Extension E-News October 2021

Celebrating National 4-H Week

(October 4-9)

National 4-H Week is an opportunity to highlight the remarkable 4-H youth around the country and in local communities and showcase the incredible experiences that 4-H offers young people. Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H. The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week, Opportunity4All, is a campaign that was created by National 4-H Council to rally support for Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program and identify solutions to eliminate the opportunity gap that affects 55 million kids across America.

With so many children struggling to reach their full potential, 4-H believes that young people, in partnership with adults, can play a key role in creating a more promising and equitable future for youth, families and communities across the country. In 4-H, we believe every child should have an equal opportunity to succeed. We believe every child should have the skills they need to make a difference in the world.

Be sure to check the Mitchell News-Journal this week where some of our
4-H members will be highlighted!

Addyson Roberts to be Featured in
4-H Talent Showcase

In celebration of National 4-H Week, an online talent show will be held on Sunday, October 3 at 4 pm. Mitchell County 4-H Member, Addyson Roberts was one of 15 youth chosen to be featured during the Showcase! If you’d like to see Addyson’s talent act, you can register for the event here: https://go.ncsu.edu/national4-hweekkick-off. To attend Sunday's event, please register by 9pm Friday, October 1st (that’s today!). The link for Sunday's Kick-Off will be sent to those registered by this time.

Fall is here and the time is right for homeowners to start maintaining and improving the health of their lawns for next year. Proper lime application insures, that nutrients are available to grass by maintaining a pH range in which nutrients are not hindered by other compounds in the soil. Lime contains calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate which reduces soil acidity and prevents the formation of these nutrient robbing compounds. A proper pH range is 5.8-6.2, this can be determined by using the soil tests that are available at the Mitchell County Cooperative Extension. An established lawn should be tested every three to four years, lime should be applied annually to lawns that are heavily fertilized through the spring and summer.
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Parent Education Offerings

Empowering Youth and Families is a family education model that focuses on family relationships and communication. It requires attendance from at least one caregiver and one youth between the ages of 10-14, although the entire family is welcome to join if a family is interested in that option. This model schedules caregiver and youth sessions independent of one another before reuniting for a family session to apply what is learned in individual sessions. Meals and child care (for younger children) is provided free of charge. Sessions begin on October 5 from 5:30-8:00pm and will run for 10 sessions.

Learn more and sign up at our parent education portal: https://mitchell.ces.ncsu.edu/parent-education-resources/ For further support, email Niki Maness at niki_maness@ncsu.edu or call at 828.682.6186.

Forage and feed quality are important in proper nutrition for livestock, especially those that are lactating or pregnant. To ensure that an animal is receiving proper nutrition and that supplementation of specific nutrients are not necessary, it is suggested that dried forages and feedstuffs be tested for nutrient value. This is not necessary on retailed feed that is already labeled with nutrient value. However, most forages are not labeled and a nutrient value test is suggested.

Testing feedstuffs and/or forages is easy and cost effective and knowledge of nutrient value can be beneficial for current and future feeding. Samples are taken and sent to a laboratory at NC State. The values are tested and a summary is sent back. NC Cooperative Extension Service – Mitchell County Center will work with you to interpret the data and make suggestions for improvements or supplements if needed.

To test your forage or feedstuffs or for more information, please contact Mitchell County Cooperative Extension at 828.688.4811.

This is a public document that the USDA puts out every five years in an effort to support the public in making healthy choices in regards to food and beverages. Recommendations are grouped by age range including infants and toddlers birth -23 months, children 2-18, adults 19-59, adults who are pregnant and lactating, and adults 60 and older.

This is the first time that the DGA has included recommendations for children birth-2. There is a wealth of information including storage of milk for infants, starting solids, recommendations to meet energy and nutrient needs, ideal beverages to offer children and considerations for foods that present choking risks.

If you have questions or could use support in the information provided in the DGA, feel free to reach out to Jessica Zucchino at jessica.zucchino@ncsu.edu or by calling the office 828.688.4811.

4-H Members Prepare
for NC State
4-H Shooting Sports Tournament (October 9)

Eleven members of the Mitchell County 4-H Target Shooting Sports Club are preparing for the North Carolina 4-H state tournament to be held Saturday, October 9 in Ellerbe! We’re excited for the following members who qualified to compete:

Senior Division
Jeremiah Greene (shotgun)
Alex Buchanan (rifle - telescopic and archery - compound)
Dawson Silvers (rifle - telescopic)

Junior Division
Bransen Pittman (rifle - open sight and archery - compound)
Troy Gouge (rifle - open sight)
Addyson Roberts (rifle - telescopic and archery - compound)
Piper Cook (rifle - telescopic)
Audrey Greene (archery - compound)
Mitchell Shotgun Team (Barrett Potter, Addyson Roberts, Colton McClellan, Troy Gouge, Jacob Greene)

Many thanks to our certified 4-H shooting sports coaches who work so hard to help prepare these youth: Randy Ramsey, Clayton Roberts, Rohn Silvers, Brandon Pittman and Reece Ramsey.

