Master Gardener Volunteers of Clay County Contribute Storybooks |
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Master Gardener℠Volunteer Presidents May Atkinson and Jan Maddox present the Hayesville Primary School Principal, Lindsey Hognett, with new storybooks. Although Master Gardener℠volunteers of Clay County have not been able to do their normal amount of volunteer work due to COVID-19 virus restrictions, they felt that it was important to continue their education mission. Read More»
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Is Agritourism Right for Your Farming Operation? |
Join us for our Agritourism Workshop Series. This virtual 4-part series will define agritourism, help participants determine if their personality is suited for agritourism, as well as examine pricing, marketing, legal issues, and developing a business plan.
Each 1.5-hour session will include presentations from extension agents and specialists, panel discussions including small business consultants, credit service consultants, and farmers currently in the agritourism business.
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Club Meetings will still be Online in January
Flyer and Tyers - January 14th and 28th at 3:30 pm - (Tentative)
Trails and Rails - January 25th at 6:00 pm - (Tentative)
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2021 NC 4-H
Volunteer Leaders’ Conference
February 5 – February 6, 2021
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Though 4-H may look different, nothing has stopped during 2020. Keeping true to the 4-H motto, “Learn by Doing,” programs online have also incorporated offline learning so that youth and families can explore through content together. NC 4-H has reached existing and new audiences through the Virtual Summer Camp, 4-H Daily Sparks, and Virtual Summer Learning. 4-H youth have participated in long-standing programs online such as 4-H Presentations, 4-H Congress, and Citizenship Focus.
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North Carolina 4-H has created a website for teachers and parents needing supplemental activities for school-age children. |
The 4-H Curriculum website focuses on the K-12 Educator (teachers/parents) and 4-H Volunteers. The website offers: Flexible digital assets for virtual and face to face learning Grab and Go lessons featuring STEM and Healthy Living A directory of NC 4-H curricula Professional Development Opportunities Access to local 4-H Youth Development Professionals
Check out the website. Visit often as NC 4-H will be constantly be adding new curricula opportunities and digital materials.
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Butchery Basics for Home Consumers |
Join Butcher Ross Flynn of Left Bank Butchery, and NC Choices’ Lee Menius, as they walk you through a “Butchery Basics for Home Consumers” demonstration. This two-hour training is geared toward home consumers or novice meat cutters with little to no meat cutting experience interested in breaking down a carcass in their home kitchen. Topics will include proper safety and handling of carcasses, home set-up, and tools needed, followed by a step-by-step breakdown of a pig carcass into its most basic cuts for consumers to safely store and eat. An intro to the basics of grinding & sausage making, cutting tips for what to do when you’ve lost your way, and practical storing and wrapping will be included. Nomenclature will be compared across species, so this demonstration is not just limited to hog producers. Please note this is a Zoom demonstration with live chat for questions and answers. Click here to learn more and to register
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Enhancing Your Growing Practices
3 Part Series for Small Farms
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This series is designed for small farmers interested in learning about food safety and obtaining their Good Agriculture Practices certification, then how to market and expand their customer base.
Seminar 1: Introduction - On-Farm Food Safety Basics & is GAP Certification right for you?
January 21, 2021 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Description: This Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) workshop will address how farmers of all sizes can achieve USDA GAPs certification, deliver information on principles of fresh produce safety and on-farm hazard assessment, as well as provide assistance with creating a fresh produce farm safety plan.
Farmers will receive instruction concerning the tools needed to identify potential food safety concerns as well as strategies to minimize issues. By attending participants will understand the GAP Process and be able to understand if GAP Certification is best for your farm.
Seminar 2: Advanced - Writing and Implementing your GAP Certification Plan for your Farm.
February 11, 2021 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
$15 Registration Fee to cover Printing & Shipping Cost of GAP Packet for each attendee – Register by Eventbrite
Description: This Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) workshop will provide assistance to producers in completing a fresh produce safety plan. Attendees will leave this session with the knowledge to prepare a working draft of their specific food safety plan, which becomes the framework for an audit, and can be used to demonstrate individual farm risk-reduction steps.
Seminar 3: Connecting & Communicating - How to Market your GAP Certification & How to Connect with Buyers in your area.
Description: Whether you are the next generation on the farm obtaining your GAP Certification or an established producer with GAP Certification looking to expand your customer base, this webinar will offer an overview of direct market opportunities and moving toward selling wholesale. Strategies for tapping into regional demand for local food will be discussed.
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January is National Radon Awareness Month |
Did you know that radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of 21,000 Americans each year? Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that forms when uranium in the earth’s surface begins to breakdown. Radon is all around us and normally isn’t a problem. However, if your home is sitting on soil that is emitting high amounts of radon gas, you and your family could be at risk. Radon gas moves from the soil into a home through pores in concrete as well as gaps in walls and flooring. Any house, of any age, in any state, can have elevated radon levels. Testing your home is the only way to know.
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Upcoming Opportunities for Virtual Learning and Pesticide Continuing Education Credits
There are two opportunities coming up in February for Pesticide Applicators to receive continuing education credits. This includes the NC Virtual Nursery Conference February 8-11 and the
53rd Annual Winter Vegetable Conference.
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53rd Annual Winter Vegetable Conference and Trade Show
February 24 - 25, 2021
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This is the largest commercial vegetable grower event in the region with a high-quality educational program put together by vegetable Extension specialists/agents at NC State Extension. Includes a virtual trade show where attendees can meet with representatives from agricultural companies that support the vegetable industry. The two-day conference includes presentations on many different topics to help vegetable growers. Topics will include Tomato Hybrid Field Trials; Herbicide carryover and injury from drift; weed control in pepper, tomato, and cucurbits; thrip management in tomatoes and pepper; tomato disease management; hybrid tomato varieties for commercial production; progress in breeding for combined resistance to verticillium and bacterial spot; and 2021 Food Safety Update. Pesticide credits are available to conference attendees. For more information and to register click here.
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Happy, Healthy New Year!
Good Riddance 2020!!!
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Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you. – Katie Reed
If there’s one thing I have learned from 2020, it would be the importance of slowing down and taking better care of myself. Having spent most of my career in healthcare, I know how important it is to eat healthy, exercise, and get plenty of rest. I haven’t always practiced what I preached and I will be the first one to admit just how difficult it can be to practice self-care. Meeting deadlines at work, running the kids to after-school activities, getting the housework and laundry done. Did I mention I have a lot of laundry? All of these things have a tendency to consume most of my time and energy. I don’t know how many times I have said “there’s just not enough hours in the day”. It’s time for me to make some changes. Read More
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VISIT THESE WEBSITES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CLAY COUNTY CENTER'S UPCOMING EVENTS AND NEWS

*OUR OFFICE IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC BUT WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR APPOINTMENTS, MONDAY - FRIDAY 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, PLEASE CALL 828-389-6305.
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