Cultivating Franklin Franklin County Center

Community

Franklin County Chamber Ag Leadership Day

The Franklin County Chamber Ag Leadership Day included visits to Hardly Farm, Taylors Nursery and Mitchell Farms. Pictured below, from top left: the Chamber Leadership group learning about the forestry industry in Franklin County and North Carolina from Forest Ranger Brian Champion; Chamber Leadership group at Hardly Farm visiting with the Alpacas; Chamber leadership group visiting at Mitchell Farms; Group photo at Mitchell Farms.

Franklin County 4-H Youth

Cardio Drumming at 4-H Camp

Nutrition & Skin Care

At the Franklin County 4-H Nutrition and Skin Care summer camp sessions, 4-H'ers made teas, got a mini facial, a great workout, learned about skin care and healthy eating habits. Franklin County Sheriff, Kevin White even dropped in for a visit! For information about Franklin County 4-H contact the office 919-496-3344, or 4-H Extension Agent, Meg Wyatt.

Franklin & Warren 4-H Dairy Youth Program

Youth are actively learning about dairy calves and are preparing to show them in a local show. In this hands-on program youth obtain livestock knowledge and learn lifelong skills such as problem solving, communication, public speaking, record keeping, sportsmanship, teamwork and positive encouragement. Bi-weekly practices began June 17th for an August competition. Please contact 919-496-3344, Meg Wyatt, Martha Mobley or Matthew Place for more information.

District Activity Day

The Northeast 4-H District Activity Day was held on Friday, June 21st in Edgecombe County. Franklin County 4-H had 13 youth participating in this event. There were 3 Cloverbuds which are youth ages 5-7 years old. Those youth received participation ribbons. 10 other youth ages 8-18 participated and received Gold, Silver, or Bronze for their hard work. The youth that participated were:

  • Whitley Ellis-Fisheries & Aquatic Resources- Silver
  • Mackenzie Jordan-Safety-Bronze
  • Meredith Poole-Horse-Bronze
  • Valerie Poole-Small & Companion Animals-Gold
  • Meredith Potter-Foods & Nutrition-Gold
  • Layla Stoudemire-Fisheries & Aquatic Resources-Bronze
  • Holly Thornburg-Arts & Communication-Gold
  • Kendal Thornburg-Open Class-Gold
  • Ayden Wyatt-Careers & Entrepreneurship-Silver
  • Kennedy Wyatt-Arts & Communication-Silver

National Experience

William Kozak, Franklin County 4-H'er, tried out for the NC 4-H Small Bore Pistol team and he won a spot to attend the National 4-H Shooting Sports Competition in Nebraska. William was asked to share his experience and this is what he had to say about it. We are very proud of William and how well the NC 4-H Shooting Sports Team did in Nebraska.

Nebraska is an experience that every youth participating in the Shooting Program should experience. This year I had the honor of representing my county and state in .22 Small Bore Pistol discipline, we shoot Bullseye, Silhouette and Modified Camp Perry (slow fire, time fire and rapid fire). We have to be at the rage every day by 7 am to set up the tent for our team, help set up range for bullseye and Camp Perry, our team prayed before we began. We had to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water and liquid IVs and let me tell you by Tuesday evening there were lots of youth dehydrated. Our couch is the best-always provided us with the best advice for the weather (wind, heat and drizzle but especially wind and heat). Exchanging of the pins with kids from other states even on the range line, we did not wait for a specific or special event.

There were 62 shooters from my discipline and one of my teammates came in 10th overall and this is her first time at Nationals also. On awards day the top 10 individuals for each discipline is recognized and the top 5 teams. On the last day overall awards are given to the top 10 individuals per discipline and top 5 teams per discipline but also it was super cool to learn that Louisiana has maintained their 1st place overall for the last 2 years and they won overall this year again. Next year will be the 25th year anniversary of the national shooting sport program competition and I hope to be there again as part of the Air Pistol Team. As I finish I would like to share one thing our team did, we signed each other’s hats and took Polaroids pics of us as a team to have as a keepsake (William is the 3rd from the left in the top left photo).

Growing in Franklin

Blueberries in the Home Garden

Blueberries are a wonderful addition to landscapes and gardens. They have delicate white or pink flowers in the spring, the summer fruit has an attractive sky blue color, and the fall foliage adds great red and yellow colors to the landscape. With the right species and proper soil modifications, blueberries can be grown anywhere in North Carolina.

The rabbiteye types of blueberries are more drought and heat resistant, and will tolerate a wider range of soil types than highbush blueberries. Therefore, in our area I always recommend planting rabbiteye blueberries. Rabbiteye varieties begin to ripen in mid-June and you can even plant varieties that you can harvest into late August. More than one rabbiteye must be planted to provide the cross-pollination required for maximum yields. The following are recommended varieties for our area: ‘Climax’, ‘Premier’, ‘Tifblue’, ‘Powderblue’, ‘Onslow’, ‘Columbus’, and ‘Ira.’ Learn more

For additional gardening information, contact the Franklin County Center, 919-496-3344 or visit our website.

Blueberries: a Boost of Blue

When it comes to focus and memory, there is no denying the importance of brain health. While several factors influence cognitive function, the foods we eat on a daily basis are a crucial part of keeping our mind sharp. There are many nutrients that can help support brain health-one that is found in fruits and vegetables is anthocyanins. Compared to other commonly consumed fruits, berries are uniquely high in anthocyanins, plant compounds that are responsible for their vibrant blue, red, and purple color. In fact, research shows that anthocyanins present in blueberries (163.3 mg/100 g) may help to improve mild cognitive performance in older adults. Learn more

One Serving or One Cup of Blueberries:

  1. Is considered one serving of fruit
  2. Contain just 80 calories and is a good source of fiber
  3. Contributes essential nutrients including Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Manganese, and Phytonutrients called Polyphenols
  4. Contains Anthocyanins, which are compounds that give blueberries in their blue color
  5. Is a good source of Fiber, containing ~4g Learn more

For Family & Consumer Science information, contact the office, 919-496-3344 or FCS Extension Agent Dominque Simon.

Livestock

Seven counties were represented during Cow Camp: Back to the Basics first meeting on beef cattle production collaboration of Franklin and Sampson County Ag Agents, Martha Mobley and Paul Gonzalez. Speaker, Dr. Miguel Castillo, NC State Forage Extension Specialist presented grazing management for pasture-based beef systems in the eight part mini-series.

Agent Martha Mobley and Dr. Miguel Castillo presenting at the Back to the Basics Small Farm Bootcamp series.

Franklin County Cooperative Extension agent Martha Mobley attended the Beef Improvement Federation Conference June 10-13, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pictured below, top: North Carolina delegation to the National Beef Improvement Federation Conference June 10-13 in Knoxville, Tennessee; Bottom: Agents working with the Grasslands Project. For additional livestock information contact 919-496-3344, Extension Agent Martha Mobley.

Local Foods

Franklin County Farmers Market

Market Hours: Open Fridays, 9am to 1pm. For additional Farmers Market information, contact 919-496-3344, Pat Ayscue, Farmers Market Manager. Learn more

Visit NC Farms App

The Visit NC Farms app can connect you to farms in communities across North Carolina. The app is available for Apple and Android phones. Download the app to explore local foods, farmers markets, U-Pick farms and more. Available at the App Store or Google Play. #VisitNCFarms Learn more

Upcoming

For more program information contact the Franklin County Center office at 919-496-3344 or visit our website.

Welcome to Summer!