Home Care In Rougemont, NC

The Hoffman Nursery team in Rougemont, NC, has announced the retirement of Co-Owner John Hoffman as of Jan. 1, 2023. John’s wife and Co-Owner Jill Hoffman will remain as President and CEO, and his son David Hoffman will continue as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

John Hoffman has spent more than 40 years in the horticulture industry. In 1981, he started a design-installation firm called Landscapes by Hoffman. Shortly afterward, he discovered ornamental grasses. Grasses weren’t widely used in the U.S. in the 1980s; however, Europe had already embraced them. John traveled to Germany and was fortunate to meet with the late plant breeder, Ernst Pagels. Pagels’ enthusiasm for grasses and grass-filled gardens kindled John’s interest. John also gained inspiration from his mentor, the late J.C. Raulston at North Carolina State University. J.C. believed grasses would become popular and encouraged John to pursue his interest. The more John learned, the more his passion for grasses intensified.

In partnership with his wife, Jill, John transitioned from landscaping to growing in 1986. Hoffman Nursery was established on a 45-acre former tobacco farm in rural Rougemont, NC. John personally delivered their first crops — grasses in large, finished sizes — in rented box trucks. Before long, the Hoffmans constructed their first hoop house, which allowed them to work through the intricacies of producing small, liner plants.

Now Hoffman Nursery ships liners to wholesale customers across the U.S. and Canada. That rented box truck is just a distant memory. An advanced production and growing facility, stock farm, and dedicated shipping areas help Hoffman Nursery fulfill its mission to produce high-quality plants.

“As of January 1, 2023, I am officially retired from Hoffman Nursery, Inc. I’ve had a lot of fun over the past decades with tradeshows, conferences, and travel to nurseries, gardens, and other places around the world,” John Hoffman says. “Meeting many great friends and colleagues in this industry has been the highlight of the last 40+ years for me.

“While I am retiring from the nursery, I’m not going too far – I expect to be at tradeshows, and travel to visit customers and friends for years to come,” he continues. “I look forward to finding new plants and ideas to bring back to the nursery. In addition, I have a long list of home projects to do as well as two new grandsons to teach how to build a fire, go camping, and enjoy the outdoors. Things have already been changing with the addition of the stock farm and almost completed propagation glasshouse, and there is lots more to come. I look forward to watching the business transform and keep growing, and continue to grow good grass!”

“I speak for all employees when I say we will miss seeing John every day at the nursery, but we are grateful to continue his legacy of growing good grass,” says David Hoffman.

Please feel free to offer your best wishes to John by commenting below, and we will pass your thoughts on to the Hoffman family.

One person is dead after a small plane crashed in Orange County on Sunday.

ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. — A plane crash left one person dead north of Durham on Sunday, the National Transportation Safety Board told WRAL.

The crash happened near Rougemont, North Carolina around 12:15 p.m. on Sunday.

One person was aboard a single-engine Beechcraft 35 and did not survive the crash, the FAA told WRAL.

The victim's name is not known at this time. Investigators have not determined the cause of the crash yet. The NTSB will be investigating the crash, according to WRAL.

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Primitive living conditions, poison ivy, humid nights, and bloodthirsty insects make for an environment that most people would probably consider unpleasant. But for Rhett Bost and his father, Ron, these conditions bring back fond memories of their time spent at the George K. Slocum Camp at Hill Forest in Rougemont, North Carolina.

Located on a hillside overlooking the Flat River surrounded by woodlands, Slocum Camp has been a working home for forestry and wildlife students for decades. It’s the place where most students get their first hands-on experiences with forest management activities: prescribed burning, tree identification, timber cruising, mapping, and harvest planning. With the world becoming increasingly urban and virtual, this fieldwork experience is more important than it’s ever been.

For Rhett ‘94 and Ron ‘60, both forest management graduates of the College of Natural Resources, the time spent at the Hill Forest stands out from the rest of their NC State experience. It’s where they forged friendships, achieved goals under challenging conditions and learned skills otherwise unattainable in a traditional classroom setting. All of these things they credit as the foundations of the rewarding careers they’ve had in the forestry industry.

First utilized in 1936, Slocum Camp has grown to include three year-round cabins, 18 seasonal cabins, onsite classrooms, a workshop, storage areas, and more recently, a new kitchen and dining hall with ADA-compliant bathrooms. But while the camp’s facilities have been repaired and maintained, the wear and tear of time demands a full renovation to keep them viable and vibrant for the future.

Ron and Rhett have invested in the future of Slocum Camp by naming Cabin #8 the “Bost Cabin.” They hope other alums will join them in preserving this legacy for future generations of aspiring natural resource leaders by making a gift to the Slocum Camp Hill Forest Enhancement Campaign. Following the words of Gifford Pinchot, the first head of the U.S. Forest Service: “The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future.”

You can join the Bosts family by making philanthropic gifts to the Slocum Camp Hill Forest Enhancement Campaign. Every gift helps the campaign reach its $1.5 million goal, no matter the amount. With one click, you’re not only back at camp with friends and revisiting some wonderful memories but also helping the College of Natural Resources make those memories come alive for students to come.

