Extension News August 2024

Summer Intern Alexander Kaufhold

As the summer intern at the NC Cooperative Extension - Surry Center office, I have learned a lot about the purpose of the organization, developed my professional skills, and worked with a group of fantastic people. From teaching toddlers' basic nutrition to taking tissue samples in a cornfield, I’ve seen a lot that Extension has to offer. Getting to work with people who are dedicated to educating and strengthening their community has been a fruitful experience and has taught me many lessons and skills that I will be able to take into my future career. I am grateful for having the opportunity to intern at my local Extension office!

2024 Surry County Agricultural Hall of Fame Award

Nomination applications for the 2024 Surry County Agricultural Hall of Fame Award are now available. This award recognizes Surry County citizens for superior contributions and outstanding leadership in agriculture. Recognition will be given to recipients whose work has benefited the agricultural community while improving the quality of life for Surry County. The recipient’s work in agriculture or an agriculture-related field may be but is not limited to education, policy making, technical assistance, invention, agri-business, or demonstrated effective agricultural practices.

Persons selected for recognition will be honored and formally inducted into the Hall of Fame during the annual Surry County Farm City event in November. Nomination Applications are due by October 1, 2024.

Sheep and Goat

Did you know that in North Carolina, there are 30,000 head of sheep and 40,000 head of goats? Even though this may not be North Carolina’s biggest agricultural commodity, there is certainly a strong presence in our state and here locally in Surry County! Both of these animals are considered small ruminants, meaning they are grazers, although they do have some differences. Sheep are gregarious animals, meaning they like to stay close to others in their flock and are produced for meat or wool/fiber. Goats are more curious and independent animals that are raised for meat or dairy products. There are several breeds of sheep and goats that have various strengths to suit all kinds of operations.

This past month, we had our first Sheep and Goat producer meeting. The purpose of these meetings is to share research-based information from experts, to give producers an opportunity to ask questions and get answers, and to network with other sheep and goat producers in our area. Our speaker for the meeting was Dr. Karen Saintsing, veterinarian and owner of Countryside Mobile Veterinary Services. Dr. Saintsing spoke about husbandry practices, including newborn animal care, internal parasites, vaccines, and much more! We had 18 attendees and enjoyed learning lots of great information! If you are interested in joining the Sheep and Goat Producer mailing list to find out about other meetings like this one, please contact Bailey Wood at (336) 401-8025 or bailey_wood@ncsu.edu.

Source: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/North_Carolina/Publications/Annual_Statistical_Bulletin/AgStat/NCAgStatBook.pdf

Tomato Problem

By Justin Ballew, Extension Fruit and Vegetable Research Associate Clemson Extension, Clemson University

The tie-dye appearance of this tomato is due to it being infected by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). TSWV is an important virus of tomato, pepper, eggplant, peanuts, tobacco, etc. that causes significant yield loss to affected plants. The virus is transmitted by thrips feeding. While TSWV shows up to some degree each year, it is not as common in commercial fields as it was in the past, thanks to the availability of resistant varieties. TSWV is still very common in-home gardens due to the preference for heirloom varieties, which have no resistance. Varieties with resistance to TSWV are listed in the 2024 SE Vegetable Crop Handbook on pages 84-85 (peppers) and 111-112 (tomatoes).

August Tips

• Do NOT fertilize shrubs in late August, September, October, or November.
• Do NOT prune shrubs in August, September, or October.
• Spider lily (lycoris), colchicum (autumn crocus) and sternbergia bulbs should be planted this month.
• Repot house plants.
• Plant fall vegetables: beets, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, radish, rutabaga, spinach, squash, and turnip.
• Scout landscape shrubs for spider mites (on arborvitae and juniper), black spot (on roses), and lace bug (on azalea and pyracantha.
• Control the following woody weeds by spraying them with the recommended herbicide: greenbriar, kudzu, trumpet creeper, and wisteria.

Ask a Master Gardener Phone Helpline

Who? Extension Master Gardener volunteers

What? The Telephone Helpline will have Master Gardeners available to help answer all your gardening and horticulture questions.

When? 10 am – 12 noon Every Tuesday

Where? NC Cooperative Extension, Surry Center, 915 E. Atkins Street, Dobson, North Carolina 27017

Contact? Phone: 336.401.8025 or E-mail: surrymastergardener@gmail.com

Drought Weather Corn Considerations

A farmer who grows a crop of corn normally expects dry weather to appear somewhere during the growing season before harvest. However, it is rare for drought conditions and a limited amount of rainfall to happen this widely across the whole state for an extended period of time. At this point in time, the farmer must be thinking, “What should I do?”

The first thing you should do is to contact your crop insurance representative or agent. Doing this allows both parties at hand to understand what kind of documentation needs to be completed and to also access what corn acres could possibly be salvaged. The next thing you should do is determine yield potential.

To determine yield potential, you will need to look at the health of the corn plant. If the ear leaf on a corn plant is still green you will also need to determine if the ears will be pollinated. However, if the ear leaf on a corn plant is showing a brown color, then this is a good indication that the corn plant is a total loss. A good indication of corn pollination is to look at the emerging silks. If the silks are looking green or white, they have not been pollinated yet. If the silks are looking dark brown or black, that means they have been pollinated. In contrast, if the silks are looking purple, this means they have died and did not receive any pollen.

