Present-Use Value Workshop

Date: Thursday, October 7th
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Location: Gaston Citizens Resource Center, 1303 Dallas-Cherryville Hwy, Dallas, NC

The Present-Use Value Program is a state program that permits agriculture, horticulture or foresty land owners to defer a portion of their annual property tax, if the owner meets all of the Present-Use Value Program criteria.

If you have questions about the Present-Use Value Program, please join us Thursday, October 7th at 6 p.m.

NC State Fair Hay Show

The NC State Fair and the “Hay Show” is right around the corner and those of you who are proud of your hay crop are encouraged to enter hay samples for this year’s competition. You still have 1 1/2 weeks to submit the sample to the NCDA&CS lab as the deadline for submission is September 17th. Make sure you label it as a State Fair entry. Cost is $10, the only fee. Official state fair entry forms are due by September 24th.

Get a 6" block of hay (same hay that was analyzed) to the fairgrounds before 10 am Thursday October 14th, and its OK to get the sample there the day before on Wednesday. If you would have trouble getting it to the State Fair, contact Libby Yarber at 704-736-8452 and get a block of hay to her no later than October 12th. The judging will take place on Thursday morning (October 14th).

There are nine classes of hay judged in the show. Hay is judged both on physical/visual appraisal and its chemical analysis. The premium book with prize info, rules, classes and entry forms can be found at: http://www.ncstatefair.org/2010/Competitions/PremiumBook/2010DeptD.pdf

If you have any questions about the “Hay Show” please contact Libby Yarber at 704-736-8452.

Western On-Farm Poultry Processing Regulation Workshop

This free workshop is designed for ALL poultry growers who are processing on-farm under exemption, regardless of how many birds you raise and market. If you raise, process and sell between 1 and 20,000 birds annually, you need this information!

WHO: All poultry growers who process on-farm for commercial sale

WHAT: New guidelines for on-farm processing exemptions, allowing producers to sell up to 20,000 birds on farm. The new guidelines apply to ALL on-farm processing.

WHERE: Burke County Cooperative Extension Center, Morganton, NC. Google Map.

WHEN: Monday, September 13th 6:30-8:30PLEASE RSVP by September 10th to casey@ncchoices.com

PROGRAM:6:30-8:00- Don Delozier, Director of NC Meat and Poultry Inspection and Alan Wade, MPID Head Compliance Officer, will discuss the new regulations and accountability systems for exempt on-farm processing of poultry. The new rules increased the number of birds allowed to be processed and sold off your farm from 1,000 to 20,000 birds annually. ALL on-farm processors, regardless of volume will need to adhere to the new regulations.

8:00-9:00pm- NC Choices will present a slide show of small, on-farm processing facilities.This is a unique opportunity to learn how others manage on-farm processing and make sure your systems are in compliance with state regulations. MPID representatives will be on-hand for case by case questions. The Sustainable Agriculture Program at Western Piedmont Community College is offering a bus tour of their facilities beginning at 5pm. The bus will leave from the Burke Cooperative Extension Building a will return by 6:15. Contact Chip Hope chope@wpcc.edu for more info on the tour and program.

NC Choices would like to extend a thank you to the administration and staff of the NC Meat and Poultry Inspection Division for their efforts in helping local, small scale poultry growers expand production through these new guidelines.

2010 NCSU Small Flock Poultry Production Field Day

When: September 8th, 2010
Where: Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station,74 Research Dr., Mills River, NC 28759
Time: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Topics to be covered:

• Small flock husbandry practices
• On farm processing of broilers and turkeys
• Heritage breeds to choose for egg and meat production on range conditions
• Forages and rotation programs for range poultry production
• Health programs
• Biosecurity and how to be a good neighbor
• Marketing your final product

For further information contact Ken Anderson at 919.515.5527 or ken_anderson@ncsu.edu

First Annual Angus Field Day

Date: September 25th, 2010

Time: 10 am to 2 pm

Location: Clint Harrell Angus Farm, 204 Hilltop Farm Lane, Forest City, 28043

Topics to be Covered:

• Pasture Management/Fencing by Libby Yarber


• Bull Management/Selection by Gary Gregory


• Marketing Cattle ( Speaker TBA)

There will be vendors from several animal health and livestock related companies. Some of those companies are:

• Novartis


• CPC Animal Healthcare


• ABS


• Accelerated Genetics


• NC Cattlemen's Association


• NC Angus Association


• And More
  

There will be door prizes and a meal sponsored by Novartis and First Bank and Trust.

