BURKE COUNTY CENTER
March 2021
Our Annual Small Fruit Plant Sale is Underway!
Visit our website for all the details on plant varieties and ordering information.
Discover 4-H Spring Activity Box
This Discover 4-H Activity Box is full of activities for youth ages 8-12. Activities encourage hands-on interactive learning through Art, STEM, Civic Engagement, Healthy Living and Agriculture. These activities are an introduction to 4-H and provide an opportunity for youth to “learn by doing”.

This is our second "Discover 4-H Box" and it is FREE! Youth will enjoy these activities and challenge their creative engineering with building their own bee & butterfly bristle bots! Enjoy supplies to make your own flubber/slime and start seeds in your own mini-greenhouse! No kits will be shipped. Limited supply. These Spring 2021 kits will be available from March 5, 2021 to the end of May 2021 or until all boxes have been claimed.

Register for a kit on Eventbrite!
Latest and Greatest Plants for 2021
Virtual Workshop
Let's take a look at some of the new plant selections for 2021-
trees and shrubs, annuals and perennials and veggies.

Join Donna Teasley for a look at some of the new and exciting plants and award winners that will be available for your gardens this season. There are many and she has chosen some of her favorites to share with you.

Workshop will be held via Zoom on March 9th from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Register on Eventbrite for this FREE workshop.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s annual tribute to small-scale agriculture will be held March 21-27, 2021, and will offer a variety of virtual events and educational programs designed to inform the public and provide research-based information to support small farmers. Visit the Small Farms Week webpage for more information.

Farmers and interested members of the public are invited to sign up free of charge on Eventbrite.
March is Living Well Month
Raising kids, eating right, spending smart, living well—that’s the theme of a national Living Well Campaign that is being promoted by the Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, both at the national level and here in North Carolina. The goal of the Living Well Campaign is to provide people with the education and information they need in order to “live well.”

The NC Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences works through N.C. Cooperative Extension to offer all kinds of information that will help families achieve a positive, healthy lifestyle. Whether you are trying to manage your diabetes through meal planning and exercise, make decisions about health care and insurance, or get tips on effective parenting techniques, Extension probably has a research-based answer. Make sure to follow us on Facebook and keep an eye out for tips and info about Living Well all throughout the month of March!
Burke County TEEN LIP
(Leadership Internship Program)
The Burke County TEEN LIP (Leader Internship Program) will be accepting new applicants that wish to join. Youth ages 14-18 will receive the training and skills to lead younger youth, communicate with adults, plan and implement camp/workshop activities, use first aid /CPR, learn personal strengths & weaknesses, work as a team member, be a positive role model in the community and build a strong connection with other teen members. Members conclude training with the skills set to be productive and knowledgeable teen leaders that enrich our 4-H program as well as the community in which they live. Our Burke County Teen LIP members will help plan and implement Summer Fun Workshops, lead youth in activities/transitions/games & songs.Teens will have the opportunity to teach Parent Volunteer Leader workshops, attend TEEN workshops and conferences. Youth will also have experiences to enrich college and job applications. Email Nicki if you or your youth are interested. Youth do not have to be current 4-H'ers.
Virtual Quail Hatching Program
Follow along as we hatch Quail!
Program access is available for public, private, home-school and after-school educators in Burke County, NC.

4-H Hatching Classroom Projects aligns with 2nd grade Essential Standard-Structures and Functions of Living Organisms. Developers of the Hatching Curriculum designed each lesson to be grade-level appropriate and have been correlated with U.S. National Science Education Standards. For public, private, home-school and after-school educators.

For more information, contact Nicki Carpenter, visit our website, or register on Eventbrite for access to the program.

Foot Rot in Beef Cattle
Foot rot is an infectious disease in cattle that results in swelling and varying degrees of lameness in cattle. It is a painful condition that results in difficulty walking and getting up and down and if left untreated can be quite costly to the cattle producer.

The causative bacterium of foot rot is Fusobacterium necrophorum, however other bacterial agents seem to contribute as well. These bacteria cannot penetrate healthy intact skin so they invade the interdigital (between the toes) through continually wet skin or through abrasions from rocks, stubble or frozen or dried mud that cattle are exposed to.

Foot rot can occur anytime of year but is usually more prevalent when pastures are wet or muddy. Periods of high moisture tend to create favorable conditions for foot rot occurrence. All ages are vulnerable, but it occurs most commonly in cattle that are weaning age or older. Infection rate can vary from a few animals in the herd, up to 25% of the herd affected.

4-H Online 2.0 Enrollment
It's time to enroll ALL 4-H'ers and families in the new 4-H Online 2.0 system.

Youth, Parents and Club Leaders MUST be enrolled to participate in 4-H activities, events and programs. If you are not part of a club or group, you may register as an "At Large" member for Burke County. Please Nicki Carpenter if you have any questions.
4-H Camp -
Only a Few Spaces Left!
We are taking camp applications for youth ages 8-12 to join us as we travel to the Eastern 4-H Center, June 20-25. All pandemic restrictions and guidelines will be followed and we will have parent/youth camp orientation prior so procedures can be discussed. Fundraising events have been planned for the spring to support camp costs. A $50 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot. Spaces are limited. Call our office for more information.
Be on the Lookout for Pests!
We’ll see a warmup in March and that means that insects will become active once again. Watch for some of these early pests and take action if needed.

If bagworms were a problem in your landscape last year, look at your shrubs and trees and remove any bags that you see. Use a razor to cut them from the plant stem. This will insure that the silken thread that they used to attach themselves to your plant is removed also. If left intact these threads can cause girdling damage to the stem or branch. Dispose of any bags by burning them.

March is also the time that we see termite swarms. In the landscape this isn’t a problem but if you see them in or around your hose, call an exterminator. Ants also swarm at this time so have the pest identified to make sure it is a termite and not just a flying ant.
All ants have wings when they swarm. Note the differences between swarming ants and swarming termites.
Stinkbugs that overwinter in the house are also waking up. You’ll start seeing more of them as the weather warms. Vacuum them or carry them outside. Be sure and dispose of the vacuum bag too.

Ground nesting bees will become active also. They nest singly in holes they dig in your lawn. They like bare, sunny spots. These insects are good pollinators and should be left alone. They won’t sting and are not aggressive. Hornets, wasps and yellow jackets are also waking up and as warm days occur they will start building new nests so watch for them.
 
Other spring pests to watch for are crabgrass, chickweed, hairy bittercress and henbit. Treat with a crabgrass preventer in early March. Apply a weed killer such as Weed b Gon to kill winter weeds before they bloom and disperse seeds.

The growing season is about to begin so let’s get ahead of these pests before they become an issue!
Scholarship Opportunity
The Caldwell County Nurserymen's Association is taking applications for their 2021 scholarships. The scholarships are open to any student from Alexander, Burke Caldwell, Catawba, McDowell or Wilkes counties who will be enrolled in a horticulture program at an accredited institution in North Carolina during the 2021-2022 term.

Application deadline is March 31, 2021

4-H Discovery has transitioned to a monthly 4-H Project Spotlight for 2021.
Each month, a 4-H Project area will be put in the "spotlight" with a variety of activities: educational activities, Information, contests, or any other information 4-H'ers may want to use toward project books, presentations, career interests, or just for FUN!

The March Project Spotlight is
Plant Science: Learn, Grow, Eat!

Visit our website for all the details
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