There are lots of programs coming up in Cooperative Extension these days, especially in the poultry world. We hope you will join us for these events and please spread the word to your neighbors and friends as well.
The first one we have coming up is for backyard poultry producers. We will hold a free Backyard Poultry Management Class at the Lenoir County Livestock Arena on Tuesday, Feb., 19, at 6 p.m. The address is 1791 Hwy. 11/55, Kinston, NC 28504. We will have supper available for those who RSVP. You can RSVP to Regina Gardner at the Jones County Extension Office at 252-448-9621 or type this link into your browser: https://goo.gl/forms/J2VbMTmMTRnqAIwo2 to register. We will have speakers discuss how you can register your flock with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture so you will receive disease alerts as well as other pertinent information to your backyard flock through their new program called NC PREP (Poultry Resource and Education Program). Visit the website here: https://www.ncagr.gov/NCPREP/. We will also discuss basic management practices of your flock such as coop design and layout, eggs, nutrition, diseases, predator control and fencing, and several other topics. You will also have the opportunity to offer topic suggestions for future classes where we will have the opportunity to go more in depth on some of these topics. We look forward to seeing you there and please spread the word!
The next event coming up on the poultry side of Cooperative Extension is a poultry litter spreader calibration demonstration series, which will be held in three locations across the state to reach as many growers and livestock agents as possible. We wanted to provide growers and row crop farmers who utilize poultry litter the chance to have a refresher on how to properly calibrate their litter spreaders since spring is on the way and spreading will begin soon. We will have an in-classroom portion at the beginning of the day, a sponsored lunch (if you RSVP), and then head out to a local farm to do a hands-on litter spreader calibration. We hope you will join us as well as share this information with any commercial poultry growers and row crop farmers in your area.
Here is the information for each of the events: Richmond County demonstration – Feb. 27, 2019 – Richmond County Cooperative Extension: 123 Caroline Street, Suite 100, Rockingham, NC 28379. Halifax County demonstration – March 6, 2019 (rain / snow date April 10, 2019) – Halifax County Cooperative Extension: 359 Ferrell Lane, Halifax, NC 27839. Duplin County demonstration – March 27, 2019 (rain / snow date April 29) – Duplin County Cooperative Extension: 165 Agriculture Drive, Kenansville, NC 28349.
These demonstrations all begin at 10:00 am and are hosted by the area specialized poultry agents across the state. You can register online using this link in your browser: https://goo.gl/forms/V2jqmK9FBiJj7U092 or you can call Regina Gardner at the Jones County Extension Office to register for these events as well at 252.448.9621. You’re more than welcome to attend any and all of the demonstrations. Three (3) hours of animal waste credit are available and there is no charge for the class. Technical specialists can also receive credits. Don’t forget! Lunch will be provided if you RSVP. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear close-toed shoes or boots and please remember proper biosecurity protocol when attending grower functions. Be sure to wear different clothes and shoes before working on your farm.
For accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact Regina Gardner at 252-448-9621 no later than five business days before the event. (For both events.) If you have any questions about either event, you can contact Margaret Ross at the Jones County Extension Office at 252-448-9621. We look forward to seeing you at all of these great educational opportunities coming up.