Welcome to December!

As we celebrate the holidays, we are thankful for your continued support of our programs here in Granville County. Read to see the latest events and accomplishments from our team.  
Happy holidays and stay warm! 

- Selena McKoy, NC Cooperative Extension Director - Granville

Family Consumer Sciences (FCS)

Jennifer Brown, Area Agent

Food and Built Environment

Wendy Tatum, Local Foods Coordinator

  November has been an exciting month for the Local Foods Programming. On November 12, The City of Oxford Commissioners voted unanimously to allow the Oxford Armory Farmers Market to reopen for the 2026 growing season. Final market totals were 8,041 visitors to the market, over 30,000 pounds of food was put in the Farm to Fridge with donations from the Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, and $31,000 worth of grant money was used to purchase produce from local farmers was given by partnerships with Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Kerr Tar Division of Aging. We want to continue to thank our sponsors for their generous support. We look forward to a great season which will begin in May of 2026. 

Local Foods 

On October 29th, Ann Riley, the executive director of ACIM, Carla Spain, of the Federal Prison, and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC held a food drive for the Federal Prison workers impacted by the government shutdown. I participated as a community partner and helped distribute food. It was a wonderful experience with our partnering agencies and a time for me to give back and volunteer with the community. It was a blessing to work with Ann and her team. 

Livestock & Forages

Kim Woods, Area Agent, Agriculture - Animal Science

High Path Avian Influenza 

High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) was detected in a commercial turkey flock a couple of weeks ago. This is in addition to 3 backyard flocks in Guilford, Union, and Rutherford counties in the last 2 months. This is a reminder to all poultry folks to review and enforce biosecurity protocols to protect your flocks and our state's poultry industry. This type of HPAI virus is considered a low risk to people according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, but is highly contagious to other birds, including commercial and backyard flocks of poultry. Please see NCDA&CS Current HPAI Status for a full listing of positive premises during this outbreak. For more information about HPAI, please visit Poultry Extension's Educational Resources Page

Other things to consider at this time

- Limit visitors to flocks 

- If your chicken coop/run has an open or screened top, cover with metal or plastic to prevent wild bird droppings from falling into bird area 

- Remove wild bird feeders or distance them from any backyard flocks as much as possible

- Provide "enrichment" if your birds are more confined than usual to help prevent birds from pecking one another

Biosecurity is key to keeping your and NC’s flock safe.

4-H Youth Development

Lina Howe, Extension Agent

WELCOME NEW CLUBS! 

We are so excited to announce that we have 3 brand 

new community clubs! 

Saddle Rockers 4-H Club- Horse education 

Comm.Unity Robotics 4-H Club- STEM and Robotics 

Sunset Saddles 4-H Club- Horse Education

Granville County 4-H Youth Leadership Council:

Granville County 4-H Youth Leadership Council The Granville County Youth Leadership Council started in 2022, took a small hiatus in 2024 due to staffing changes and is now back and better than ever as a 4-H Club! This program is a partnership with the Granville County Commissioners to encourage youth voice a the highest levels of the county. The council has 17 members this year and is thriving! We are so proud of the youth and their dedication.

Summer Fun 2025

We had a fantastic summer with a lot of learning and a whole lot of fun!

In 2025 we combined efforts with Granville County Government to increase civic engagement, government knowledge and leadership skills in 9th, 10th and 11th grade youth in Granville County. The youth had to work a minimum of 120 hours for the summer as well as attend “Cohort” field trips that took them around the county to see hidden gems, learn about our area and so much more! Youth got to work at various departments such as NC Cooperative Extension, Granville County Administration, Granville County Library Systems, Animal Control, Emergency Management, Department of Social Services, Waste Management and so much more! Youth who completed this internship received a $2000 scholarship.

Granville County Public Schools Career and Technical Education Partnership: For the second year we partnered with the Career and Technical Education program at Granville County public schools to host an intern for 120 hours June-August. We hosted Elijah Long and he gained a lot of experience working with our 4-H Summer camps as well as joining the Civic Interns on their Cohort Days. This is a great program and we are thankful for the partnership.

Consumer/Commercial Horticulture

Johnny Coley, Area Agent - Agriculture

2026 North Central Small Farm Bootcamp

For reference: Small Farm Bootcamp 2026 - Eventbrite

Are you interested in becoming a new farmer? Or, have you just purchased a few acres and don’t know where to start? Small Farm Bootcamp is designed to help you navigate production from vegetable, to fruit, to even poultry– and to help you understand the basics of food systems, food safety, pest management, and more!

This year’s program will have a variety of educational modules on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm from January 21 to March 18 at the N.C. Cooperative Extension- Granville County Center. There will also be Demonstration Days on Saturdays in February and March that feature farm field trips and hands-on lessons. Lessons will be taught by Extension Agents from Granville, Person, Vance, Orange, Franklin, Durham, and Wake Counties.

Course Content

Core Modules and Demonstration Days: $50 

● Core: January 21- Local Food Production 

● Core: January 28- Soil Health 

● Core: February 4- Postharvest + Food Safety 

● Core: February 11- Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management 

● Core: February 18- Putting a Plan to Work 

● Demonstration: February 28- Produce Production and Irrigation Demonstration; Lyons Farm in Creedmoor featuring Berryhill Irrigation 

● Demonstration: March 21- Small Engine Repair; Steve's Lawn and Garden 

● Demonstration: Electrical, TBD 

Optional Modules: $10/module 

These modules are add-ons you can choose based on your interest. You must register for the core modules in order to participate in the 'optional modules'. These registrations will be posted in separate Eventbrite Events. The list of 'optional modules' listed below are for date reference only. Individual Eventbrite registrations will be sent for these modules once the core classes start. 

● Optional: February 25- Vegetable Production ● Optional: March 4- Season Extension ● Optional: March 11- Poultry Production ● Optional: March 18- Fruit Production

Lessons will include snacks, beverages, and occasionally light meals. Participants will be provided with a binder for their class notes and access to digital copies of that week’s work. Module attendees should come dressed to work in class (comfortable clothes, water, notetaking materials, etc.). Demonstration Day attendees should come dressed to be in the field (closed toed/water resistant shoes, appropriate clothes, hat/sun protection, etc.). Participants will be emailed each week of the materials being covered in class and their expectations. 

Accommodations: Please contact Selena McKoy at sdmckoy@ncsu.edu or 919-603-1350 for questions or accommodations.

Together we’ve made 2025 a year of growth—here’s to even stronger partnerships, deeper learning, and continued success in 2026!

Thank you for being part of our Extension family; may the close of this year bring rest, reflection, and readiness for all that’s ahead.

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.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

N.C. Cooperative Extension - Granville County, 125 Oxford Loop Rd, Oxford, NC 27565, United States
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