Noxious Oriental Bittersweet

First your eyes are drawn to the attractive yellow capsules enclosing striking red fleshy fruits. Then you notice the berried vine climbing high into the tree canopy or draping over a shrub... maybe even flowing over an arbor or fence. You think to yourself, “ What a striking plant! What is it and where can I get one?”

Thus the siren song of Bittersweet begins. The plant just described is Oriental Bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus, and is one of the most aggressive and serious invasive, exotic plants in our area. A twining, climbing vine, Oriental Bittersweet can drape and climb over other desirable shrubs and trees, eventually shading out other plants and girdling the unlucky plants that support the vine.

Enormous root systems, robust annual growth, and numerous seedlings allow the vine to spread throughout forest and urban landscapes. The seeds are also consumed by birds and other animals and are then scattered wherever they are deposited. In western North Carolina, Bittersweet vines are commonly made into decorative wreaths, which are sold to unsuspecting buyers. When the vines are discarded, whether in the compost pile or thrown out in the woods, the cycle begins anew and Bittersweet claims new real estate.

Native plant enthusiasts will point out that there is a native American Bittersweet, Celastus scandens, which is nowhere near as aggressive or threatening as its exotic cousin. However, there is documented evidence that the two species can hybridize, leading to more aggressive tendencies of the resulting hybrid vine. The main difference between American Bittersweet and Oriental Bittersweet is the location of the flowers (and thus, later on the berries). American Bittersweet bears terminal flowers at the tips of the branches, while Oriental Bittersweet bears axillary flowers all along the vine. American Bittersweet seed capsules are orangish-yellow and lack the two-toned coloration.

Oriental Bittersweet

Strangely enough, Oriental Bittersweet is still noted as an ornamental species by some sources despite its reputation as an ecological menace. It is listed as a noxious, invasive weed in North Carolina.

While wintertime is not the recommended time of year for eradication efforts of Oriental Bittersweet, it is the perfect time for easily identifying where the vine persists. Flagging tape or selective markings with spray paint can label the plant now so that control efforts can be made during the following growing season. The USDA publication Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests has information on controlling Oriental Bittersweet as well as other devastating invasive plants.

Free Cut Flower Production for Beginner Mountain Growers

Free Cut Flower Production for Beginner Mountain Growers

Educational Workshop - Thursday, December 9, from 1:00 PM-5:00 PM

Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center

Could growing and selling cut flowers be a profitable enterprise for you and your farm? On the afternoon of Thursday, December 9, a panel of regional experts will present on topics that can help you answer that question. Whether you are preparing to farm for the first time, or just to add cut flowers to your current agricultural enterprises, winter is the time to plan for success. Topics covered will include:

·      What It Takes to Get Started in Cut Flowers

·      Insects and Diseases of Cut Flowers

·      Perennials for Cut Flower Production

·      Organic and Alternative Pest Control Options for Cut Flower Growers

·      Marketing Options for Cut Flowers

The workshop, which begins at 1:00 PM on Thursday, 12/9, is free and open to the public. It is geared toward educating commercial farmers and market gardeners, but smaller-scale gardeners with an interest in cut flower production are also welcome. The workshop program has been approved by NCDA for 2 hours of Pesticide Credits in License Sub-Classes L,N,O,D, and X. The workshop will be held at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center, located at 252 Poplar Grove Rd., in Boone, NC.

A team of professional growers and Extension Agents with several decades of experience in the cut flower industry between them will present the workshop:

·      Susan Wright founded Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery in 1986, doing landscape consulting and design. Shady Grove Garden's main business is now growing perennials, cut flowers and offering floral design with locally grown flowers.. She sells cut flowers to several wholesale clients as well as at the Saturday Watauga County Farmers Market and the Thursday Blowing Rock Fresh Market.

·      Hollis Wild is the founder of Appalachian Trees Nursery in Glendale Springs, NC, and a member of the Ashe County Farmers Market. She now raises a mix of vegetables and ornamentals, in greenhouses, high tunnels, and out in the field. She received a 2010 RAFI grant to add perennial species for cut flower production to her operation.

·      Craig Adkins is an Area Specialized Agent for Commercial Horticulture responsible for the commercial horticulture educational program in Caldwell, Alexander, Burke, Catawba, McDowell and Wilkes Counties. He has worked with a wide range of successful flower growers, from small-scale market gardeners to large wholesale nurseries.

·      Richard Boylan is an Area Specialized Agent for Alternative Agriculture in Ashe & Watauga Counties.

For more information and to register, call Watauga Cooperative Extension at 828-264-3061.

