Dr. Stephen Kelley, professor and head of the Department of Forest Biomaterials in the College of Natural Resources, was also named to the board.

The board is responsible for organizing and overseeing studies on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and the use of land, water, and other natural resources. The National Research Council is a private, nonprofit institution that provides expert advice.

Known collectively at the National Academies, the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine provide information designed to address the most pressing challenges facing the nation and world, help shape sound policies, inform public opinion and advance the pursuit of science, engineering and medicine.

Gould and Kelley join the board as Dr. Julia Kornegay, professor of Horticultural Science, leaves it.

Gould, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, studies the ecology and genetics of insect pests to improve food production and human and environmental health. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, among others, for his work.

Gould has been honored with both N.C. State’s Holladay Medal, the highest honor presented for faculty achievement, and the O. Max Gardner Award, the most significant universitywide honor given to faculty by the UNC Board of Governors.

Gould has served on National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council committees to study the environmental effects of the commercialization of genetically modified plants and develop recommendations on genetically modified pest-protected crops. He has also served on Environmental Protection Agency panels on genetically modified crops.

The endowment will be used to provide scholarships for undergraduate students from the state of North Carolina who are enrolled in agricultural programs at N. C. State University, N.C. A&T State University or Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, with first preference given to students in a dairy-related curriculum. In addition to the universities’ criteria in selecting recipients for the merit-based awards, eligibility requirements also include active participation in 4-H, FFA, the N.C. Guernsey Association or the N.C. Junior Holstein Association.

Courtesy Chris Wessel

Megan Mann Riggans upon “Lou” in 2007

Megan Riggans of Staley was a dairy industry leader and a Guernsey and Holstein breed enthusiast, who was active in 4-H, FFA and the N.C. Guernsey and N.C. Junior Holstein associations. She took great pride in exhibiting and showing her “Udderly Kool Cows.” She graduated from Southern Alamance High School in 2007 and helped operate the family farm, Ran-Lew Dairy, with her uncle and aunt, Randy and Teresa Lewis.

She passed away last September 2, at the age of 22, from injuries sustained in a car accident on her way to deliver her first child.  Her newborn son, William Casey “Will” Riggans, survived for just days after her passing.

The new scholarship will honor Megan Riggans’ enthusiasm for sharing knowledge: She was a mentor to many young agriculturalists, as she helped youth prepare for the show ring and served as a coach for many dairy judging, dairy foods and dairy quiz bowl teams. – Terri Leith

Created by students in CALS Horticultural Science Department instructors Will Hooker and Anne Spafford’s small-scale landscape design studio, the bamboo dragon was the studio’s spring sculpture project, constructed especially for the gala, as commissioned by the JCRA. The design – complete with 9-foot head, three body loops flowing in and out of the ground and an 8-foot tail – was an idea submitted by student Justin Durango.

To create the dragon, the class harvested more than 100 bamboo culms ranging in size from 2 to 3 inches in diameter and being 20 feet long from a grove in Durham, Hooker said. “After cleaning the culms, the class divided up into teams and proceeded to build the various component parts, with the construction taking place in front of Kilgore Hall.”

Terri Leith Photo

A view from the dragon’s 8-foot high tail

In total, he said, the Asian dragon took 15 days to build and install, “with the class and 26 other volunteers putting in close to 1,200 hours of labor to complete the task.  All involved were totally exhausted but very pleased with the results.”

Hooker credits the contributions of the following  builders from the class: Justin Durango, Alex Cooley, Herb Ritter, Caitlin Davis, Brandon Ramos, Patrick McLaurin, Junyan Zhou and Kurtis Durrant.

Other volunteers include Leena McDonald, Mercy Rognstad, Jaclyn Mills, Kate VanVorst, Katie McKnight, Kevin Kearney, Dorian Perez, Chris Tharp, Christian Britt, Ryan Galloway, Michael Edwards, Ben Jones, Katherine Hoke, Allen Clineff, Lauren Sammis, Tony Mayer, Carrie Hutchens, Allison Durham, Alana Stanley, Don Edwards, Vann Fussell, Phoebe Andrews, Amanda Wilkins, Jessica Adams, Tom Brown and Will Ericson.

Still on display at the arboretum, the Asian dragon is a must-see! – Terri Leith

The class, now in its second year, was designed to give students a working knowledge of the merchandise livestock business and products “to better prepare them for the real world,” said Gary Gregory, agricultural research technician in the department and the instructor of the class.  He said that the course gives students valuable hands-on experience in both preparing livestock for a sale and conducting a livestock auction.

