Organic Broccoli Workshop

Organic Broccoli Workshop and Field Day in Waynesville

There is a lot of interest in growing broccoli, especially organic broccoli, in the Carolinas right now. Whole Foods, Ingles, Amy's Kitchen and other big buyers are asking for it. Growers at some farmers markets/tailgate markets reported a shortage of it this season. Here is an opportunity for your growers to see how some broccoli varieties performed in an organic system under very challenging conditions. They will also see the varieties being developed in the big Eastern Broccoli Project (not organic, but great looking material). We are doing this in cooperation with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and they will hold a listening session at the end about the enterprise budgets they are creating for vegetable crops.

Event: Organic Broccoli Workshop and Field Day

Date:  September 17, 2013

Time:  10:00 am to 4:00 pm (bonus listening session runs till 5:00)

Location:   Mountain Research Station, 265 Test Farm Road,  Waynesville, NC 28786-4016

Cost: $15


Are you interested in growing organic broccoli? Designed for the commercial grower, this workshop will also be of interest to the serious home gardener. We will start the morning with an organic broccoli taste test followed by presentations on the results from our participatory organic broccoli project, renowned organic grower, Pat Battle's perspective on growing organic broccoli, and the organic broccoli market situation.

After a catered lunch, we will head out to the field to rate the side shoot production on our organic broccoli trial (this is the participatory part), followed by a visit to the large Eastern Broccoli Project field trials where new breeding lines are being tested. The latter is not an organic trial, but the new varieties should be of interest to everyone. Then we will return to the building for a moderated discussion on issues related to organic broccoli production, such as how to control harlequin bugs! The workshop will end at 4:00 pm, but Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is hosting a special focus group session afterward to get some feedback from growers on their new organic enterprise budgets (see below).

Registration:

Pre-registration is required and should be done online through the CFSA online store at the following link:

https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/Shopping/Shopping.aspx?pager=1&Site=CFSA&WebCode=Shopping&cart=0

First-time registrants in this system simply create a guest user name and password by clicking the “New Visitor Registration” link when prompted to login.

You are welcome to show up the day of the event without pre-registration, but we might not have a lunch for you...so pre-registration is highly recommended!

SPECIAL POST TRAINING INVITATION TO FARMERS:
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is developing enterprise budgets for organic vegetable commodity crops. Crops include 1) Broccoli, 2) Summer Squash, 3) Tomatoes, 4) Cabbage, 5) Watermelon, 6) Irish Potatoes, 7) Sweet Potatoes, 8) Greens, 9) Leaf Lettuce, 10) Cucumbers

If you grow any of these crops and can assist by reviewing drafts of a few budgets, we will be holding a focus group meeting at the end of each workshop in order to get feedback from farmers.  Please contact CFSA's Farm Services Director, Karen McSwain, (karen@carolinafarmstewards.org / cell:  828-423-2463 ) so that she can send you drafts of the budgets you are interested in reviewing prior to the workshop.

BioEnergy Field Day

Hello Vegetable and Small Fruit Grower
Here's an opportunity to learn about alternative crops that you may want to explore and some possible ways to produce some of the energy you use on your farm.:



Event:         Western North Carolina Bioenergy Field Day
Date:         September 4, 2013
Time:         12:30 Registration, 1:00-5:00 Educational Presentations and Demonstrations
Contact:      Ron Gehl, ron_gehl@ncsu.edu, 828-684-3562 x129

North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services invite you to attend this event designed to provide a time for researchers to share the latest information of the work being conducted on energy crops in Western NC.  Tours of research plots and processing equipment demonstrations will help growers, researchers, and private industry interests learn how we are working to meet the state’s renewable fuels and energy goals of the future.  The afternoon event will cover topics including the science of cellulosic fuel production, production of energy grasses, cultural management of bioenergy crops, high-oil crops and biodiesel production, sorghum production for biofuels, breeding efforts  and genetic improvements of biomass crops. Speakers include NC State University researchers in Soil Science, Horticultural Science, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, and Forestry and Environmental Resources, and biofuel industry representatives.  Field demonstrations will include small-scale gasification, oilseed crushing and biodiesel production, and sorghum harvest, squeezing, and distillation.  The field day is free and open to the public.  For more information, please visit http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/events/2013-bioenergy-field-day/index.html or contact Ron Gehl at ron_gehl@ncsu.edu of 828-684-3562 x129.

GAP Training Oportunities

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) and NC State University (NCSU)    are excited to announce the release of a new resource manual, Good Agricultural Practice for Small Diversified Farms: Tips and Strategies to Reduce Risk and Pass an Audit. This manual is based on research conducted in 2011-12 by CFSA in partnership with NCSU and NC Cooperative Extension faculty to determine the barriers that small-farm operators face in attaining food safety certification.

The manual shares tips and strategies that small diversified produce farmers can employ to meet GAPs certification requirements imposed by potential buyers. It will help you level the playing field when working with a GAPs auditor and give you the tools you need to show that you have an effective food safety program. To make the most of this document, it is best to have a copy of the USDA GAPs audit checklist at hand.

