Cooperative Extension - WIZS

North Carolina Cooperative Extension partners with communities to deliver education and technology that enrich the lives, land and economy of North Carolinians.

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension airs a live broadcast every Tuesday from 4:30pm until 5:00pm and covers a variety of topics.

Check out their website https://vance.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=home
for more information.

Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

November 23, 2021/by Bill Harris

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

WIZS Radio · Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

Christmas Tree Selection and Care

November 22, 2021/by Laura Gabel

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

Choosing a Christmas tree can be a fun activity for the whole family to enjoy, whether perusing a lot full of cut firs and pines or whether venturing out to a tree farm where the perfect seasonal addition to your home décor awaits.

Wayne Rowland, Vance County Cooperative Extension’s natural resources technician, has some suggestions to make sure consumers get the best bang for the buck. Tree prices, like so many other items, are higher this year.

Live, cut trees are completely recyclable. But they also are perishable. To make sure trees hold their needles through the Christmas season, they should get water regularly and stay in a cool spot.

Trees, of course, come in all heights, but they also receive a grade, depending on their shape and fullness. If your tree is going to be visible from all sides, you may want to purchase a #1, or premium grade tree; if you’re putting it in a corner with only a couple of sides visible, perhaps a #2 grade will suffice. Foliage density, color and fragrance are additional factors to consider.

A ball-and-burlap tree is another option for those in search of a Christmas tree – the tree’s roots are literally wrapped in burlap for planting in the landscape after being enjoyed over Christmas in your home. Rowland reminds consumers to make sure that the tree you select will survive in this climate.

WIZS Radio · Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Christmas Tree Selection

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Holiday Rituals

November 18, 2021/by Bill Harris

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

WIZS Radio · Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Holiday Rituals

Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

November 16, 2021/by Bill Harris

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

WIZS Radio · Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Spotted Lantern Fly

November 15, 2021/by Bill Harris

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

WIZS Radio · Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Spotted Lantern Fly

Tobacco Growers Vote Nov. 18 On Whether To Continue Check-off Program To Fund Research

November 15, 2021/by Laura Gabel

Update 11-19-21

Paul McKenzie, agriculture agent for Vance and Warren counties, said the results will be available the week of Nov.22.

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Area tobacco growers join others across the state this week to vote whether to continue a self-assessment of 10 cents per 100 pounds of flue-cured and burley tobacco sold to support tobacco research and education.

The vote will take place on Nov. 18, and Paul McKenzie, agriculture agent for Vance and Warren counties, said a two-thirds vote in the affirmative will mean that the check-off program will be good until 2027.

The check-off program started in 1991 and allocates more than $200,000 annually to tobacco-related research and extension projects at N.C. State University. State law requires a referendum be held every six years.

“This referendum is important to the future of tobacco production in North Carolina,” said Sonia Murphy, president of the N.C. Agricultural Foundation and state check-off coordinator. “Federal funding for tobacco research ceased in 1994, and state support has declined in recent years due to state budget reductions.

“I encourage tobacco growers to vote on this important check-off,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “A two-thirds majority of votes is needed to pass the assessment, so be sure to cast your vote.”

Funds from the check-off are allocated by the N.C. Tobacco Research Commission, whose membership includes the Commissioner of Agriculture, the N.C. Farm Bureau Federation president, the N.C. State Grange president, the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina president and the chairman of the N.C. Tobacco Foundation.

Ballots will be available for tobacco growers at county extension offices on Nov. 18. Contact your local N.C. Cooperative Extension office for specific information regarding polling locations and times.

Vance County Extension – 252.438.8188.

Granville County Extension – 919.603.1350

Warren County Extension – 252.257.3640

Franklin County Extension – 919.496.3344