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Agriculture Report
Jamie Warner, Livestock Agent
Brad Thompson, Horticulture Agent
The month of July was an extremely busy month within the agriculture program in Extension. Not only were there home visits to diagnose tree problems, bug infestations, or garden issues, there were also a various number of other projects going on behind the scenes. For example, there was a seeded watermelon variety trial harvested that was conducted in collaboration with God's Garden. The data that was recorded from this variety trial will not only help seed companies determine what varieties grow well in this part of the state, but it also allows growers in Montgomery county and surrounding counties to access their current situation and determine if a newer variety of watermelon is needed for their operation. This was the initial purpose of the research as the horticulture agent was approached about doing a variety trial to determine if there was a seeded watermelon available that is more consistent than the current variety the grower was producing. By collaborating with God's Garden, not only was there valuable information for the growers of the county recorded, but God's Garden was able to feed local individuals through area food banks. The study provided over 900 watermelons or approximately 10,200 pounds of watermelon to be distributed to local food banks across Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Anson, and Scotland counties.
The 2017 Montgomery County 4-H and Farm Bureau Youth Livestock Show will be held Saturday, August 26th at the Ag Center on Glen Road in Troy. The heifer show will begin at 10am and the goat show will start at 1pm. This event is open to all youth, ages 5-18 interested in showing a beef heifer or meat goat. Mark your calendars to join us that Saturday for a day full of family fun. Call Jamie if you're interested in showing a beef heifer or goat this year.
Montgomery County Cattlemen's Association
The Cattlemen's Association Board of Directors met on Tuesday, July 18th at 6:30pm to discuss the upcoming year. Officer nominations for the 2017-2018 were made and the schedule of meetings was set. Meetings for the upcoming year are scheduled for the 2nd Tuesday of every month.
Educational topics suggested included nutrition, feeding programs, hay and farm equipment, farming and wildlife interactions, new and approved herbicides for pastures and farm credit programs for cattle producers. If you are interested in joining the Montgomery County Cattlemen's Association, contact Jamie at 910-576-6011. Dues are $40 per person and include a ribeye steak dinner (steak, baked potato, salad, bread, dessert and drink) at each of the six meetings.
Local Food
Cooperative Extension has been busy with local food demos at the Troy Farmer's Market. So far this summer, patrons have gotten the chance to try Strawberry Caprese Skewers with Mint Pesto, Cheesy Beef Quesadillas with fresh Tomato Salsa, Bacon and Brie Pork Sliders with Homemade Blueberry BBQ Sauce, Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Topped Hotdogs and a refreshing Blueberry and Corn Salad with Cumin Lime Dressing. Demos are done twice and month so watch the market's Facebook Page for more details (
https://www.facebook.com/MoCoFMA/)
. Demos that will be coming up include: Fresh Watermelon Spritzers (8/3); Grilled Zucchini with Parmesan Pesto (8/17); Sweet Corn, Squash and Fresh Mozzarella Pizza (9/7); Cheeseburger Pot Pie with Fresh Pickle Relish (9/21); Pork Chili with Apple Slaw (10/5) and Sweet Potato Carbonara with Spinach & Mushrooms (10/19). All demos will be from 3:00pm - 6:00pm, or until the samples run out. If you're interested in local food, meeting your farmers and tasting some new recipes, then go ahead and mark your calendars to join us. Interested in any of the recipes above? Contact us. . .we will be happy to send you a copy.
Agriculture Safety for Youth
On Tuesday, June 27th, Montgomery County 4-H hosted a Farm Safety Day for youth. Participants studied safety in the following areas throughout the day: Equipment, Large Animals, Highway, Wildlife and Insects.
The group began the day by traveling to the farm of Mr. Tony Sedberry. Patrick Lucado with
James River Equipment
of Asheboro spoke about the dangers associated with large, slow moving equipment and how to protect yourself. The group also saw a live PTO safety demonstration by Montgomery County Horticulture Agent, Brad Thompson. Mr. Sedberry brought a horse out of the barn and showed everyone the proper way to approach and work with large animals. Through another demonstration, participants also learned what could happen to their toes and feet if they do not wear proper footwear around livestock.
After lunch, Officer Larry Johnson with the
Montgomery County Sheriff's Department
, talked with the class about NC highway safety, vehicle safety, wearing seatbelts, speeding, texting while driving and a host of other roadway safety scenarios. Rupert Medford, District Biologist for the
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
, brought pelts from various Piedmont wildlife for the participants to practice their wildlife ID with. They discussed each species, their habitats, possible interactions with humans on a farm and how to stay safe around wildlife while ensuring the safety of the wildlife too. The group also learned about protecting their pets by having them vaccinated for rabies by a licensed veterinarian.
