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Welcoming March!
As March arrives in Granville County, early signs of spring are beginning to appear and many in our community are starting to prepare fields, gardens, and plans for the growing season ahead. It’s a busy time for Cooperative Extension as we support farmers, families, and youth through workshops, educational programs, and 4-H opportunities. We are thankful for your continued support of our programs here in Granville County, and we hope you enjoy this month’s Cooperative Extension newsletter!
- Selena McKoy, NC Cooperative Extension Director - Granville
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Family Consumer Sciences (FCS)
Jennifer Brown, Area Agent
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Come on out to Person County on Saturday, March 21 from 10am – 2pm for our Craft & Artisan Market held at the Person County
Office Building Auditorium at 304 South Morgan Street Roxboro, NC 27573. It will be a celebration of local creativity and craftsmanship so come and help support local crafters and artisans by purchasing some of their items.
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Learn how to "Hack Your Snack" by making smarter choices about the snacks you eat. Learn how to make healthy, homemade snacks and learn tips for saving time when
buying and preparing healthy snacks. Join us on Monday, March 30 at 1:00pm at the South Granville Public Library at 1550 S. Campus Dr. in Creedmoor for this free workshop. Snacks and giveaways will be available.
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Learn how to eat healthy while dining out. Participants will learn the pros and cons of restaurant meals, how to select healthier fast food options, and identify
techniques and terminology for planning healthy meals at restaurants. Join us on Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00pm for our "Eating Healthier While Dining Out" workshop at the Richard H. Thornton Public Library located at 210 Main Street in Oxford. This workshop is free to attend.
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Discover the core principles of mindful living at our virtual Extension at Home workshop "Mindfulness Fundamentals" on Tuesday, April 14 at 12:00pm EST. This practical session aims to demystify mindfulness and explain how it can improve your life based on its Seven Principles. You will learn and practice simple techniques to bring greater calm and focus into your daily routine. Register online at https://go.ncsu.edu/mindfulness
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Food and Built Environment
Wendy Tatum, Local Foods Coordinator
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Small Farms Week 2026
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Pictured above: William Landis, CED Selena McKoy, Kim Woods, Wendy Tatum, Madeline Eaton, Elvin Eaton and Johnny Coley at the 2025 Small Farmer of the Year banquet held in March of 2025.
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Small Farmers of the Year, Madeline and Elvin Eaton of Fairport Farms, will have their hometown celebration to kick off the 40th Annual Small Farms week on Mar 23, 2026. We are so excited to recognize their efforts and contributions to farming in Granville County. We will be touring their farm in the afternoon, which features the use of caterpillar tunnels. Fairport Farms is known for its contributions to the Farm to Fridge program, a program to feed people in Granville County who are food insecure. Additionally, the Eaton’s enjoy traveling to the beach and Madeline is known to catch a few big fish.
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Oxford Farmers Market
The Oxford Armory Farmers Market will open on May 2, 2026 at 8 AM. We plan to have music, strawberries, and lots more. Be sure to join us every Saturday from May 2 until October 31 to support your local farmers.
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Livestock & Forages
Kim Woods, Area Agent, Agriculture - Animal Science
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Yellow Pastures
Last spring, did you have beautiful yellow flowers covering your pastures? Although these flowers, commonly known as buttercup, are pretty to look at, they have no nutritional value and can take important nutrients from the plants you are trying to grow in your pasture. This weed, which is a winter annual, should be sprayed in late winter or early spring for the best kill. So, now is the time to go out and scout your pastures and see if the little rosette stage of buttercup is there already. These weeds will be short since they have just emerged, and you won’t see a yellow bloom. If you wait until they are blooming to spray, you will be wasting your time and money as the blooming plant has already set seed for the following year’s plants. And the mature blooming plants will die once it turns warm in the summer. (They are a winter annual so they will not survive past their growing season.) We’re starting to have some warm days, so now is the
time to start planning (think about mid-March as your target date). Go look for the weeds in your pasture, get your herbicide on the farm, calibrate your sprayer. All those can be done now, so that when the weather is right, all that is done – you’re ready to spray. For effective herbicide applications, make sure you spray when we’ve had several warm days (above 55 degrees). Your control will be very poor if you spray when the air temperature is too cold. It may take a couple of years of spraying to control the weed. Those weeds didn’t just get that prolific over a single year so it will take you a few years of diligent scouting and spraying at the appropriate time to get them under control. It is still very early in their spring growing so they should be pretty susceptible to herbicides. Most any of the broadleaf herbicides will be effective. 2,4-D should work well and is cost effective.
