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Extension E-News
February 2020
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52nd Annual Meeting of the
N.C. Tomato Growers Association
"Winter Vegetable Conference & Trade Show"
February 19th - 20th, 2020
Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville, North Carolina
The conference program reflects growers' needs covering many aspects of production, business management and marketing. We hope that you take advantage of this opportunity to learn about current issues associated with vegetables and take time to visit with the representatives from agricultural companies and other businesses that support our industry. The program committee has put together an excellent educational program, with associated pesticide credits, that covers the vegetables grown in this area.
Registration and trade show will open at 8:30 am, Wednesday, February 19th.Regular educational sessions begin at 1:00 pm.
The activities on Thursday, February 20th begin with registration and trade show opening at 8:30 am. Educational sessions will begin at 9:00 am. The conference will conclude with a sponsored banquet and awards luncheon.
This year we will be doing a 50/50 raffle for the benefit of our scholarship fund and we extend an invitation to you to participate in this raffle. NCTGA supports future generations of farmers with an endowment fund used to offer merit/need-based scholarships. Last year's contributions allowed us to award two $1,000 scholarships to two deserving students in 2019.
In addition, we will be holding a silent auction for the benefit of our scholarship fund and extend an invitation to you to play a part in our silent auction for 2020.
Conference pre-registration is $40.00/per person if pre-registered and there is a registration form enclosed. Registration will be $50.00 after January 31st and at the door.
We encourage everyone to stay at the Crowne Plaza Resort where the N.C. Tomato Growers Association has reserved a block of rooms. Please tell them you are with our group to receive the group rate. The room rate for a room with two queen beds is $89.00 per night plus applicable taxes and this room rate is valid through January 27th, 2020. Please make your reservations directly with the Crowne Plaza Resort, Asheville, NC at 1-844-330-0296, or (828) 285-2603.
For your convenience, we have an event web-site you may visit through a link located at www.nctomatoes.com and we will be offering on-line registration through this site. You may also register by mail if you prefer. You may visit our website for the most recent program information. If you have any questions, please call Ellen Moss at (828) 685-3989.
New, Beginning and Second Generation Scholarships Available - NC Cooperative Extension is partnering with the NC Tomato Growers and ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) to offer Next Generation scholarships to help new and beginning farmers connect with regional farm networks, training, and technical assistance. To apply for free registration for the 2020 Winter Vegetable Conference contact Craig Mauney by email,
craig_mauney@ncsu.edu
If you are a new and beginning farmer in the ASAP region you can also apply for a scholarship to ASAP's Business of Farming Conference held the Saturday Following the Winter Vegetable School. Follow this scholarship link to apply for free registration to ASAP's Business of Farming Conference ($75 value - February 22). Applicants must be farming 10 years or less and be located in WNC.
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Each person must register individually.
Two hours of pesticide credit is available: X, D, N, O will be available.
Below is the link to register
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Upcoming Pesticide Classes Schedule
The classes will be held at
the
NC Cooperative Extension,
Mitchell County Center
10 South Mitchell Ave.
Bakersville, NC
March 24, 2020
2pm or 6PM
April 7, 2020
2PM or 6PM
To retain your private pesticide license, you must attend a 2-hour category (V).
You will also need to attend a 2-hour category (X) class for a total of 4-hours.
Call 828.688.4811 to register for these classes
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Planning spring agritourism activities on your farm? Need marketing help? Get the word out, for FREE.
Be proactive with your farm's promotional plans in 2020. Mark your calendar with these key dates and raise awareness of your farm's special events.
Opening your farm for a spring event, an educational workshop or a local food gathering? Please complete the
QUICK FORM to send the details about your farm's spring agritourism activities by January 29.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
will help spread the good news to thousands of media contacts and farm stakeholders statewide.
Information is requested by the dates below providing adequate time for media outlets to contact your farm about potential stories.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to promote your farm throughout the seasons. Click the buttons below to submit your farm's 2020 events TODAY.
- Spring Events (First Day of Spring-Mother's Day) - Due January 29
- Summer Events (Memorial Day-Labor Day) - Due March 13
- Fall Events (Labor Day-Thanksgiving) - Due July 3
- Winter Events (Thanksgiving-Valentine's Day) - Due October 1
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How will dying honeybees affect my life?
By Rick Harty, NCSBA Master Beekeeper
Most people when asked "How does the honeybee help us?" will respond, positively, "They make honey for us" or negatively, "They will sting you".
Let's clear up the first response; Honeybees do not make honey for us.
The honey that they produce is for the colony's own survival. They feed on stored honey to survive the winter months until the following spring when they can make more honey. Fortunately, the honey bee usually produces more honey than is needed for the winter which allows a beekeeper to remove some honey for our enjoyment. Unfortunately, this past season some of our honeybees did not produce enough honey, ate too much honey during the summer and needed to be fed in order to survive the winter.