“They hear from livestock producers, professionals who manage sales and others associated with the livestock business during the semester, all culminating in putting their knowledge to practice in orchestrating the sale,” Gregory said.

Students in the class prepared animals from university farms for the sale, collecting information for the sale catalog and contacting prospective buyers, Gregory explained. Among animals included in the sale were yearling horses from the Equine Educational Unit, three ewes with lambs at their side from the Small Ruminant Educational Unit and five heifers from the Beef Educational Unit.

Students then were responsible for the actual sale, with a member of the class (who is actually a licensed auctioneer) serving as the auctioneer, while others assisted in moving lots into the sale ring and serving as ringpersons.

“They even helped load out the sold animals as buyers took their livestock to their new homes,” he said.

Assisting the students were the managers of N.C. State’s animal educational units: Lawson Walston (Equine), Bill Knox (Small Ruminant) and Rick Kern (Beef).

The sale grossed $14,960 on fourteen lots, exceeding expectations, according to Gregory, who added that the money will help fund the operation of the animal units for the educational purposes of students in the animal science curriculum.

Danielle Wick, a junior animal science major from Summerfield and one of the participants in the Wolfpack Round-Up sale, called the class “one of my favorites that I have taken in my college career so far.”

“Getting to put on a real livestock sale is not something you get to do every day,” Wick said. “It was a lot of work to get the animals ready for the sale, but it was exhilarating and rewarding when we got there. It was really great to see all of our hard work pay off and I am privileged to have been offered this rare opportunity at school. I highly recommend it to any student who enjoys animals and has a good work ethic.”

Added student Collin Beatty of Chapel Hill, “How many other classes actually allow the students to create, market and run an auction?”

Other members of the class were Jacob Adcock, Jordan Carter, Lauren Collier, Brittany Cornelius, Brooke Harward, Emily Jones, Grace Lester, Anne Link, Heather McFee, Cameron Overbey, Marion Quattlebaum, Melissa Rhoad, Devon Schreiber, and Shannon Steiner, as well as those shown in the photo above. Front (from left): Sabra Bryant, Cameron Demery, Alexann Rahimi and Danielle Wick; back: Hunter Sampson, Andrew Bray, Brandon Creech, Stephen Doby and Collin Beatty.

Now plans are already under way to replicate their success. Next year’s class will hold the second annual Wolfpack Round-Up on April 12, 2014.

Photo courtesy Carolyn Mitkowski

Dr. Robert Evans (left) receives the 2013 Royce J. Tipton Award from Dr. Garry Grabow, chair of the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute Irrigation and Drainage Council.

Dr. Robert Evans, professor and head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, recently received the Royce J. Tipton Award at the U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (USCID) conference, “Using 21^st Century Technology to Better Manage Irrigation Water Supplies,” in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Tipton Award is a highly prestigious lifetime achievement award given by The American Society of Civil Engineers.

The award recognizes a person who “has made a definitive contribution to the advancement of irrigation and drainage engineering either in teaching, research, planning, design, construction, or management, these contributions being made through notable performance, long years of service, or specific actions which have served to advance the science of irrigation and drainage engineering.”

Matt Martin, turfgrass associate at Castle Hayne Research Station, received the NCACES Special Specialist Award. Martin was nominated by Daniel Simpson, Pamlico County agriculture agent. NCACES recognizes both specialists and associates that serve in the role of specialist.

In his nomination, Simpson wrote, “Matt has greatly impacted the turfgrass industry in Pamlico County and Eastern North Carolina. He is one of the first specialists that most growers or Extension agents contact with a question. Many growers owe their start and success to working with Matt.”

Dr. Barbara Fair, landscape horticulture specialist at N.C. State University, received the award for Outstanding Individual Program. Fair was nominated by Cyndi Lauderdale, agriculture agent in Wilson County. Fair was recognized for developing Waterwise materials for landscapers, nurserymen and agents to explain how the Green Industry can use water wisely.

Lauderdale wrote, “Dr. Fair is always willing and eager to come to the county when asked. One such event is the Eastern Landscape Conference and Trade Show in Wilson.

… Barb develops new programs for each presentation and caters to the audience. She also teaches classes, performs research and keeps agents up to date on items facing the green industry.”

