Chatham County 4-Her's Compete at the 2021 NC State 4-H Virtual Horse Bowl Challenge

The North Carolina 4-H Horse Program hosted its first-ever virtual Horsebowl Challenge on March 13, 2021. Ninety-nine youth representing twenty-six counties competed in four different divisions: Junior, Junior Rookie, Senior, and Senior Rookie. Rookie contestants had never previously competed in a Horsebowl Competition. Each contestant competed in three rounds of play. We applaud the Chatham County Horsekateers on their hard work this spring!

NC State 4-H Hippology contest

We are so proud of the Chatham County Horsekateers who participated in the NC State 4-H Hippology contest (Caleigh, Sarah, Sam, Jadyn and Victoria). The kids must know everything related to horses-from internal parasites, anatomy, poisonous plants, reproduction, breeds, etc. They were tested as follows: Written exam, Slides/IDs, Stations, and Judging.

The Chatham County Horsekateers placed 2nd overall with Sam and Sarah placing 4th and 7th in the Exam/ID portion, Caleigh placing 6th in the judging portion, and Sam and Sarah placing 12th and 13th overall high score individuals. Congratulations to the Horsekateers for their hard work!

Save The Date: Chatham County 4-H County Activity Day

Chatham County 4-H County Activity Day Registrations Due: April 23rd by 5:00pm. This is a firm deadline. 4-H'ers who enter a presentation for judging at County Activity Day will receive $10.00 in CloverBucks.

4-H Presentation Q&A Workshop

April 13th, 2021 at 6:00pm

Come Join Mrs. Kaley and learn how to create your 4-H presentation! We will talk about public speaking tips and tricks, organization of presentations, how to create a virtual presentation, and scholarships for presentation winners. There will be plenty of time built in for questions and answers as well. Everyone who joins the workshop will receive $5 in Clover Bucks for attending.

4-H Presentations are a huge part of North Carolina 4-H. It is one of the most successful ways to help a young person learn how to do a public speech. It focuses on members teaching others what they know about a particular project/subject matter. They are sometimes called demonstrations or illustrated talk or a formal speech.

Registration information for the presentation workshop will be sent out in the upcoming weeks.

Free Soil Testing and Delivery Resumes April 1

From April – November, Have Your Soil Tested At No Charge

Helpful resources for

Soil Testing for Lawns and Gardens

COVID Note: While Extension employees are working remotely during the pandemic, you can still pick up soil test boxes and forms at our office. Our lobby remains opened during regular business hours. Soil sample boxes and forms can be found in our lobby area. Our soil box/table has been moved to the back side of our building by the Master Gardener's Garden area. This box will be located by the back door. You may pick up forms and soil boxes at this location as well. Be advised that vaccination clinics are being held usually on Mondays, Fridays, and some Saturdays. Traffic will be an issue on those days. To avoid driving near the vaccination tent on the west side of the building, it is best to drive around to and park in the back by turning right (rather than left) as you enter the CCACC.

Fundamentals of Composting and Vermicomposting

Join Matt Jones, Extension Horticulture Agent – N.C. Cooperative Extension, and Shannon Culpepper, Recycling and Education Specialist – Chatham County Solid Waste and Recycling, for presentations on the fundamentals of home composting and vermicomposting.

Participants can receive a composting bin OR a complete, ready-to-start worm composting kit (LIMIT 1 PER HOUSEHOLD)! We are able to make this offer (an $85 value) thanks to Shannon’s hard work on a generous grant from the NC Department of Environmental Quality.

Permaculture: A Sustainable Living Methodology for the Home, Garden, and Community

Online Lecture, April 14, 2021, 10–11:30 a.m.

Costs: $5.00

Join Will Hooker, Professor Emeritus and Landscape Architect, for a webinar that provides an overview of permacultural practices and how they were implemented at his family’s home in Raleigh. Prof. Hooker describes the one-third of an acre property in Raleigh, a model of permaculture growing a wide range of fruits, veggies, herbs, and medicinals. It also features small ponds, captures rainwater for irrigation, raises chickens, generates one-quarter of its electricity needs, and provides spaces and games for community involvement. The Master Gardener Volunteers℠ of Chatham County invited Prof. Hooker to their monthly meeting, but have opened up the webinar for the public! Join us on April 14, 2021, at 10 a.m. The webinar costs just $5.

Gardening Publications from NC State

How to Create a Container Garden for Edibles in the North Carolina Piedmont

Edibles can be grown in containers in a variety of outdoor spaces: a small apartment balcony, a large deck space, or even a front stoop. People grow edibles for a variety of reasons. You may want to grow tomatoes for a sandwich or lettuce for a salad, or you might be providing herbs, vegetables, and fruit for a family. Regardless of the scope or size of your container garden, selecting the right containers, planting media, and plant combinations are the first steps on the road to success. In this publication you will find ideas to get you started growing your own edibles. Included are simple designs and potential settings for a single container, a small group of containers, and a larger grouping of containers. The benefits and challenges of various planting options will also be explored.

