February 2022 E-News

Welcome Jennifer Swann!

Jennifer officially joined the staff on January 3rd and we’re delighted to welcome her onboard! Jennifer has a Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences in Human Services from Lees-McRae College. She enjoys spending time with family (playing sports and going to the gym) and is an active member of Bear Creek Baptist Church. Jen serves as a 4-H Assistant on the staff and works closely with Eve delivering 4-H youth development programs. Jen can be reached at jgswann@ncat.edu or by calling 828.688.4811.

High Path Avian Influenza
(HPAI/” bird flu)
in North Carolina

Please take the time to read this news release from North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA & CS) in regards to detection of High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI / "bird flu") in North Carolina. USDA has a great “Defend the Flock” resource around biosecurity measures that can be taken at all times to ensure the health of your flock. Now is a good time to review those resources if you are unfamiliar with them or want to know what you can do to help keep your birds safe.

Mitchell Extension launched a 13-week Initial Training course on January 25 for 17 area gardeners interested in becoming Extension Master Gardener Volunteers. We are delighted to welcome them aboard!

NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers connect people to horticulture through science-based education and outreach that empowers North Carolinians to cultivate healthy plants, landscapes, ecosystems, and communities.

By summertime you’ll start to see Extension Master Gardener volunteers at events throughout our county – they’ll be there to answer your gardening questions and introduce you to the outstanding resources available through NC State Extension.

Cloverbud 4-H Afterschool Club
Starts Today!

The 4-H Cloverbud Afterschool Club starts today (February 1st) at Greenlee Primary School! We are excited to be partnering with Rural Education Partners and to see all the k-2 kids! This month we’ll explore ways youth can be helpful in the kitchen! 4-H members will learn about the items needed in the kitchen, kitchen safety and measuring. During our last session, we’ll prepare a snack they get to eat!

4-H Cloverbuds meet weekly at Greenlee Primary through March. Stay tuned to learn what we’ll be doing in March.

MBA FoodCon 2022 – February 2

The New Normal in Food: Innovating in the Face of
Shifting Tastes and Circumstances

Please join us virtually on February 2, 2022 for the 8th Annual MBA FoodCon to celebrate and explore what’s new in food and agriculture as these industries respond to and innovate in the face of shifting tastes and circumstances.

FoodCon is an annual conference cohosted by Duke, UNC, and NC State’s business schools. Our goal is to bring together a diverse audience of students, community members, and professionals who have a shared interest in the sustainable food and agriculture industries. We aim to increase the awareness and understanding of these industries and support their growth here in North Carolina as well as throughout the country.

Keynotes
Greg Bohlen, Managing General Partner of Union Grove Venture Partners
Mary Shelman, AgTech Thought Leader and Former Director of Agribusiness
at HBS

Panel Topics
Supporting the Food Business
Changing Restaurant Landscapes
Reducing our Dependency on Land (smart ag)
Evolving Diets (alternatives + allergy-friendly food industry)

Blueberry Pruning and
Production Workshop –

Wednesday, February 9, 1-3:30pm

Join NC Cooperative Extension for a hands-on blueberry pruning and production workshop at Blue Ridge Blueberry Farm, Spruce Pine. In this workshop you will learn how to plant and care for high bush blueberries. Proper pruning is key to maintaining good berry production and you will have an opportunity to practice pruning mature blueberry plants with the guidance of NC Cooperative Extension Agents and Specialist Bill Cline. Pruning tool care will also be discussed. This workshop will be held outside and will involve hands-on pruning activities. Please dress for the weather and bring gloves and hand pruners. Some hand pruners will be available for participants who do not bring their own. Cost is $12/person.

For more information, contact sabiddix@ncsu.edu or call Shane at 828.688.4811. Register Online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blueberry-production-and-pruning-workshop-tickets-244448099847

Avery/Mitchell Landscape Contractor
Recertification Workshop –
February 17, 8am-5pm,
Avery Community Center at Heritage Park, Newland

A great line-up is planned for this day-long workshop! Topics include: developing a landscape weed management plan, boxwood blight update, Spotted Lantern Fly update, what’s bugging your tree?, landscape business checklist, common issues with using H2B labor and using predators to manage HWA. For more information, contact sabiddix@ncsu.edu or call Shane at 828.688.4811.

