The phones have been ringing off the hook with residents wanting information about the farmer’s market, said Nancy Keith, director of the Yadkin County Center of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.

NCCES provides information on animal agriculture, commercial horticulture, nursery and turf, farm health and safety, field crops, food safety and processing, pest management and specialty crops.

The office is at 209 E. Elm Street in Yadkinville.

“We are in the process of having our report to the people,” she said. “We give a report to the advisory council and county commissioners. The Extension and Community Association Achievement Day is March 23.”

The event is set for Alison Oaks at 10:30 p.m.

The 4-H Achievement Night was held Thursday at the Senior Center.

Her lifestyles agent had a meeting that night at Starmount High School with livestock producers.

“A big event we will have is in May, Farm Animal Day or Ag Awareness Day, with the schools on May 7 at Deep Creek Farms,” she said. “That is for all the second graders in the county. They learn where their food comes from.”

Keith is from Iredell County. “I’ve been here in Yadkin County for almost 21 years,” she said. “I started out as the dairy agent. In October 2007 I became the county extension agent. After working here, we started a farmer’s market.

“This was the first one in Yadkin County. The first year was a little slow. Last year was a big year. We will have a planning meeting on March 30. It is a big event. We have it in the parking lot of the Masonic Lodge on 601 across from Yadkinville Elementary School. It’s on Tuesday afternoons.

“Last year we had an average of 16 or so vendors each week. You’d have some and different ones the next week. It’s been good for the community. Everyone wants to know when it‘s going to start up again. It depends on what time of the year it is, fruits, vegetables, baked good.”

“Agriculture is still the number-one industry in Yadkin County with tobacco, corn, soybeans and the beef cattle industry and poultry industry. So agriculture has still got a name for itself in the county. We’ve got a volunteer agriculture district farmland preservation.

“They can sign their land up. There is no real obligation. They get benefits if people come in and want to build close to where these parcels of land are.”

The high schools have active programs, and the 4-H agent works with livestock judging in FFA and horse judging. “We also work with their dairy judging,” she said.

For more information contact Keith at nancy_keith@ncsu.edu on the web.