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Featured Article
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Exploring Baucom's Nursery: The first event in Mecklenburg Cooperative Extension's new series
by Leah Hughes of Charlotte Home & Garden
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| David Threatt shows participants blueberry production. |
David Threatt reaches down and picks up a packet hanging from a blackberry plant. Inside the packet are predatory mites. The mites will come out of the packet at the plant's base and work their way up through the plant's leaves, devouring harmful pests such as thrips and whiteflies. The sachet full of mites, produced by Koppert Biological Systems, is a natural defense mechanism against pests that eliminates or reduces the need for pesticides.
Threatt, propagation manager at Baucom's Nursery just off of W.T. Harris Boulevard in east Charlotte, has been working here for 42 years.
He's propagated hundreds of thousands of azaleas and roses, but fruits and vegetables are new to him. Read more
View photos from the tour!
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The Farm Fresh Table
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Asking Questions at Farmers' Markets
by Dr. Benjamin Chapman, Assistant Professor, Food Safety Specialist
A couple weeks ago I took my kids to the farmers' market. Sam, who is 3, is all about food shopping: picking out what the family will be eating while trying to convince me to buy him treats and snacking on the free samples. While Jack and Dani were looking at plants for our gardens, Sam and I toured the food stalls. We came upon a vendor selling cider (right, exactly as shown).
Worrying more about my kids safety than looking like a nerd, I asked, "Is it pasteurized?"
The dude at the stall answered, "It sure is, flash pasteurized to keep it safe."
Winner. Read more
Looking for a quick guide for the best questions to ask about your purchase at farmers markets? Click here for an easy guide
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Special Article
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Extension Celebrates 100 Years of Service
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Dr. Zublena shares about NC Cooperative Extension Centennial
(click above to listen to the message)
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Across the nation, Cooperative Extension is celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the signing of the bill that created the Smith-Lever (S-L) Act that officially started the national Cooperative Extension System. The important celebration highlights our past and focused on the contemporary application of Cooperative Extension's transformational education programming into the future.
On June 5th, 2014, the Mecklenburg County Cooperative Extension Services hosted a Centennial reception, to celebrate the occasion, highlight the success of Extension programs and thank citizens for their continued support. Jim Garges, Director of Mecklenburg Park and Recreation, attended and shared remarks about the successful partnership between NC State University and Mecklenburg Park and Recreation. The event was well attended, which included a drama presentation by a local 4-H club, networking among guests, and light, healthy refreshments.
We would like to thank everyone who helped us celebrate this occasion. We look forward to 100 more years of serving the community!
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Food and Faith: Faithful Families program offers empowerment to faith communities
By Kristin Davis, Extension Agent
 Faith and food can be two of the most controversial topics in our society. Both topics are deeply connected to our history, culture and well-being. Yet, both topics also hold such great potential to empower and enrich our lives!
The Faithful Families program brings together faith communities to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Utilizing nutrition and physical activity educators and trained lay leaders from faith communities, the curriculum is co-taught in small group sessions.
The Eating Smart and Moving More Planning Guide for Faith Communities helps faith communities provide different types and levels of programs to encourage people to make healthy lifestyle changes. This approach helps individuals, groups and faith communities as a whole to Eat Smart and Move More.
Most of all, the Faithful Families program helps faith communities to adopt policy and environmental changes that promote better health--sustainable change that lasts long after the Extension Agent has departed. If you are interested in learning more about how your faith community can become involved in Faithful Families: Eating Smart & Moving More program, please click the link below to complete our interest form.
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Support Local Food! NC 10% Campaign
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| www.NC10Percent.Com |
COUNTY-WIDE CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
Here's where we are so far in Mecklenburg County:
473 participating Individuals and 32 Businesses, Non-Profits and Civic Groups have spent $211,898 on local food and saved $11,944 by growing their own food.
Great job Mecklenburg!
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MECKLENBURG COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES PROGRAM
Contacts:
Local Foods & Farmers Market Outreach
Kristin_Davis@ncsu.edu
Adult Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program
Ph: 704.336.2082
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