Montgomery County Horticulture Agent, Brad Thompson finished the day with a presentation on insect ID (spiders, wasps, bees, hornets, yellow jackets, beneficial insects and more). In addition to identification, the class learned tips on how NOT to get stung and some basic first aid for if you are.
Farm-To-Fork
On June 10, the class traveled to
God's Garden
in Norman, NC to visit Mr. David Clark. Here, the group learned about the different types of soils in Montgomery County and what could grow in each. God's Garden grows watermelons, green beans, peas, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, corn and sweet potatoes. David explained that their farm's purpose is to help people who need fresh, nutritious food but cannot afford it. Last year, God's Garden gave local Food Banks and Pantries over 76,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables. Horticulture Agent, Brad Thompson taught the class the three-step method for checking watermelon ripeness in the field. After identifying several ripe melons, the group harvested them and got to taste several varieties on the spot. Before leaving the garden, the group got a great surprise when Mr. Clark did a green bean picking demonstration with his green bean harvester and sent the participants home with a bag of green beans to split.
After boarding the vans, the group headed to Candor, home of
Johnson's Peaches
which has produced quality peaches for three generations. All participants enjoyed a scoop of homemade ice cream before looking around at all the produce and goodies available at the stand. While at the stand, the group did some shopping and purchased some of the local produce in order to make their locally sourced meal with the next day. Back at the Extension Office, each participant got to decorate their very own chef's hat and apron so that they would be dry and ready to wear for the next day's cooking competition.
Day two of the program began with the class dividing up into two teams for a friendly game of Extension Family Food. By playing the game, the participants learned to identify various retail cuts of meat, fresh vegetables and fruits, kitchen equipment and chef terminology. All of this was a great warm up for "Extension Kitchen" where the participants were put into four separate teams and charged with preparing one of the dishes to be served for lunch: Cheesy Beef and Corn Quesadillas, Fresh Tomato Salsa with Tortilla Chips, Black Bean and Lentil Salad with Cumin Lime Vinaigrette and Homemade Key Lime Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream for dessert.
Around lunchtime, our competition judges joined us and were presented their plates. After giving the judges their food, each team had a representative that explained what their particular team had prepared, the ingredients that were in each dish and how they used their "surprise ingredient" (one that they had to swap for another ingredient in their recipe). The group got to enjoy the dishes that each other made while the judges decided on their favorites.
Bee Smart About Bees
The Montgomery County Agriculture Agents partnered with the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association to sponsor a Bee Smart About Bees 4-H Summer Fun program for youth in the county. During the two-day event, the participants learned about a variety of animal pollinators but focused specifically on bees. Using curriculum from the
Pollinator Partnership Bee Smart School Garden
, the class learned about pollinator ID, bee anatomy, the pollination process, pollinator gardens, seed germination and much more.
The first day, participants decorated their own seed pots and humming bird feeders, planted vegetable or flower seeds in their decorated pots, played the Web of Life game, built their own super bee and using glitter and pipe cleaners, they became pollinators and learned how hard it is to actually pollinate flowers and crops.
On day two, the group traveled to Pittsboro, NC to visit the
Chatham Mills Pollinator Paradise Garden
created by Extension Agent,
Debbie Roos
. The garden has over 180 species of plants that appeal to pollinators of all varieties. During the garden tour, the class got to see all kinds of pollinators, different types of pollinator habitats as well as the types of native plants that home gardeners can plant to encourage pollinators. After the tour, participants enjoyed a picnic lunch at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park and spent some time under the misting machine and trying to balance
the giant seesaw.
As August approaches, the Horticulture program continues to work on a herbicide research study in collaboration with Dr. Katie Jennings from NC State University looking at controlling pigweed in sweet- potatoes. A Master Gardener Training for Stanly and Montgomery county residents also begins in August and will run through December. This training will help the Master Gardener Program in Montgomery county grow and be a more effective tool for the horticulture program and for the county. Also, the horticulture agent will be advertising and campaigning for the Montgomery County Agriculture Fair which will take place on August 26th during the livestock show. Fliers have been placed around the county at various locations as
well as online advertising the Fair. Unlike many fairs that are only open to children, the Montgomery County Fair is open to all individuals regardless of age.
North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran's status. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, US Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
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