Contact Clint Harrell @ 828-429-9273 or your local Extension Agent.

RAFI TO GIVE $2 MILLION IN GRANTS TO NC FARMERS IN 2011

The Rural Advancement Foundation International - USA will offer almost $2 million in grants to North Carolina farmers in 2011. The grants will be supported by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and Governor Purdue's Family Farm Innovation Fund.

RAFI's grant program, the Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund, offers awards of up to $10,000 for individual producers and up to $30,000 for collaborative farmer projects. The program funds projects that demonstrate innovative opportunities in production, processing and marketing or that show new ways of using obsolete farm equipment or facilities.

"RAFI was able to fund only 25 percent of the over 450 applications received for 2010," said Linda Shaw, Executive Director. "We are thrilled that RAFI will be able to help even more farmers as a result of this funding." Grant applications for the 2011 funding cycle and a schedule of workshops for prospective applicants are available now at www.ncfarmgrants.org.

Gaston County Cooperative Extension will host a RAFI grant application information meeting on
October 18th at the Gaston Citizens Resource Center starting at 6:30 p.m.

For further information contact Francesca Hyatt at (919) 323-7587.

Animal Welfare Approved Announces 2011 Good Husbandry Grants

Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) is pleased to announce that it will offer a third year of Good Husbandry Grants. AWA is seeking proposals for projects to improve farm animal welfare with a concentration on three areas: increased outdoor access, improved genetics and improved slaughter facilities. Animal Welfare Approved is a free third party certification for independent family farms raising animals humanely, outdoors on pasture or range. Current Animal Welfare Approved farmers and those who have applied to join the program are eligible for grants of up to $5,000. Farmers may apply for certification and for a grant simultaneously. Slaughter plants working with AWA farms are also eligible to apply but should contact Grants Coordinator Emily Lancaster to discuss proposed projects before submitting a proposal. Examples of projects funded in previous cycles include mobile housing, a mobile processing unit, infrastructure to facilitate humane handling and breeding stock adapted to pasture-based management.

The deadline for proposals is October 1, 2010. Guidelines, FAQ’s, project profiles and an application form are available at www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org or by contacting Emily Lancaster at 919.428.1641 or Emily@AnimalWelfareApproved.org.

Mount Holly Farm Fest 2010

A fundraiser of Live Music and Fresh Local Food to support Programs at the Mount Holly Farmers Market.

Date: October 2nd, 2010
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Location: Redlair Farm & Forest - A 730 Acre Preserve!
144 Redlair Lane, Gastonia, NC
Seating: Bring blankets or chairs
Tickets: $20 for adults; $10 for students 12 & over; children under 12 free
*** Price includes dinner and tea

You can purchase tickets at the Mount Holly Market, on the market website: http://www.mounthollyfarmersmarket.com/index.htm, or at Charlie's Drug Store in Mount Holly.

Call 704-609-0666 for further information.

Sheep/Goat Workshops

North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension in collaboration with Rockingham County Cooperative Extension will be providing a goat and sheep workshop on August 23, 2010 with two sessions to choose from. Session 1 will be held from 1 pm to 5 pm. Session 2 will be held from 6:45 pm to 9 pm. You are invited to join in either or both Sessions. There is no cost for either session but a meal is not included. Both Sessions will be located at the Rockingham County Cooperative Extension Office at 525 NC Hwy 65, Ste 200, Reidsville, NC 27320.

Session 1 will include integrated parasite management for livestock, including goat and sheep FAMACHA© eyelid color scoring certification and optional fecal egg count hands-on training. This session starts at 1 pm and will be followed by hands-on training at the Upper Piedmont Research Station Chiqua-Penn sale barn with goats.


