August 2025 Newsletter Mitchell County Cooperative Extension

Upcoming Events

Friday, August 1st - 4-H End of Summer Bash

Monday, August 4th - Mitchell County Christmas Tree Meeting

Monday, August 11th- Junior 4-H Cook Club

Thursday, August 14th - 2025 Mtn Hort Field Day in Mills River, NC

Thursday, August 14th - Free Disaster Legal Services - Mitchell Senior Center - 4pm

Monday, August 25th- CloverBud 4-H Cook Club

Tuesday, August 26th - 4-H Young Livestock Club

Saturday, August 30th- 4-H Coding and Robotics Workshop

Tuesday September 9th - 5:30pm - Ag Options Information Session - Tractor Food & Farms -

Tuesday September 9th - 6pm-8pm - Pesticide Safety Training - 2 - V Credits

*See Website for Times and Details*

EFNEP Article

August is Celebrate National Wellness Month!

National Wellness Month is time for things such as taking time to prioritize your self-care, reduce stress, and create healthier habits to feel like your best self!

A healthy habit to start is reading Food Labels!

• Food packing is often designed to make you buy products
• But the Food Nutrition Label tells you the FACTS
• And whether or not the food is a healthy choice
• Look for foods with 20% or less of sodium, added sugar, cholesterol, trans and saturated fat

Another healthy habit is moving more. You can move more by strength training. Strength training is just not lifting heavy weights, it can be any exercise that pushes your muscles to work harder than normal and make them tired.

The benefits of strength training can

• help increase joint flexibility and make it easier to move around
• strengthen your bones
• maintain balance as you get older

August is National Breast Feeding Month

It is recommended to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of a child's life. There are many benefits to breastfeeding. Although, it is easier for some mothers than others for many reasons.

Use the MyPlate link below to look at recommendations for the 5 Food Groups for you and your family. Plus, other nutritional information!

https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-plan

In EFNEP classes we learn about all this plus more! If interested or have any questions call Sarah Grinestaff at 688-4811 or email at sarah_grinestaff@ncsu.edu!

Do you have entries for the NC Mountain State Fair? Let the Pony Express help! The service will transport non-perishable entries from Mitchell County to the fair for free. Simply drop off your items at the Mitchell County Extension Office (call 828-688-4811) by August 22, 2025, at 11:30 AM. Entries will be judged and displayed at the fair, then returned after the event. Easy, convenient, and no trip to the fairgrounds needed!

2025 4-H High Country Tournament

2025 4-H High Country Tournament

Mountaineer Shooting Sports represented well at the 2025 4-H High Country Tournament last Saturday. Thank you to all our volunteers who helped host this for these kids!

- Ciara Silvers, 2nd Place in Senior Archery

- Emery Brown, 2nd Place in Junior Archery

- Ezra McClure, 3rd Place Junior Open Rifle

- Keegan Robinson, 2nd Place Junior Open Rifle

- Conner Miller, 3rd Place Senior Open Rifle

- Tristian Justice, 3rd Place in Senior Shotgun

(Not Pictured)

- Kenrick Beck, 2nd Place Senior Open Rifle

By: Erin Silver

CED/Agriculture

Dr. Garey Fox visits Mitchell County Extension

On July 29th, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension - Mitchell County Center was honored to welcome Dr. Garey Fox, Dean of the NC State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), for a special visit focused on showcasing the impact of Extension programs development across Mitchell County.

During his visit, Dr. Fox met directly with local Extension agents to learn more about their work, challenges, and successes. This visit was designed to elevate the voices of those delivering vital services to residents and to provide a platform for sharing how Extension is making a difference locally.

In addition to the Mitchell County Extension staff, the event was attended by two state-level Cooperative Extension Advisory Board members who call Mitchell County home, as well as our County Manager and the Chair of the local Extension Advisory Council. Their presence emphasized the strong local and statewide commitment to Extension's mission.

"These guests were invited to highlight the strength of our partnerships and the collaborative spirit that defines our approach in Mitchell County," Said Brandon Pitman, County Extension Director. "We are grateful to Dean Fox for his willingness to listen directly to our staff and partners. His visit emphasizes the importance of our work and the role of local input plays in shaping Extension's future."

This occasion not only highlighted the positive outcome of Cooperative Extension programming but also reaffirmed the value of ongoing collaboration between NC State University, local government, advisory boards, and the communities they serve.

