May Extension Newsletter

The popular Horticulture Science 4-H Camp will happen again this summer, the last full week of June. This camp is designed for ages 9-12 and will be held Monday - Friday from 9:00 am to Noon, and it costs only $15. Participants must enroll in 4-H via 4HO and then sign up for the camp in the 4HO system.

Robotics and Engineering Camp for ages 13-16 is open and taking registrations. The camp costs $10 for all eight days from 1:00-3:00 pm. June 10-12 & June 15-19. Participants must enroll in 4-H via 4HO and then sign up for camp in the 4HO system.

The 4-H Flavor Fighters are busy preparing for the State Dinah Gore Healthy Cooking Competition. They won first place at the regional competition in March. This is a partnership between FCS and 4-H. Team members are Brayden Shuey, Emily Hanna, Paisley Kitchens, with Makari Myers and Brayden Varner as alternates.

Our public speaking program kicks off on May 5th at 6:00. 4-Hers use this opportunity to practice the ever-important skill of speaking. We have volunteer judges ready to give usable feedback so they can prepare for the June competitions. Registration is not required but helpful.

NC 4-H Congress registration is open in 4HO. This is for members who are 13+. The state event happens at NC State July 20-24. The delegations stay in the dorms and attend leadership building workshops. 4-Hers who give a presentation on May 5th or submitted a 2025 Project Record Book get to attend at the lower price of $150. Clover Dollars can be used to fund this event. Check with your club leader to see if they have funding to help reduce the cost for you.

Embryology has started in Lee County classrooms. 38 classrooms are participating in the popular hatching school enrichment program. Chicks should start pipping around May 12th. Pipping is when the chick first cracks the shell and begins the hatching process.

Winged Wonders has started in Lee County classrooms. 5 classrooms are piloting this butterfly-focused school enrichment project for 2nd graders. Next year, we hope to offer it in all 2nd-grade classrooms in the county. If your classroom is interested, please let me know, and I will put you on my mailing list for the 2027 project sign-up.

Other school enrichment projects that might be of interest: Kids Voting, Health Rocks, Microbiology, Mooving from Milk to Fridge....and more.

April Weather Update - 2026

The April 23rd Drought Monitor Update has Lee County in the moderate drought zone but Harnett and Chatham are both in a severe drought. There are two areas in the state that are currently in an exceptional drought including most of the counties in the mountains and a large swath of counties stretching from Rockingham to Edgecombe. With only 8.22 inches of rain accumulated from January 1st through April 26th we are well behind the historic average of 12.36 inches (data from 1983 to now). At the time of writing this article rain is being called for on April 29th and May 2nd. Approximately a quarter of an inch is expected on each day but that won't be enough to get us out of this severe drought. We received a little more than an inch of precipitation in April, hopefully May is closer to the historic average.

Workshop: Alfalfa Production in North Carolina
May 6th - 11:30am-5:00pm in Coats, NC

The workshop will focus on producing high-quality alfalfa for the North
Carolina horse industry, highlighting practical, proven management
strategies used by successful hay producers across the state.
Presentations will be followed by a producer panel featuring local
Southeast Hay Contest winners, and a field tour showcasing hybrid
bermudagrass, orchardgrass, timothy, alfalfa, and alfalfa–
bermudagrass mixtures.

$10 registration cost (lunch included). Click here to register!

GARDEN GUIDE: Snapshot to Science: Navigating the World of Plant ID Apps

This article was written by Michael Brazil, Extension Master Gardener Intern, Class of 2025, with North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Lee County.

Who among us has never seen an unfamiliar plant in a neighbor's yard or along a local trail and wondered what it was? The key to understanding any plant is its accurate, scientific name. That name is the "key" that unlocks databases telling you if a plant is a pollinator powerhouse, or perhaps even a toxic intruder. Historically, identifying plants required learning morphological taxonomy—the painstaking process of using visible attributes like leaf arrangement and floral structure. Today, most of us carry a shortcut in our pockets: a smartphone equipped with AI. But with dozens of plant ID apps on the market, which one should you trust? Based on an exhaustive evaluation conducted in late 2025, by yours truly, it’s clear that when it comes to plant ID, "one size" does not fit all.

Read more here.

Calling all farmers and food entrepreneurs! In addition to the market pavilion and teaching kitchen at the new Pilgrim's Sanford Agricultural Marketplace, we also have a shared-use commercial kitchen!

If you are interested in creating your own value-added food products (ex. jams and jellies, sauces, baked goods, pickles, etc.) and need kitchen space to get started, this kitchen is for you!

What is a shared-use commercial kitchen?
A shared-use commercial kitchen is an inspected cooking facility which food businesses or individuals can rent by the hour to use its equipment and space to make food products for sale.

The shared-use commercial kitchen at the Ag Marketplace will serve as a food business incubator, helping new food businesses start up and develop their food products. This kitchen will also function as a commissary for food truck owners.

We plan to open the commercial kitchen at the Ag Marketplace this fall! If you are interested in joining our kitchen, scan the QR code above or use the link here to fill out our Commercial Kitchen Prospective Client Form! We will contact you and share more information closer to opening!

Sanford Farmers' Market Updates

April was the first month of the Sanford Farmers' Market season, and it was one for the record books! We were blown away by the thousands of people who joined us this past month to celebrate the return of the market to downtown Sanford, now in it's new home at the Ag Marketplace pavilion! We are so thankful for the amazing community turnout and support!

As we transition to our May markets, we still have time to enjoy spring crops before summer produce starts to make its debut! We'll have a little while longer to enjoy strawberries, asparagus, spring onions, and other cool season produce favorites. We'll also start to see blueberries and peppers arriving soon, as well as the first honey harvest of the year from our beekeepers! Also mark your calendars to join us May 9th for our next special event, Market in Bloom, which will showcase our cut flower vendors!

If you haven't visited the market yet this year, the Ag Marketplace is located in downtown Sanford at 157 Charlotte Ave, just across the street from the farmers' market's previous location! Market season runs from April 4th to November 21st this year. Market hours are 8:30am-12pm. See our parking guide below to help you park and shop the market!