Mitchell COUNTY CENTER 
Extension E-News              October 2020
Great Group of Candidates Interviewed for 
Extension Agent, Agriculture!

It's exciting! Soon we'll fill the vacant Agricultural Extension Agent position! A very capable group of candidates gave presentations and were interviewed by a very capable interview team! Many thanks to our Extension Advisory Council and community members who participated! Stay tuned for the announcement on who was selected and their start date!

Japanese Maples
 
Homegrown | Growing Japanese Maples in Your Home Landscape

With their colorful foliage and shapely branching, Japanese maples have probably caught your eye at some point. Their delicate, lacy leaves might make you think they're difficult to grow-but they're not!

WNC Agricultural Options is now accepting grant applications from farmers diversifying or expanding their businesses. With funding from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, WNC AgOptions is distributing a total of $216,000 to western North Carolina farmers in 2021. The intent to apply deadline is October 23. The application deadline is Nov. 20.
For more information and to download the grant application, click here



































Body Condition Scoring Before Winter

Fall is here and winter is fast approaching and some livestock producers may be anxious about the upcoming cold weather. Nutritional balance is critical for an animal's health during winter. By learning to score livestock by body condition, producers can make logical decisions on their feeding and health programs and save themselves stress and money.
Body condition scores are simply a visual appraisal of the amount of fat covering the animal. By looking at the fat deposition over the brisket, shoulder, ribs, spine, tail head, hipbones and pin bones, and assigning each animal a representative score, producers can better evaluate their nutritional program. Use a scale of 1-9, with 1 being emaciated and 9 being obese. Opinions can differ on whether an animal is a 4 or 5, however, the important thing to remember is that body condition scores divide the herd or flock into 3 groups, animals that are too thin or too fat, and those just right. If the majority of your animals fall into the just right category, 5-6, then their nutrition is sufficient. As for the thin and obese animals, they may need separating or special attention better fit their needs. Adjust the feed based on what your animals are showing you. It is beneficial for producers to have animals with a body condition score of 5-6 as winter approaches. Animals that enter the winter feeding period at less than a 5 will lose too much body condition and will become excessively thin by the following spring. These animals should be supplemented with grain or high quality pasture to achieve a higher body condition score.
If you have any questions regarding body condition scoring or your nutritional and or health programs, please contact Michelle South at NC Cooperative Extension - Mitchell County Center at 828.688.4811. 

Original Article Written by Damon Pollard


































Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H. The theme for this year's National 4-H Week, Opportunity4All, is a campaign that was created by National 4-H Council to rally support for Cooperative Extension's 4-H program and identify solutions to eliminate the opportunity gap that affects 55 million kids across America. 

With so many children struggling to reach their full potential, 4-H believes that young people, in partnership with adults, can play a key role in creating a more promising and equitable future for youth, families and communities across the country. In 4-H, we believe every child should have an equal opportunity to succeed. We believe every child should have the skills they need to make a difference in the world.  

"We believe youth perspectives are so important and a solution to eliminating the opportunity gap, because young people come with new ideas and new ways of seeing the world," explains Jennifer Sirangelo, President and CEO of National 4-H Council. By encouraging diverse voices and innovative actions, 4-H believes that solutions can be found to address the educational, economic and health issues that have created the opportunity gap. 

"4-H provides a unique opportunity to teach youth life skills in a 'learn by doing' environment. These skills, coupled by academic skills learned through education, provide an excellent scenario for youth to become successful, contributing community members as young people and as adults."

In Mitchell County, nearly 1000 youth participate in 4-H educational activities and 80 adult volunteers from the community are involved in 4-H by providing either direct or indirect service to youth. 4-H provides club, special interest, school enrichment and summer day camp programs for youth ages 5-19. 

About 4-H

4-H, the nation's largest youth development and empowerment organization, cultivates confident kids who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities right now. In the United States, 4-H programs empower six million young people through the 110 land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension in more than 3,000 local offices serving every county and parish in the country. Outside the United States, independent, country-led 4-H organizations empower one million young people in more than 50 countries. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of the Cooperative Extension System and 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

To learn more about how you can get involved, contact Eve Kindley at emkindle@ncsu.edu or call 828.688.4811.
Western North Carolina Virtual 
Lamb and Goat Show


This virtual show has been coordinated by Addie Dillon as her NC 4-H Citizenship Focus Project to serve others. This contest is open to 4-H Members and/or members of the Catawba Valley Youth Showmanship Circuit residing in counties west of I-77 in NC
. 4-H membership and Catawba Valley Youth Livestock Showmanship membership will be verified by county 4-H agents and the showmanship circuit board. Youth must own and provide daily care for the lambs and goats entered in these contests.

Youth ages 5 to 7 will receive participation awards. There will be 3 competitive youth contest age divisions for each category, ages 8-10, 11-13, 14-18.  Youth may enter one, two, three, or all four contest areas but only one entry per contest area.

A first, second, and third place award in the amounts of $15, $10, and $5 will be made in the age divisions for 8 and older. Awards will be presented during the Catawba Valley Youth Livestock Showmanship Circuit Awards program in late 2020. Additional prizes may be awarded depending on sponsorships.

Entries must be submitted by October 26th. Contact Eve Kindley at emkindle@ncsu.edu or 828.688.4811 for more information.



We are excited to announce the North Carolina 4-H Virtual Craft Fair. Each year our 4-H'ers have the opportunity to showcase the crafts they have made all year at their local fairs and or the NC State Fair. Since many of the fairs are canceled as well as the NC State Fair, due to the pandemic, we are excited to offer this opportunity to our 4-H'ers.
Registration will be open until November 2nd at Noon. This will allow our 4-H'ers plenty of time to get those craft items ready to enter. We will share the winners sometime during the first week of December along with the winners from the 4-H Hay Bale Fun contest. 



This is a fun opportunity for your 4-H families to spend some time together and have some fun decorating hay bales. There is a family category and individual categories. The State 4-H Registration deadline is November 23rd, so you have plenty of time to get those creative juices flowing. Talk with Eve Kindley 828.688.4811 or emkindle@ncsu.edu if you need more information. 
A.L.I.V.E Program
Active Life-Skill Instruction and Vocational Exploration 




The A.L.I.V.E program (Active Life Skill Instruction and Vocational Exploration) is a Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) funded life skills program that is based out of the Mitchell County NC Cooperative Extension Center in Bakersville.The purpose of A.L.I.V.E is to support the development of Mitchell County selected youth ages 12-18 years old by providing educational opportunities that may assist in further developing interpersonal, vocational, and life skills. The A.L.I.V.E program provides activities that increase the participant's interpersonal and intrapersonal skills through the use of a research based curriculum, "Unlock your Leadership Potential", which focuses on self awareness, healthy communication, and ethical decision making as well as utilizing, Social Responsibility Training curriculum. While the A.L.I.V.E. program is not able to offer face-to-face programming at this time, there is a chance for selected youth to attend virtually. We are open to referrals from Mitchell County Schools and Mitchell County Department of Social Services. 
For more information about the A.L.I.V.E. Program, please contact Jennifer Guerrero, ALIVE Program Coordinator at 828.688.4811 or email jaguerr2@ncsu.edu.
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