DOWNLOAD - Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Manual 2013

GAPs WORKSHOPS

CFSA and NCSU are offering GAPs workshops this fall. This two-part series prepares producers for the audit process. Part 1 takes place on research farms and will be based on the GAPs audit manual. It combines classroom and on-farm components to provide farmers with the tools they need to identify potential food safety concerns and employ strategies to minimize contamination. Part 2 will take place in computer labs at local community colleges to provide direct assistance to producers completing their food safety plan.

Wayne Co.

Oct. 3 - CEFS Small Farms Unit

Oct. 17 - Mt. Olive CC

Contact Jessica Strickland: jessica_strickland@ncsu.edu

See attached flyer

Henderson Co.
Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center
Oct. 10th and Oct 24th

Contact Kerrie Roach: kerrie_roach@ncsu.edu

Davidson Co.

Oct. 29 - Salisbury/Piedmont Research Station

Nov. 12 - Davidson CC

Contact Amy-Lynn Albertson: amy_albertson@ncsu.edu

See attached flyer

ONE-ON-ONE GAPs TRAINING

Interested in becoming USDA GAPs certified, but unsure whether you have all your cantaloupes in a row? Take advantage of our one-on-one training opportunity to have a mock audit conducted on your farm.  We'll identify potential risks and provide an assessment of your practices in relation to the GAPs certification matrix.

Application and information: http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/GAPss-one-on-one-training/

Contact: Karen McSwain, Karen@carolinafarmstewards.org

GAPs COST SHARE ASSISTANCE

Stuck paying the bill for the USDA GAPs audit you've already passed?

Take advantage of our cost share program and get CASH back!  CFSA farm members who received USDA GAPs certification in 2013 and attended a CFSA GAPs audit training in 2012 or 2013 qualify for cost share assistance covering 75% of an individual’s certification costs, up to a maximum of $600.

Application and information: http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/gaps-cost-share/

Contact: Karen McSwain, Karen@carolinafarmstewards.org

Medicinal Plant Growers Workshop

What:   Blue Ridge Naturally Workshop: Connecting Medicinal Plant Growers with Buyers

When:   September 14, 2013, 10 AM to 4 PM

Where:  AB Tech Enka Campus, Haynes Conference Center, Room 200

1459 Sand Hill Rd. Candler, NC 28715

Cost:   $20 in advance; $25  at the door. Includes lunch catered by Gypsy Queen

On-line Registration: https://blueridgenaturally.eventbrite.com/ or contact Alison Dressler via email or at

828-684-3562 x 150.

Natural products manufacturers are looking for medicinal herb growers and local medicinal herb growers are looking for buyers. But how do they find each other?  This event will help connect current and potential medicinal plant growers with manufacturers and raw material buyers for the natural products industry in North Carolina. It will feature panels of four new and experienced medicinal herb growers and four natural products buyers/manufacturers to discuss their unique experiences, challenges, goals, and needs as it relates to natural products and raw materials. There will be ample time for networking between growers and buyers. If you are a grower, please bring a list of what you are growing, including quantities and what form you can supply them in (fresh or dried). If you are a medicinal plant buyer, please bring a list of what raw materials you want to source locally and in what quantity and form you need them.

We will also discuss the new Blue Ridge Naturally^TM branding effort, created to raise the awareness of the superiority of botanical raw materials and quality natural products (personal care, pet care, cleaning, tinctures and supplements, functional food and beverages) from the Blue Ridge Mountains region of North Carolina.

If you are interested in becoming involved in the natural products industry in Western North Carolina, this event is not to be missed! While the event will focus on medicinal plant cultivation, wild-harvesters are welcome and encouraged to attend.

If you would like to set-up a product or informational table for $10, please contact Alison Dressler via email or at 828-684-3562 x 150.

This event is made possible by a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation.  Project partners include AdvantageWest, Bent Creek Institute, BioNetwork, Blue Ridge Food Ventures, NC Natural Products Association, NC State University, SBTDC, and US Botanical Safety Laboratory

NCDA&CS Food Safety Forum

COMMISSIONER’S FOOD SAFETY FORUM REMINDER

We are one week away from the 9^th Annual Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum and there is still time to register and be a part of this important food safety event!   The forum is open to farmers, food businesses, regulators, health professionals and others with an interest in food safety.  Admission is free and includes lunch.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler will host the event from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on August 27th in the Expo Center at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC. 

“The Food and Drug Administration is proposing sweeping reform of food safety regulation in the United States,” Troxler said. “The forum will focus on the proposals from the perspective of the federal government, retailers and farmers. Anyone interested in food safety is encouraged to attend and learn about these issues affecting food safety at all levels of the supply chain.”

To reserve a seat at the forum, please register at www.ncagr.gov/ncfoodsafetyforum by August 21.    If you have any questions, please contact Chrissy Waggett at 919-707-3008 or Christina.Waggett@ncagr.gov

We look forward to seeing you in Raleigh next week!

