Orange County holds pesticide applicator workshop

Orange County Cooperative Extension will host a Pesticide Applicator Workshop for Growers, Landscapers, Dealers, Bilingual Supervisors on Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the Orange County Extension Office at 306 Revere Road. The session will start at 8 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. and will prepare agricultural professionals to use the Pesticides and Farmworker Health Toolkit.
The workshop will offer three hours of pesticide applicator credit for the following categories: Private Specialty Training (X), Dealers (D), Regulatory (I), Ornamental/Turf (L), Ag Pest Plant (O), and Demonstration and Research (N). NC Cooperative Extension and the NC Farm Bureau Safety Team are excited to collaborate on this workshop.
The Pesticides and Farmworker Health Toolkit is a pesticide education resource for EPA-approved Worker Protection Standard training of Spanish-speaking farmworkers. It was developed by extension specialists Dr. Greg Cope, Dr. Catherine LePrevost and Julia Storm in the N.C. State University Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology with funding from NCDA’s Pesticide Environmental Trust Fund. Toolkits are available in Spanish and English for 11 hand labor-intensive North Carolina crops, including apples, bell peppers, blueberries, Christmas trees, cucumbers, grapes, landscape/turf, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tobacco, and tomatoes. The Toolkit features a colorful, illustrated flipchart with leaders guide, a one-page handout with essential safety messages, and interactive learning activities including jug-labeling and symptom charades. A bilingual poster is also available for purchase.
Registration for this workshop is required and space is limited. Call Orange County Extension at (919) 245-2050 to reserve your space. A breakfast meal will be sponsored by County Farm Bureaus.

2012 Statewide Poetry Contest solicits entries

WHAT: The 2012 Statewide Poetry Contest is underway. The annual event is one of the largest free literary competitions in the South. Sponsored by the NC State University Creative Writing Program through the Barnhardt Family Fund. This year’s guest judge is Barbara Ras, poet and editorial director of Trinity University Press.
WHEN: Postmark deadline is Thursday, March 1. Ras will announce the winners and read from her own work on Wednesday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Caldwell Lounge, Caldwell Hall, NC State University campus. Caldwell Hall is located on Hillsborough Street, across from Bruegger’s.
WHO: Open to all North Carolina residents, except those who have published a book, are tenure-track professors in the UNC system, or are previous winners.
DETAILS: A grand prize winner ($500) and four honorable mentions will be chosen. There will also be special prizes for undergraduate and graduate student winners.

All entries must be typed, and no entry is to exceed four pages of poetry. Participants may submit up to three poems. Previous years’ finalists must submit different poems than before. Please do not put your name on the poems so that they may be judged anonymously. Attach a separate sheet with your contact info (name, address, phone number, email). Due to volume, no poems will be returned and none may be submitted via email.
Submit stories to:
NCSU Poetry Contest
Campus Box 8105
English Department
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8105

For more information, visit http://english.chass.ncsu.edu/creativewriting/poetry_contest.php

N.C. State recieves grant from USDA to improve food safety

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded 17 grants to improve the safety of the food supply in the United States through research, education and extension. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the grants—totaling $10.4 million—to universities in 13 states to help address a broad spectrum of food safety issues.
North Carolina State University was awarded $541,621. N.C. State's project—conducted in collaboration with Alabama State University—will identify and characterize the routes and mechanisms of transmission of campylobacter to turkeys.
"With millions of Americans contracting food-borne illnesses each year, USDA is committed to supporting research that improves the safety of our nation's food supply," Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said. "Primarily, we expect that the research and education spurred by these grants will find solutions to some pressing food safety issues. Additionally, we want to help American consumers, restaurant employees and teachers put new food safety principles into practice. Ensuring the safety of food is a top priority for USDA, and we will continue to work with our public and private sector partners on developing solutions to decrease potential risks."
NIFA made the awards through the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative, which addresses a broad spectrum of food safety concerns, from on-farm production, post-harvest processing and distribution to food selection, preparation and consumption. Focused on integrated approaches to food safety, NIFSI projects combine research at colleges and universities, education in the classroom, and outreach to a variety of groups, including consumers, foodservice workers, teachers, federal agencies and farmers.
In fiscal year 2011, NIFA awarded $10.4 million to 17 projects in 13 states:
• Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala., $100,000
• University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., $542,969
• Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Ga., $100,000
• University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $535,725
• University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass., $424,878
• Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $542,824
• Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $543,000
• Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $1,809,934
• North Carolina State University, Raleigh., N.C., $541,621
• Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $1,864,665
• Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla., $543,000
• Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., $542,607
• Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., $542,999
• Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tenn., $100,000
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., $542,977
• Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, $540,326
• University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., $541,313
A full list of awardees and their projects can be found online at: www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2011news/nifsi_awards.html.
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. More information is at www.nifa.usda.gov.