dbmcgiff@ncsu.edu

Our New Year's Resolution: Making Broadband Accessible to All

Since this is the beginning of 2022, please help the Moore County Digital Inclusion Task Force meet our New Year's Resolution for closing the digital divide in Moore County and expand broadband access to all Moore County residents. Please take 5 minutes to take the NC Broadband Survey and then share the survey with your friends, and families. Reliable and affordable internet is critical to access education, healthcare, emergency responders, and online commerce.

The data collected from the survey will help the task force identify where the gaps in broadband are in Moore County and will enable us apply for grant funding that will target broadband expansion of the internet to those underserved areas in the county.

For those without access to the internet, the survey can be completed by phone: 919-750-0553 (English); 919-750-8860 (Spanish).

In the meantime, Moore County Cooperative Extension has compiled some useful information and resources for addressing the digital divide in Moore County. Go to the Extension Broadband Access page and scroll to find links that accentuate rural broadband issues that affect how all of Moore County can better learn, earn, and access healthcare with equitable connectivity to broadband and digital technology.

Meet Tom Shea

Meet Thomas (Tom) Shea. Tom joined the Moore County Cooperative Staff on January 10, as the Extension Livestock Agent. Tom graduated from North Carolina State University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology and a Minor in Animal Science. While still in school Tom, worked as a lab and field technician where he participated in studies on pasture management. After graduation, Tom served as a grazing and land management consultant for the Duke University Land Use and Management Office before heading west to South Dakota and then to Minnesota to get first-hand knowledge and experience in the livestock industry.

As the Extension Livestock Agent, Tom will be responsible for livestock programs and education that meet the needs of livestock producers and interested youth. Tom can be reached at tpshea@ncsu.edu or 910-947-3188.

Please join the Moore County Cooperative Service in welcoming Tom to Moore County and to the Moore County Extension Center.

Flowering Japanese Apricot Tree

If you want to brighten up your winter landscape, plant a Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume). They flower in January & February when little else is in bloom. Cultivars include white, pink, rose or red in single or double forms which appear on naked branches.

The tree grows to about 20 feet tall and has a rounded branch structure. It is not fussy about soil as long as it is well drained, acidic and has extra organic matter. Full sun is a must for the flowering apricot to get the best blooms. There are 300 cultivars of this ornamental deciduous tree. ‘Peggy Clarke’ bears double deep rose flowers. ‘Kobai’ is semi-double red flowers. Most have some fragrance.

They might be a bit hard to find at garden centers but I am sure they can be ordered. Years ago, there were a dozen flowering apricot trees planted in what is now the Kohl’s shopping center entrance. Extension would always get many calls in the winter asking, “What are those beautiful flowering trees”.

By: Dolores Muller, EMGV, Moore County

Photo: by ncsu.edu

For more information, contact the Extension Master Gardener Helpline at
910-947-3188, Monday-Friday

Land Summit Planned for Landowners & Land Users

When: March 17, 2022; 8:00 am- 5:00 pm

Where: Moore County Agricultural Building
707 Pinehurst Avenue, Carthage, NC

Why: Public and private matters that affect land usage is becoming increasingly impactful to landowners, especially for those that own agricultural and forest lands or for those who purchase or inherit undeveloped land. Issues surrounding development, landowner rights, conservation, preservation, government zoning and land-use regulations, and taxation all go hand-in-hand with land ownership. Though there are similar challenges across the state, landowners face concerns and opportunities unique to Moore County. For example, as many counties are losing farms, the most recent farm census showed that Moore County grew its number of farms from 713 to 733. At the same time the spill over from Fort Bragg and the continued growth in the tourist industry has seen an explosion in development, development that often encroaches on farms and forest acreages. The Land Summit is designed to educate landowning and farming constituents on matters that affect their land use.

Cost: Free to attend, but there will be a charge for participants who wish to order lunch

Registration Required: Will begin on February 14.

For more information contact Deborah McGiffin, 910-947-3188 or deborah_mcgiffn@ncsu.edu

Number One Resolution

The number one New Year’s resolution made in America each year is to lose weight. Number two and three are about getting healthy and exercising more. If you have noticed, there’s information everywhere you turn in the media about where to find solutions for achieving these top resolutions. There’s so much in the news this time of year, that information about nutrition is overwhelming and often full of misleading “half-truths" about diet and health.

Watch the January Home Grown series to hear Extension Agent, Cassidy Hall, shed light on a trio of oft-repeated nutrition half-truths.

EGGCELENT EGGSPLORERS 4-H CHICKEN CHAIN

Interest Meeting – February 9, 2022;6:30 PM

Who: 4-H Youth, Ages 5-18

What: A chicken pullet show where youth receive day-old chicks, then raise them to show at our October Show. Youth gain valuable skills in responsibility, life cycles, animal husbandry, and money and budget management.

You must register and attend the mandatory meeting via Zoom on February 9th at 6:30 PM

To Register for the Mandatory Meeting: Contact Kaley Lawing at kaley_lawing@ncsu.edu

For questions contact Kaley at 910-947-3188 or above by her email.