes County Wool Pool will be held on Tuesday, August 12. Save the date! More information will be forthcoming. Visit https://go.ncsu.edu/woolpool25 for more information about the Wool Pool process. 

Youth Livestock Shows

It is time to be thinking about youth livestock projects for the fall. There are hard deadlines of June 14, July 15, August 4, September 1, and 15 that you may need to know about. For those nominating junior livestock projects at the NC State Fair, I encourage you to order your nomination kits early. I can pick those up on June 11 and start handing those out and helping you to take DNA samples as early as Friday, June 13, as well as at the NW Junior Livestock Show on Tuesday, June 17. Appointments are limited though. Visit https://stokes.ces.ncsu.edu/2025/05/youth-livestock-show-updates/ to learn more and to book an appointment. Contact April Bowman, awbowman@ncsu.edu, or 336-593-8179 with questions or for more information. 

August Tel-O-Auction Sale Consignments

The deadline to contract feeder calves to the August Tel-O-Auction Sale in Patrick County, Virginia is June 27. Calves must be weaned by the first week of July, have the first round of shows before July 4, and the second round of shots before August 1. The sale will be August 25. Cattle must be tagged. The tags are $1 apiece and may be ordered by calling the Patrick County Extension Office at 276-694-3341. 

1st Round of Shots:

• Bovishield Gold 5

• Ultrabac 7

• Deworm

• Optional Implant

• Weighing is recommended (we have scales you can rent!)

2nd Round of Shots:

• Bovishield Gold One Shot

• Ultrabac 7

• Tag VQA Tag

• Weighing is required - email weights to kramos@vt.edu

Deer/Lamb Processing - Save the Date

Stokes County has a very large deer population that cause destruction of crops, fences, and vehicles. Over the next few months, expect information on how you can help to control the deer population. Save the date for a butchery/meat cutting workshop on August 21 from 6-9 p.m. in Boone OR August 28 in Lillington. Visit https://go.ncsu.edu/deerlambprocessing and add your contact information to be emailed when registration is available. 

Sheep and Goat Deworming: Targeted Selective Treatment

According to Maryland Extension Small Ruminant Program, "Targeted selective treatment (or non treatment) means deworming only those animals that require treatment or would benefit most from treatment."  Our parasites are developing resistance to the few dewormers that we have on the market, so we want to reduce the number of animals that we treat, increase the number of worms that have not been exposed to drugs (refugia), and identify animals which are resistant and resilient to internal parasites. It includes using an official FAMACHA card to determine anemia levels, the Five Point Check ^c including bottle jaw, body condition score, fecal egg counting, and more to determine who to deworm. Learn more at https://www.wormx.info/bmps or contact your Livestock Extension Agent, April Bowman, at awbowman@ncsu.edu, or 336-593-8179. 

June Tips

• Clip seedheads and weeds in your pastures

• Allow pastures that are less than 4" tall to rest and re-grow

• Begin grazing your Warm-Season grasses

• Apply fly and tick control!

• Consider where water and shade are in pastures with sun and heat

• Test your hay; Visit https://www.nchayfinder.com/ and click on Hay Analysis

• Take a soil test if you haven't in the last 2-3 years

Our soil pH should be 6.0-7.0 for tall fescue, orchardgrass, crabgrass, etc. Most of our soils are naturally more like 5.0. Lime is very slow to act (three months or longer), so if you plan to plant anything this fall, get your lime out now. Soil test kits are available outside our office door Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Soil boxes can be mailed to the NCDA&CS lab in Raleigh yourself, or one of us will take them for you the next time that we take a trip that direction (we can't promise that will be timely).  The turnaround time for testing is only about two weeks right now. If you do need lime, note that not all lime is created equal, and liquid Calcium products do not actually raise your soil pH. Learn more about that from the University of Tennessee Forage Specialist here. 

If your soil is an ideal growing environment for your grasses, they are more likely to out-compete your weeds instead of vice-versa. If you do have a strong weed presence that your livestock are avoiding, June is a good time to spray for pigweed, Queen Anne's Lace, Cockleburr, Dogbane, Ironweed, Jimsonweed (highly toxic but usually avoided by stock), Sericea Lespedeza, Maypop, Pokeweed, Ragweed, Sida, Bitter sneezeweed (the other yellow flower that isn't buttercup), spurge, and tickclover. University of Kentucky has a great list of recommended herbicides for different weeds. 

