November 2021 E-News

Mitchell County Extension Offers Empowering Youth & Families Program

Welcome Niki Maness

The Empowering Youth & Families Program (EYFP) focuses on improving parenting skills of caregivers to assist youth in making healthy choices and the goal of EYFP is to reduce youth substance use in rural North Carolina. Strong family relationships and good communication skills serve as protective factors to help youth cope successfully with adolescent stresses and this 10 week program serves the whole family! Each week families meet, share a meal and practice skill building and Mitchell County Extension is excited to have Niki on staff to lead it. For more information, call Niki at 828.688.4811 or email niki_maness@ncsu.edu. EYFP is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and USDA.

Niki is native to the area and graduated from NC A&T State University in 2009. She aspires to restore and maintain the tight-knit community that she experienced during the most important years of her life. When she’s not working with the Empowering Youth and Families Program, you can find her chasing after her two very energetic little girls or getting into some sort of craft project.

Mitchell County 4-H Hiring a Temporary

4-H Assistant - Please Share!

Do you enjoy working with youth? Are you organized and enthusiastic? Can you follow a lesson plan, put together supplies and materials and facilitate an educational activity? Are you comfortable talking on the phone and asking people to volunteer? Does working flexible hours appeal to you? If yes, the 4-H Assistant position may be for you! This temporary position is 30 hours per week and offers no fringe benefits (except you get to work with youth!) and will last approximately 3-4 months. For more information, contact Eve Kindley at 828.688.4811.

Mitchell 4-H Members Demonstrate Marksmanship

Skills at State Competition

What an accomplishment to have eleven members of the Mitchell County 4-H Shooting Sports Club qualify to compete at the NC 4-H Shooting Sports state tournament held Saturday, October 9 at Millstone 4-H Center and DeWitt’s Outdoor Sports in Ellerbe, NC! 4-H Members competing were: Jeremiah Greene, shotgun, senior division (son of Megan and Hank Greene of Bakersville), Alex Buchanan, telescopic rifle and compound archery, senior division (daughter of Ranae and Jimmy Buchanan of Spruce Pine), Dawson Silvers, telescopic rifle, senior division (son of Olivia and Rhon Silvers of Green Mountain), Bransen Pittman, open sight rifle and compound archery, junior division (son of Lisa and Brandon Pittman of Bakersville), Troy Gouge, open sight rifle, junior division (son of Ellen and Doug Gouge of Bakersville), Addyson Roberts, telescopic rifle and compound archery, junior division (daughter of Jessica and Clayton Roberts of Bakersville), Audrey Greene, compound archery, junior division (daughter of Amber and Robert Greene of Bakersville), Piper Cook, telescopic rifle, junior division (daughter of Shana and Ryan Cook of Spruce Pine) and the Mitchell 4-H Junior Division Shotgun Team - Barrett Potter (son of Tammy Bryant and Robbie Potter of Bakersville), Addyson Roberts, Troy Gouge, Jacob Greene (son of Megan and Hank Greene of Bakersville) and Colton McClellan (son of Jessica and Eric McClellan of Bakersville).

4-H adult volunteer coaches include: Randy Ramsey (riflery), Reece Ramsey (riflery), Rohn Silvers (riflery), Brandon Pittman (archery) and Clayton Roberts (shotgun).

The 4-H Shooting Sports Club held their first fall/winter meeting on Friday, October 29 at 6pm. The next meeting is scheduled for 6pm, Friday, December 3. If you’re interested in joining the club, please call Cooperative Extension at 828.688.4811 or email emkindle@ncsu.edu. Youth must be 8 years old as of January 1, 2022 to participate.

December 18th Christmas ‘Neath the Roan Youth Day -
"Reels on Wheels" from 6-8ish!

Planning is underway for a Youth Day during the Christmas ‘Neath the Roan events. Mark your calendar for Saturday, December 18 and plan to make a reservation to have breakfast with Santa as well as join us for a “Reels on Wheels” movie experience! Younger children will enjoy the movie "elf" and older 4-H members will have fun serving
popcorn and hanging out! Registration
will be on Eventbrite.

Yes, there is a difference, the Thanksgiving cactus is categorized under the genus and species name “Schlumbergera truncata” and the Christmas cactus “Schlumbergera x buckleyi". Both of these cacti are indigenous to Brazil and in this environment, both grow in tree branches and are scientifically referred to as epiphytes. This type of growth makes these cacti naturals for hanging basket production due to a weeping growth habit and a wide array of colors. The Thanksgiving cactus will bloom one month earlier and dominates the market due to this feature allowing for an earlier sales date versus the later flowering Christmas cactus.