Remember: Always read and follow the label directions prior to using any chemicals.
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Pictures of buttercup in late winter. Some henbites are also in the picture.
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Whether you’re looking to install a new fence, repair existing structures, or troubleshoot high tensile, this hands-on workshop is for you. Join us on Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the E. Carroll Joyner Beef Education Unit located at 4505 Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh, NC 27603. The event will be limited to 30 participants to allow for lots of hands-on practice and questions. Cost is $20. Learn practical tips to enhance your pasture management. Bring your gloves and wear appropriate clothing and work boots for this outside event. Registration is required and can be completed at https://go.ncsu.edu/fencebuilding2026
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4-H Youth Development
Lina Howe, Extension Agent
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Achievement Night
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We had a fantastic Achievement Night on February 26 celebrating the hardwork of our 4-H members and volunteers in 2025. So proud of everyone and enjoyed the night of fellowship and fun! We had 2 amazing speakers
Dr.Linda Jordon, Town of Butner Mayor and North Carlina 4-H Reporter Kiya Kernodle. They each spoke of leadership, and shared personal experiences to impact the lives of our 4-H’ers.
Special thanks for High Rock Farms for being gracious hosts and Stephanie Garrett Aifd for the beautiful florals. It was a beautiful night. We also held our first annual Achievement Night Baking competition which was a huge success!
Special thanks to our sponsor Strongarm Baking for a generous donation to add to the prizes.
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Consumer/Commercial Horticulture
Johnny Coley, Area Agent - Agriculture
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A Household Hazardous Waste event is scheduled for Saturday, May 16th from 8a.m.– 12 p.m.. This event will take place at the Granville Expo Center (4185 US HWY 15, Oxford). The event is for Granville County residents that need to dispose of items such as:
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Mercury
Adhesives
Lawn care products
Paint product (10 gallon limit/vehicle)
Aerosols
Flammable substances
Fluorescent light bulbs
Household cleaning supplies
Batteries
Photo chemicals
Swimming pool chemicals
Confidential documents in need of shredding (3 bag maximum)
Pesticides/herbicides
Prescription Drugs
Ammunition
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Prohibited items are listed below:
Business-generated waste
Gasoline
Automotive waste
Explosives
Diesel
Radioactive materials
Biohazardous waste
Biomedical waste
Kerosene
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This event is for Granville County residents only. No business or commercial waste will be accepted at this event.
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Growing Opportunity: Preparing Your Agricultural Business
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Learn & Earn$: Pathways to Market - Business Development and Buyer Readiness Webinar
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The United States Department of Agriculture, Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Center, and Apex Accelerator have partnered to equip agricultural enterprises and other small businesses with the tools, resources, and knowledge
required to navigate the product to market journey. Participants will obtain best practices an enhance their understanding of how to convert innovative ideas to buyer ready products.
Join us for this virtual webinar to hear from business and economic development experts about how to prepare your enterprises and get your products to Federal markets using artificial intelligence and other related/necessary skills.
The webinar has been scheduled for April 22, 2026, from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST.
To register, please visit https://rb.gy/cz0ssj
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As we move through March and begin preparing for the spring season, we appreciate the continued support of our community. We look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming programs and events as we work together to support our farmers, families, and youth in the months ahead!
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For more information and event updates, visit our website at https://granville.ces.ncsu.edu/
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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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