Davidson County Center
February News
In this Issue:
  • NCFGC Virtual Winter Conference Series
  • New Year, New Way with ECA - Exercising at Home!
  • Planting for Spring Forages
  • 2021 Virtual NC Agritunity Conference
  • Forages for Horse Owners
  • Sheep & Goat Webinar Series
  • Med Instead of Meds: Eating the Mediterranean Way to Prevent Disease
  • Woodland Stewards Webinar Series
  • 2021 Youth Market Turkey Show T-Shirt Design Contest
  • Spring 2021 Nature Adventures with NC 4-H's Camps
  • Piedmont Regional Beef Conference
  • Piedmont Regional Goat & Sheep Conference
  • Small Ruminant Needs Assessment
  • Small Poultry Producers Survey
NCFGC Virtual Winter Conference Series
The North Carolina Forage & Grasslands Council will be hosting their Winter Conference series beginning January 26. You can attend one or all of the sessions. Each session will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

February 2 - Creating Your Own Opportunities
February 9 - Soil Health
February 16 - Producer Panel
Planting for Spring Forages
Join North Carolina Cooperative Extension for a virtual presentation on spring forages. Joshua Baker with Southeast AgriSeeds will provide information on options for planting spring forages.

This online workshop will be held Monday, February 8 at 7 p.m. through Zoom.  You must register online to attend.
2021 Virtual NC Agritunity Conference
This fifth annual FREE, and this year VIRTUAL, agricultural conference was designed to meet the economic and environmental needs of small farmers and beginning gardeners, as well as generate a positive impact by building connections between farmers, educators, and agriculture-related businesses.

NC Agritunity will feature 2 educational tracks: Market & Market Garden Focus and Animal Production Focus, provided by N.C. Cooperative Extension specialists, agents, and individuals from agricultural organizations.

The conference will be Thursday, February 11 from 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.  You must register online to attend.
Forages for Horse Owners
NC Cooperative Extension will be hosting a Forages for Horse Owners Series via Zoom. All workshops will be held at 12 p.m. EST.

  • Weed Control for Grazing - February 11
Sheep & Goat Webinar Series
Are you considering raising sheep or goats? Have you recently gotten sheep or goats and need to learn more? N.C. Cooperative Extension will be offering an online series for new and beginning producers.

  • During this workshop, we will discuss lambing/kidding equipment and supplies you need to have on hand, dystocia, processing lambs (vaccinating, docking, iodine), and bottle lambs/kids.

March 11 - Beginner Reproductive Management for Sheep & Goats
  • Registration will be open soon.

The series will be offered through Zoom. All sessions will be from 6:30-8:00 p.m. EST. Registration for each event is separate.
Online Med Instead of Meds: Eating the Mediterranean Way to Prevent Disease
Eating like those who live in the Mediterranean region has been shown to promote health and decrease the risk of many chronic diseases, such as some cancers, Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Are you interested in eating the Mediterranean way, but not sure where to start?

This online Med Instead of Meds class series will help you Go Med by exploring 7 simple steps to eating the Med Way. Learn Med tips, life hacks, and recipes that will help you eat the Med Way every day. Great tasting and good for you! The simple, delicious, and satisfying Med Way of eating will keep you coming back for more.

This class will be delivered live through Zoom every Thursday, February 18-March 25 from 12-1 p.m.
Woodland Stewards Webinar Series
The Woodland Stewards series is a regional Extension program designed to promote and deliver a forestry education for landowners. There will be weekly live webinar presentations that will help woodland and forest landowners manage their woodlands.

  • Before you can manage your woodlands, you have to have a good idea of what your land is like, what has been there before and what you want to do with it. In this presentation, learn how you can assess your woods, including past land use, current conditions and potential.

  • There are many tools available to help you manage your land. Map, assess and understand your land’s potential. Join this webinar to learn more about what tools are available and how they can be used to get you started managing your land!

  • While working outside has many benefits for your personal health, including clean air and exercise, there are a few things to do to keep yourself safe from itchy-bitey-pokey things out there. Join this session to learn about ways to stay safe while working in the woods, even with power tools!

  • Put your knowledge and plan into action to manage your forest land! This presentation will help you learn how to implement a woodland management plan that achieves your objectives.

Click on the links above for the workshop(s) that you would like to attend. All workshops will be held at 1 p.m. EST.
Piedmont Regional Conferences
With current COVID-19 guidelines, the planning team has made the decision to move both conferences virtual this year. Please hold the dates below. Registration will be open soon!

Piedmont Regional Beef Conference


Piedmont Regional Goat & Sheep Conference

This conference will be held virtually through Zoom. Registration will be open soon. All sessions will begin at 7 p.m.

April 19: Producer Panel
April 26: Minerals/Mineral Deficiencies
May 3: Vaccines/Herd Health
May 10: Herd Management
Small Ruminant Needs Assessment
The NC State Small Ruminant Extension Team has developed a needs assessment survey to help us better understand North Carolina small ruminant producer demographics and needs.

If you raise sheep or goats, please complete this survey by March 8.
Small Poultry Producers Survey
The North Central Extension District has created a survey to assess the needs of small flock producers and determine interest in a regional small flock association.

If you raise chickens, please complete this survey.
Join Our Mailing Lists
Feel free to share this newsletter with others you think may be interested in our events! You can stay up to date on what is happening at the NC Cooperative Extension, Davidson County Center by completing the online form to receive email updates.
Upcoming Events:
  • Creating Your Own Opportunities - February 2, 6:30 p.m.
  • Soil Health - February 9, 6:30 p.m.
  • Producer Panel - February 16, 6:30 p.m.

New Year, New Way with ECA
  • Exercising at Home - February 4, 11 a.m.
  • Understanding Your Air Fryer - March 4, 11 a.m.
  • Biscuits. . . Then & Now - April 1, 11 a.m.
  • Pillow, Pillow, Pillows - May 6, 11 a.m.
  • Meals in a Mug - June 3, 11 a.m.

Planting for Spring Forages - February 8, 7 p.m.

2021 Virtual NC Agritunity Conference - February 11, 9:30 a.m.

  • Weed Control for Grazing - February 11, 12 p.m.

Sheep & Goat Webinar Series

  • Weekly - February 18-March 25 from 12-1 p.m.

Woodland Stewards Webinar Series


Piedmont Regional Goat & Sheep Conference
  • Producer Panel - April 19, 7 p.m.
  • Minerals/Mineral Deficiencies - April 26, 7 p.m.
  • Vaccines/Herd Health - May 3, 7 p.m.
  • Herd Management - May 10, 7 p.m.
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.