Home
Hello
Growers, Neighbors & Friends,
I hope
that your holidays and new year times have been joyous, and that you are
feeling re-charges and ready for the growing season ahead. This winter season
brings some reliable regional standbys such as the Winter Vegetable Conference
(2/21-2/22) and some unique opportunities, such as a Season Extension & High
Tunnel workshop to be held in Ashe County. Read on for more details, and
contact me for more details.
Cheers,
Richard
Boylan
1) Shiitake Spawn Orders Due
ASAP: Workshop to be held 2/17
2) Season Extension & High
Tunnels Course 2/1 – 2/2
3) Commercial Organic
Certification Class Begins 2/7
4) Legal Liability Workshop
for Farmers in Winston-Salem, 2/14
5) Winter Vegetable
Conference & Trade Show February 21 & 22, 2007
6) ASAP’s 4th
Annual Marketing Opportunities for Farmers Conference 2/24
1) Shiitake Spawn Orders Due
ASAP:
Workshop to be held 2/17 **
PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE**
The NCA&T
State University Mycology program is again operating its shiitake mushroom
mycelium (aka – spawn) distribution program. The purpose of this program is to
encourage the growth of an NC-based mushroom production network. In order to
receive shiitake spawn, growers must agree to cut 200 or more oak logs this
season (between now and 3/15/07), and purchase the other mushroom inoculation
supplies themselves, including drills, bits, spawn plungers, etc.
Spawn for log inoculation will be available from January 22 through
March 31 2007. All shiitake mushroom farmers, old and new, should contact
their county agents as to their interest in participating in this year’s
program. Any farmer who has been in the program more than three years, has 500
logs or more in production, and has specific strains they are interested in
should indicate so on their request.
Due to
problems with some people “planning” to cut 200 or more logs in seasons past,
and falling far short of that, spawn will not be ordered for a grower until I
have personally seen their stash of logs. If you wish to order spawn through
NCA&T this year, you must have at least 50 % of your planned quantity of logs
cut and ready by 2/15/07. For more details and to order spawn for Ashe,
Watauga, and nearby counties, contact Richard Boylan at the Ashe County
Extension Center via e-mail, or at (336) 219-2650.
In conjunction with Ashe County farmer Nancy
Hoffman, NC Cooperative Extension is planning a shiitake mushroom inoculation
workshop in Warrensville, NC, on Saturday, February 17th, from 10 AM until at
Spin a Yarn... Weave a Web. Snacks
will be provided, and the workshop is FREE. Bring 3 logs, and take 2
home.
Snow Date of March 17th. The changes have been made so
that Dr. Omon from NC A&T will be on hand for instruction and questions.
2) Season Extension & High
Tunnels Workshop 2/1 – 2/2
Vegetable
farmers and cut-flower growers in our mountain region face a shorter growing
season than nearly all our neighboring counties in North Carolina. Does this
put the High Country at an inevitable disadvantage? Should aspiring vegetable
growers all move to a lower elevation? Not at all: with the right mix of
low-cost, season-extension techniques, area growers can stretch their
production of a number of crops, and still reap the cool-summer benefits of
our region. Area farmers are invited to join Cooperative Extension for a High
Tunnels & Season Extension Course to be held Thursday, February 1 and Friday,
February 2, at Family Central in Jefferson, NC.
Nationally-renowned grower Steve Moore will lead this course. Mr. Moore has
recently joined NCA&T State University as a Research and Extension Associate,
but spent the last 20 years as a successful independent farmer in the cold
climate of central Pennsylvania. Early in his farming career, Mr. Moore was a
successful greenhouse-tomato grower, but high heating bills and a concern for
dwindling fossil fuel supplies led him to reconsider. Over time, he developed
more economical season-extension techniques using unheated “High Tunnels,”
fabric row-covers, and similar low-impact techniques. This season-extension
course will focus on such methods.
The cost
for the course is $35, which includes lunch both days and a selection of books
relevant to season extension. Couples, farm-partners, or others willing to
share a set of books may register jointly for $50 per couple. Registration
fees can be paid on February 1, but growers can reserve a place in the course
by calling the Ashe County Extension Center at (336) 219-2650. The class will
be limited to 15. In the event that more than 15 people wish to take this
course, preference will be given to those who are already growing commercially
in Ashe & Watauga counties.
In case of
severe weather (heavy snow or ice) on 2/1, the course will be re-scheduled for
2/22-2/23.
3) Commercial Organic
Certification Class Begins 2/7
NC
Cooperative Extension presents: A class for farmers wanting to begin
or transition to
Commercial-Scale, Certified Organic Production Of Vegetable and Fruit Crops
This class
is geared toward growers who are already set-up for commercial scale
production (1-acre of ready-to-be-certified-organic field land or more), and
wish to enter the expanding Certified Organic Market. Topics covered will
include soils & fertility, disease identification & control, insect
identification & control, weed management, post-harvest handling,
certification & record-keeping, and marketing to wholesale buyers.
The class
will meet on Wednesdays, from 6-8 PM, at the Ashe County Extension Center
during the winter and early Spring of 2006.
Participating growers will receive books on organic agriculture, weed
management, disease identification, and organic pest control.
Cost:
$50 – Class limited to 15 growers
Schedule:
-
February 7 – Introduction to Organics &
Certification, and Planning Your Organic Crops & Rotations
-
February 14 – Soils & Fertility in Organic
Systems
-
February 21 – Insect Management in Organic
Systems
- February 28 – Disease
Management in Organic Systems
-
March 7 – Weed Management in Organic Systems
-
March 14 – Post-Harvest Handling for Selected
Crops, and Certification Paperwork Wrap-up
For more
information, call the Ashe County Cooperative Extension office at
(336) 219-2650, or e-mail Richard
Boylan at
richard_boylan@ncsu.edu
4) Legal Liability Workshop
for Farmers in Winston-Salem, 2/14
The date
for the workshop on legal liability, getting appropriate insurance coverage
and handling produce safely is Wednesday, February 14, 2007. It is targeted
to agents and producers. Please mark your calendars and encourage your
direct-to-market farmers to attend!
Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m., and the program will start at 10:30.
Lunch will be provided. The registration fee, which includes lunch and
notebook for participants, is $15. A registration form will be available
on-line by December 15 on NCSU's value-added website:
www.cals.ncsu.edu/value-added
Speakers
are:
Lynn
Turner, NCSU - Good Agricultural Practices for Raw Food Handling
Shirley
Outlaw, Farm Bureau - How to Make Sure You have the Right Insurance
Ted
Feitshans, NCSU - Protecting your farm from a liability lawsuit
For
further information, contact:
Annette
Dunlap, Extension Associate, Value Added & Alternative Agriculture,
annette_dunlap@ncsu.edu
Tim
Hambrick, Extension Agent, Forsyth County Cooperative Extension, tim_hambrick@ncsu.edu
5) Winter Vegetable
Conference & Trade Show
February 21 & 22, 2007
Crown
Plaza Resort
Asheville, NC
6) ASAP’s 4th
Annual Marketing Opportunities for Farmers Conference
will be
held on Saturday, February 24th at Warren Wilson College in
Swannanoa, NC.
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
(828)
236-1282
(828)
236-1280 (fax)