EXTENSION E-NEWSLETTER
July 2020
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As our Center maneuvers through the COVID-19 situation, we want the thank everyone for your patience. The staff has been planning and providing programs
virtually
and they have been very successful. Programs have included gardening basics, canning, and preserving, small animal care, managing small poultry folks, growing small fruits, and 4-H Spark activities. 4-H is planning Virtual 4-H Camps and Presentations. Because of the planning and success of programming, most of our classes will be taught virtually through July. We have been assisting citizens on the phone, electronically through email, and by home visits.
Our office arrangement has changed to assist walk-in customers. To maintain social distancing, we ask that you call and or email in advance if you plan to visit our offices so you can schedule an appointment. We invite you to bring a mask since one will not be provided. Also by calling and making appointments ensures the staff is available because we do also work in the field also and are teaching classes. Our contact information is:
Also, our information can be located at
cherokee.ces.ncsu.edu
Thank you for your understanding and support.
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Enjoy this educational video:
Buying Chicken in Bulk?
Learn How to Safely
Freeze Your Poultry
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Every month, "Homegrown" shares new videos featuring tips and tools from our Extension experts in three categories: In The Garden, In The Kitchen and On The Farm. This featured video is
"
Buying Chicken in Bulk? Learn How to Safely Freeze Your Poultry
"
.
We'll introduce you to what's raised and grown in North Carolina, and the farmers that help feed us. We'll show you what plants are in season and how to get a bumper crop from your home garden. We'll take you into the kitchen to learn how to safely prepare nutritious meals.
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Ellis Joins Staff for the Summer
Lisa Ellis is completing an Extension internship this summer with the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Cherokee County Center. An Extension summer intern works with Extension personnel to deliver hands-on, educational programs. Job shadowing and mentoring help interns learn about the mission and work of North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
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Count on Me NC Training Available For Businesses and Individuals
Count On Me NC
is a free online training developed to empower businesses and guests to keep everyone safe from COVID-19. The
businesses
in Murphy and Andrews that have completed the online training are listed at this
link
. If you have questions about the training, please let us know.
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Horticultural Science Summer Institute
Love wandering around gardens? Marveling over plants in the nursery? Eating blistered shishito peppers?
Join us for an online, curated experience of NC State University’s
Horticultural Science Summer Institute
. While we might prefer climbing trees and propagating baby succulents in person, we are holding camp virtually this year on July 6–9, 2020.
Registration is free
and it will be a blend of two live events – a kick-off keynote and a closing program and then pre-recorded videos and activities for you to do at home. It will be engaging and fun and youth can dig in at your own pace.
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Impact of Agriculture to Cherokee County
North Carolina’s agricultural industry, including food, fiber and forestry, contributes $91.9 billion to the state’s economy, accounts for more than 17 percent of the state’s income, and employs 17 percent of the workforce. North Carolina is one of the most diversified agriculture states in the nation. The state’s 46,418 farmers grow over 80 different commodities, utilizing 8.4 million of the state’s 31 million acres to furnish consumers a dependable and affordable supply of food and fiber. The state ranks eighth nationally in Total Market Value of Agricultural Products Sold. Net income per farm in the state is over $86,645. A
Local Food and Farms infographic
for Cherokee County has been designed for to help everyone understand the impact of their county and region to the overall NC agricultural economic impact. Thank you for supporting agriculture in Cherokee County.
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Introduction to Poultry Incubation
Join North Carolina Cooperative Extension virtually, Thursday, July 9, 2020, at 1 p.m. (EST) to learn the basics of incubating poultry eggs. The primary focus will be on chickens, but we will touch on other Avian species. We will discuss how to set up your incubator and how to troubleshoot common issues in order to increase your hatch rate.
Visit
Eventbrite
to register for this free workshop. A reminder email will be sent to you before the workshop with the link to access the meeting. The meeting will be conducted via Zoom.
Questions? Please contact
Keith Wood
, Extension Agent, Agriculture or
Shannon Coleman
, Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development for more information.
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We Are Here to Help
:
We just want to remind everyone that the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Cherokee County Center is open to assist. Staff is available in the office, online, and by phone. Check out the staff tab for our contact information. Due to restrictions on group gatherings, some of our training is available online at
go.ncsu.edu/cherokeecounty
and we continue to provide onsite consultations. Call today and make an appointment. We are here to help.
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4-H Membership Re-Enrolling or Enrolling for 2020
If you enrolled in NC 4-H in 2019 you will have to re-enroll in 2020 to remain active. Each year on January 1, 4-H begins a new program year which means our 4HOnline system must be updated for our 4-H members and volunteers to remain active. If you did not create your membership family profile in 2019 you will need to go onto 4HOnline and create your account. Follow the links below to re-enroll to remain active or to create your new enrollment. Remember this is for members and volunteers.
Effective January 1, 2019, only youth members and 4-H volunteers who are enrolled in 4HOnline will be considered active members and / or active 4-H volunteers.
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Pasture Management
We are offering a webinar via
Zoom
on pasture management. Our cool-season forages sometimes have trouble keeping up with the summertime annual weeds. This program will start at 9 a.m. on July 14, 2020. It will include weed identification, weed control methods, stocking rates, rotational grazing, forage species, soil fertility, and toxic plants. Having high quality pastures can be attainable with proper management. Registration on
Eventbrite
is required.
