I would like to use this column to let you know about one of the premier events in which the Robeson County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service is involved. Each year, usually in late January, the Extension Service and the Robeson County Crop Promotion Association present its Annual Awards and Recognition Banquet.

This annual banquet has been conducted for more than 30 years as a way to recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to agriculture in Robeson County. Many of the farmers and agribusinessmen who have been recognized over the years have been responsible for making Robeson County one of the leading agricultural counties in the state. Some of them have been strong community leaders and have taken the lead in adopting new technology and demonstrating its potential to other farmers. Others have worked on the regional, state, or national levels with commodity groups or agencies to make sure the voices and interests of their neighbors are properly considered.

In addition to giving major awards to recognize these contributions, the winners of the corn, soybeans, and wheat yield contests are recognized at this banquet each year. It is always a treat to see farmers recognized for achieving certified yields that, in some cases, are almost unbelievable. Wheat yields over 100 bushels per acre and corn yields over 200 bushels per acre are usually recognized.

These contests are fun and the recognition is great, but the real reason for the contests is to gather information which is then shared with all farmers about what it takes to achieve high yield levels. No matter what other factors are considered, high profits are virtually impossible without high yields. Soils throughout the county are fairly consistent, and even though the weather will vary from community to community, in most years the potential is there for yields much higher than we normally see in the county. The major differences usually seem between the contest yields and the average yields are the farmers' selections of inputs and how well they manage the resources they have available to them.

The Annual Awards and Recognition Banquet will be held Thursday, January 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the Southeastern North Carolina Agricultural Center and Farmers Market. The featured speaker this year will be the Honorable Mike McIntyre. There is no charge for the banquet, but preregistration is required so proper arrangements can be made for seating and the meal. If you would like to attend, please call 671-3276 by Monday, January 22.

I would also like to remind you of the pine seedling distribution program provided by the Extension Service and International Paper Tree Nursery. Bundles of free pine seedlings will be provided at the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center on Highway 72, west of Lumberton, from 9 a.m. until 12 noon on Friday, January 26, and again on Friday, February 23.

In order to be good neighbors in the community, the tree nursery is willing to provide small numbers of pine seedlings for those who want to plant a few pines around the yard, the barnyard, or on the farm. Pine seedlings are usually sold by the thousands, so those people who need just a dozen or so often have a lot of trouble finding the seedlings they need. International Paper Tree Nursery provides free seedlings through this program, but they will not provide any free seedlings at their location because of safety factors and because it interferes too much with their production and harvest operations.

Since I mentioned pine seedlings, I would like to close by again mentioning that much of the forestlands in Robeson County are unmanaged or not properly managed for greatest profit potential. If you own property in the county that includes forestlands, or if it includes marginal crops lands that should be converted to forest, I would like to urge you to take advantage of the potential that good forest management provides.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 7. From 2 to 5 that afternoon, the Robeson County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service along with Extension Forestry and the North Carolina Forest Service will present a workshop on getting started on forest management. This workshop will be especially beneficial for anyone who owns a farm in the county and does not live on the farm, but rents the cropland for crop production and gives little or no consideration to the forestlands. It will also be beneficial to those who have worked toward establishing productive forest on their farms but wish to intensify their forest management strategies.

Be on the lookout for a great variety of educational meetings being provided by your Extension Service during the coming months. They are always listed in The Robesonian on the farm page along with this column.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 4/24/01