For those who wish to solidify their summer camp legacy or honor the memory of a particularly inspiring professor, classmate, friend or loved one, naming opportunities are available for many of the camp’s facilities and trails. The names of all alumni and friends participating in a naming will be permanently displayed in a prominent place in or near the named location.

Make a gift

This article was written by Tim Cartner ‘94 for the College of Natural Resources.

PERSON COUNTY, N.C. - North Carolina’s first renewable natural gas plant is now up and running in Person County. The project is a collaboration between several groups, including Republic Services, Duke Energy and others.

What You Need To Know

Known as the Upper Piedmont Renewable Natural Gas Project, the plant in Rougemont is the first of its kind in North Carolina. The goal of the plant is to capture the methane that’s released from the landfill in town, convert it into natural gas, which is then sent into a natural gas pipeline.

Officials say this plant will help supply enough natural gas to meet the needs of about 8,500 homes.

“The plant basically cleans up the gas to the point where we can pump that clean gas into the renewable natural gas pipeline that is structured all throughout the United States and local communities,” Rodney Sasina, the operations manager with ENERGYneering Solutions, said.

Sasina led a tour of the plant during the ribbon cutting last week.

“I like to say we're doing something pretty cool. I mean, we're taking an energy that's normally wasted or burned and we're doing something. We're making a clean gas out of it, that it can be used in the community,” Sasina said.

Sasina says landfills produce methane gas as garbage breaks down.

“Methane is a greenhouse gas. It's about 20 times more impactful than CO2,” Sasina said.

He says it’s federal law that methane gas from landfills is burned but the technology at this plant takes a different approach.

“Incinerating it is just wasteful energy, in my opinion,” Sasina said. “So why don't you make electricity out of it or clean it up towards natural gas like we're doing with the facility?”

The methane is transported from the landfill to the plant in underground pipes. The machines at the plant use a complex process to clean up the methane and send it into a natural gas pipeline.

“So if you have a household appliance or heater that runs on natural gas and you're in the immediate area, some of the gas that we're producing will go to your home and that network,” Sasina said.

While this is the first plant like this in the state, Sasina says it won’t be the last.

“The renewable credits that they're putting out right now is making this a viable business model. So I think you'll see a lot of these gaining traction in the future for sure,” Sasina said.

Dr. Morton Barlaz at N.C. State University researches how solid waste breaks down in landfills. He believes this plant is one effective way to prevent methane from entering the atmosphere. He also says economics are a driving factor in deploying new technology like this plant.

“Companies involved are doing so to do some good but also because there’s a way for them to be profitable. So policies that can promote recovery of renewable energy in general are a good thing,” Barlaz said.

While experts say there are pros to this technology, there are some cons to possibly consider as well. The machines at the plant use a tremendous amount of electricity.

There have also been noise complaints associated with this new plant, but officials say a study was conducted and this plant only increased nearby noise levels by seven decibels. For context, rustling leaves are about 20 decibels.

Construction recently finished on the state’s second renewable natural gas plant in Caldwell County and that plant is also running now. In total, these two plants cost more than $110 million to build, including nearly $73 million in loans by the USDA.

ROUGEMONT, N.C. (WNCN) – A Durham ATV Club is preparing to build new trails for ATV and dirt bike riders after a couple in Rougemont, North Carolina decided to donate use of their land for this cause.

Jamal Lewis is president of the Southern Soul ATV Club, a group of ATV riders who go on monthly rides in Durham. Lewis said his mission is to serve as a mentor and give young people in Durham something to do.

“The ultimate goal is to change the way the kids look at the world right now,” Lewis said. “I feel like we can make a change and make a way through ATVs and doing it the right way.”

Lewis said he has been working for a while to get help with finding more safe places for dirt bikers and ATV riders in Durham to ride.

Right now, he said there are not many places where ATV riders can ride in Durham, and that’s why many riders are on the city streets.

Lewis said his group must ride on the city streets too, to get to their trails.

While Lewis said his club obeys the traffic laws, CBS 17 recently showed a special report where some ATV riders in Durham have been causing traffic concerns for motorists.

Some videos CBS 17 obtained showed ATV riders stopping traffic on North Duke Street and passing cars in no passing zones on county roads.

“I’ve been fighting this and trying to speak with people who will help get these riders off the streets,” Lewis said.

Shortly after CBS 17’s special report aired in mid-August, Lewis said he met with his friend Brian Stoner and his wife, Lee, who own farmland on Red Mountain Road in Rougemont.

Stoner said he and his wife decided to allow Lewis’s non profit group to use the 140 acres of their land to build ATV trails for riders.

“We love their mission, we support anything where you have enhanced mentorship,” Stoner said.

Lewis said he’s excited to get to work on building these trails on the property.

“To be able to live my dreams, help people, and have someone to help me help someone, that’s amazing,” Lewis said.

While Lewis has permission to use the land to build the trails, he said he still needs help with building the trails. He has started a GoFundMe page to help raise money to purchase machinery.