We Grow Citizens

Wingate ROOTS Summit 2.0 dives into Sustainable Agriculture

On February 20th Wingate University hosted their second annual ROOTS Summit. This event brought community members and organizations together to foster collaboration and identify needs in the community. Aaron Moore, Small Farms Agent and Dr. Erika Niland, Professor of Biology co-facilitated one of the afternoon sessions concentrating on sustainable agriculture. In this session participants were asked to work as a team to identify challenges in our community related to sustainable agriculture. The group was then asked to collaborate and find potential solutions to these problems. Information from this session will be used as a tool to make positive impacts in Eastern Union County and surrounding areas.

Lunch & Learn Series Kicks Off

Union County Cooperative Extension kicked off it's monthly Lunch and Learn Series on February 5th. This is a series of educational programs where the public and county employees are invited to bring their lunch and learn about an extension related topic. The Lunch and Learn series is held the first Wednesday of every month from 12 noon until 1pm.

Successful Gardener Glass

On February 6th, Suzanne Wilkerson spoke on DeBunking the Secrets to Successful Home Landscaping. Suzanne is not only an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, but owns her own landscaping business, so she had lots of practical experience to share.

The Extension Gardener Classes are held in the Spring and open to the public and those who want to continue into the training to become an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. Registration and a fee is required. Fruits & Berries, Vegetables & Herbs, and Lawn & Lawn alternatives have already taken place. Compositing & Soil Amendments, Annuals & Perennials, Trees & Shrubs, and Insects, Diseases & Weeds will finish out this spring series of classes. For dates, times and to register visit http://bit.ly/2vxfqWm .

EFNEP Partners with Winchester Community Organization

Expanded Food and Nutrition Educator, Cheri Bennett serves as an advisor for the food committee of the Winchester Community Organization. The community based organization was interested in promoting healthy menu choices for the meetings, that would encourage the community residents in attendance to make healthier choices throughout life. Each meeting now offers water, as a beverage, and incorporates fresh vegetables, and low fat cooking methods.

Allergy Solutions Workshop

This month, our Health and Wellness Agent, Marcus McFarland with Allergy Cooking Educator, Adora Lindsay, held an allergy solutions workshop. Participants were able to learn about food safety when cooking for people with allergies. They learned about different dishes that can contain more than one allergen, and how to carefully look out for them when purchasing or making meals. Participants were also able to learn to make dishes using alternative seasonings like dill and flax seeds, to make delicious foods safe for different allergies and diets.

Instant Pot 101

Health and Wellness Agent, Marcus McFarland taught several participants on how to make healthy and delicious recipes in the popular appliance, the Instant Pot. Check out the video below to learn more!

We Grow Knowledge

Southern Piedmont Winter Meeting

Field crop producers representing over 6 counties and 83,000 acres of corn and soybean farmland came together for a winter wrap-up and production meeting at the Union County Agricultural Center. Dr. Rachel Vann and Dr. Wesley Everman both gave updates and reports on recent research and on-farm trials conducted here in Union County and across the state. Farmer's walked away with new ideas and factual data to assist them with the upcoming cropping season.

Over 250 Union County producers participated in pesticide recertification training this past month. Local producers from all disciplines are mandated by the NC Department of Agriculture to secure a certain number of recertification hours every 3 years to hold a pesticide applicators license. Union County Extension partners every year with NC State University and the NCDA to provide educational opportunities for growers to receive this training right in their own backyard.

Blueberry Production Workshop

Bill Cline, NCSU Blueberry Extension Specialist spoke on blueberry production, followed by hands-on pruning instruction at Anna's Blueberries in the afternoon.

Beekeepers Learn About Honey Bee Behavior

The Union County Beekeepers Association and Cooperative Extension brought in Master Beekeeper, Kim O'Shea to talk about honey bee behavior. Kim brings a great breadth of knowledge in honey bee behavior and biology as well as stunning videos that demonstrate how these amazing creatures interact with each other and the environment. anyone interested in learning more about honey bees should consider coming to these monthly meetings!

As a part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the FDA developed "Standards for the Growing, harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption." As a result of this new regulation Union County Cooperative Extension hosted a workshop to help area vegetable growers navigate this rule. During this workshop Area Specialized Agent Elena Rogers helped producers understand where their farm fell under the new FSMA regulation. Elena also taught participants about food safety practices that are relevant to small, diversified farms in NC.