Scientifically speaking, there are differences other than bloom time. First, these cacti have modified stems and true leaves are absent and the stems are flattened into segments which aid in correct classification. The Thanksgiving cactus will have saw-toothed type serrations arising from the leaf margin 2 to 4 projections per segment. In comparison, segments on the Christmas cactus will be smooth and rounded in nature. A second classification method is to look at the flower itself. Locate the anthers, the floral structures which bear pollen for reproduction. The Thanksgiving cacti will have yellow anthers whereas the Christmas cacti will have purplish-brown anthers.
Read more....

Mylee Chapman Wins Gold in
NC 4-H Outdoor Cookery State Contest

After practicing and cooking lots of pork tenderloin, Mylee won first place at the NC 4-H Outdoor Cookery State Contest! Mylee’s presentation, “Put some Pork on your Fork...at the Game,” was centered around a softball theme. During the competition, Mylee had a total of two hours to fire up her grill (using charcoal), prepare and apply her homemade rub, and grill the tenderloin. Mylee brought home a gold medal along with a plague and $125 cash! Mylee is the daughter of Kellie and Randall Chapman of Spruce Pine. Congratulations, Mylee!

Worried?

The teenage years are a time for growth and change, physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. Teenagers can view change as scary and they often have to make early decisions about careers, study, work etc. and that leads to worry. What is the definition of worry? Worry is thinking about things that are scary. Here are some tips that can be helpful.

There are two kinds of worry:

Worries you can do something about
Worries you can’t do something about

Whenever you’re worried, your first question should be: “Can I do anything about this worry?” If the answer is “yes,” then you can stop worrying and start acting. Make healthy choices so you can make the worry go away.

If the answer is “no,” then you have a wasteful worry on your hands. These are worries you can’t do anything about. Worrying about them won’t help and may make matters worse. Wasteful worries can make you feel unhappy, keep you from getting things done, stop you from having fun, and even make you sick. Examples of this are sickness, losing a job, and natural disasters.

Read more.....

As the air becomes crisp and cool, we are reminded that cold and wet winter weather is just around the corner. Are you prepared? Is your livestock prepared? Below is a suggested checklist for a winter livestock emergency kit. The items in the kit should pertain to the particular species of livestock in your operation. Many of the suggested items can be utilized by a wide variety of livestock. With specialized items, the animal for which it is intended is specified. Put together your kit and store it in a safe but accessible location near your barn or feeding area. Contents should be stored in a temperature regulated environment to avoid spoilage or damage.

CHECKLIST

Medium/Large Clear plastic container with locking lid (for holding all supplies)
Small plastic container with locking lid (for small items like needles and syringes)
Towels
Wash clothes
Clean, new bucket
Plastic jug (filled with clean drinkable water)
Pedialyte (Clear, non-flavored)
Hot hands (large and small)
Heating pad or blanket (used only under supervision)
Small /medium Tarp
Gloves (insulated waterproof and rubber)
Large oral syringe
Various sized syringes and needles
Oral-gastric feeding tubes (size and type depend on animal)
Nutridrench or other nutrient rich oral liquid (Goats & Sheep)
Fortified B-complex (Goats, Sheep, and Cattle)
Electrolytes (Species specific)
Milk replacer (Species specific)
Bottle and nipple (Size depending on animal)
Change of clothes

Please contact Michelle South at Mitchell County Cooperative Extension Center at 828.688.4811 for more information.

Please Help a Kid go to 4-H Camp

The best gift we can give our kids is to empower them with skills that will last for a lifetime, which is one of the reasons parents have been sending their kids to 4-H summer camps for decades. 4-H was founded on the belief that when kids are empowered to pursue their passions and chart their own courses, their skills grow and take shape, helping them to become true leaders in their lives, careers and communities.

4-H is grounded in a deliberate, research-backed development and delivery model, which means at 4-H camp, kids learn critical life skills like resilience and independence. If we want our kids to be able to bounce back from adversity, stress, challenges and failures, teaching them resilience is key. Having experiences outside their comfort zones help young people become more resilient, more independent and better able to plan and reach their long-term goals.

Mitchell County 4-H will attend Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Center near Reidsville the week of June 26-July 1, 2022. While there, kids will canoe, ride horses, swim, attempt the climbing wall, use the low and high ropes courses and more - all while making new friends from all over North Carolina!

The cost of a week at 4-H camp is $500. This is prohibitive for some families. Please help make it possible for children to attend camp by contributing to our Mitchell County 4-H Camp Scholarship Fund. No gift is too small. To contribute, checks should be made payable to: Mitchell General Fund and mailed to: Mitchell County 4-H, PO Box 366, Bakersville, NC 28705.

For more information, please call Eve Kindley at 828.688.4811 or email emkindle@ncsu.edu.