REMINDERS

2025 Graded Feeder Calf Sales

The 2025 Graded Feeder Calf Sales will be held June 26, August 15, September 25, and November 13 at the Stanly County Livestock Market in Norwood. Visit https://www.norwoodfeedercalf.com/ for more information. Take note of the sale requirements, and tag request including a set double vaccination protocol, and weaning schedule. 

FYI

(These are not Extension Sponsored events, but we thought they were worth sharing.)

Blue Ridge Fiber Fest

Friday, June 6, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Higgins Fairgrounds, Sparta, NC; Admission is free!

The Blue Ridge Fiber Fest will feature classes, demonstrations, hands-on events, and a wide array of vendors. There will also be live animals, and a FAMACHA Lecture on Friday at 4 p.m. Shearing will also be available so bring your small flock. Learn more here. 

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Calendar of Livestock Events

TODAY Create your listing with https://www.nchayfinder.com

June 1 Early registration deadline for NW Jr. Livestock Show

June 6 Registration deadline for NC A&TSU Small Farm Field Day

June 10-11 Livestock Showmanship Clinic, King American Legion Barn

June 14 NC State Fair Livestock Nomination Kit Requests Due (complete this earlier for 6/11 pick-up by April)

June 16-17 NW Jr. Livestock Show, Winston-Salem 

June 20 NC A&T Small Farm Field Day, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

June 20-21 NC Sheep and Goat Round-Up, Smithfield

June 26 Graded Feeder Calf Sale, Stanly County Livestock Market, Norwood

June 27 Deadline to consign feeder calves to the Virginia Tel-O-Auction

July 15 NC State Fair Livestock Nominations, and Photos Due in Showorks

July 15 Deadline to turn in DNA for NC State Fair Livestock to the Extension Office, 700 Main Street, Danbury

July 17 Troubleshooting Your Backyard Flock, 6:30 p.m., 700 Main Street, Danbury

July 31 - Aug 2 NC 4-H Livestock Judging, Skillathon, and Quiz Bowl, NC State Campus

Aug 1 Registration deadline for the 4-H Egg-cellent Egg contest

Aug 4 Entry & Project Book deadline for Yadkin-Davie 4-H Livestock Show

Aug 8-10 NC Jr. Beef Roundup, Fletcher

Aug 12 Wool Pool (Save the Date) - https://go.ncsu.edu/woolpool25

Aug 15 Graded Feeder Calf Sale, Stanly County Livestock Market, Norwood

Aug 16 Yadkin-Davie 4-H Livestock Show

Aug. 21 Deer and Lamb Processing/Butchery Workshop, 6-9 p.m., Boone, https://go.ncsu.edu/deerlambprocessing

Aug. 25 Patrick County Feeder Calf Tel-O-Auction

Aug. 28 Deer and Lamb Processing/Butchery Workshop, 6-9 p.m., Lillington, https://go.ncsu.edu/deerlambprocessing

Aug. 31 Entry Deadline Stokes County Fair

Sept 1 Entry Deadline Carolina Classic Fair 

Sept 9 -13 Stokes County Fair

Sept 11 Stokes County Cattlemen's Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Sept 15 NC State Fair Livestock Entries Due

Sept 18 Private Pesticide Applicator Continuing Ed, V and X Credits, 700 Main St. Danbury

Sept 25 Graded Feeder Calf Sale, Stanly County Livestock Market, Norwood

Oct. 3-12 Carolina Classic Fair

Oct. 16-26 NC State Fair

Nov 13 Graded Feeder Calf Sale, Stanly County Livestock Market, Norwood

**Disclaimer: The use of brand names and/or any mention or listing of specific commercial products or services herein is solely for educational purposes and does not imply endorsement by NC State University or our partners, nor discrimination against similar brands, products or services not mentioned.

Individuals who use chemicals are responsible for ensuring that the intended use complies with current regulations and conforms to the  product label.

N.C. Cooperative Extension promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment based upon one’s race; color; religion (including belief and non-belief); sex, including but not limited to pregnancy, childbirth or other related medical condition, parenting and sexual harassment; sexual orientation; actual or perceived gender identity; age; national origin; disability; veteran status; genetic information; or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, NC State University will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Please direct accommodation requests to: Matt Lenhardt, matt_lenhardt@ncsu.edu or 336-593-8179. Requests can be served more effectively if notice is provided at least {10} days before the event.”


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