Looking for Laricobius

The US Forest Service is trying to determine if breeding populations of a beetle known as Laricobius are establishing themselves on adelgid-infested hemlocks. The beetles are natural predators of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) and are found on western hemlocks on the west coast. Local entomologist, Dr. Richard McDonald, has been collecting Laricobius beetles for the Forest Service to release them here in our adelgid-infested mountains. The Forest Service has established several sampling sites to try and capture the beetles to prove that they are setting up shop, feeding on adelgids, and reproducing on their own.

County Director, Jim Hamilton, has accompanied US Forest Service Intern Bill Sweeney on several sampling trips to a stand of hemlocks adjacent to Valle Crucis Community Park. Pictured below are Sweeney (right) and Brian Chatham from Watauga Soil and Water checking a "beat board" (where foliage has been shaken to see what falls out!). Since Laricobius beetles hatch from eggs laid in the litter below trees, collection traps are placed into the soil in an attempt to capture them as they crawl out of the soil to seek out adelgids. While a few beetles were found in the foliage of these hemlocks earlier in the year, their offspring have yet to be detected in the traps this fall.

Local Food Movement Growing… But Not Yet Italian

I just returned from Terra Madre, a conference in Torino, Italy, where around 5000 people who care about the future of the world’s food system gathered. This conference is organized by Slow Food International and invites food producers, activists, artisans, educators and chefs from 150 countries who are united by a common goal of global sustainability in food. The "food communities" come together to share innovative solutions and time-honored traditions for keeping small-scale agriculture and sustainable food production alive and well.
As you might guess, Slow Food was formed as an antidote to “fast food”, when the first McDonald’s invaded Rome back in 1985. Some Italians didn’t want trans-national corporations to take over their food culture. So they held peaceful gatherings in people’s homes, offering homemade ziti and long conversations as a more attractive option to “fast food”. Twenty-five years later, “fast food” and industrial scale agriculture definitely have an influence on the Italian diet and culture. But the Slow Food culture is still alive and well.
Traditional food enthusiasm was rampant at Salone del Gusto, Slow Food’s food festival, which was held adjacent to Terra Madre. There were 910 small to mid-scale food exhibitors from around the world, with 90% of them calling Italy home. Over 200,000 people visited the festival. Many producers offered samples of their high quality products, such as cheese, wine, beer, chocolate, baked goods, meat and pastas. As I strolled past endless yummies, I dreamed of living closer and taking home lots of this wonderful tasting food. Apparently, many Italians are willing to pay a little more to the small to mid-scale food producers for the quality they desire. By doing so, they are supporting their culture, the local economy, and know the story behind their food.
A leather shop-keeper, attempting to sale a jacket to me said, “Americans know fast food, Italians know fashion.” While I found this comment insulting, I suppose it’s the way some of the world views our food culture. Certainly there is room for convenience in our lives, and being able to drive past a window and pick up dinner can be a savior for families on the go.
But Americans are craving more than just calories. We are seeing a renaissance of food culture happening across our country. Slow Food USA has more than 200 chapters in the U.S. who invite members and the community to taste, celebrate and champion the foods and food traditions important to their regions. Regional food traditions nourish our bodies and our souls.
Our High Country communities are supporting farmers’ markets more than ever. Existing markets have swollen and additional markets have sprung up.
While the average age of growers has dramatically increased in the U.S., we are seeing an interest among young people in growing and producing food. ASU recently established a B. S. degree in Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture. They are teaching students how to sustain themselves and communities through hands-on experience at the ASU sustainable development farm.
Community members want to have fresh, locally grown produce throughout the winter. Several local growers have received grants to establish greenhouses. High Country Community Supported Agriculture is a model that brings multiple farmers and local eaters together once each month from November through April. For more information, e-mail highcountrycsa@gmail.com. Other individual growers make arrangements to sell to community members during cold months, such as Zydeco Moon Farm in Ashe County.

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture promotes our local resources by organizing the High Country Farm Tour. In August, over 200 community members had the opportunity to visit 17 farms. The visits connected them with local food sources, encouraged a celebration of agricultural heritage and rural landscape. They continue to offer monthly educational programs to the community. http://www.brwia.org

Our local Slow Food chapter recently offered a heirloom apple tasting, and growers Bill Moretz and Ron Joyner shared their knowledge and harvest of old apple varieties. http://slowfoodboone.wordpress.com/

The list of happenings supporting the unique food culture of the High Country is large and growing. I would like to keep you updated on local and cultural food issues and our progress as a community. Please contact me about anything that you would like to share.


by Margie Mansure

Cold Weather Tips For Poultry

The spring and summer are usually easy seasons to manage your chickens, however, winter may offer a few challenges. Here is a few tips to keep your chickens productive and happy.

