Training buffet to serve up one last four-course

Eight specialists with The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T will be finishing up a trilogy of training programs for members of the Extension field staff on June 30 at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Fletcher. As at the previous programs (at A&T June 23 and at Wayne Community College June 25) Drs. Keith Baldwin and John O’Sullivan will be covering the nuances of launching or expanding initiatives for connecting consumers to locally grown foods;  Dr. Niki Whitley will be discussing parasite control in livestock through integrated pest management methods; Dr. Michelle Eley will be leading a community leadership track that will emphasize relationships between Extension and other organizations; and Drs. Joshua Idassi and Jimo Ibrahim will be covering some agro-forestry and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), including medicinal and culinary herbs. The training program — which will begin at 9 a.m. and wind up at 4 p.m. — is open to all members of the Extension field faculty working at county Extension centers in western North Carolina.