The next thing you should do is estimate the yield potential of your corn, assuming the corn was able to make it through pollination. To do this, take an ear of corn and count how many rows of pollinated kernels are on the individual ear. Once you have that number, you are able to use this formula:

Rows per ear X Kernels per row X Plant population in 1,000th of an acre divided by 90 = bu/a

The number received from this formula is typically about 5% greater than the final yield, but it still should give you a general idea of yield potential. If the yield potential is less than your insured yield, you now know how to proceed. However, if the yield potential is greater than your insured yield, you can possibly keep the crop and hope for better weather conditions to allow the crop to finish.

Article has been revised from Dr. Ron Heiniger, Corn Extension Specialist from North Carolina State University.

Basic Budget Bites

Shopping for food on a budget takes planning. Make a food budget. Determine how much money you have for food. If you shop once a week, divide your monthly food budget by four to find out how much you have for food each week. Next, plan a week of meals and snacks for your family. Check what foods you have on hand. Plan to use leftovers for other meals during the week. Be sure to include all foods in the food groups. Here are some tips for shopping on a budget.

• Check the weekly grocery flyers for weekly specials.
• Cross check the cost of your favorite foods online before you shop.
• Use the local farmers market to save on items that may be more expensive in stores.
• Plan for the week. Buy produce that’s in season-it tastes so much better! And choose to produce with a longer shelf life.
• Pick store brands over name brands - most of the time there is no difference in the ingredients. Compare the labels to double check.
• Shop mid-week most grocery stores tend to restock their shelves and mark items that didn’t sell the week before.
• Buy in bulk (to avoid waste) buy groceries in bulk only if you can freeze them or they have a long shelf life.
• Check for coupons for foods on your list.

With a little planning and a healthy grocery list, you can find budget friendly foods that are easy to prepare. By prioritizing seasonal items, frozen foods, and certain cuts of meat and seafood, shopping strategically can help keep sticker shock to a minimum. Your meals will be healthy and nutritious without breaking the bank.

Bell Peppers, Colorful & Nutritious

Bell peppers, also known as sweet peppers, come in a variety of colors. These can be bright colors like red, yellow, orange, or dark colors like brown and black. The different shades not only taste a little different, but they also have different nutritional benefits. Therefore, enjoy eating all the colors.

Bell peppers are a good source of antioxidants and fiber. They are also packed with vitamin C. In fact, red bell peppers (which are the sweetest) contain more vitamin C than the average orange.

Enjoy this simple and quick recipe.

Diabetes and You

Interested in trying new recipes, learning tips to be healthier, and ways to manage diabetes? Join us for Diabetes and You! This partnership between Cooperative Extension and the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center's Diabetes Education Program is a monthly class where we do just that. You do not have to have diabetes to benefit from these classes. Many of us have pre-diabetes and don't even know it. As we age, our risk for diabetes and other dietary-related diseases increases. Anything we can do to lower our risks and improve our health is worth the effort. There is no cost to attend, but please contact the Cooperative Extension office at 336-401-8025 to register so we know how much food to prepare. Just in time for back to school, our next class is Snack Smarter and will be on Wednesday, August 7 at 11:30 am at the Extension Office kitchen.

Enjoy this recipe from our June class which focused on utilizing local in-season ingredients.

ECA

ECA member Juanita Gillespie and Surry County ECA liaison agent Carmen Long attended the annual ECA State Council meeting in Asheville, July 15 and 16. While at the meeting, Surry County members were recognized with a Gold Award for volunteer efforts, and Gloria Bryant received 2nd place on her quilt in the state cultural arts competition. Surry County has 3 ECA clubs, and new members are always welcome. The Siloam Club meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 12:00 noon at Siloam Baptist Church; the Beulah Club meets the 3rd Tuesday, 7:00 pm at the Beulah Community Center; and the Pilot Mountain Achievers meet monthly on different days and times. For more information on any of the clubs, please contact the Extension Office at (336)-401-8025.

4-H Clubs Help Youth to Learn by Doing

It’s hard to believe that it is time for students to return to school! As your children return to school and fall back into the routines of a schedule, it’s the perfect time to check out a 4-H Club. 4-H is open to youth who were at least 5 years old by January 1, 2024 until they are 18 years old. There is no cost to join 4-H! We strive to help our youth learn by doing and explore their interests. We currently have several clubs across the county.

Our Beulah Club is a community club, meaning they learn about a different topic each month. They meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Beulah Community Center on Highway 89. The Pilot Club is also a community club. They meet on the 2nd Tuesday night of each month from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Pilot Center on Main Street in Pilot Mountain. Our 4-Hooves Club is focused on learning about horses and their care. They meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month from 6:30-7:30 pm at a farm in Ararat. We are also working on starting a Livestock Club this fall. There will be more information to come about their meeting dates, time, and location.

We are also planning to offer some 6-week long after-school programs beginning this fall. These programs will be offered at the Extension Office and will meet on a weekly basis for 6 consecutive weeks. Some topics we are currently exploring are cooking, baking, sewing, dog obedience, robotics, and arts and crafts. More information on these programs will be posted on the Surry County 4-H Facebook page.

During the school year, we offer school enrichment programs to our teachers across the county to enable their students to learn through hands-on experiences. We realized that our homeschooling families were not able to take advantage of these opportunities, as they are offered in the schools. We now offer a monthly enrichment program for our homeschooled youth. These meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month, from September through May. We meet at the Extension Office from 2:00-4:00 pm, and we learn about a different topic each month. We also do at least 2 community service projects per year.

All youth who wish to participate in 4-H clubs and activities must be registered in 4-H Online. To register, you may go to this website: https:/4honline.com/#/user/sign-in. You will click “Don’t have an account” and then fill out the information about your child. If you have problems with the sign-up process, or have questions about 4-H, feel free to contact Amanda Gann at (336)-401-8025 or agann@ncsu.edu. We hope to see you soon!