April 2026 Newsletter

April Calendar

Wits Workout: Every Wednesday in April, 12:30pm to 1:30pm at the Mitchell County Senior Center

• April 6, 2026 - Summer Fun Registration Opens
• April 18, 2026 - Childfest @ Mitchell High School
• April 21, 2026 - Plant Sale Pick-up
• April 28, 2026 - 4-H Farm Friends Meeting @ Bowman

EFNEP Article

Happy Easter! Every Kid Eat Healthy Week April 20-24

• This week is an celebration for school health and wellness achievements
• Each day shines a spotlight on the actions of people are taking to improve the health and wellness of their children
• April 20 Mindfulness ( Mental Health & Wellness)
• April 21 Tasty Tuesday (Nutrition Education)
• April 22 Wellness Wednesday (Physical Activity)
• April 23 Thoughtful Thursday
• April 24 Family Friday (Family Engagement)

Spring Cleaning Food Safety Tips: When spring cleaning don't forget about your pantry. Look to see what you have available and check the expiration date. Items that are expiring soon, move them to the front so you can be sure to use them.

Also, make sure to sanitize your surfaces, take time to deep clean your sink, stove, microwave, and other areas you may overlook.

April is National Pecan Mouth Pecans have fiber, healthy fats, protein, and vitamins & minerals. They are also low in carbohydrates and sodium April 16 National Banana Day Babana's contain fiber & vitamin C April 21 National Chickpea Day Chickpeas are high in protein and fiber April 23 National Picnic Day Pack some healthy food and get outside to have a picnic with family & friends (Make sure you put ice packs with your food to keep it cool and out of the temperature danger zone) April 29 International Dance Day Show off your best dance moves

Stretching counts as exercise! Stretching improves your flexibility, posture, blood flow, could help prevent injuries, and help reduce stress & promote calmness.

Try stretching 2-3 times a week for at least 10 minutes.

Spring is a wonderful time to get outside and enjoy the weather! Go for a walk or jog, take a hike, ride a bike, play some sports. There are lots of things to do outside!

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!

Using SNAP at the Farmers Market

Whether it is cold or warm outside, you can always count on our local farmers to work hard to deliver fresh produce to families across North Carolina. The best way to ensure you have access to their food products is to visit the closest farmers market in the county where you live. And what you may not know is that you can use your SNAP benefits at many farmers markets! SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and was formerly known as “food stamps.” In North Carolina, it is also called Food and Nutrition Services or FNS. SNAP is available for low-income families, college students and some visa-status immigrants who meet the income limit requirements. Today, we will be discussing how you can use SNAP at the farmers market and answer questions about how to apply for this program. EBT card If you are approved for SNAP benefits in North Carolina, you will receive an EBT card. EBT stands for Electronic Benefits Transfer, and it works similarly to a debit card. Every month the benefits are sent via this card to SNAP beneficiaries once their application is approved. It replaces the old format of paper food stamps. With your EBT card you can purchase food at grocery stores, some gas stations, convenience stores and, of course, at some farmers markets. Making purchases with your EBT card Shopping at the market is different from a trip to the grocery store. Unlike at the store where you make your food selections and purchases all at once, at the farmers market you pay at each stand individually. But this doesn’t mean you will be swiping your EBT card with each farmer. To keep it simple, farmers markets often have one EBT point of sale device for the whole market, usually located at some sort of welcome area. At the welcome area, you swipe your EBT card for the dollar amount of market scrip you would like to receive. Scrip is used as currency at each farmer's stand, and it can also be called a token. At the end of the day, farmers turn in their market scrip and are given cash. The welcome booth should be easy to find, just look for the signs noting that EBT/SNAP is accepted. If you have trouble finding the welcome booth, ask a vendor to point you in the right direction. Before purchasing market scrip Before converting SNAP benefits to market scrip, you may find it helpful to walk through the market first and note what you would like to purchase and how much it costs. This way, you will know how much market scrip to obtain with your EBT card. After you have decided on how much of your SNAP benefits you would like to spend, let the person managing the EBT machine know. You will need to know your PIN for this transaction. Markets use either a traditional machine with receipt paper or they can also use a smart phone with a swiping attachment. After your card has been swiped, you will receive market scrip equaling the dollar amount deducted from your EBT account. Shopping at the market At markets where EBT is accepted, vendors selling SNAP eligible items will accept the market scrip. When you are ready to purchase an item, you simply pick the items you would like to purchase. Some items are sold by weight, so the vendor will calculate the per weight cost. Next, give the scrip to the vendor as payment, in the same way you would with cash. Vendors will give you change back in the form of market scrip. Leftover tokens cannot be exchanged for cash or money back on your EBT card. Market scrip can only be used at the market where they were received. The great thing is that the tokens never expire! So, save leftover scrip for your next trip to the market. Some markets offer programs that will do a dollar-for-dollar match, up to a certain amount, when you shop with SNAP benefits. These are called Double Bucks or Triple Bucks. Ask the staff at the welcome booth about the availability of these programs. Finding local farmers markets that accept SNAP The Yancey County Farmers Market accepts SNAP benefits. Their 2026 opening will occur on April 11th. They are open every Saturday from 8:30am to 12:30pm. The Yancey County Farmer’s Market is located at 322 W. Main Street in downtown Burnsville, across from Homeplace Brewery. Applying for SNAP benefits If you are interested in applying for SNAP benefits, contact the More In My Basket program. This is an NC State Extension program that offers free SNAP application assistance in English, Spanish and Portuguese Monday through Friday, 8 am until 5 pm. They are also happy to answer any SNAP-related questions you may have. Contact the More In My Basket team toll free at 1-855-240-1451 (English and Portuguese), 1-888-382-7105 (Spanish) or visit their website at morefood.org. Next time you visit your local farmers market, be on the lookout for information about SNAP and enjoy the benefits of stretching your food budget every month. Source: Text adapted from the MIMB At the Market curriculum.