Cooperative Extension Annual Livestock Meeting

Michelle South, Area Extension Agent, will host Cooperative Extension’s Annual Livestock meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 22 from 6-8pm at the Mitchell County Senior Center in Ledger. Come discover three easy produced methods that can be used to improve operation profitability. A catered meal will be provided to those attending face-to-face. The meal will be boxed and served individually to reduce risks due to Covid. This meeting will be available virtually as well.

In-person seating is limited, so please register by visiting Mitchell County Extension Center’s Event Page or by contacting Michelle South at 828.387.5748. The registration deadline is February 18.

Virtual 4-H Volunteer Training Series –

Session 1 – February 28, 7:30pm

North Carolina 4-H will be hosting a bimonthly virtual volunteer training series for all 4-H volunteers beginning February 28 (registration deadline is February 21 Sessions will be held over Zoom. In order to participate, participants are expected to have a computer camera (with the camera turned on) and a microphone. If you’re interested but don’t have this capability, please reach out to Eve. The 6 sessions that will be offered are some of the 4-H foundation topics that all volunteers need to know.

These trainings are free of charge and open to all NC 4-H Volunteers. Each session is entered as a different "event" in 4-H Online. Registration will close 7 days prior to the session date and a specific Zoom link will be sent for each session to all registered participants. For more information, contact emkindle@ncsu.edu or call Eve at 828.688.4811. Login to 4-H Online to register!

Crafting Positivity
in Relationships

Have you ever had a conversation with someone that just left you feeling beaten down? Does your morning routine of making sure the dog eats, changing kids out of jammies, and getting yourself ready to go out the door cause extra chaos between everyone in the house? In stressful situations where communication is involved, it’s easy to change someone’s entire day by simply choosing the wrong words.

Think about the last time someone said something negative to you. Now think about how long it took for you to forget about those words. What did that person have to do for you to move past the negativity?

Negativity can wreak havoc on our emotional systems. It causes our minds to recall insults better than praise, dwell on the negative instead of the positive, and remember bad experiences more than good ones. There’s actually an entire science behind this process called negativity bias.

Visit NC Farms App – List Your Farm/Agribusiness Today!

The Visit NC Farms App serves as a public information digital tool promoting local farms, fisheries, farmers markets and other agribusinesses how, where and when they are open to visitors. Mitchell County Cooperative Extension secured grant funds so local growers/producers can be listed on this app free of charge for one year! To get your farm/agribusiness listed, please contact emkindle@ncsu.edu or call Eve at 828.688.4811.

Do it now! Mitchell County is scheduled to go live March 1.

All high school youth are invited to join us for the 2022 North Carolina Youth Institute (NCYI), a program that provides a platform for youth to research and give recommendations to solve key global challenges that range from food insecurity, access to potable water, poverty, human rights, engineering issues, and more.

Write a paper: Youth select a country besides their own and research the challenges families face around food and write a paper with proposed community-based solutions.

Youth present their paper to their peers at the in-person (or virtual) NCYI at NC State and work collectively to find common themes around global hunger.

Participate in hands-on workshops. Youth will have a chance to explore hands-on sessions led by faculty across CALS to learn more about NC agriculture and food systems.

Become a Borlaug Scholar. After participating in the NCYI, youth will be named a Borlaug Scholar by the World Food Prize.

The NCYI is hosted by NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and is a part of the World Food Prize's Global Youth Institute.

Youth will need to register and submit their paper by March 4th, 2022 and the
in-person, one-day NCYI will be held at NC State (or virtually) on Friday, April 1st, 2022.

If you have any questions or to learn more about the process of this program, contact the North Carolina Youth Institute State Coordinator Dr. Lori Unruh Snyder at lori_snyder@ncsu.edu | (919) 515-4070 or Liz Driscoll, liz_driscoll@ncsu.edu | (919.886.3424)