Sustainable Agriculture

The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T hosted the S.A.R.E.’s (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program) 11th Annual Small Farms Field Day at the University Farm this past Thursday, June 21. Four research projects and Extension demonstrations at the farm were open for inspection, and farmers and the general public were as welcome as Extension agents and other professionals working to promote and support small-scale agriculture. Guided tours of research plots were conducted, and topics included:
• Pastured poultry
• Alley cropping: pecan trees and watermelons
• Mixed grazing: meat goats and hair sheep
• Managing small ruminant parasites in conjunction with mixed grazing
• Managing collards pests using IPM strategies
Small Farms Field Days are excellent opportunities for anyone wanting to learn more about exciting new economic developments in rural as well as urban communities, new technologies that promote a cleaner and healthier environment, and promoting education for the next generation of farmers and consumers in order to engage more citizens in the food and ag system. To find out about upcoming events, visit The Center for Environmental and Farming Systems website: http://www.cefs.ncsu.edu/newsevents/upcomingevents.html or S.A.R.E, http://www.sare.org.
Speaking of engaging, Watauga Cooperative Extension will offer the program “Identifying Poisonous Plants: Protecting your Pastures and Livestock”, Tuesday, July 10th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Not only will this class help you positively identify poisonous plants that threaten the health of your livestock, it will also offer management strategies using IPM principles and renew IPM credits. Contact Kristy at restlessnativedesign@gmail.com for further details.