Container Garden Planting Calendar for Edibles in the Piedmont

You can grow and harvest vegetables, fruits, and herbs in the piedmont of North Carolina practically year-round. Container gardening offers flexibility over traditional gardening because the containers can be raised or lowered for easier accessibility, placed in a sunny or shady spot, moved to a sheltered area for extreme weather (low temperatures, snow, or tropical storms), and protected from wildlife (squirrels, voles, rabbits, or deer) that may damage plants or try to eat your harvest. By choosing the appropriate varieties and planting at the right time of year, you can enjoy the many benefits of gardening and create a beautiful space just outside your door.

Hummingbirds and Butterflies

Backyards and other small areas may have a limited value when managing for larger species like deer, but they are extremely valuable for many other species. With planning and a little work, these areas can easily be managed to benefit nectar-seekers such as hummingbirds and butterflies.

By promoting native plant species beneficial to hummingbirds and butterflies, you can ensure food and cover are available to attract these colorful critters. Whether you devote a large area of your property to wildlife gardening, or just a small patch, you can provide essential caterpillar host plants and nectar sources to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Register Now for April CCP Meeting About Dragonflies and Damselflies

The April Chatham Conservation Partnership (CCP) meeting will focus on Dragonflies and Damselflies.

Please join us on April 15, 2021, from 9–11:15 a.m. for a virtual meeting to discuss the diversity and role of dragonflies and damselflies in the region.

Register Now for Climate Webinar on April 26

Farmers and gardeners pay close attention to the weather and its effect on both daily activities as well as production quality and yield. They are also interested in climate and how it affects the viability and sustainability of agricultural enterprises. Rebecca Ward, Assistant State Climatologist for the NC Climate Office, will be the webinar presenter. Rebecca will highlight tools and resources from the NC Climate Office that are useful to farmers and gardeners, and discuss weather patterns and statistics for the region. Participants will be able to ask questions in the Open Q&A session.

ForestHer Webinar on Protecting your Woodlands

April 8, 2021

Our ForestHer webinars have been very popular! Our next webinar will be April 8 from 1:00-2:30 pm. This will be the first in the Protecting your Woodlands series. Presentations will cover trespassing, property boundaries, recreational (hunt) leases, Landowner Protection Act, and more.

Chatham Mills Farmers’ Market Opens April 3!

The Chatham Mills Farmers’ Market will kick off the 2021 season on April 3! This market is held Saturdays from 8 am til noon at the Chatham Mills complex in Pittsboro. Come visit the variety of vendors offering produce, pastured meat and eggs, flowers, baked goods, and crafts.

Also don’t forget Chatham County’s other two farmers’ markets, which are open year-round:

Fearrington Farmers’ Market on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm

Pittsboro Farmers’ Market on Thursdays from 3-6 pm

Upcoming Pesticide Recertification Classes

X Credit:

Pest Control for Livestock: April 22nd, 6-8PM via Zoom This class will offer 2 hours of D, N, K, or X credit.

Pasture Weed ID & Management: August 5th, 6-8PM, tentatively Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center. This class is pending approval for 2 hours of N, O, D, or X credit.

V Credit:

August 16th, 6-8PM at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center

September 9th, 6-8PM at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center

Beef: Back to Basics Virtual Series

This series will be free, self-paced with two live Zoom sessions. This series is for those who are interested in starting a beef operation. There will be recorded webinars, short videos, publications, and more.

New Chatham County Youth Livestock Team

We're looking for youth ages 8-18 to join our new Youth Livestock Team. This team will learn about breeds, judging, tools, feeds, meat cuts, and more. We will have many practices, via Zoom for the foreseeable future, in order to compete on both regional and state levels. There will be an interest meeting via Zoom on April 12th at 6PM to discuss this opportunity further.

Piedmont Regional Goat & Sheep Conference Webinar Series

We will be hosting our annual Piedmont Regional Goat & Sheep Conference via Zoom through 4 sessions:

April 19th, 7PM: Producer Panel

April 26th, 7PM: Mineral Nutrition

May 3rd, 7PM: Herd Health

May 10th, 7PM: Genetic Selection

Women's Chainsaw Safety Workshop

Thursday, April 29th

This course will cover the basic elements of safe chainsaw operation. Topics will include parts of a chainsaw, personal protective equipment-including parts, proper fit, and importance, chainsaw maintenance, and chainsaw use.

COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed. More information coming soon.

Callery Pear – Please Beware!

As the temperature warms up and the days get longer in March, many of you have probably seen the white blooms scattered in the forest or perhaps in grown up fields as you travel in North Carolina. While these trees may look “pretty” as the landscape begins to green up, be aware that many of these are invasive plants in our native landscapes.

