The 2023 Northeast NC Niche Ag Conference will be held on November 17, 2023 at the Currituck County Extension Center in Barco, NC. This conference, designed for adults in the farming community, will consist of six hands-on short courses on topics important to farmers in eastern North Carolina. Registration is very limited so please only register if you are certain you can attend. The short course topics will include the following:
- Specialty Mushroom Production
- Poultry Processing
- Beef Quality Assurance Certification
- Hydroponic Vegetable Production
- Agro-forestry
- Horticulture – Heat Tolerant Species and Tools for High Tunnel Growing
Each short course will have hands-on learning components. Course sizes are limited to allow for interactive instruction. You must choose which short course you would like to attend when you register for this event.
Agro-Forestry – Limit 30
N. C. Cooperative Extension Forestry Extension Specialist, Kurt Smith, will cover important topics for small and beginning farmers interested in Agro-Forestry. Short course topics will include: how to get started in forestry on my property, new and emerging markets in forestry and cost-share opportunities for forest farmers, and land retention and succession planning of forest lands.
Hydroponic Vegetable Production – Limit 20
Learn about different types of hydroponic systems for growing vegetables and techniques for managing hydroponic vegetable production. Virginia State University Horticultural Specialist, Chris Mullins, will lead this hands-on short course.
Beef Quality Assurance Certification – Limit 30
This hands-on short course will teach you best management practices for beef cattle production and allow you to obtain BQA Certification. NC Cooperative Extension Livestock Extension Agents will lead this short course at the NE NC Niche Ag Conference and will include time at an off-site farm. (12-minute drive; transportation will be available)
Poultry Processing Workshop – Limit 25
This short course will be an opportunity for you to process meat chickens with the instruction and guidance of Area Specialized Poultry Agent (NC Cooperative Extension) Margaret Ross and her team. Learning safe techniques and food safety implications during processing will increase your skills and improve the quality of your poultry products. Birds and all necessary equipment and tools will be provided. Class will be outside so dress appropriately.
Specialty Mushroom Production – Limit 30
John Pecchia, Penn State University mushroom specialist, will be teaching our short course on specialty mushrooms. This short course will feature specialty mushroom production techniques, live specimens of many specialty mushroom varieties, and a mushroom grower panel sharing their experience and knowledge.
Horticulture – Heat Tolerant Species and Tools for High Tunnel Growing – Limit 30
Do you need new strategies to grow much-loved leafy greens in your high tunnel during the heat of NC summers? Wes Palmer, Johnny’s Seeds – Southeast territory representative, will help you solve that problem and offer many other ideas for heat-tolerant vegetables to grow in North Carolina. In addition, demonstration of high tunnel tools and techniques will be a part of this short course.
To register, go to https://NENCNicheAgConf2023.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Cyndi Knudson at ceknudso@ncsu.edu.