For more information, please contact Erin Silver (erin_silver@ncsu.edu) or call us at 828-688-4811.

CED/Agriculture

Report to The People

Extension programs are made possible through the support of our many partners. These partners include advisory council members, volunteers, nonprofit organizations, schools, and financial sponsors. These partnerships allow Extension to extend its reach across the county and have a meaningful impact.  I am especially proud of the Cooperative Extension staff serving Mitchell County. Our agents demonstrate dedication and commitment to the citizens of the county.  Cooperative Extension exists to serve the people of Mitchell County. Through education, partnerships, and community engagement, we remain committed to helping our county thrive today and into the future.

We had approximately 100 in attendace on March 28th. We are grateful for everyone who came out to celebrate with us. Thank you for your continued support for Cooperative Extension. Thank you to the volunteers that came out early on Saturday to help set up and those who stayed after to help put the tables and chairs up. We couldn't do what we do whithout the support of our volunteers.

Mitchell County 2026 Farmer of the Year

Congratulations to Terry and George Moffitt of Tater Hill Farm

USDA Block Grant Ag Disaster

On March 30th NCDA opened the second round of agricultural disaster relief from Hurricane Helene. The applications will remain open until May 15th. Applications can be found at https://www.ncagr.gov/agdisaster/FederalBlockGrantAssistance#Whenistheapplicationperiod-18108 There are four categories are for production losses not covered by USDA programs or insurance. These categories include:

• Farm Roads, Bridges, and Culverts
• Future Economic Loss
• Markt Loss application
• Forestry Loss -Contact NC Forestry office in Mitchell County for assistance with this category

Our office can assist with applications for the first three categories.

Mitchell County Christmas Tree Association

The Christmas Tree Association will meet on April 6th, 6pm at Bowman. Clark Adams will join us to present on Fraser Fir Fertility. Everyone is welcome to attend this training.

Pesticide Training Update

All Private and Commercial Applicators who obtained their license prior to July 1, 2026 are required to view a 1-hour video "NCDA&CS Required Pesticide Certification & Training Standards Update". I will offer this class in person on May 5th, 6pm at Bowman. If this requirement is not met before applicators certification expires. I highly encourage all applicators to come out on May 5th. There is an option to do the training online at https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/structural-pest-control-and-pesticides/pesticides/new-candt-rules/lic-cert-training then complete submission form for credit.

Extension Master Gardeners Seed Exchange

Bring your heirloom seeds to the Bakersville Public Library on April 16th from 2-4pm and exchange seeds with other gardeners.

Farmaland Preservation Workshop

The North Carolina Agricultural Mediation Program is planning a workshop to discuss farmland preservation, succession planning, and forestry on August 26th at Mayland Community College.

Solitary Bees of Springtime

Say ‘bee’ and many of us think bumble or honey. But at this time of year, we are apt to see ground-nesting bees out and about our landscapes, visiting the same early spring flowering plants that a honeybee might pollinate.

Ground-nesting bees are native solitary bees that nest individually in tunnels they burrow at least six inches deep in warm, dry ground. Some line the tunnels with a polyester formed from secretions. Reflective of this behavior, they are also called mining bees, digging bees or polyester bees. They are more likely to nest in areas with exposed soil and sparse vegetation, not dense turf or mulched beds.

A hospitable patch of ground is likely to house a number of solitary tunnels, thus giving the impression at times of ant hills or a small swarm of low-flying bees. But these bees are not aggressive as they are not defending a hive (as honeybees would be).

For two to four weeks in mid to late spring, females collect pollen and nectar to bring back to the nest. With it they form a ball in the side of the tunnel. They lay a single egg on the ball and when it hatches, the larva feeds on the pollen and continues to develop until the following spring when it emerges from the ground as an adult bee and goes forth to build a new nest. Solitary bees are beneficial insects: They pollinate plants, and their burrowing behavior is hardly noticeable and does no damage. On the contrary, it helps aerate the soil.

by Andrea Laine, EMGV