Regarding the second response; yes, they will sting you, but only as a last resort because the honeybee will die shortly after stinging you. If you have gotten stung by a honeybee, it's obvious that you missed all of the subtle signs that she was sending you to get you to move away from her location. Getting stung by a bee can hurt, but losing honeybees forever can hurt even more.
Some folks have heard that the honeybee is in trouble and ask "How is that going to affect me?". Did you know that 1 of every 3 bites of food we consume comes from a pollinated plant or an animal that depends on plants pollinated by bees? And your favorite brew of coffee could also be included. As important as pollination is to our food supply, a large percentage of the population does not recognize the association of the honeybee and human's diet. It has been predicted that if the honeybee dies so will humans in the following years, due to the lack of food.
If you have the desire to become a beekeeper or just want to be better educated about honeybees, please join me at the Mayland Community College (MCC) in Spruce Pine for a 24 hour course on beekeeping where the students will learn about the history and biology of the honeybee, the equipment needed to start a hive of honeybees, the honeybee's association with agriculture, the threats to the colony such as CCD, the sales of more than just honey and concluding with a hands-on experience at the Harty Farm Bee Yard.
Class starts Thursday February 6th from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.
To register for class contact Mayland Community College @ 828.766.1291
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Spotlight on 4-H
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Picture by Keller Blanton, Age 7
Upcoming 4-H Events
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It is that time of year again! Project records and portfolios are due. For those who aren't familiar with project records youth complete a record book outlining their participation in their program of choice. They include goals, create a plan to achieve their goals and report on the activities completed to accomplish those goals that year. Youth participate in four age levels 8-10, 11-12, 13-15, and 16-18. There are monetary incentives provided to Gold winners in each district.
Portfolios are record books that are a long-term process. They are 3 years of record books and they outline participation in programs and set goals like project records do. Youth participate at 13-15 and 16-18. There are also monetary rewards available to Gold winners in each district.
Why is it important for youth to participate in project records? They learn record keeping skills and organization that will help them in the future. It encourages goals to be set and helps youth develop strategies for meeting those goals. They learn responsibility and how to communicate and summarize ideas. Youth also evaluate information that will market personal skills through future resumes and application forms. This is a great way to have a detailed account of past activities and involvement for college applications as well!
For information on what a project record consists of or how to get started for the 2020 year please give me a call at (828) 688-4811 or email me at kaley_brown@ncsu.edu.
You can find the 2019 forms, guidelines, and category list located on the NC 4-H website at
Project records are due to the County Extension Center by 5:00pm on Friday, February 21st. This is a firm County deadline, and no late submissions will be accepted. If youth would like to meet with me to go over their records and portfolios before the deadline of February 21st I would be happy to, and highly encourage it! On and after February 21st no corrections or additions will be made. These include missing/ incorrect order of sections, typos, missing/ incorrect information, missing signatures, and/or supplemental materials. For appointment availability from now until February 21st you can call the office, email or check in in person at your convenience.
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Small Farms Week
Click on links below for more info:
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Clink the following link for the 4-H A.L.I.V.E newsletter brought to you by Jennifer Guerrero,
4-H A.L.I.V.E Coordinator.
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Internet Connectivity Survey for NC Farmers
Distribution & Background Information
The North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office, with the Friday Institute at NC State University, is conducting a five-minute survey to gather data on internet connectivity from North Carolina farmers. The survey was developed in part from information gathered during NC Farm Bureau Federation listening sessions conducted with local farmers and agriculture partners. The data will be used to inform research, policy and funding recommendations to assist communities where internet access is inadequate.
Specifically, this survey is targeting connectivity to farm offices, although there are a few questions on connectivity in the fields. Farm offices are the primary location farmers conduct business for their farm, sometimes located next to their fields, and may be a household. The survey focuses on broadband availability questions about wired, cellular and wireless (fixed and satellite) access, and it also includes an optional internet speed test.
If a farm office currently has internet service, participants are strongly encouraged to take the speed test, but they need to take it from the office location.
Participants without any internet service will need to take the survey from another location where they can access the online survey tool. These participants do not need to take the speed test. They will not be directed to it within the survey.
The farm office address is critical to identifying underserved farms. Farmers are asked to provide the street address of the farm office to help identify areas needing improved internet access.
Farm office locations may be:
- mapped to show unmet needs or demand for high speed internet
- shared with relevant internet service providers or other partners to identify service solutions
- included in a public map, with location points buffered for privacy.
The current survey will run until April 30. It is targeted towards the following types of farms: field and row crops, livestock and specialty crops, but other farmers may participate. There is a question within the survey for farmers to identify their types of farming activities. This survey is meant to be taken only by farmers, or their employees, about their farms.
- General questions about the Internet Connectivity Survey for NC Farmers can go to Angie Bailey, Broadband Infrastructure Office: angie.bailey@nc.gov, 919.817.0541.
- For additional information on the work of the Broadband Infrastructure Office, please visit
w
ww.ncbroadband.gov
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