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MITCHELL COUNTY CENTER
August 2022
Brown Spots In Your Lawn

The Extension office has received  several calls over the past couple of weeks seeking information on brown spots that have suddenly appeared in homeowners lawns. Do I have Brown Patch and what is it? Brown Patch is a very common lawn fungus that does attack tall fescue. Tall Fescue is the base for most lawns in this area. Brown Patch Spots vary in color due to mowing height, grass that is greater than 1 inch in height will appear as circle type patches ranging in size from 6 inches to 6 feet in diameter. In regards to color these patches can be brown, tan, or yellow with a very distinctive brown border. Another feature that will aid in identification, when leaves are wet or humidity is high gray cotton type masses called mycelium can be seen growing on affected leaves. If lawns are cut under 1 inch or less Brown Patch will still have the same diameters but will be brown or orange in color. Due to the small leaf surface area lesions and mycelium will not be present,  but often there will be a dark black or gray ring around the patches which helps in identification. This so-called smoke ring will be evident when the lawn is wet or when humidity is approaching 100%.
Brown Patch is a fungus and thrives in hot, humid weather. Development begins when night time temperatures rise above the 60* F mark, Brown Patch thrives when low and high temperatures are greater than 70* F and 90* F . Lawns must be in a wet state for 10 to 12 hours for fungal development to begin which leads to Brown Patch. Other environmental conditions that aid in development are poor soil drainage, lack of air movement, shade, cloudy conditions, dew, overwatering, and watering in late evening. A good cultural practice is to not water after 7pm. 

Over fertilization also leads to fungal development, please take into consideration that a fungus can not produce chlorophyll and is dependent on a food source.
There are preventive and treatment options available. A homeowner should select a Brown Patch resistant variety when establishing a lawn. In regards to fertilization do not apply more than 1/2 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet when conditions favor  Brown Patch development. Please take advantage of the NCSU

Extension soil testing service testing is essential for determining Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium amounts. Low amounts of Phosphorus and Potassium make damage from this disease more severe. Avoid prolonged periods of wetness, water based on weather conditions. It's best to water just before sunrise, this knocks the dew off of the grass and increases the drying rate. Proper surface and soil drainage also decrease Brown patch infection, so consider purchasing or renting an aerator. Fungicides are also available and can both prevent and cure Brown Patch. Please keep in mind that curative applications to cool season grasses are often ineffective due a slow growth rate during hot conditions. A preventive fungicide regiment is highly effective application should begin in late spring or early summer when night time temperatures exceed 60*F. For a list of Fungicide formulations and rates please visit:
turffiles.ncsu.edu/disease-in-turf/brown-patch-in-turf


Avery A&H Fair Entries
Avery A&H Fair Board along with Mitchell County Cooperative Extension invite you to attend the educational and family friendly Avery A&H Fair in Newland, NC, September 7th-10th, 2022.
Producers from Mitchell Counties are invited to submit their culinary, artistic, preserved, agricultural, and horticultural items for display. This is an opportunity to educate youth and community members on the various products that are produced in our area.
In addition, youth and producers from Avery and Mitchell counties are invited to compete in livestock shows and display their livestock.
Examples of entry submissions:
Culinary:                                                                   
- Pies & Cakes                                                         
- Casseroles                                                         
Preserved Foods:                                                   

- Canned fruits & vegetables                                   
Photography:                                                            
- Portraits                                                                   
- Landscape                                                               
Agricultural:
- Livestock & Poultry
- Fruits & Vegetables
- Honey
- Etc.
Horticultural:
- Trees, Shrubs, and Potted Plants
- Cut flowers
Avery A&H Fair Entry Dates & Times
Livestock and poultry entries are being accepted Monday and Tuesday, September 5th, from 8AM to 5PM. Livestock entries must be scheduled and approved prior to 8AM to 5PM.
Livestock entries must be scheduled and approved prior to September 2nd , 2022.
Cut flower entries are being accepted September 6th , 2022; 8AM to 4:30PM
Culinary entries are being accepted September 7th , 2022; MORNING ONLY (9AM)
All other entries will be accepted, Saturday, September 4th thru Tuesday, September 6th,  2022; 8AM – 4:30PM.
For more information regarding agriculture education or the Avery A&H Fair, please contact Michelle South at (828) 688-4811



                                                                         
4-H Back to School Bash
August 10 (Wednesday)10am-2pm
Ages 8-11
Cost:$10
Location Bear Creek Baptist Church, Ledger

Join us for one last hoorah before school starts!  We'll play water games, have sack races, make our own sponge water bombs, learn about electricity, make a seed necklace, tie dye a shirt, make  and just have fun!
For more information on either of these events, please call 828.688.4811
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2022 Tomato Field Day-August 11th

J
oin us at the 2022 Tomato Field Day, which will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 11th, 2022. The field day will take place at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, 74 Research Drive, Mills River, NC 28759. We will begin the day with registration and a vendor tradeshow. Afterward, ride around the Center to enjoy stops at our Tomato Breeding, Pathology, Entomology, and other research plots. A complimentary lunch will also be served.


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Mitchell County 4-H’ers Represent at State Presentation Finals & Congress4-H

Four Mitchell County 4-Hers traveled to the State Presentation Finals in Raleigh on July 16, 2022, to show off their presentation skills.