Others nominated for awards and nominators are:
Lucy Bradley, nominated by Charlotte Glen;
Mike Parker, nominated by William Hanlin; and
Ron Heiniger, nominated by Alton Wood and the NE Ag Expo Team.

-N. Hampton

The 2013 Harnett County mini-grants are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The four mini-grant recipients are:

Jacob’s Mobile Market
Based out of Erwin, Jacob’s Mobile Market works with several local farmers to bring their produce to farmers’ markets. The market is expanding in the next year to include mobile drop-off points throughout western Harnett County. The mobile market accepts Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Vouchers and the Women, Infants, Children Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. The mobile market would like to expand drop-off points to churches, fire departments, neighborhood community centers, senior centers or other interested partner organizations.

Jacob’s Mobile Market is also expanding its growing space and works with  local FFA chapters to train our next generation of farmers. The plan is that 10 percent of the produce grown by this garden will be donated to the Harnett County Food Pantry.

To find out more, or to schedule a stop at an organization you work with, contact Jody Currin through at jodycurrin@aol.com or 910.897.4566.

Think Smart Outreach Center
Think Smart Outreach Center in Erwin is a 21^st-century community learning center, whose mission is to ensure that youth have access to programs that stimulate their development, intellectually, socially, physically, culturally and ethically. Think Smart is starting a new project to involve health education. The center will use grant funds to provide nutrition education classes through Cooperative Extension’s EFNEP program to families of students in Think Smart after-school program. The center is also expanding the physical activity capabilities by providing more activity equipment and Zumba classes.

To find out more about Think Smart and its programs, please contact the main office at 910.814.TSOC or tsoc2005@yahoo.com.

Lillington Star Free Will Baptist Church
Lillington Star Free Will Baptist Church is a faith community serving the Lillington/Shawtown area with a commitment to community outreach and engagement. Lillington Star will use mini-grant funds to offer opportunities for physical activity to the congregation and local residents. The church is purchasing a gaming system with fun physical education games for youth and adults to use to have fun while being active. The church is also purchasing equipment for a small gym-like space that will be free and open to the community and signs for a small walking trail on its property.

For more information on this project, contact Crystal Baker through email crystalbaker1978@yahoo.com or at 910.658.1136.

The Mustard Seed Community Garden at Campbell University
The Mustard Seed Community Garden began in 2012 as a partnership between several groups at Campbell University when word spread that the Harnett County Food Pantry was going to close because it had run out of food. Located on Highway 421 beside campus intramural fields, the garden feeds 200 families a week during harvest time through the Dunn Recruiters for Christ food bank. Campbell’s Campus Ministry applied for grant funds to increase the size and growing capacity of the garden in order to increase donations to the Harnett County Food Pantry and other groups.

For more information on the Mustard Seed Community Garden, please contact Kristina Wolfe via email at klwolfe0415@email.campbell.edu or at 910.616.0929.

Voices into Action thanks all who participated in the review committees and those who applied for grants. Information on 2014 Harnett County Mini-grants will be available this fall. To learn more about Voices into Action, visit the website at: www.voicesintoaction.org.

-K. Rosenbaum

Julie Holder, CALS Academic Programs – Award of Excellence, on-campus supervisory/administrative

Luz Davila, Center for Integrated Pest Management – Award of Excellence, on-campus secretarial/clerical

Joy Smith, Department of Statistics – Award of Excellence, on-campus technical

Shawn Senter, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Sandhills – Award of Excellence, off-campus secretarial/clerical

Nathan Lynch, Department of Horticultural Science, Mills River – Award of Excellence, off-campus technical/supervisory

Sarah Harrelson Delap, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Pamlico County – Award of Excellence, EPA

Debbie Humphrey, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Hoke County — CALS Safety Award

Joe Long, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Halifax County — CALS Safety Award

Paul Swartz, Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry — CALS Safety Award

A CALS luncheon honoring these recipients will be held on Wednesday, May 22, noon, at the University Club, 4200 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. Anyone who would like to attend the luncheon may do so at a cost of $15.

Please reply to claudia_mello@ncsu.edu by noon on Thursday, May 16, if you would like to attend. Checks should be made payable to N.C. State University and mailed to Claudia Mello, Box 7601, N.C. State University, Raleigh, NC 27695.

CALS winners will also be honored during the University Awards Reception scheduled on Wednesday, June 12, Hunt Library Auditorium, N.C. State University.

Terri Leith Photo

The Asian theme carried through in the Lath House.

