Cove Creek Farm Heritage Day Plant Clinic & Seed Swap: Saturday, September 17 2011

The Cove Creek Farm Heritage Day is one of the finest Harvest Festivals of the High Country, held at the Historic Old Cove Creek High School, and featuring many old-timey skills and activities. This year, Cooperative Extension and local farmers will join-in to host animal displays, lessons on small fruit production, a plant clinic, and a seed swap. So save the date, and start saving seeds, bulbs, and other plants to share then! Stay tuned for more information on the day and which seeds are easiest and most suitable to swap.

Extension Hosts Tier-2 Fresh Produce Safety Training for Growers September 27, 2011

Boone , N.C. – N.C. MarketReady Fresh Produce Safety – Field to Family is a new N.C. Cooperative Extension program developed to educate fruit and vegetable growers about measures to minimize food safety risks. The training focuses on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and managing risks from field to market.  The training consists of nine modules, broken into Tier 1 and Tier 2, addressing specific areas of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) that together provide a comprehensive curriculum developed by leading researchers and Cooperative Extension specialists at N.C. State University and N.C. A&T State University.  

NC Fresh Produce Safety Task Force will conduct the Tier 2 N.C. MarketReady training workshop on Tuesday, September 27^th, from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center, 252 Poplar Grove Rd. Boone, NC 28607.  Building upon the Tier 1 lessons, Tier 2 will address risk identification and management issues including transportation and traceability, product recalls, liability and insurance options, and developing a crisis strategy. The cost for the course is $10 per person, and includes a resource notebook and a catered lunch. Pre-registration is required, and can be done by calling the Watauga County Cooperative Center at 828-264-3061.

This workshop will benefit not only growers and packinghouse managers, but also wholesalers and transportation managers who all play an integral role in maintaining the safety of fresh produce as it moves from the field to the consumer. Currently, GAPs certification is voluntary for North Carolina farmers, though outbreaks of food-borne illness in other parts of the country have resulted in increased pressure for all farmers to become certified. All farmers residing in Alleghany, Ashe, or Watauga Counties who complete both a Tier 1 (offered in Jefferson, NC on August 30, 2011) and this Tier 2 training will be entered into a drawing for one of 10 awards of $500 that can be used toward GAP certification expenses or related equipment.

The development of the N.C. MarketReady Fresh Produce Safety – Field to Family Initiative was funded with grants from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), NC Rural Economic Development Center and USDA Risk Management Agency.  N.C. Cooperative Extension faculty developed these resources as part of the N.C. Fresh Produce Safety Task Force. For more information contact Richard Boylan, 828-264-3061, richard_boylan@ncsu.edu  . Learn more at www.ncmarketready.org.

N.C. Cooperative Extension is an educational outreach of N.C. State University and N.C. A&T State University. It has programs in all 100 counties and the Cherokee Reservation. Learn more at www.ces.ncsu.edu. This course is co-sponsored by the Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant through the Appalachian District Health Department and US Department of Health and Human Services.

Broccoli Field Day in Valle Crucis: Monday, August 15

On Monday, August 15, from 3 PM to 6:30 PM, North Carolina Cooperative Extension will lead a Specialty Crops Field Day on the production of Broccoli and related Brassica Crops in the High Country region. This region of western NC is one of the few areas of the south that can produce cool-season crops such as broccoli during the months of July, August and September. The Field Day will be held at Watauga River Farms, located at 2953 NC Hwy 194 S, Sugar Grove, NC 28692. Farm-owner Charles Church has grown and sold broccoli since the 1980’s, and is a founding member of Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO) and the New River Organic Growers (NROG) Cooperative.

The Field Day will include a discussion of Broccoli Varieties suitable for market production in the High Country. Watauga River Farms is presently growing Blue Wind and Arcadia, while the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, NC is testing 36 varieties of broccoli, in its role as the North Carolina site for the East Coast Broccoli Project. Dr. Jeanine Davis, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist with NC State University, and Emily Bernstein, Project Coordinator at the Mountain Organic Research & Extension Program, will discuss their work with this research project. Other speakers for the day will include Dr Jim Walgenbach of the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center of NC State University on insect management in broccoli crops, Richard Boylan of Watauga County Cooperative Extension on Disease Management in broccoli crops, and Charles Church on post-harvest handling of broccoli crops. The day’s speakers will jointly address issues of fertility, weed-management, and cultivation of broccoli, and participants will have the opportunity to scout the growing broccoli crops at the farm.

This Field Day is free and open to members of the public, thanks to a Specialty Crops Block Grant Award from USDA and NCDA. All who attend will receive a resource packet on broccoli production, and farmers attending will also be entered into a drawing to win valuable books and other materials on Brassica disease identification. Pre-registration is recommended. For more information or to pre-register, call the Watauga County Cooperative Extension Office at 828-264-3061.

Tomato High Tunnel Field Day August 14

On Sunday, August 14, Tumbling Shoals Farm will be hosting a field day on using high tunnels for disease prevention in organic tomato production.  Tumbling Shoals Farm recently installed a multi-bay 90 by 100 foot Haygrove high tunnel and has seen significant improvement in tomato yield and quality.  Come at 4:00 PM for a tour and discussion, and stay for a cook out with the farmers.  Bring a side dish if you want.  Directions are on the website, www.tumblingshoalsfarm.com.  Please RSVP to farmer@tumblingshoalsfarm.com or call 336-452-0919.

Farmworker Safety Day

Over 70 Christmas tree growers, workers, and industry partners attended the Farmworker Safety Day held this week in Foscoe. The North Carolina Department of Labor and Watauga Cooperative Extension co-organized the event which was aimed at giving Latino farmworker workers and crew-leaders a refresher course on various aspects of Christmas tree farm safety. Groups of participants rotated through eight stations that were set up around the grounds of Hawk Mountain Nursery. Several representatives from other agencies were also on hand including the NC Farmworker Health Program, the NCDA Pesticide Section and the Foscoe Fire Department.

At the pesticide safety station, Charles Clark & Travis Snodgrass (NCDA) demonstrated proper use and storage of respirators and discussed pesticide labels. Mountain Conifer Hort Specialist, Jill Sidebottom went over some of the different chemicals and application methods used in the Christmas tree industry and what personal protective equipment should be used for each. Watauga County Extension Director, Jim Hamilton, translated.



Department of Labor Inspectors provided information to growers on housing regulations and hazardous communication protocols and also demonstrated proper chainsaw and heavy equipment safety. Brad Edwards, a technician with Cooperative Extension, gave a shearing safety demonstration and the Foscoe Fire Department instructed farmworkers on the proper use and maintenance of fire extinguishers and alarms. Wiley Gimlin, the bilingual owner of Omni Farms in Ashe County, gave a talk on tree baler and elevator safety. Southern Ag, Carolina Farm Credit, the NC Christmas Tree Association and Hawk Mountain Nursery sponsored the event and provided generous support for lunch for all participants.

Advisory Luncheon and Focus on the Women of Family and Consumer Science

Watauga Cooperative Extension hosted their summer Advisory Leadership Council lunch meeting at the Ag Conference Center this week. A wonderful meal was prepared by the Watauga Extension and Community Association. A local veggie lunch was prepared by club members that included beans, potatoes, squash, and tomatoes from local farms and homemade desserts. Former County Extension Director Sue Counts led the program and showed slides of the Family and Consumer Science Centennial Celebration that was held in May. She also discussed fundraising efforts that ECA and FCS have been involved with over the years.