NC Coop Extension

Tips for Starting a Fruit Orchard

/by

Who doesn’t enjoy an apple or a peach pulled right from the tree?  Or gathering pecans for a perfect pie right from your own backyard? If you are considering starting an orchard of your very own then Wayne Rowland of the Vance Co. Extension Service has some advice for you.

The climate and soil in our area is good for planting an orchard according to Rowland. “Site selection is the most important decision,” Rowland said about starting your own orchard.

In order for your orchard to produce the highest quality and quantity of fruit it’s important that the fruit trees have full sunlight. Correct spacing and pruning of trees will be helpful in keeping that all important sunlight on the trees. “It’s important that the trees don’t shade each other,” Rowland said of proper spacing.

Temperature is another important consideration. Some trees are more tolerant of late season freezes than others. Peach trees, in particular, are not fond of late season frost or freezing temperatures whereas pecan trees are a bit more hearty when it comes to cold weather.

If you need more information about planting an orchard call Wayne Rowland at the Vance Co. Extension Service at 252-438-8188.  The Coop Extension Report can be heard as part of the Local Skinny on WIZS Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 11:50am and the Home and Garden Show airs on Wednesday at 11:30am.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

Click Play

 

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

COVID-19 Cases Up In Vance, Granville; No Omicron Reported

/by

Although the omicron strain of COVID-19 has been identified in several counties in North Carolina, there have been no cases found in Vance or Granville counties –  so far.

The Delta variant continues to pose problems for the community, and Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison said cases are up in both counties her department covers. In the 7-day period ending Friday, there were 118 new cases in Vance County. The percent positivity rate in Vance County is 9.4%.

In the same period in Granville County, 124 new cases were reported. The percent positivity rate in Granville County is 5.3%.

In Vance County, 63% of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 57% are fully vaccinated.

In Granville County, 67% of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 63% are fully vaccinated.

When asked by WIZS about urban and rural areas and the local situation with COVID-19 and its variants, Harrison said, “we are seeing an increase in cases overall, and per capita, rural and urban are both seeing increases at about the same rate – rural areas may eclipse urban in this next wave actually since our vaccination rates are lower.”

“Omicron is in about 35 states, but no, we don’t see a lot of it yet in NC… I suspect it will rapidly increase in the coming weeks. Hopefully it will not overtake Delta, but we know it spreads super-fast and it could. Even if it doesn’t cause disease that is as severe as Delta, if there’s more of it over time, we still have to worry about our hospitals’ capacities to address the severely ill,” Harrison cautioned.

“The very best tool we have to fight this virus and protect our health care system is vaccination,” Harrison said. “We are grateful we have safe and effective vaccines for those 5 and older, and we are seeing more and more people decide to get their booster, which is important to ensure the immune system is as strong as it can be against any new strains of the virus.”

City of Henderson Logo

Council Approves Amendments To Wards; Minor Changes May Affect Voters’ Polling Places

/by

The city of Henderson’s population decreased by 2 percent since 2010, according to 2020 Census data, and the City Council approved changes this week to the municipal voting districts to reflect that change.

According to 2020 Census data, 15,060 people live in Henderson. The deadline to approve changes is today (Friday). The council approved the changes at its Dec. 13 meeting.

The city’s Development Services Director, Corey Williams, presented information about the redrawn ward boundary lines to the council during the Monday meeting. The city began the task of redistricting the wards in September, when information from the recently completed Census was received.

Federal law requires that the wards have balanced populations, and the ward maps were redrawn to within 1.5 percent of each other, according to information from the city council minutes.

The council held a public hearing on Nov. 30 to share the information and to hear from citizens. City Manager Terrell Blackmon said the current maps needed to be adjusted to comply with federal and state laws.

The four wards had minor adjustments, but Ward 1 saw the biggest drop in population, according to Census figures. Ward 1 basically comprises the north and east sides of Henderson.

At the public hearing, Williams said the ideal population average for each ward is 3,762. The redrawn districts show that the existing four wards are balanced to within 20 people.

Anyone interested in knowing whether their ward information has changed should contact the Vance County Board of Elections at 252.492.3730.

Read the complete public notice and view ward maps at https://henderson.nc.gov/.

Following is a list of the council members and the wards they represent:

Ward 1:

Marion B Williams

Sara Coffey, at-large

Ward 2:

Mike Rainey

William Burnette, at-large

Ward 3:

Gary Daeke

Melissa Elliott, at-large

Ward 4:

Ola Thorpe-Cooper

Jason Spriggs, at-large

North Carolina Dept. Of Revenue Program Helps Businesses Affected By COVID-19 Pandemic

/by

The North Carolina Department of Revenue’s Business Recovery Grant Program is making one-time payments to eligible businesses in the state that have suffered significant economic loss because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deadline to submit an application is Jan. 31, 2022. Visit https://www.ncdor.gov/business-recovery-grant to learn more.

According to the NCDOR website, there are two types of grants available for businesses that had at least a 20 percent loss of business during the pandemic:

  • A hospitality grant for eligible arts, entertainment, and recreation business, as well as eligible accommodation and food service businesses such as a hotel, restaurant, and bar (NAICS codes 71 and 72).
  • A reimbursement grant for eligible businesses not classified in NAICS Code 71 and 72, and which did not receive funding from other relief programs including Paycheck Protection Program, COVID-19 Job Retention Grant, and EIDL Advance.