Chickens actually can do very well in cold weather. Egg production usually will slow down with colder weather. The first instinct people have is to lock their chickens in the hen house or outbuilding. This can cause more trouble than the cold. Chickens should be provided shelter in the winter, but be sure to provide plenty of ventilation. Ventilation should allow air exchange but not allow wind through the house.

If you allow your hens outside in the summer, offer them the choice in the winter. Exercise is important for the health of the birds. To help keep hens warm keep adequate feed for the birds.
The idea of adding heat to the chicken house to increase winter production has been tried and usually doesn’t pay off. To help keep the birds warm add a layer of straw or hay to the floor of the house. Feeding scratch in the evening helps keep chickens busy and keeps their crop full before going to roost.

One of the most important things in the winter is a constant supply of water. It is challenging in the winter to keep non-frozen water supplied to your birds. Many of the traditional waterers are hard to open when frozen, and plastic waterers will freeze and crack. Galvanized waterers work better but still can be damaged if the water is allowed to freeze solid. The best practice is to fill waterers half full in early morning and again in the afternoon. When temperatures are below 15˚ it is best to take the waterers in at night.

In the winter it is best to gather eggs twice a day, especially in freezing conditions. Chickens will naturally lose their feathers, which is called molting. During the molt, egg production will decrease, and the birds will eat less. Production will increase next spring as daylight increases.
The winter is the time of year that you should be on the lookout for predators. Raccoons, skunks and often neighborhood pets will get into chickens this time of year. The best way to avoid predator losses is to prevent them from occurring. Make your hen house and run predator “proof”. Some predators can fit into small openings, while others prefer to dig their way in. Examine your pen to eliminate holes, weak places in the fence, and remove brush and weeds from around the chicken house.
A few simple steps now can help maintain your chicken flock, keeping it productive.

The five P's for winter feeding the beef herd

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance

The wind is blowing and the rain has stopped for now, the fall colored leaves are now dropping faster, winter will be just right around the corner. Last winter was a trying time for everyone, but was especially hard on livestock and their caretakers. I think the severity of winter found many people not prepared, I hope this year will be different! Here are some tips to help you prepare for winter.

The first step to take is to inventory your animals, and identify groups that have like nutritional needs. How many cows in middle gestation, these should be bred 5-7 months. Bred replacement heifers, weaned calves, bulls and lactating cows. Typically 1100 lb. gestating cows will need 26.5 lbs. of dry matter daily, this translates to 31 lbs. of hay daily.

The next step is to determine how many days you will be feeding. If you still have some grazing left you can estimate the amount of forage available. A general rule of thumb is that there is 200 lbs. of dry matter yield per acre of inch of forage height. This is a rough estimate and depends on density of the stand. It is common in our area to feed hay, 150 to 180 days.

The third step is to inventory your hay supply. The only way to truly know how much feed value the hay contains is to have it tested. The hay testing costs $10 per sample with the NCDA. If you do not test your forages then you should at least give them an estimate for quality. Most of the hay tested in our area will be 7-10% CP and 45-55% TDN. This quality of hay will feed middle gestating cows and mature bulls providing sufficient nutrients except for some minerals.

Growing and lactating animals need increased nutrition to be productive. The classes of animals with higher nutritional requirements should be supplemented. There are many byproducts of grain processing that meet the nutritional needs of the beef herd. Some of these products are soybean hulls, corn gluten feed, cottonseed, and many combinations sold by feed companies. The extension service can help you develop a feeding plan including a balanced ration.

The fourth step is to examine your feeding system. Do you simply place round bales out in pastures? Are they fed in rings or bale feeders, or are they rolled out on the ground? Research has shown that by simply placing round hay bales out in the pasture, losses can exceed 30%. If you are storing hay outside and uncovered your total losses could easily be 50%. It will not take very long to recoup the cost of a hay ring, to reduce these losses. There should be enough feeder space to prevent lower status cows from not receiving enough hay. The common practice here in the mountains of unrolling hay can be very effective. If this system is only used when the weather is favorable, then losses can be reduced. Unrolling hay also offers the advantage of allowing all cows to eat at the same time, avoiding boss cows becoming overfed and more timid cows not getting enough to eat.
Take the time to do a little planning to insure you have a plan to feed your cows this winter. A little time spent now can help avoid problems this winter, especially if it turns out similar to last year.