Session 2 will include presentations on breeding stock selection for sheep and goats in different production systems (purebred/show or commercial), including how to choose new stock or replacement animals and when to cull breeding males or females. It will also include a section on how different breed goats perform on pasture, with results of 3 years of studies conducted and presented by Dr. Richard Browning at Tennessee State University. Dr. Maria Leite-Browning, DVM from Alabama A&M University will present information about relevant diseases in goats, including CL, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and will talk briefly about parasite issues (coccidia and worms).

For more information or to register, please call or Email Ben Chase, Extension Livestock Agent In Rockingham & Guilford Counties at 800-666-3625 or ben_chase@ncsu.edu. Indicate which session (or both) you are planning to attend.

Know Your Farms Annual Farm Tours

The annual Know Your Farms tour of farms in the Charlotte, NC region is scheduled for September 18th and 19th from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Purchase one ticket, gather your friends into a vehicle, visit any of the participating farms. Come see sustainable agricultural practices; learn about healthy, local food; pick up tips for your own food garden; and enjoy a day in the countryside! Support your local farmers by attending. Bring a cooler, as the farms will be selling their meat, produce, eggs, and more. Please leave pets at home.

For more information go to: http://knowyourfarms.com/j/.

Mobile Processing Unit May Help Farmers

See this morning's article on mobile poultry processing units in the News and Observer:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/25/596676/mobile-slaughterhouse-will-help.html#storylink=misearch

There are currently two Mobile Poultry Processing Units that can be rented by area farmers - one located in McDowell County is managed by Foothills Family Farms in Old Fort, NC, not Flat Rock (as the article mentions). More information can be found here: http://www.foothillsfamilyfarms.org/content/1526 . Email inquiries to info@foothillsfamilyfarms.org.

The second mobile processing unit is at Wild Turkey Farms in Salisbury, NC. For more information on the Mobile Processing Unit at Wild Turkey Farms email wildturkey_farms@yahoo.com.

NCSU Hands-on Farmstead Cheesemaking Short Course

November 30-December 2, 2010: 7th annual NCSU Hands-on Farmstead Cheesemaking Short Course at NC State University in Raleigh, NC.

Download the short course brochure for the complete agenda and registration information: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/BrochureHandsOn2010.pdf

Registration is limited to 20 participants. This course ALWAYS fills up fast (likely within a few weeks from today), so don't wait to register!

Contact Gary Cartwright at 919-513-2488 for more information

N.C. Cooperative Extension Partners with 10% Local Food Campaign

North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Gaston county will be supporting a new statewide effort to build North Carolina’s local food economy - entitled the 10% Campaign. The campaign is an effort to encourage North Carolina consumers to spend 10 percent of their food dollars on foods from local sources.

Through the campaign website – http://www.nc10percent.com/ -- consumers and businesses will pledge to spend 10 percent of their food dollars locally, purchasing products from area farmers and food producers. Campaign participants will receive weekly email reminders to report how much money they spent on local food. The website will show consumers how their dollars spent on local foods grows.

North Carolinians spend about $35 billion a year on food. If each person spent just 10 percent on food locally – roughly $1.05 per day – then approximately $3.5 billion would be available in the state’s economy.

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and Cooperative Extension are partners in the campaign. Extension, based at N.C. State and N.C. A&T State universities, serves all the state’s 100 counties and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. CEFS is a partnership of N.C. State, N.C. A&T State and the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences that provides research, outreach and education on sustainable education and promotes local food economies in North Carolina.

Cooperative Extension’s local foods coordinator will help connect consumers and food producers and support local businesses and organizations who want to spend 10 percent of their food dollars locally. Local food coordinators will personally contact businesses and organizations that register through the website to help them develop a plan for purchasing local products. In addition, the 10% Campaign website provides a “Find Local Foods” page with links to help consumers find local food and farm products in their own communities. A “Learn More” page includes links to information on a variety of partner organizations, such as Slow Food USA and Eat Smart, Move More NC. There are also links to educational information on topics ranging from how to set up a workplace community-supported agriculture program to how to cook seasonal, local products.