From the McSwain Education Center, visitors began their journey at the arboretum’s Asian Valley, moving among bonsai, bamboo and Japanese maple trees and the Zen contemplation area of the Japanese Gardens and past the rare plants in the elegantly decorated Lath House. Along the way they could enjoy collections of more than 700 plants, many newly arrived from Asia. Then at the main party area, they were greeted by a startling multi-colored visage: the nine-foot head of an Asian Dragon, from which his body and tail flowed as if in and out of the ground. It was a bamboo sculpture created by horticultural science students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ landscape design studio, taught by Prof. Will Hooker.

The dragon was the centerpiece among brightly adorned tables, where guests enjoyed gourmet food and drinks, before browsing through silent auction items and eclectic plants for sale in tents encircling the area. The gala also featured music and entertainment representing Asian cultural groups.

Sally Linton served as the 2013 event chair, and Sandie and Mike Worthington were this year’s honorary co-chairs.

Terri Leith Photo

The bamboo dragon was a popular photo spot.

CALS Dean Richard Linton hosted the evening gala finale program, which included a Taiko Drum performance, coordinated by Yoko and Rocky Iwashima; a demonstration of TaeKwonDo skills by Master K.S. Lee’s TaeKwonDo; and Tomomi Thorbjornson playing the Koto, a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument.

Dr. Ted Bilderback, JCRA director, also participated in the evening program.

Terri Leith Photo

Guests browse among the silent auction tents.

Proceeds from the silent auction, pre-gala plant sale and sponsorships came to about $80,000. These funds will support the JCRA’s operational expenses, on-going research of new landscape plants, plant collection maintenance and educational programs.

The JCRA at N.C. State University is a nationally acclaimed garden with the most diverse collection of cold-hardy temperate zone plants in the Southeastern United States. As part of the CALS Department of Horticultural Science, the arboretum is a working research and teaching garden that focuses on the evaluation, selection and display of plant material gathered from around the world. It is named in honor of the late Dr. J.C. Raulston, who founded the arb in 1976.—Terri Leith

Media Contact: Dr. Nancy Creamer, 919.515.9447 or ncreamer@ncsu.edu

Tickets are on sale for the 2013 Farm to Fork Picnic being held June 9, 4-7 p.m. at the PLANT @ Breeze Farm Enterprise Incubator near Hurdle Mills. The popular event, which pairs local farmers with Triangle area chefs, has been called “the country’s best all you can eat feast” by Bon Appetit magazine.

The Farm to Fork Picnic is co-hosted by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, Friends of Breeze Farm, Slow Food Triangle and the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation Inc. To purchase tickets, visit the website: www.farmtoforknc.com.

The event is a fundraiser to support new farmer training programs at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and the Breeze Farm. The most recent agriculture census reported that North Carolina was tied for first in the nation in loss of farmland, and the average age of farmers is now 59. At the same time, there is growing demand locally and across the United States for new farmer training programs and for locally grown farm products.

CEFS, a partnership of N.C. State University, N.C. A&T State University and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, helps develop and train new farmers through a variety of programs. Through the farm apprentice program, participants learn to manage a small-scale organic farm at the CEFS Small Farm Unit in Goldsboro.  They also gain experience with a variety of other crop and animal systems at CEFS, including a pasture based beef and dairy operation.

CEFS also supports a summer intern program, where students spend eight weeks at CEFS working with faculty members and others on weekly classroom learning activities, farming experiences, community projects and research. CEFS is also partnering with six county governments and municipalities across the state to develop incubator farms where new farmers have access to land to learn and develop their business.

Since 2008, the PLANT (People Learning Agriculture Now for Tomorrow) at Breeze program has provided training to more than 300 new and aspiring farmers. Each winter, an eight-week series of evening workshops covers a range of topics important to the success of new farmers.  Following the workshop and completion of a business plan and crop plan, aspiring farmers can launch their farm enterprise, lease plots of less than a quarter acre and utilize equipment provided by the PLANT @ Breeze Farm Enterprise Incubator.

This summer, Breeze Farm will launch a farmland matching service to match landowners with farmers who need to lease land. Beginning in the fall, qualified new farmers seeking to grow their enterprises will be able to lease 2- to 6-acre parcels on rolling three-year leases.

For the Farm to Fork Picnic, restaurant chefs are paired with local farmers to create special dishes with seasonal, local ingredients. For the list of this year’s pairings, for sponsorship opportunities, and to purchase tickets, visit the website: www.farmtoforknc.com.