Have you ever considered becoming a farmer?   I hear many people say they would like to just "farm for a living" like it is an easy way to make a living. I'm probably not the first person to tell you this but farming is HARD WORK!! The truth is most people that I come across that make this statement don't know what it takes to be a successful farmer. A farmer has to be all things, finance, sales, planter, chemist, human resources, marketer, etc.   It's not an easy task to be a farmer and master all these areas. There is no such thing as a 40-hour work week.   You work until the job is done. When a crop is in the field and ripe, if you cannot get labor to help you get it out, you may lose your whole investment. Even if you get it out of the field you better have a market for it already established of you will again lose your crop.   There are plenty of folks out there that can plant a couple hundred blueberry plants for example but there are very few that can take on the business side and actually sell the berries and make a profit. I don't say all of this to discourage you from farming. Actually I want you to farm and be successful! You just have to go into it knowing what it's going to take to make it a successful venture.   If you think you want to farm, please call the Polk County Extension office and let me help you make an honest assessment of your plan so farming can be a positive experience for you and give you positive cash flow.             

   

August Lawn & Garden Tips

 

-Wow it has been wet! Personally I've lost hundreds of cantaloupes due to excess water. Sometimes too much is a bad thing. Although most of us are flushed with water at the moment, going into late summer and fall if we start to go dry, remember to water newly planted trees, shrubs, flowers and lawns.  

           

-Mulching o f shrubs and young trees can be very important in hot, dry weather. Shallow roots are protected from the sun, moisture is conserved, and weeds and grasses are controlled with a good mulch. A 3-4" layer of pine straw, leaves, pine bark or h ardwood mulch will help grow strong, healthy plants. Do not over mulch as research shows that too much mulch can reduce the amount of oxygen in the soil causing plants to become less vigorous or to decline.

           

-August is a good month in which to transplant iris and daylilies. By doing so now, new transplants will have time to become well established before cold weather. Be sure to water well after transplanting.

           

-Don't Prune Shrubs or Trees! Late summer pruning should be avoided. It can stimulate new growth which will not have sufficient time to harden off before cold weather. February is the best time for major pruning, but dead or diseased wood may be removed at any time of the year. If you must cut back a tree or shrub, prune as little as you can and do major pruning next February.

           

- Fall Vegetable Garden - Growing a productive fall garden requires thoughtful planning and preparation.   Now is the time to remove any previous crop residue and weed growth. Prepare the soil by tilling or spading to a depth of at least 6" to 8". If the spring crops were heavily fertilized, you may not need to make an initial pre-plan t fertilization. Otherwise, 1-2 lb of a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 may be applied per 100ft2 of bed space. An organic fertilizer can be used as well but be careful w ith fresh manure as it may contain herbicide residue which will stunt your crops. Thoroughly incorporate the fertilizer. Plant your fall crops between the middle and late part of August for a fall harvest. Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Lettuce, and Kale are all great fall/winter crops. Chose varieties that will be harvested in 50-70 days to beat the extreme cold.  

 

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

           

Japanese Beetles/White Grubs -Late July/early August is the optimal time for control with soil insecticides since grubs are still small and are close to the surface. Applying at any other time of year will not give you the same control. For organic control begin applying Milky Spore to build up the bacteria in the soil. You will need to do this for several years to get a colony started.

           

Borers - Spray peach, cherry and plum trees for borers this month using an orchard spray soaking the trunk and soil around the base of the tree.

           

Mosquitoes - Unfortunately, there is no easy solution for managing mosquitoes. The most effective way to reduce the number of mosquitoes around homes is to find and eliminate their breeding sites-standing water. There are plenty of potential places in which mosquitoes can develop. A neglected bird bath, swimming p ool, or clogged rain gutter can produce hundreds of new mosquitoes in just a few days. Mosquitoes prefer to rest in protected sites during the day. Yards with lots of trees, shrubs and dense vegetation are their favorites. Consequently, removal of tall weeds and overgrowth is part of an integrated mosquito management program.

 

Polk County 4-H News

Family Consumer Science  

What is Fermentation?          

 

Believe it or not, winter is coming. This is a good time to think about preserving some of the vegetables that you may find in your cold cellar or at the fall farmers' market. Cabbage, of course, but really, that is just the beginning. Consider adding cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers, and daikon radishes...just about any vegetable can be fermented.

Fermentation as a food preservation method has a very long history, perhaps as long as 12,000 years. Cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchee, olives, salami, jerky, and bread; also, beverages such as hard cider, wine, beer, and coffee were all produced by the fermentation process. Some fermented foods have been critical to the food culture of a country or region. Think yogurt in the Middle East, sauerkraut (a source of vitamin C in the winter) in Germany and fermented sausages in Italy.

There are several benefits to fermenting food. First, fermentation serves to enhance the digestion of food. Your body needs adequate digestive enzymes to properly absorb, digest, and utilize nutrients in food. When vegetables like cabbage and cucumbers are left to steep and sit until the sugars are broken down to promote the growth of bacteria, this is when the vegetables are fermented.

Years and years of food preservation via fermentation have resulted in the development of safe and effective methods for processing these foods. According to Dr. Fred Breidt, Jr., a USDA microbiologist who specializes in the safety of fermented and acidic foods, the scientific literature has never recorded a case of food poisoning from raw vegetables that have been fermented properly. Please note the key word, properly!

How does fermentation create a safe food product?

During fermentation, lactic acid bacteria consume the sugars or carbohydrates in the food, producing acid and flavor compounds. When fermenting foods at home, we rely on creating the environment needed for a safe and effective ferment. To allow for the growth of the desirable lactic acid bacteria, the process needs sufficient water (added or generated from the vegetable after salting), nutrients (the vegetable provides these), an appropriate amount of salt, and the absence of oxygen/air. The beginner should use tested recipes that are science based, provide the appropriate salt concentration and amounts of vegetable and, if needed, added water.

We will be offering a Fermentation Workshop on September 10th at 2:00pm at the Cooperative Extension Kitchen. We will cover sauerkraut, kimchee, yogurt and kombuchi. The cost for the workshop is $15.00.

 

 

Livestock   

Upcoming Events

 

. Alfalfa Bermudagrass workshop, August 23rd, Lillington, NC

 

. NCBA Stockmanship and Stewardship workshop, August 24-25th, Clemson, SC

 

- Polk County Cattleman's/livestock meeting Sept 6th 7am (Southern Manners) 

 

. NC Beef Field, Upper Mtn Research Station, Oct 6th, Laurel Springs, NC

Contact Noah Henson for more information: [email protected]