Pest News for Week of August 12

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

From: Emma Lookabaugh, Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, and Barbara Shew, Extension Plant Pathologist

Pesky Blackberry Foes

Here in North Carolina, blackberry season is in full swing! For many North Carolinians, that means it is the perfect time to stock up their freezer or pull out those Ball jars and preserve some tangy blackberry jam. Blackberry season brings back sweet summertime memories of riding my bike down the road to the blackberry thicket at the edge of the woods, gorging myself with fresh, juicy berries (probably picking up a few chiggers in the process), and heading home with purple stains on my hands, face, and clothes. Whether you prefer to pick your own berries or buy a pack from the local Farmer’s Market, we can all agree that blackberries are a signature snack for a late summer’s day. Unfortunately, blackberries, like all things delicious, come with their fair share of pests and diseases that impact fruit production.

This summer, we have seen two similar but different diseases on blackberry samples: orange rust on blackberry and black raspberry and leaf and cane rust on blackberry. Orange rust is typically the more devastating disease because it can become systemic, moving from leaves into other parts of the plant. The orange rust fungus has two forms, Arthuriomyces peckianus (formerly Gymnoconia peckiana) and Gymnoconia nitens, which differ only in the number of spore stages produced. Pustules full of orange-yellow spores develop on the undersides of leaves in late May and early June. These spores are blown to healthy leaves and infect when humidity is high and leaves are wet. Heavily infected leaves may die and defoliate. Once the plant is infected, the rust fungus becomes systemic. It grows down the infected shoot, into the crown, and then can enter newly formed roots. Symptoms associated with shoot infections include proliferation of shoots, weak and spindly canes, and lack of spines on the shoots. In mid-to-late summer, brownish black pustules that contain dark teliospores develop on the undersides of lower leaves. Teliospores do not infect, but germinate to produce basidiospores that can infect new buds or shoots, or the teliospores can overwinter on leaves before producing basidiospores the following year. Infected plants remain infected throughout their lifetime and do not recover.

Orange rust does not kill the plant outright, but infected plants are completely lost to production due to their inability to produce blossoms and berries. Controlling orange rust is largely achieved through cultural practices. Plant disease-free stock plants, eradicate diseased plants and wild berries in the surrounding area, and completely remove and destroy the entire plant as soon as symptoms develop on canes or leaves. Thin healthy plants to promote air circulation and to reduce leaf wetness.

Leaf and cane rust is caused by the fungus Kuehneola uredinis. Leaf and cane rust produces yellow spores in pustules that split the bark of infected canes, causing them to become weak. The pustules can also be found on the undersides of leaves. Diseased old canes should be pruned after fruiting. Alternate-year fruiting programs can help reduce disease pressure and routine fungicide spray programs may be effective in preventing new infections. 

Care must be taken to differentiate systemic orange rust from leaf and cane rust because leaf and cane rust does not require drastic removal methods to control disease. Identification of the rust pathogen requires a microscope and considerable knowledge in rust morphology. Suspect samples should be sent to the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic for a formal diagnosis.

Pesticide Credit Opportunities

Pesticide Credit Opportunities 

Have you waited until the end of the summer to get all of your pesticide credits?  Now your credits are scheduled to expire by the end of September. What do you need  to do?  Below are some opportunities that you should consider:

Pesticide Safety Training Sessions (Category V) 

September 10^th 2013. 1:00-3:00 P.M.   WNC Regional Livestock Center,  474 Stock Drive, Canton NC.

(I-40 Exit 33- Newfound Rd) 

September, 12^th 2013.  7:00-9:00 P.M.  Henderson County Extension Center,  100 Jackson Park Rd. Hendersonville, NC    (828) 697-4891

September 12^th, 2013.  5:30-7:30 P.M.  Madison County Extension Center, 258 Carolina Lane, Marshall NC.   (828) 649-2411

Pesticide  (Category X)  or Commercial Credit Classes:

August 8th,  Tomato and Vegetable Field Day,  12:30- 4:30 P.M.,  Mountain Horticulture Crops Research and Extension Center,  Mills River, NC

August 28^th,  IPM for Green Industry Professionals- ( Invasive Weed Identification and Control,)  2:00- 4:30 P.M.  Mountain Horticulture Crops Research and Extension Center,  455 Research Drive, Mills River,  NC,   Approved for credits in  L, G, D, H, N, O,  and X

August 29^th,  Weed Identification & Control in Cool Season Turfgrass, 2:00-4:00  Henderson County Extension Center,  100 Jackson Park Rd. Hendersonville, NC    (828) 697-4891,  Approved for credits in L,D, N, and X

September, 10^th,   Pesticide Labels and Storage,  9:30-11:30 A.M.  WNC Regional Livestock Center,  474 Stock Drive, Canton NC. (I-40 Exit 33- Newfound Rd)