The amount an eligible business would receive is a percentage of the economic loss or $500,000 whichever is less. NCDOR will reduce grant amounts if the total amount of grants requested exceeds the maximum amount of funds authorized for the for Business Recovery Grant by the state of North Carolina.

Grant amounts will be determined at the conclusion of the application period. All payments will be made by check, mailed to the address provided by the respective business once the amounts are determined after the application period closes.

 

 

SportsTalk Omari Allen Signs Letter Of Intent With ECU

/by

Vance County High School’s 2021 football season resulted in a trip to the state playoffs. One of the big reasons, and that’s a term that certainly fits this story, is Omari Allen. Allen was a lineman for the Vipers and a good one.  Good enough to garner the attention of East Carolina University.  On Wednesday, Allen signed his national letter of intent to play for the Pirates.  Allen received an official offer this past June and Allen spoke with his coaches at length about the decision to attend ECU.

At yesterday’s signing, held at the school’s library, Vance Co. High School Athletic Director Joe Sharrow said he was very, very proud of Allen’s accomplishments over the course of his high school career.  “Allen embodies the term “leadership”,” said Head Football Coach Wilbur Pender. “He provided great input and feedback to the coaching staff,” Pender continued. Allen credits Pender with turning the school’s football program around and said it has been fairly easy navigating the changes that have come through the school with different head coaches and the consolidation of Northern and Southern Vance that happened during his high school football career.

In addition to his coaches and Vipers players, Allen had many family members present. Allen’s mother described her son as a gentle boy who was always huge. “Every mom know it’s a lot taking care of a child. It’s not always easy,” she said. She said Omari had great support from the coaching staff. “He’s worked really hard but I’m not ready for him to leave,” she added.

His grandmother was also in attendance at the signing ceremony and said it was a bittersweet day. She said Omari would do anything for her such as mowing grass and other household chores. She also said he really enjoys her cooking.

Allen took the signing opportunity to thank all of the school’s staff, coaches, players and family members who have made it possible for him to continue his football journey at East Carolina.  Allen says he plans to play 10 to 15 plays a game as a freshman and to make an impact immediately at ECU.

 

SportsTalk: Introducing Mike Joyner, The New AD At Kerr Vance Academy

/by

Mike Joyner has been named as the new Athletic Director for Kerr Vance Academy.  His first day on the job isn’t until February 1st, but Joyner has already been on campus to meet people and take in a basketball game.

Joyner, who currently is in the same position at Wake Forest High School, got his career underway coaching middle school baseball in Johnston County in 1994. He also was a coach at Smithfield-Selma High School as well.

Joyner, who spoke with Trey Snide on Thursday’s edition of SportsTalk, says he is looking forward to getting his hands dirty and starting a new chapter in his career at KVA. “I’m excited about taking over a program with such a rich history.” KVA has multiple state championships in a variety of sports.

At Wake Forest High School, Joyner enjoyed the football season. “It will be really different without football,” Joyner said when describing the transition to KVA.

“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Joyner said when asked about his immediate goals at the school. He is looking forward to meeting the people involved with the school and immersing himself in KVA’s culture along with involving himself with the booster club.

He has already had the opportunity to make assessments on the baseball field and he will have to hit the ground running on his first day, February 1st as KVA has a basketball game scheduled that night.

 

Changes in City Recycling, Yard Debris Schedule For Christmas Holiday

/by

The City of Henderson has announced the upcoming holiday schedule for sanitation services.

The schedule will be as follows for Recycling and Yard Debris:

Monday, Dec. 20 – Monday and Tuesday Route
Tuesday, Dec. 21 – Wednesday and Thursday Route
Wednesday, Dec. 22 – Friday Route
Thursday, Dec. 23 – Holiday  – No Work
Friday December 24 – Holiday –  No Work

The GFL (Waste Industries) garbage collection will operate on a normal schedule.

Swine, Dairy Producers Can Apply For COVID-19 Funds To Help Recoup Losses

/by

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has opened the application period for the first phase of its North Carolina Swine and Dairy Assistance program. The $30 million in federal COVID-19 funds appropriated by the N.C. General Assembly will offer assistance for eligible swine and dairy producers for losses incurred from termination of contracts or ceased milk production due to the pandemic.

“A significant number of swine farms have lost contracts and dairies have been forced out of business due to the pandemic. It has been a rough time for many farmers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. The application process has two phases. Phase 1 determines eligibility is open now. Eligible applicants will receive a one-time assistance payment of $31,500. Phase 1 is designed to get money quickly to farmers. “If you are a farmer and this program applies to you then get your application in as soon as possible,” Troxler stated.

Phase 2 will focus on infrastructure modifications to barns, hog houses and/or lagoons. More details on Phase 2 will be released in February 2022.

The grant application and required forms can be downloaded from the NCDA&CS website at www.ncagr.gov.  The deadline to apply is June 30, 2023, but funds are limited so farmers are encouraged to go ahead and apply.

For questions about the program in general, call 866.747.9823. Farmers may also contact their local cooperative extension, Farm Service Agency or N.C. Farm Bureau offices for help with the application.