Articles in this issue:
Tiring & Retiring
Local Farmer’s Markets
Farmer/Producer Grant Opportunity
Clay County Tractor Parade
Extension Soil Sample Drive (free sampling & shipping!!!)
Local Foods & Farm Products Directory for Clay County
Tiring & Retiring
According to Webster’s Dictionary, to “tire” is to become worn out. Naturally, in my mind, to “re-tire” would be asking to back up so as to get tired again. Well, I don’t know how tired she may be, seeing that she’s hasn’t slowed down much, but Pam Staton, Clay County’s Extension 4-H and Family Consumer Sciences Agent, has reached the point of “re-tiring.” After 32 years of service to NC Cooperative Extension, Pam is ready to explore what the next phase of her life might offer. We are so thankful and appreciative for the service she has provided to our community. As you have the opportunity, please help us congratulate her for this accomplishment and thank her for her efforts in serving our county and state.
Thank you much Pam. We hope it’s all you dreamed it would be!!!
Local Farmer’s Markets
Many of you are well aware that Clay County has the Mountain Valley Farmer’s Market on the town square in Hayesville every Saturday from 8:00am-12:00 noon. We also want to make you aware of the newly opened Brasstown Farmer’s Market located in “downtown” Brasstown on Wednesday’s from 9:00am-1:00pm.
Please help show your support for local foods as well as our farmers by stopping in. For anyone interested in selling at either of these markets, the contact information for each are as follows:
Mountain Valley Farmers Market
Clay Joppie (828) 389-3022
http://mountainvalleyfarmersmarket.com/
Brasstown Farmers Market
Jackie Jentzsch (828)557-1275
Find them on Facebook at Brasstown’s Farmer’s Market
Farmer/Producer Grant Opportunity
Animal Welfare Approved, the only certification program and food label for pasture-raised meat, dairy and eggs, is pleased to announce a call for proposals for its 2012-2013 Good Husbandry Grants. Now in its fifth year, the Good Husbandry Grants program has funded over one hundred projects across the country to improve farm animal welfare. Certified farmers and those who have submitted an application for AWA certification may apply for up to $5,000 towards projects such as mobile housing, breeding stock, and on-farm processing equipment. Slaughter plants working with or seeking to work with AWA farmers are also eligible for funding.
The funding priorities for this year’s cycle include improved genetics, increased outdoor access, welfare improvements in the slaughter process and non-lethal predator control. As pasture- and range-based management is a fundamental requirement of AWA certification, a primary goal of this grant program is to facilitate the growth and success of high-welfare, pasture-based systems. Previous on-farm projects include: new mobile housing, incorporation of new genetics to better facilitate pasture-based management, and incubators for on-farm hatching. AWA’s Good Husbandry Grants program will also continue its focus on welfare improvements in the slaughter process. Previous slaughter plant projects include: a new knock box and handling facility improvements, stunners for on-farm poultry slaughter, a mobile processing unit, and visual barriers to reduce handling stress. Profiles of previous Good Husbandry Grants awarded are available online at http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/farmers/awa-grants-past/. Grant deadline is September 28, 2012.
Farmers and slaughter plants interested in applying should visit www.animalwelfareapproved.org/farmers/grants-for-farmers for Guidelines, FAQ and an application. Please contact Grants Coordinator Emily Lancaster at Emily@AnimalWelfareApproved.org or (202) 618-4497 with any questions.
If I can help anyone interested in this opportunity, please contact me at the Clay County Extension Office or by responding to this email.
Clay County Tractor Parade
The Clay County Tractor Club is currently planning toward the 6th annual Clay County Tractor Parade, which will be held on the Hayesville Town Square on Saturday, September 29th. The day will be filled with food and events including: The Little Miss Tractor Parade, 4-H Chick Chain show and auction, Pumpkin contest and auction, Local Agriculture Livestock Demonstrations, hotdogs and drinks….and of course TRACTORS!!! Come early and enjoy the fun. Proceeds from the 4-H Chick Chain auction will go toward the Extension 4-H Chick Chain program, which provides youth with chickens each year to learn how to raise and care for. All proceeds from tractor registrations, food sales, and other activities on the square will go toward the Dwight Smith College Scholarship Fund supported by the Clay County Tractor Club.
Extension Soil Sample Drive (free sampling & shipping!!!)
Soil samples are critical in determining the types and amount of fertilizer and lime a particular soil might need. Whether it’s in your vegetable or flower garden, landscape, lawn or pasture, you need to know what nutrients are already there before guessing at what kind and how much fertilizer and money to throw down. Whereas many states have a fee of several dollars per sample to test soil, NC is one of the few states in the country that provides this service at no charge through the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. The only fee you will incur is the postage to mail the sample to Raleigh, which can cost $3-$5/sample.
During the months of September through November, any samples you bring by the Clay County Extension Office will be delivered to the lab at no cost to you. Sample boxes and sampling information can be picked up at the Extension Office.
Local Foods & Farm Products Directory for Clay County (last call!!!)
Extension is currently working on a Local Food & Farm Products Directory in an effort to help market our local farm products. This can include any fresh fruit & vegetable produce, garden or ornamental plants, hay, honey, and other non-processed products from the farm. The only value-added products we can include are those from producers who have been inspected and certified by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
If you have a locally produced farm product you would like to have included in the directory, please contact me at the Extension Office by phone or email.