To find out what’s happening with local foods in your county, visit your Cooperative Extension website at (http://gaston.ces.ncsu.edu/). A link to the Local Foods page can be found in the left hand column of your county center’s home page.

The Compass Group of Charlotte, the world’s largest food service provider, is leading the way in the campaign by pledging to purchase 10 percent of its food from local sources. Compass Group is developing a parallel model farm-to-institution buying program and will purchase 10 percent of the produce it serves in its North Carolina accounts from local farmers in the state.

Funding for the 10% Campaign and website is provided by Golden LEAF.

Among the Hmong

With an estimated 15,000, North Carolina is believed to have the fourth largest Hmong population in the U.S. Most of the N.C. Hmong live in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, with a few in Lincoln, Stanley and Gaston counties.

As a result of a three-year grant obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement, the United Hmong Association (UHA) of Catawba County teamed up with N.C. A&T State University and NC Cooperative Extension to form HRAPP - Hmong Rural Agricultural Partnership Program (HRAPP). The three-year grant program (scheduled to wrap up by the end of 2010) has included two multiple week, intensive growers schools, several educational field days and workshops, individual farmer consults, inseption of a 1-acre demonstration farm with a high tunnel and community gardens that support six Hmong families. To learn more about this relatively new farming culture in North Carolina, check out this article from the Charlotte Observer: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/20/1573901/among-the-hmong.html?pageNum=2&mi_pluck_action=page_nav

Gaston County Parks & Rec Seeking Out Produce Vendors!

Gaston County Parks is celebrating Park and Recreation Month by holding several fun activities throughout the month of July. To see all the event they have planned, go to http://www.co.gaston.nc.us/ParksAndRec/events.HTM.

The final event of the month is a one-time Farmers' Market in Dallas Park (i.e. Biggerstaff Park) on Friday, July 30th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Gaston Parks and Recreation is currently seeking out vendors who have produce to sell. If you are interested, in participating in this one-time market, contact Gaston County Parks and Recreation at 704-922-2160 for a vendor application.

Organic No-Till Corn & Soybean Production Workshop

Thursday, July 15, 20104:30 – 7 p.m.
Piedmont Research Station and Hoffner Dairy Farm, Salisbury, N.C.
Registration Fee: FREE
Coordinator: Molly Hamilton
Instructors: Dr. Chris Reberg-Horton, Dr. Julie Grossman, Mary Parr, George Place

This is an on-farm workshop hosted by NC State University that will demonstrate no-till/roll-kill practices that can be used in organic corn and soybean production. The technique for planting corn and soybeans into roll-killed cover crops will be discussed, and potential follow-up weed control methods will be demonstrated. Crop yields, fertility and crop management will also be discussed, as well as research results from the previous year. To register, please contact Molly Hamilton at molly_hamilton@ncsu.edu or 828-273-1041.

2010 Forage Field Day

NC State University's Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, N.C. is hosting an all day Forage Field Day on July 20, 2010.

Program Agenda:

9:30 to 10:30 am
Seeding equipment demonstration and calibration of seeders

10:30 to 11:30 am
Strip grazing demonstration
Weed identification in a pasture

11:45 to 12:15 pm
Trade show

12:15 to 1 pm
Lunch (Sponsored by Carolina Farm Credit)

1 to 1:30 pm
Regulations for hauling agriculture equipment

1:30 to 2 pm
Introduction of non-demonstration vendors

2 to 3 pm
Watering systems
Soil sampling

3 to 3:45 pm
Herbicide spraying demonstrations

3:45 to 4:15 pm
Herbicide plot demonstrations

I will be taking a van from the Gaston County Cooperative Extension office to attend this event. If anybody is interested in attending and would prefer to car-pool, please contact me at 704-922-2112.