Emery Brown of Bakersville competed in the Poultry Production category and came home with a Gold Medal. The North Carolina Poultry Association sponsored Emery’s category.

Bransen Pittman participated in the Pork Cookery Outdoor Grilling Competition and received a Silver medal for his Spicy Pork chops! Bransen is the son of Brandon and Lisa Pittman of Bakersville.

Owen Young and Craig Young both received third place, Bronze medals in their respective categories. (Owen, Pork cookery & Craig , Electric) Owen prepared a pork loin over a gas grill and serve it with baby skewered potatoes!
Craig demonstrated how to make and use an electric piano. They are the sons of Aaron and CrystalYoung of Bakersville.

Congratulations to all these 4-Hers for placing in their categories!!

In addition, three 4-Hers participated in NC State 4-H Congress, which follows presentation finals. This event is for teen 4-Hers to develop and build upon their leadership, citizenship, and community service skills. Those attending were: Jesse Silver, Josh Silver and Bransen Pittman, along with Jessy-Kate Glenn, 4-H Intern and Spring Williams-Byrd, Interim CED & 4-H Agent.

Jesse Silver was nominated and campaigned throughout the week for a position as State Vice President. Jesse along with his brother Josh as West District 4-H Council Officers helped to teach the “ It’s Electric” workshop. They taught more than 200 teens how electricity works by showing participants how to build a paper circuit, using simple materials! Along with the many leadership workshops, youth also participated in elections and community service projects, including making ornaments for the Capitol Christmas Tree, and pack bags to send to Veterans. The event concluded with the annual candlelighting ceremony.


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Christmas in July Comes to Bakersville


Who doesn’t love Christmas more than once a year? Bakersville’s Christmas ‘Neath the Roan Program and Mitchell County’s Cooperative Extension 4-H joined forces to create a novel Christmas in July program that used developmentally appropriate classes for 5-7 year-olds and a second one for 8-12 year olds. In addition to coloring Gingerbread Houses, the younger group kicked off the day by creating a Gingerbread story. Each child used his/her creativity to develop a sentence to make the story complete. This group created a felt board story with houses, roofs, Christmas trees, snow, clouds, and a sun. Their second story included the same components but they were glued down onto a board and will be entered into the Mountain State Fair. Each child also enjoyed painting rolling pins and adhering to a gingerbread man, painting rocks, gingerbread men, and gingerbread scenes. To make this even better Mrs. Claus stopped by and told them she would help the parents and children get their categories identified to be placed in the fair to be judged and win ribbons. Mrs. Claus told the children she loves the Christmas Spirit in Bakersville that goes on all year.
During the 8-12-year-old sessions, the youth made beautiful colored pencil art and painted unique designs on their rocks. They really enjoyed making foam core gingerbread houses and decorating each one. Roofs were made with colored mat boards. Another favorite was decorating gingerbread men clay objects. They used a combination of mediums to make each personalized man unique. Finally they took home materials to make a gingerbread family complete with dogs and cats.

A special thanks to Jessy-Kate Glenn, 4-H Intern; Jennifer Swann , 4-H Program Assistant, Abby Cook, Bakersville Area Merchants’ Association Marketing Assistant, Theresa Lewis, Christmas ‘Neath the Roan Photographer and Volunteer, and Sharon Runion Rowland, 4-H Volunteer.

Make plans to attend the Mountain State Fair at the WNC Agricultural Center near Asheville, The dates are September 9-18 and you’ll be able to see the crafts made by Mitchell County youth. They’ve done such a great job.
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August is here and the dog days are upon us. When it is hot out, we need to keep a close eye on how much water we drink (lots!) and remember to limit strenuous exercise to cooler portions of the day when possible. Remember to wear a good sunscreen lotion or spray and keep that hat handy too. I will admit, I got tempted by the blackberry patch last week and got a little too much sun. Next time, I will remember my hat, for sure!

I've been making a lot of popsicles lately, which is a good way to cool down, have a nutritious economical snack and use some of this delicious fruit while it is in season. You don't even need to add sugar. Mash up or blend berries and soft fruits and pour into a mold or a paper cup. Put in a popsicle stick, or a spoon if you don't have any sticks handy. Try adding coconut milk or yogurt to the fruit, it's delicious. Or for a fun twist, put half a banana on a stick (I like mine drizzled in chocolate.) Pop them in the freezer on a tray for an hour and you will have the perfect summer treat. This is a great activity to do with kids, but I make them at home for myself!

Berry Good Popsicles!

Makes 6-8 servings | Serving size: 1 popsicle

Ingredients

2/3 cup cranberry, raspberry, or other 100% fruit juice or blend
1 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt 1 cup berries (fresh or frozen blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries)

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients together.
  2. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds or 3-ounce paper cups. Cover the top of each cup with foil. Push a wooden stick down into the middle of each cup. The foil will hold the stick in place.
  3. Put the cups on a cookie sheet and freeze for 3 to 4 hours. When the popsicles are ready to eat, peel away the foil and the paper cups and enjoy!


Katie Elkins
County Extension FCS Agent
kelkins@ncsu.eduPhone:  828-688-4811



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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.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made
to Spring WIlliams-Byrd  spring_williams@ncsu.edu.

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