Changing Times, Growing Seasons:

Small Farms Week 2022. Extension at A&T’s 36th annual tribute to small-scale agriculture is set for March 21-26 and will feature educational programs, panel discussions, tours, and the unveiling of a new Small Farmer of the Year. At this time, we are planning to have only a limited number of invitees on campus, but will offer most events virtually and will hold “watch parties” at Cooperative Extension offices in Warren, Martin, Columbus, Madison, Stanly, and Alleghany counties. The week will begin with a kickoff event Monday, March 21, in Franklin County, the home of the 2021 Small Farmer of the Year Mike Jones, owner and operator of MAE Farm in Louisburg. Tuesday, March 22, will focus on education for farmers, and on Wednesday, March 23, we will announce the 2022 Small Farmer of the Year. Wrapping up the week will be updates on Extension and CAES initiatives and a discussion of career paths in agricultural and environmental sciences for students.

Mark your calendars now, and stay tuned for updates, including a webpage with online registration.

Get Your County Involved with SFW 2022. To ensure that Small Farms Week is truly a statewide event, all counties in North Carolina will have the chance to participate in activities, including:

Recognition of a local small farmer. There are many small farmers in our state who deserve recognition, so we hope every county will identify and recognize a local small farmer—or all small farmers in their county. Recognition could include a field day or farm tour, local newspaper articles or radio spots about your farmer, blog posts on your county website, social media posts, or an appreciation breakfast.

Participation in the annual food drive. Our statewide food drive, called “Extension to the Table.” runs from February 1 to March 1, and we plan to collect nonperishable ingredients for a family meal and put the meals into branded bags for delivery to local families. County staff will need to identify local agencies to work with, and the agencies will choose families in need and deliver the meal bags.

Youth poster and logo contest. 4-H members are encouraged to create a poster or logo illustrating the theme: How Do Small Farmers Impact Your Life or Your Community. Entries should be submitted to local Extension offices between February 1 and March 1. Winners at the state, regional, and local levels will receive gift cards and all participants will receive a certificate.

For questions, contact one of our Regional Extension Directors, Morris White (East) or Lonnette Marsh (West).

Finally, don’t forget to take pictures and/or video of your events and share them with us!

High Tunnel Field Day Focuses on Cold Weather Cultivars.

51 attendees had the chance to learn about vegetable species and cultivars that are profitable to small farmers and grow well overwinter in high tunnels. The education was part of High Tunnel Field Day on Dec. 7, 2021. Horticulture Specialist Sanjun Gu, Ph.D., and Randy Fulk, Extension associate-horticulture production and plasticulture, and John Kimes, Extension associate-horticulture, provided information on bok choi, lettuce, collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, snow peas, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, beets, turnips, baby radish, and kohlrabi. The horticulture team and participants also discussed the benefits of different types and brands of high tunnels, including single-bay, multi-bay and moveable high tunnels.

New High Tunnels Under Construction. The horticulture team is finishing up its high tunnel construction project on the N.C. A&T University Research Farm. The project includes a three-bay high tunnel at the size of 28 feet by 100 feet and two single-bay high tunnels, each 30 feet by 96 feet. The tunnels will enable demonstrations of small fruit production and new research projects. The team is also preparing field plots and transplant production for use in research and Extension projects in 2022. Those plots will grow tomatoes (both field and high tunnel), peppers, eggplant, melons, cucumbers, watermelons, ginger and garlic.