NCAT Southeast staff members. Back row, left to right: Linda Coffey, Livestock Specialist; Luke Freeman, Horticulture Specialist; Margo Hale, Southeast Regional Office Director. Front row, left to right: Nina Prater, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist/Outreach Coordinator; Robyn Metzger, Program Assistant; Guy Ames, Horticulture Specialist. The NCAT Southeast Regional Office NCAT opened an office in Fayetteville, Arkansas,… Continue Reading
Electric Deer Fence Tips and Resources
By Luke Freeman, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Photo at right: Kenny Simon presenting at NCAT’s Deer Fence Workshop on October 15, 2019. Photo by Colin Massey, Arkansas Extension. Last November we hosted a workshop in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on constructing a low-cost, solar-powered electric deer fence for a farm, garden, or food plot. Since people are planting… Continue Reading
Elderberries: Easy to Grow Medicine
By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist I can hardly think of a perennial fruit easier to grow than elderberries. And I can hardly think of a food item with a stronger claim to health benefits. Coupling the ease of growing with this fruit’s new popularity as an effective medicine, this could be an opportune… Continue Reading
Restorative Pruning
It Takes More Than a Nip and a Tuck, but You Can Bring Those Old Trees Back Into Production By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Long-neglected fruit trees quite often simply die of disease or trunk borer damage, especially in the South where I live. But if they don’t die, one of the two… Continue Reading
Young and Beginning Farmers Come Together
A Recap of the Young Farmer National Leadership Convergence By Luke Freeman, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Photo at right: Luke enjoying the Colorado snow! In November I attended the National Leadership Convergence in Boulder, Colorado, hosted by the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC). This was a fantastic opportunity to meet other young farmer leaders from across… Continue Reading
Dwarfing Apple Rootstocks: Pros and Cons
To Be or Not to Be Little. That Is the Dwarf Fruit Tree Question. By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist At right: The author beneath a full-size Koyama pear tree. Photo courtesy Ozark Natural Foods. Whether ‘tis nobler to suffer the posts and cables of outrageous trellis systems… Okay, I’ll stop. Most professional orchardists… Continue Reading
Livestock Guardian Animals: Protecting the Flock
By Linda Coffey, NCAT Livestock Specialist Photo (right) courtesy Lewis Fox, Fox Farms You walk out to check your sheep, and find the best lamb is missing. Your dairy goats go out to graze with their kids, and come home later without your daughter’s best show prospect. One day you come home to find a… Continue Reading
Grafting Fruit Trees
The Science and Craft (and a Little Magic) By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist People practiced the craft of grafting well before they understood the science. Grafting dates back to at least 1,000 B.C. The ancient Chinese, Greeks, and Romans all knew about grafting as witnessed by their written records. But much of the… Continue Reading
Fall Planting Fruit Trees
A Hair’s Breadth Makes a Huge Difference By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist All across the South and as far north as USDA Climate Zone 5, fall planting of fruit trees can help get fruit trees off to a big head-start compared to fruit trees planted in spring. Why? The answer is a small… Continue Reading
Register Now: Electric Deer Fence Workshop
Do you struggle to protect your farm or garden from deer damage? Join NCAT and University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension for an Electric Deer Fence Workshop on Friday, November 15! You’ll learn how to construct a low-cost solar-powered deer fence for your farm, garden, or food plot. You’ll also learn other ways to keep wildlife… Continue Reading