July / August 2023
We Grow Youth
It was all hands on deck this summer with everyone from the Ashe County Extension Office contributing to the many day camps offered to county youth. From environmental education to agricultural based camps including topics ranging from livestock, local foods, and Christmas trees, youth were able to explore many different topics. Youth also stepped outside of their comfort zones during several outdoor adventure opportunities including high ropes courses, disc golf, and hiking across the High Country, challenging themselves in the process. Whether attending Homegrown Pizza Camp at Heritage Homestead Goat Dairy, spinning wool with dedicated volunteers at Fiber Fun Camp, or exploring Christmas trees at a local nursery and UMRS, youth had a blast this summer. The success of 4-H Summer Fun was only possible due to the support of everyone within the Ashe County Extension office, local partners, and many AWESOME volunteers! To get a more behind the scenes look into each of these activities, please visit our Facebook page.
During an already jam-packed 4-H Summer, 6 youth from Ashe County spent a week at Betsy-Jeff Penn for residential summer camp. Accompanied by 4-H Agent Caroline Goss, youth had the opportunity to attend camp and encounter many benefits including new friendships, experiences, and memories to last a lifetime.
On Saturday, August 19th, 4-H Agent Caroline Goss attended the Central Regional Shooting Sports Tournament in Ellerbe, NC to cheer on the 9 youth participants from the Ashe County 4-H Shooting Sports Club. These participants represented themselves, their club, and Ashe County extremely well and all 9 participants will advance to the State Tournament on September 30th, highlighting the dedication of the participants, their parents/guardians, and club volunteers to the club and the positive outcomes that come from participating.
4-H Agent Caroline Goss did a great job providing a variety of 4-H Summer Fun opportunities for the youth this summer. Three of those opportunities were shared with Livestock Agent Micah Orfield and together they taught the youth about livestock and the products that we all can enjoy because of those animals including milk and wool. We would like to give a special thanks to Nancy Weaver and Heather Merlet for volunteering their time teaching the youth about wool as well and providing a fun wool dyeing experience.
We Grow Nutrition
Our Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Amanda Butalla has been busy getting Ashe County prepared for canning season. August held many canning safety events, including a dial-gauge canner lid testing day at Ashe County Farmers Market, and two sold out, fully attended Canning Basics classes.
The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) was invited to Literacy Camp this summer. 15 students were enrolled in the program. Students played nutrition games with an additional emphasis on reading and nutrition. Students helped prepare delicious nutritious snacks. Summer Literacy Camp was also packed with fun outdoor activities such as a Reading Walk. Students read a great story on the move with Regional EFNEP Associate Kyle Hood. The walk led them to a vegetable garden where they saw all kinds of nutritious vegetables growing.
EFNEP and the Partnership of Ashe’s Family Foundations Program held 6 cooking classes for 12 families. After each nutrition lesson where families learned skills in preparing healthy meals for their families for less money they prepared a delicious recipe together. Participants enjoyed sharing a picture of the meal they prepared for their family proving they were following the MyPlate suggestions that included all five food groups.
We Grow Agriculture
Extension Agent Blake Williams, Program Assistant Brad Edwards, and County Extension Director Travis Birdsell presented preliminary results from their acetamiprid timing study at the NC Christmas Tree Association Summer meeting in Mitchell County. This study began in April and looked at a new safer chemistry and its timing in an effort to control Elongate Hemlock Scale. The study was conducted in partnership with Sturgill Tree Farm and River Ridge Tree Farm and was applied through mist blowers and high pressure sprayers. This research will give growers a framework for timing and application methods to ensure proper coverage, timing, and control. It was also Blake Williams first presentation at a state meeting and as a new Extension Agent.
Seed saving is underway at the Victory Garden. Last month saw the first picking of mature beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. For the last 3 years the Ashe County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers (EMGVs) through their seed saving efforts at the Victory Garden, have been able to save roughly $30,000 worth of heirloom seeds for the community. The abundance of this project is free for the community members through the Ashe County Library. Additionally, the Ashe EMGVs have been able to participate in a local documentary on the Green Bean industry in Ashe County. Keep an eye out for this amazing project coming soon!
Recently, Blake Williams and Brad Edwards were asked to consult on designing a corn maze in Todd, NC. Although neither of them had ever worked on a corn maze before, the two of them share plenty of GIS and Drone mapping skills through their work in Christmas trees to make a concerted effort in the project. It turned into a great success, with a 10 acre corn maze being created. There are roughly 2.5 miles of trails through the maze, with several deadends and loops. The pair are already planning on how to refine their process for next year's maze.
At the August meeting of the Ashe County Cattlemen's Association, Livestock Agent Micah Orfield educated members about the significance of water quality for the health of their animals and the importance of fencing off waterways and providing drinkers to help meet their water needs. In Ashe County, cattle are the number one water pollutant in agriculture and fencing of waterways is expensive. New River Soil and Water District Director Andrew Cox presented on programs available for farmers to help assist in fencing out creeks and digging wells for drinkers. There were about 20 cattle farmers in attendance that participated in a hands-on demonstration on how erosion is a factor in land loss.
We Grow Community
The Ashe County Migrant Program along with several Ashe Ministerial Association churches came together to build “Welcome Bags” for the migrant families coming into the county to work agriculture. Each family member is gifted a bag when they arrive. The bags contain: toilet paper, wipes, hot hands, soap, deodorant, wash cloths and a list in Spanish of all local resources including churches, schools, daycares and food pantries. All of the items were donated by the different churches with each church choosing a specific item for the congregation to donate. Over 150 bags were made!
Extension Agent Micah Orfield had the honor of serving as a panelist for the NC Choices Webinar “Bouncing Back From Tough Times.” It was a discussion on farm stress and resilience by researchers from NC State University (NCSU), NC Agromedicine Institute, and farmers. NC Farmers participated in a moderated panel discussion around causes and management of farm stress. Institute Director Robin Tutor Marcom and Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network-NC (FRSAN-NC) Coordinator Courtney Moore shared information on existing programs available to assist with farm health/safety and navigating farm stress. NCSU researchers presented results from a niche meat project with insights on thinking about farm resilience holistically, as a household and a business leveraging a variety of assets to continue farming.
WNC Agricultural Hall of Fame
Carol Coulter
Jill Cockerham, Local Foods Coordinator and High Country Commercial Kitchen Manager, attended the WNC Agricultural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on August 11 to support and honor Carol Coulter’s nomination and appointment to this esteemed organization.
Carol has been a mover and shaker in the Ashe and Watauga communities for the past 25 years. Her work significantly changed how farmers and consumers connect around food grown in Western NC. She was instrumental in the early beginnings and evolution of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, High Country Food Hub, and High Country Commercial Kitchen. Carol and her husband Lon have operated Heritage Homestead Goat Dairy since 2009 and she currently teaches in the Sustainable Development program at Appalachian State University.
Her visionary leadership continues to inspire students, farmers and food entrepreneurs alike and this particular award duly recognizes her impact and contributions to our vibrant High Country agriculture community.
NC State University and N.C. A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of age, color, disability, family and marital status, genetic information, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation and veteran status. NC State, N.C. A&T, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.