Beef Quality Assurance Training

Local beef cattle producers are invited to attend a training session on Beef Quality Assurance hosted by NC Cooperative Extension in Dallas on June 17 at 7 PM. This course covers information on safe handling and use of vaccines and other animal health products, feed management, reducing beef quality losses, safe and humane treatment of cattle, biosecurity and marketing. Producers may be recognized for having this training course when marketing their animals and feeder calf buyers are increasingly asking for BQA certification from their suppliers. BQA has been in existence for almost 10 years and has had a major impact in reducing beef quality losses across the United States.

Cattle producers interested in the Beef Quality Assurance training may participate at the Gaston County Extension office on Thursday, June 17 at 7 PM. This will include training which lasts approximately an hour and a half followed by the certification exam. Certification costs $15 and there is an additional $25 for those not currently members of the NC Cattlemen’s Association.

Attendees may pay by check only, no cash.

Please call Christine Sellers at the Gaston County Extension Office at (704) 922-2112 to register by phone so course materials can be secured.

Local Hmongs Learn About Sustainable Livestock Production

The United Hmong Association of Hickory, NC partnered with NC Cooperative Extension to educate and expose area Hmong farmers to sustainable, small-scale livestock production.


The first stop on our tour was Grateful Growers in Denver, NC, where owner/proprietor, Natalie Veres, shared that her farm raises a menagerie of farm animals on ten acres, but the cornerstone of their production is the 'Tamworth' hogs that they raise for meat on pasture.



Natalie talked in detail about her production practices, the importance of providing abundant forages, quality feeds, and providing ample shade, water, and shelter from the elements. Natalie also went on to say that they do not use added hormones or antibiotics in growing their animals, and the finished products are all free from fillers, preservatives, nitrates and MSG.



Our next stop was Gilcrest Natural farm of Iron Station, NC, where owner, Amy Foster, introduced us to her pasture-raised poultry and all-natural beef operation. Amy farms on approximately 30 acres and has the unique opportunity to raise her starter chicks in her version of the 'White House.'




Amy then gave us a tour to show us the progression of poultry production on the farm for both her layer and broiler flocks. She also shared with us the use of 'chicken tractors' and the important role they play in the everyday life of chickens on Gilcrest Natural Farm.



Next we checked out her small herd of all natural, grass-fed angus cattle that she raises to a weight of approximately 1100-1200 lbs before they are processed for meat and direct marketed to consumers through area farmers' markets. Amy shared with the Hmongs that it is important to her that she never use hebicides/pesticides on the farm and her poutry and cattle never recieve antibiotics and/or hormones. Just like Grateful Growers, she is striving for a "Healthy, All Natural Meat Product!"

Upcoming Food Preservation Classes

NC Cooperative Extension in Cleveland, Gaston, and Lincoln Counties are hosting three "Safe and Easy Ways to Preserve Food" classes.

These classes are for anyone who

• is new to canning or has not canned in a long time.
  
• uses old canning recipes - such as grandma's recipes, church cookbooks, etc.


• uses recipes that are not Extension approved.


• uses water bath canners for green beans, corn and other low-acid vegetables.

Choose from three classes:
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
6:00 – 8:30 pm
Cleveland County Extension Service
130 S. Post Rd., Suite 1
Shelby, NC 28152
704-482-4365
Contact: Nancy Jones
Make checks payable to:
Cleveland County Extension Service
Registration Deadline: May 18, 2010

Thursday, June 10, 2010
6:00 – 8:30 pm
Lincoln County Citizens Center
115 West Main St.
Lincolnton, NC 28092
704-736-8461
Contact: Melinda Houser
Make checks payable to:
Lincoln County LCFCS
Registration Deadline: June 3, 2010

Monday, June 14, 2010
6:00 – 8:30 pm
Lucile Tatum Homemaker’s Center
959 Osceola St.
Gastonia, NC 28052
704-922-2110
Contact: Sue Bugg
Make checks payable to:
Gaston County Cooperative Extension
Registration Deadline: June 7, 2010

Class registration fee is $5.00 and includes handout material. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. To register for a class, call the Extension Agent in the county where you plan to attend the workshop.