USDA Extends Emergency Recovery Programs - Now through August 4th

Mitchell County producers and forest landowners: Th USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has extended the application deadline to August 4, 2025 for two major hurricane recovery programs:

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)

• Helps farmers repair farmland damaged by hurricanes.
• Covers practices like debris removal, field regrading, erosion control, fence rebuilding, and dairy facility relocation.
• Up to 75% cost-share - $500,000 max per disaster event - 255 advance available

Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP)

• Assist nonindustrial private forest landowners.
• Funds debris clearing, replanting, road and fore lane repairs, tree shelters, and habitat improvement.
• Up to 755 reimbursement - $500,000 cap per event

If you experienced losses in 2023 or 2024 due to natural disasters, the USDA-FSA Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) may be able to help. This new program provides financial relief to eligible producers who suffered revenue, quality, or production loss to crops, trees, bushes, or vines as a result of qualifying weather events.

Payments are delivered in two stages:

• Stage 1: Based on crop insurance or NAP data already on file.
• Stage 2: Allows producers who didn't receive Stage 1 or had additional losses to apply with more detailed records.
• Producers can qualify for both years, depending on individual losses.

Save the Date: 2025 Mtn Hort Field Day Set for August 14

Mark your calendars for a unique and informative agricultural event! The 2025 Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center will host its annual Mtn Hort Field Day on Thursday, August 14, 2025, in Mills River, NC.

This special field day, organized by NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and NC Cooperative Extension, offers visitors the opportunity to tour ongoing research projects in Alternative, Apple, Nursery, Specialty, and Tomato Crops. It’s an excellent chance to see cutting-edge horticultural research in action and connect with industry professionals, researchers, and growers.

NC Pesticide Credits will be applied for, making it a valuable event for professionals in the field.

Secure your spot by registering online: https://go.ncsu.edu/mtnhortregistration

For more information, contact Jessica Stepp Edney at 828-654-8590 or email Jessica_Edney@ncsu.edu.

Accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities—please reach out at least two weeks in advance to request assistance. Don’t miss this exciting day of agricultural learning and networking in the beautiful setting of western North Carolina!

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PESICIDE TRAINING - 2 V CREDITS

Cycle 19 of the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Program Opens August 1

North Carolina farmers and landowners have a key opportunity to protect their land and support agricultural growth. The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation (ADFP) Trust Fund is opening Cycle 19 for applicants starting August 1.

This program, administered by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, provides vital funding to support farmland conservation, agricultural development projects, and easements that keep farms productive for future generations.

Eligible applicants include county governments and nonprofit conservation organizations. The fund supports a range of efforts, including:

• Purchasing agricultural conservation easements

• Supporting agricultural plans and development projects

• Helping preserve the working landscape of North Carolina

As cities and suburbs expand into rural areas, this program plays an important role in protecting North Carolina’s farming traditions and making sure we can continue to produce food for the future.

To learn more about the application process, deadlines, and eligibility, visit the official NCDA&CS ADFP Trust Fund page.

MULTI-SPECIES Parasite and Fecal Egg Count Field Day

RSVP Here

Counting Pollinators

What do bees, wasps, flies and moths have in common? They are among the insects that star in theGreat Southeast Pollinator Census!

The Census is a two-day citizen science project that invites people of all ages to step outside and observe pollinators in action—contributing valuable data on pollinator populations and diversity across the Southeast. This year’s Census is on August 22 and 23.

You don’t have to be an insect expert or an amazing gardener to participate. Everyone is welcome and participating will help you learn about insects and their importance as pollinators. There are just eight broad categories of pollinators in the census: carpenter bee, bumble bee, honey bee, small bees, wasps, flies, butterflies and moths, and other insects.

During the Census you will observe a single outside flowering plant for 15 minutes. Each time an insect lands on the plant (EVEN if you think it is the SAME insect) you will put a check mark in the box on the counting sheet that best describes the insect. After 15 minutes, enter your data online using the QR code or URL (https://gsepc.org/) at the top of the counting sheet. You may record as many 15-minute observations as you would like throughout the two data collection days.

Additional Resources:

Learn more about the GSEPC in North Carolina.

GSEPC Insect Counting and Identification Guide.

Learn more about pollinators at the Xerces Society website .