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Volunteer for 4-H!
Volunteers are the keys to our success in the North Carolina 4-H program. Whether you’re interested in becoming a club leader, or just have a few hours to invest, we’ve got challenging and fun jobs for adults and teens who want to make a difference. Volunteers guide 4-H members in becoming productive citizens, outstanding communicators, effective leaders, and successful learners.
Cherokee County 4-H needs many volunteers who are willing to share creative ideas, time, talent, and skills to support youth at the community, county, and state level. Are you curious about volunteering for 4-H?
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Let’s Register for 4-H Electric Congress
NC 4-H Electric Congress has always been a lot of fun and a great educational experience for the youth that have attended each year. The trip to 4-H Electric Congress is a reward for all the work that 4-H electric project youth participants have done throughout the year. Well, we will continue with the 73rd NC 4-H Electric Congress a little differently this year but it will happen, virtually, July 7-8. The 73rd NC 4-H Electric Congress is sponsored by the electric cooperatives across North Carolina, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy.
Usually, youth must have completed the electric project in order to attend but since we are holding it virtually any 4-Her interested in the 4-H electricity project in North Carolina can attend as long as they are 11-18 years old and a 4-H member.
If you are a 4-H member in Cherokee County, contact Shannon Coleman about attending.
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Pest & Beneficial Insects
Home gardeners and landscapers have to manage insect threats to be successful. There are millions of different insects. The ones that get our attention are a small percentage that cause damage to plants and animals. We will discuss insects on a
Zoom
webinar July 28th starting at 9 a.m. In this webinar, we will help you learn to identify some of the most common pests and some beneficial insects. Registration is required through
Eventbrite.
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Drip Irrigation
On August 4, 2020, starting at 9 a.m., there will be a
Zoom
webinar on Drip Irrigation. We will cover a simple drip system and how to set it up. Sometimes it does get dry around here. These systems will work on a dry garden or landscape successfully. Registration is required for this program through
Eventbrite
.
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STEM Just One of Many Great 4-H Virtual Summer Programs!!!
STEM Cloverbud, ages 5-7
Covered Topics:
- Energy – Through a variety of interactive lessons, participants will learn about different types of energy and how they can be used to power our world.
- Kitchen Science – Using household ingredients, create chemical reactions, learn exciting scientific principles, and more from within your kitchen!
- Bugs – Discover more about insects such as spiders, bees, and any other bug found in your backyard.
Registration Cost: Free
Materials: To get the most out of the activities, a suggested materials list will be provided during the program. You are not required to purchase all of the items, but they do help with your overall experience learning these vital life skills.
Delivery method: Virtual. THIS PROGRAM IS OFFERED IN A SELF-PACED, ASYNCHRONOUS FORMAT. As a family, you can decide how much or how little time you would like to invest in the activities and work the programs into your existing summer schedule as needed.
Open to all youth. 4-H membership is NOT required.
Space is limited for some thematic areas. REGISTRATION CLOSES ON AUGUST 15, ACCESS TO VIRTUAL CONTENT IS AVAILABLE UNTIL AUGUST 31.
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Mummy Berry in Blueberries
Mummy berry is a plant disease caused by the fungus Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi. This is the biggest problem blueberry growers in this area experience. The end result is mummies or infected berries that do not turn blue, but instead turn pale pink or salmon-colored and fall to the ground. This disease causes severe yield loss in blueberries. We are offering a
Zoom
webinar on August 11th starting at 9 a.m. about this disease. You will learn about cultural control methods and fungicide options. Registration via
Eventbrite
is required.
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Raised Beds
For some home gardeners, topsoil is very scarce or nonexistent depending on where their house is located. This can make gardening or landscaping a difficult task. Most resort to constructing some kind of raised or in-ground bed filled with locally sourced topsoil or purchasing some of the many bagged soils or amendments. Some struggle with getting the combination of ingredients correct for optimum plant growth. The
Zoom
webinar will focus on different materials to fill a raised bed and different kinds of bulk materials along with some bagged options.
The seminar will be held on August 18, 2020, starting at 9 a.m. Registration via
Eventbrite
is required.
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Fall Gardening
Having a fall garden can extend the growing season into early winter. Some vegetables actually do and taste better when maturing in the fall and early winter. We will cover the basics and offer tips to be successful for fall growing. Learn about the different cool-season vegetables that thrive during the fall growing season, plus how to grow them. We will also cover the many benefits to gardening in the fall that include fewer insects & diseases, varieties that do best in the fall, and growing season techniques.
This program will be presented via
Zoom
on August 25, 2020, starting at 9 a.m. Registration is required through
Eventbrite
.
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Troubleshooting General Canning Problems
During this time of following a "Stay at Home" order, it is a good time to share some of our more popular publications. This publication, "Troubleshooting General Canning Problems" is an excellent publication that could save you a lot of work and help keep you and your family safe from foodborne illnesses.
Other Helpful Links Related to Home Canning and Food Preservation:
(Please always make sure you are following researched based resources!)
National Center for Home Food Preservation
an online resource for safe home food preservation information that includes the recipes below, recipes from the USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning and other recipes that have been research-tested by the University of Georgia
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