You may have noticed we have a new look. NC State Extension and the Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T State University have launched a rebranding effort across the state for N.C. Cooperative Extension. The new logo is being rolled out in all 101 local Extension centers across the state. Essentially, we are adopting a new marketing strategy to grow awareness and engagement for N.C. Cooperative Extension.
You may be asking yourself, what does that mean? Don’t worry, we will continue to work together to provide research-based information and technology in everyday applications, providing educational programs specializing in agriculture, food and nutrition, and 4-H youth development. That means local agents, program assistants, and staff are providing meaningful programming in a variety of areas.
In the program area of agriculture, Master Gardeners are meeting and volunteering throughout the county using their knowledge to assist residents and enhance many Extension programs. The Robeson County Beekeepers Association members are dedicated to the cultivation, proliferation, and survival of the honeybee and work to educate others on the importance of bees. The Robeson County Farmers Market Association works to provide fresh produce to patrons at the market on the corner of 8th and Elm Streets, as well as those participating in the local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program throughout the summer. Extension agents coordinate and participate in local research with university specialists and local farmers to ensure the best research-based information is available to make farming decisions.
In the program area of foods and nutrition, programs that emphasize healthy eating and physical activity include Eating Smart and Moving More as well as our Faithful Families Program, which is based in churches. You might come by our office for some classes on food preservation, or canning as Grandma referred to it, or maybe a bread-making class. We also work closely with restaurants to ensure managers get certified in ServSafe, which is a food safety certification we offer in both English and Spanish. We would be remiss to leave out our Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Our program assistants are well known in the schools and communities working with low-income audiences to help them eat healthy on a budget.
In the program area of 4-H youth development, our building will be bursting at the seams with young people participating in a variety of activities throughout the summer. Learning everything from how to cook safely and eating healthy to proper behavior in a formal dining situation. Junior Master Gardeners are learning the how-tos of gardening in the raised beds just outside my office. It also means I can sit in my office at this moment and hear the baby chicks that have hatched in our incubators as an example of the 4-H Embryology Program taking place across the county in a variety of second and third grade classrooms.
And I haven’t even mentioned the many opportunities to experience Extension at the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair, on farm tours, as part of community or specialty 4-H clubs, at goat shows and field days, etc. So as you can see, it’s just our look that’s changing – not the many hands-on opportunities available or the research-based information we can tap into on a daily basis.
For more information on any of the areas mentioned or others, please contact Christy Strickland, County Extension Director with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, at 671-3276, by E-mail at Christy_Strickland@ncsu.edu, or visit our website at http://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/.
North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation.
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