Agriculture

Controlling bamboo in landscape plantings
[Sep. 6, 2009] Too often I receive the following plea: "My neighbor planted bamboo and now it is coming up all over my yard. I have tried to kill it and nothing seems to work!. What can I do?" Bamboo is one of the most difficult to control "escaped ornamentals." Once established, bamboo can take over landscapes, stream banks, and woodlands. I have seen bamboo shoots actually breaking though concrete driveways. By Dr. Joseph C. Neal, NCSU Weed Scientist

Tick removal and bees
[Sep. 6, 2009] Before we get to the toxicity to bees, I think there are a couple of other misconceptions that need to be addressed first: one is that we can eliminate ticks and fleas and the other is that some product is the answer. I'll suggest first that you can learn to manage the tick/flea populations and that products may be part of the solution. By Al Cooke

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy’s 27th Annual Conference seeks to put rare breeds back on the table
[Aug. 16, 2009] The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC), a national, non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the future of agriculture through the genetic conservation of endangered breeds of livestock and poultry, will present its 27th Annual Conference at the Clarion Hotel State Capital in Raleigh, NC, November 13-14, 2009.

Lil' ole Chatham County now has four farmers' markets
[Jun. 4, 2009] So can you believe lil' ole Chatham County now has four farmers' markets? So now no one has an excuse for not being able to make it to at least one of them during the week, right? Our farmers have been hard at work growing and harvesting our food. By Debbie Roos, Agricultural Extension Agent

Robeson Creek report to Pittsboro community
[Apr. 11, 2009] A Robeson Creek report to the Pittsboro community will be conducted by the Robeson Creek Watershed Council and the Chatham Extension Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service on Thursday night, April 23.

Chatham Extension office offers forestry management tour
[Apr. 11, 2009] Chatham County residents interested in learning about recommended forestry management and timber harvesting practices can sign up for a tour of local forest landowner properties on May 1 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The tour is jointly hosted by the Chatham County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, Edwards and Randolph Forest Management Group, and Chatham County Farm Bureau. The tour theme is “Practicing Forestry while Preserving Land Values."

Judy Pick wins 2009 Outstanding Friend of Extension award
[Apr. 10, 2009] The Chatham County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension recently held their Friends of Extension Awards Banquet, held annually to honor volunteers who have served the citizens of Chatham County through their work in Extension programs. This year, over 75 volunteers were honored with a homemade meal prepared by the Extension staff.

Fearrington Farmers' Market opens its 19th season April 7
[Mar. 23, 2009] The Fearrington Farmers' Market begins its 19th season on Tuesday, April 7th at 4pm. Discover great locally produced items including fruits and vegetables, salad greens, potted plants, fresh flowers, jams & jellies, honey, eggs, pastries, prepared meals and more.

Things to do in the garden now
[Mar. 21, 2009] You don't have to wait until Good Friday to plant your garden. In February, you might have been planting cabbage, carrots, and onions - oh my! Peas, potatoes, radish, and spinach. I know you've been looking at those catalogs. And with the warm weather recently, you were out checking the possibilities. By Al Cooke
Also: Things to Do in the Garden this Month

Chatham 4-H livestock club members participate at NC state fair
[Nov. 25, 2008] Members of the Chatham County Charging Champions 4-H Livestock Club participated in beef and dairy competitions at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, Oct. 16-26.

Register now for the December pastured poultry workshop
[Nov. 18, 2008] The Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension will offer a pastured poultry workshop as part of its Enhancing Sustainability Series on Wednesday, December 3, from 10:00 am-4:00 pm in the auditorium of the Extension Agricultural Building in Pittsboro. By Debbie Roos

Selling eggs, meat, and poultry in North Carolina: What farmers need to know
[Oct. 30, 2008] Farmers who sell meat, poultry, and eggs in North Carolina must comply with state and federal laws designed to ensure that meat and poultry products sent into commerce are wholesome, unadulterated, and properly labeled. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) enforces these laws. By Debbie Roos, Agricultural Extension Agent

We are the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension
[Oct. 25, 2008] Recently there was a post to the Chatlist asking about who and what the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension is. Due to a full schedule is has taken awhile to get a response back to the Chatlist, but this is the story of who and what we are. By Glenn Woolard

Cause of your diseased beech trees
[Oct. 25, 2008] Our house along the Haw River is surrounded by large Beech trees. They seem to be diseased with a fungus and/or insect parasite. Both yellowish and black “blobs” have appeared on the lower branches, and there are some branches that have developed a whitish infestation-looking coating. By Al Cooke, Extension Agent