Picnic fun and safety

Honey Lime Rainbow Fruit Salad

When to Teach Kids about Money

It is never too early to start the conversation about money. The more we teach our kids, the more prepared they will be to develop into financially secure young adults.

Flossie Whitley's Time MAchine

It was the last week of August 2015 when I stepped into that time machine that I called my new office. My official start date with Extension was the first Monday of September, but I was too excited to wait another week to get into my new office. I was ready to get it set up so that I could start my first official day with a clean and organized office. While cleaning out the shelves and closet I came across several scrapbooks. Anyone that knows me knows that it does not take too much to distract me, and these scrapbooks were a distraction. I sat on the floor going through these scrapbooks, seeing unfamiliar faces with recognizable names. I realized that these folks were people that I knew as adults, but they were the children in the photos. I saw a ballerina in one newspaper clipping and realized it was my ballet teacher when I was in the first grade. Then there were several little girls dressed up in dance costumes, one of those little girls was my Sunday School teacher when I was about five years old! I was so excited that I continued to go through the scrapbooks. I decided that the office organization plans that I had could wait until tomorrow. While sitting on the floor reading newspaper clippings and looking at photos, an envelope fell out of the scrapbook. I picked it up and turned it over to see what was written on the front, "DO NOT throw away, save for historical records." Of course, I had to open the envelope and found more newspaper clippings about 4-H and home demonstration events that were happening at that time. On the front of the envelope Flossie Whitley's name was written. I had no clue who Flossie Whitley was, but I soon found out.

Flossie Whitley started working at the Chatham County Extension office in 1939. She was the second full time Home Demonstration Agent in Chatham County. If you grew up in Chatham County and were involved with the Home Demonstration Clubs or 4-H Clubs from the 1940' - 1960's, you knew exactly who Flossie Whitley was. Even though I did not know her personally, I got to know her by what she left behind for the future to find. Luckily, I was the future that she was leaving all these items to and hoping that they would be re-discovered. I'm not talking about just scrapbooks and envelopes of tidbits, this lady left a true time machine buried in different places throughout the old ag building. In one box I discovered an old camera. I had no clue how old it was or who even bought it, but I felt sure that this was the camera that was used to take all the hundreds of photos that were turned into slides that she left behind. After moving to the new Ag Building, I still had several boxes that I had not had a chance to go through. During a slow time at work I pulled out the boxes and started going through them to see what other surprises Miss Flossie left behind. It wasn't too long, I reached the bottom of one of the boxes and inside of an envelope I found the receipt to the camera that she purchased back in the 1950's. I have a copy of that receipt sitting next to the camera on a display shelf in my office. It's just a reminder about how Miss Flossie wanted to make sure that nothing was to be lost and that her Extension story was to be told. I could write a book, maybe two, highlighting all of the items that she left behind. Not a day goes by that I don't think about Miss Flossie Whitley, a lady that I never knew, but taught me so much. I realized that she put everything she had into her career here in Chatham County. Instead of going down the traditional path in life that was expected of women in the 1940's, she never married. Her career kept her very busy and I truly believe that her career was her life; she loved every minute of it. Before Miss Flossie Whitley retired, she built an apartment on to her brother's house, and retired there in Johnston County, where she grew up. Miss Flossie's birthday was April 2, 1905, which I did not realize until I started working on this write up. I thought, how ironic that her birthday is in April and this was who I wanted to focus on for the April Edition of Growing Chatham. Flossie passed away on January 6, 1997 at the age of 91, but because of her time machine that she left behind, we will always have a story to share from Extension's past.

Photos taken by Flossie Whitley

From our Community Partners

Swing-a-thon Grant Program Presented by Sigma Alpha at NC State

Sigma Alpha is happy to provide agricultural outreach grants to North Carolina teachers through our Swing-a-thon program. There is one grant worth $250 and two grants worth $200.

Swing-a-thon Grants help educators provide Pre-K through collegiate level students with valuable, real-world education and experiences directly related to the agricultural industry and your classroom curriculum. Teachers practicing in private and public North Carolina schools, colleges, and universities are encouraged to apply.

Teachers selected for the project funding will be notified by at least April 30th, 2021 and will receive an agreement to be signed and returned as soon as possible. A final report of the completed project and evaluation, will be due to the Sigma Alpha Sorority by December 1st, 2021. Guidelines for the final reports will be mailed with checks.

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, sexual identity (including pregnancy), and veteran status. NC State, N.C. A&T, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. Persons with disabilities and persons with limited English proficiency may request accommodations to participate by contacting Ginger Cunningham, County Extension Director, at 919.542.8202, ginger_cunningham@ncsu.edu, or in person at the County Extension Office at least 30 days prior to the event.