Bucolic Briefs
Back Country Horsemen of Uwharrie will hold monthly chapter meetings Feb. 9 and March 9 at 6 p.m. The meetings will be held at Best Foods Cafeteria, 220 E. 11th St., Siler City. Back Country Horsemen of Uwharrie is a non-profit organization and chapter of the Back Country Horsemen of North Carolina and America. The website is www.bchUwharrie.com.
The Back Country Horsemen of Uwharrie works in alliance with other chapters across North Carolina, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service to ensure that forests will be available for equestrian use. Its main focus is on ensuring the Uwharrie National Forest will remain a place that can be enjoyed by all equestrian enthusiasts. Members of the BCHU volunteer their time and resources to maintain trails.
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A “Successful Small Farm Opportunities Conference” will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Vance-Granville Community College Campus in Louisburg. Conference topics will cover pastured pork production and marketing, using social media on your farm, permaculture, pros and cons of hi-tunnels, small scale beef production, poultry production and marketing, raising capital to start a new farm venture, using solar energy to power your farm, successful business planning for your farm, and shiitake mushroom production and marketing. Cost is $20 per person, or $10 for an extra family member before Feb. 20. Late registration is $30, and the conference is limited to 125. Contact Martha Mobley, Franklin County Cooperative Extension, at 919-496-3344 or at Martha_mobley@ncsu.edu to register or for additional information.
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The 2015 Northern Piedmont Specialty Crops School will be held March 6 at the Person County Extension Center in Roxboro. The school will feature many ideas for specialty crops growers to be successful in their ventures, and will include discussions on marketing and growing practices. The cost is $25 for the first person of a family or business, and $15 for each additional family member or business associate. The fee includes lunch. Pre-registration is required to guarantee a seat and lunch.
For a copy of the program and pre-registration form, go to granville.ces.ncsu.edu or contact Carl Cantaluppi at 919-603-1350 or carl_cantaluppi@ncsu.edu.
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A Johnston County Horse Show Clinic, featuring youth and adult coaching and judged classes, will be held March 28 at the Johnston County Livestock Arena in Smithfield. Classes include: showmanship, halter, in hand trail, trail, English equitation, English walk, Western horsemanship and Western walk. Cost is $10 per session and pre-registration is required by March 25. For more information, contact Michelle McLaughlin at 919-915-4403, email at johnston.county.horse.show@gmail.com or go to www.blaine-mclaughlin-stables.com.
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The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has received a grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission to offer branded non-waxed, water resistant produce boxes to Community Supported Agriculture farms through a cost-share program. Boxes would be marked with the Got to Be NC logo and would be available for CSA’s that are members of the Goodness Grows in NC/Got to Be NC programs. Membership for the programs is free. For registration information on these programs, go to www.gottobenc.com/become-a-member. Boxes are expected to be bundled in lots of 50, with an anticipated cost-share to farmer of 50 cents a box. Boxes are expected to be available in early 2015. For more information about obtaining boxes, email your name, business name, address, email and daytime phone number to Jack Nales at jack.nales@ncagr.gov.
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The Franklin County Beekeepers Association has designed a North Carolina specialty license plate to raise awareness of the plight of the honey bee. For the Division of Motor Vehicles to consider an application for a specialty tag, the FCBA is trying to get 300 pre-paid applications for the plate by Feb. 15. Cost for a plate with numbers determined by DMV is $15. A personalized plate with up to four spaces can be ordered for $30. Yearly renewal fees will depend on your choice of plate and other personal property and vehicle taxes. A portion of the tag fee will be donated to N.C. State University Apiculture Program. More information about the specialty honey bee plate effort can be found at www.franklincountybee.org.
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Beekeepers with bees for rent and growers interested in bee pollination services can post their information on the BeeLinked website at www.ncagr.com/beelinked. The site is hosted by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the N.C. State University Agriculture Program. Anyone interested in listing their information can do so by filling out an online Submit Your Ad form on the BeeLinked page or by contacting NCDA&CS at 919-233-8214 or by email at NCHoneybee@ncagr.gov or call NCSU at 919-515-1660. The NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division regulates the movement of agricultural or related items capable of spreading harmful insects, diseases, and other pests. Beekeepers participating in this program will be required to comply with all honey and bee industry regulations.
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