Camden Extension Connections: June 2022 Recap

Austin Brown began his career with North Carolina Cooperative Extension in 2016 when he was hired as the Camden County Agriculture Agent. He has served Camden County in this role since, and has also taken on administrative responsibilities being named the County Extension Director in February of 2020. Austin consistently strives to keep his work at the forefront of emerging issues in the agricultural community. In his role Austin works closely with the farmers of Camden County, other Extension personnel, and the agriculture community at large to meet needs and provide impactful programs.

Austin annually hosts crop production meetings that focus on corn, soybean, wheat, and Irish potato production, which are all vital to the agriculture industry in Camden County. These meetings help farmers stay up to date on new farming practices, pest control measures, and research being conducted by Extension specialists and agents. He also teaches pesticide safety education classes, conducts on-farm research with Camden County farmers, writes the Camden Crop News newsletter series, and provides on-farm diagnostic support to promote the profitability and sustainability of Camden farms.

Austin’s work with the Northeast Ag Expo team, which includes Extension personnel from Camden, Currituck, Chowan, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans Counties, has helped to reach over 1,981 farmers and industry personnel with the two field days that they organize annually. These field days are held in February and July for the farmers and agriculture industry of the region, and showcase crop research implemented by Extension personnel.

In addition to agricultural responsibilities, Austin oversees staff development and the entire Extension program in Camden as the County Extension Director. Along with Extension staff, he helps to support youth programs and community events. Austin is dedicated to this community, the farmers, and our agricultural future which will enable Camden County’s agribusiness to continue to thrive.

Camden County Soybean Variety Trial Planted

The Camden County Soybean Variety Trial was planted on June 6th in the Hale’s Lake area. Agriculture Extension Agents from Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans Counties worked together to implement soybean trials across the region, representing both Enlist and Xtend technology platforms. This research is aimed at providing locally generated variety performance data from our soils and conditions. These trials would not be possible without the support from farm cooperators and seed company representatives. I would like to especially thank Black Gold Farms of Camden for providing the land and other resources necessary for the Camden County location.

Northeast Ag Expo Summer Field Day: July 28th in Camden
Save the Date. The Northeast Ag Expo Summer Field Day is set for Thursday, July 28 in Camden County at John E. Ferebee Farming, Inc., located at 350 Scotland Road, Camden, NC 27921. The field day will begin with a trade show, breakfast, and registration from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m., followed by opening remarks from 9:15 to 9:30 a.m., and field tours from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon, and ending with a catered lunch.
We have implemented a number of corn and soybean field trials on site aimed at efficiency and profitability of various treatments and strategies. Field trials include evaluating soybean planting date by maturity group by seeding rate, soybean fungicide timing and products, soybean fertilization, corn biologicals, corn nitrogen rate by plant population, corn population wheel, corn fertilization products, corn hybrid demonstration, corn plant population by row spacing, and more.

Please Pre-Register by July 20th by calling the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Camden County Center at 252-331-7630 or online.

Camden County 4-H Summer Fun!

STEM Camp: From learning to code robots, to shooting off rockets, and creating soda
explosions, Camden 4-H members spent the day at Treasure Point participating in a variety of STEM experiments.

County Activity Day: Practice makes perfect! 4-H members prepared for District Activity Day by rehearsing their presentations and demonstrations for Camden Extension agents. The
collaboration and feedback helped participants to fine tune their performance.

Hike the Point: Our younger 4-H members explored the nature trails at Treasure Point 4-H
camp. We spent the morning watching for wildlife, investigating trees, and enjoying the natural beauty of the park.

Art in the Park: 4-H members demonstrated their creativity at Art in the Park Day at Treasure Point. We hydro-dipped eggs, created sand art, practiced our paint pouring, and made pottery out of air dry clay.

Kayaking: Each week our 4-H members have been exploring waterways surrounding Treasure Point. They have paddled Mill Dam Creek and ventured into the Pasquotank River during these exciting adventures.

District Activity Day: 4-H members from 22 counties came together to compete in a public
speaking competition. Participants demonstrated their confidence and expertise in categories of their choosing. Winners in each category will have the opportunity to present at the State level.

In-Person Food Preservation Series

Our third in-person Food Preservation class was held on June 15th. Participants made Peach Apple Salsa and Spicy Chili Salsa. Then participants demonstrated proper water bath canning methods. We recently released part two of our food preservation series which includes pressure canning and dehydration. To find out more information and to register visit https://camden.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/06/in-person-food-preservation-series-2/

Live Food Demo on YouTube
Hydration is important all summer long so this month we highlighted infused water to aid in increasing hydration. In total 59 people viewed this demonstration which can be found, among other places, on the Camden YouTube Channel. Live food demonstrations happen every month on the First Tuesday of the month at 10 am. Subscribe to the Camden Extension YouTube Channel to make sure you never miss out on the delicious fun!