Visit NC Farms

Visit NC Farms is an app that helps folks connect with local farms & fisheries, local food & drink, farmers markets & U-pick, value-added through local shops, farm stays & lodging, tours & trails and special agricultural events across the state. Using cell phone technology, residents and visitors can find farms closest to them with products and activities that interest them. Visitors can use the app to explore farms, farmers markets and local restaurants that are off the beaten path and unique to each community. You can download the app for free!

The NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services launched the Visit NC Farms app in 2018. Thanks to funding support from the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, the initiative is expanding and Mitchell County will be included! Our Extension staff is beginning to collect information now! If you’re interested in having your farm or business included, please contact Eve Kindley at emkindle@ncsu.edu or 828.688.4811 to learn more! Launch date is early spring 2022!

Am I in a Healthy Relationship?

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is important to be aware of what is healthy and what is not healthy in a relationship.What makes a relationship healthy? TeensHealth.gov provides us with a list of qualities that healthy relationships should have.

Mutual respect: Does your partner listen when you say you’re not comfortable doing something and then back off right away? Respect in a relationship means that each individual understands and values the other person and will respect the other person’s boundaries.
Trust:Does your partner stay calm if they see you associating with another guy/girl from school or just in social situations? It’s okay to be jealous but there are positive ways to react. Trust is important in a relationship.
Honesty: This goes with trust and if your partner has been caught lying then that will give you a hard time trusting your partner so it’s important to be honest with your partner.
Supportive Partner: This includes the good and bad. A healthy relationship will have a partner that will be happy to hear about the good and be there as a shoulder to cry on when it’s bad.
Fairness: There needs to be a balance between what the person wants and how much that person gets. It should be a give and take in your relationship so it won’t turn into a power struggle, and having one person getting their way all the time.
Separate Identities: A healthy relationship everyone needs to make compromises but it’s important to do the things you like and keep developing those new interests or making new friends.
Lastly, is good communication: It is important to share what it is you’re feeling and also communicate when you need space or time to think about something before you do communicate but communication is always important to understand what each person is going through.

Every day we get closer to the temperature dropping and snow falling. As summer comes to an end our livestock’s needs increase. Below, we will discuss the different preparations that need to be conducted to ensure that our livestock survive the winter.

Preparations for winter should start several months before temperature begin to drop. This early preparation allows for time to fix equipment, build shelter, and gather needed feed, forage, and supplies. The amount of time and preparation depends on the location, size, and set-up of your farm. Due to the fluctuation of winter weather in Western North Carolina, preparation for the worst weather is suggested. Preparing for the worst allows for sufficient feed and supplies to be available for the proper sustainability of livestock during this weather. Since this year has been an interesting hay year, I would suggest that you acquire a sufficient hay supply immediately. In addition, I would suggest the list below.

Purchase and properly store adequate amount of quality forage
Build or repair shelter
Purchase and/or check/repair hay ring
Purchase and/or check/repair water trough and heater
Prepare winter fields
Check fence, shelter, or make shelter

Without adequate water, livestock’s digestive systems are unable to properly function preventing proper nutrient absorption and storage needed to survive. In order to ensure that livestock receive the appropriate amount of water, water sources must be clean, unfrozen, and plentiful. Livestock’s water needs increase during winter and different stages of life. If livestock do not meet their requirements for water intake, they will decrease their feed and forage intake. This results in weight loss and therefore, loss in profit.
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It’s never too early to think ahead to summer! Ask any youth who has just returned to school! North Carolina 4-H is fortunate to offer three full-service, residential camps, where youth can have fun while acquiring valuable life-skills (you mean camp isn’t just about having fun?).

Four-H residential camps offer unique learning opportunities . 4-H campers can learn to better themselves through mastery, independence, generosity, and the feeling of belonging, while also making new friends, getting along with others, accepting differences in others, and developing additional interpersonal skills (Garton, Miltenberger, & Pruett, 2007; Shirilla, 2009). By utilizing a “learn by doing'' approach to help youth gain knowledge and develop life-skills, the North Carolina 4-H Camping Program supports the mission of 4-H Youth Development.

The residential camping experience is one that most 4-H members and alumni recall fondly. First nights away from home, first dance, first high-ropes experiences, many firsts await youth attending our camps. Oftentimes, the week begins with tears (a touch of homesickness affects most of us when we’ve not experienced overnight camping) and ends with tears (new friendships that must be left to letter writing and social media). The end result is almost always a new sense of confidence and independence.
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