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Greetings to May!
May is a vibrant time in Granville County, as warmer days bring new growth to our farms, gardens, and communities. Our N.C Cooperative Extension–Granville County Center is excited to share this month’s updates, resources, and upcoming programs designed to support local agriculture, families, and youth. We look forward to helping you make the most of the season ahead!
- Selena McKoy, NC Cooperative Extension Director - Granville
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Family Consumer Sciences (FCS)
Jennifer Brown, Area Agent
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Join us at the Mountain Creek Community Building on Thursday, May 7 at 7:00pm for our "Getting A Good Night Sleep" workshop. We will
discuss how your routine can affect your good night’s sleep, why sleep is so important to your health, and how to develop good sleeping habits.
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Learn how to make 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 Friday, May 8 at 10:45am at the Granville County Senior Center at 107 Lanier Street Oxford, NC for this free workshop.
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Spring has officially arrived, and that means it’s time to bring the cooking outdoors. Join us on Tuesday, May 12 at 12:00pm (EST) for a Zoom session dedicated to the art of grilling and the science of food safety. Make sure your seasonal celebrations are memorable for all the right reasons! We will talk about grilling variety, safe preparation, temperature control, and protection for all. Register at https://go.ncsu.edu/fire_up_grill
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Join your friends and family for three great days of down-home celebration North Carolina Style at the Got to Be NC Festival at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds on May 15-17. You can enjoy a full day of family fun without spending a dime at the Got to Be NC Festival. However, some of the events and activities cost money or require a special admission, such as Carnival Rides and Games, Independent Vendors & Exhibitors (Food & Merch), Got to Be NC Pavilion (NC food, wine & beer vendors), State Fair Flyer, and the Annual Masonic Carolina Pig Jig. More information can be found online at https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/ncstatefair/got-be-nc-festival
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On Wednesday, May 20 from 11am - 12pm, the Granville County Cooperative Extension Office will be hosting a free in-person workshop at the South Granville Library in Creedmoor discussing how to have a “Versatile Pantry”. This workshop is from the More In My Basket (MIMB) program and will include information on planning your pantry, smart shopping, and pantry organization. Participants will learn the benefits of keeping staple items in your pantry, strategies for creating a stocked pantry, how to recognize ways to organize and keep track of food in the pantry, and we will discuss a variety of meals that can be prepared from a set of staple ingredients.
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Food and Built Environment
Wendy Tatum, Local Foods Coordinator
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Granville Gardeners Expo
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The Oxford Armory Farmers Market participated in the Granville Gardeners Expo on Saturday April 18 from 9 AM until 3 PM to showcase the variety of products that you can find at the market on a given Saturday morning starting May 2 and running until October 31. We handed out educational materials on portion sizes, as well as fans to beat the heat. Featured vendors were Dixon Farms, Grandpa’s Recipe, Elders Acres, Forsyth Grove, Just Natural Soap, Udder Bubbles, Custom Leather, Icing on the Cake, Harvey Hills Nursery, Gregory Nursery, and Gaessa Apothecary. We are looking forward to a great opening day on May 2 which will celebrate our local strawberry season.
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The Farm to Fridge program received a wonderful grant from the Granville County United Way in the amount of $6,000. We are fortunate to have such great community partners to help us fill the fridges.
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We are so grateful for our community partners who share in their abundance of donations. We are currently partnering with ACIM to provide an avenue to distribute bakery items through the Farm to Fridge
program. So far this year, we have distributed 7,206 pounds of food across our county thanks to our wonderful volunteers.
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Livestock & Forages
Kim Woods, Area Agent, Agriculture - Animal Science
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Drought considerations for Livestock Producers
For now, pasture-based livestock producers need to be careful not to overgraze pastures, and start thinking about an emergency feeding program. If there is a significant amount of grass in pastures, livestock can be rotated through, but should be moved before the pasture gets grazed down short. When all pastures are 3-4 inches livestock should be confined in a sacrifice pasture and fed hay until substantial rain has fallen.
The hay crop is likely to be short, so farmers are weighing their options. Stands of wheat and other small grains have substantial biomass, but if it does not rain soon will have very limited grain. This forage could be cut for hay as a salvage practice. If you do cut small grains (or any hay for that matter) you should get a nitrate test before feeding. The NCDA&CS Forage lab will run a nitrate analysis for free and will provide quick feedback when they find a potentially toxic level in a sample.
Selective culling is a practice that can help farmers reduce their feed demand which will be critical to making it through a drought. Selling unproductive or old livestock now and keeping the highly productive females with a long future ahead of them will help a farmer get through the drought and improve their herd at the same time.
Finally, the Livestock Forage Program will provide some relief to farmers in affected counties. The Drought Monitor status is used to trigger benefit payments, so be aware of the status of your county.
Find at
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NC
Be aware that benefits from LFP require some evidence of your animal numbers during the dates specified. This could be a calving record, working records, or a running inventory list. Make sure to contact your FSA office so they can keep you updated about the county status.
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Join us on Friday, June 5, 2026, from 2-4 pm for a pond clinic. The FREE event will be held at the Granville Expo center located at 4185 US 15 in Oxford, NC. We will have specialists on hand to discuss aquatic weeds and their control measures and pond management strategies. If you want more information about managing your pond for fish or recreation, this will be a great learning opportunity for you. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-pond-clinic-tickets-1986560132834.
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4-H Youth Development
Lina Howe, Extension Agent
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Please join us for a fun day of presenting your 4-H projects and/or passions!
Youth will present to a panel of 3 judges on a topic of their choice.
Participation Age: 5-18
Time limit: 5- 12 minutes
For more information about presentation topics and guidelines, please visit this page:
https://nc4h.ces.ncsu.edu/youth/awards-incentives/presentations/
Please contact Lina Howe if you have any questions, concerns or would like help with your presentation!
Lina_Howe@ncsu.edu
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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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This event is for Granville County residents only. No business or commercial waste will be accepted at this event.
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As we move through this busy and rewarding season, we appreciate your continued support and involvement with the Granville Extension community. We’re here to support you—reach out anytime and have a safe, productive May!
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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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