Achievements & Lifestyles

January/February 2011 • Category: Achievements & Lifestyles • Print This Page Print This Page
THE TRI-COUNTY YOUNG FARMER COMMITTEE, which includes Farm Bureau Members from Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania counties, held a gleaning Sept. 25 at Hilltop Farms, owned by Gary and Adam Pryor. The gleaning was held in conjunction with the Society of Saint Andrew and FFA members from North Buncombe Middle School. The group picked more than 80 bushels of apples in three hours for the Manna Food Bank. They also visited one of the Pryor’s cornfields to learn about corn production.
ALAMANCE COUNTY Farm Bureau held its Fourth Annual Homegrown Tour on Sept. 25. After visits to seven farms in southeastern Alamance County on the tour, a “Taste of Alamance” dinner was served, with all foods from Alamance County. County President Vaughn Willoughby greeted attendees. Proceeds from the tour will go to local charities.
ASHE COUNTY Farm Bureau members presented a Christmas tree and wreath that adorned the state Capitol building in Raleigh during the holiday season to Gov. Bev Perdue on Nov. 30. In the photo at top, Gov. Perdue, Don Tucker and Carol Tucker stand in front of the official tree. In the photo at bottom left, Gov. Perdue, Joe Freeman and Linda Jones stand in front of the official wreath. The growers received the honor after competing against other North Carolina growers. Freeman’s Mistletoe Meadows also produced the national reserve grand champion tree for 2010, which means he provided the tree for the vice president’s residence.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY Farm Bureau Members Jamie and Amy Ager, owners of Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview, recently installed a 16-panel solar energy system at their sustainable operation. First Light Solar of Asheville installed the system, which is expected to produce 240 kilowatt hours of energy per month and save $45 on monthly energy costs.
CARTERET COUNTY Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors was visited by officers and advisers from the FFAs at Croatan, East Carteret and West Carteret high schools during a meeting and commodity supper. The schools’ representatives were there to give presentations about how their chapters used money donated last year by Carteret Farm Bureau, and President Mickey Simmons presented the programs from the three schools with a total of $3,110 for 2010-11 activities and events.
CASWELL COUNTY Farm Bureau donated $1,000 to send two teams from Bartlett Yancey High School FFA to National Competitions this year in Indianapolis. The money will go toward travel expenses for the nine students, who are on the Environmental Natural Resource team and the Agricultural Issues Forum team. Both teams have already won at the state level and will compete for a national award.
FORSYTH COUNTY Farm Bureau provided the trophy and sponsored the Showmanship Lamb Show Oct. 3 at the Dixie Classic Fair. Pictured from left are Beverly Hampton, senior division winner; Leah Thomas, intermediate winner; Abigail Wilson, junior winner; and Forsyth County Farm Bureau President Edgar Miller, who presented the awards.
HENDERSON COUNTY Farm Bureau and the TRI-COUNTY YOUNG FARMER COMMITTEE—which includes Farm Bureau members from Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania counties—took part in Farm City Day Oct. 2 in Hendersonville. Henderson Farm Bureau had a dairy display and gave children milk and cookies. West Henderson FFA members helped Farm Bureau members talk about the importance of agriculture. Tri-County Young Farmers demonstrated plowing and log skidding using teams of horses.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY Farm Bureau had its annual Ag Heritage Day Oct. 1 at the Ag Center in Troy, and about 350 fifth-graders attended. The event featured a petting zoo, a tractor, and stations such as milking a cow, plant growing, cordage, butter churning, beekeeping, quilting and sewing, spinning, old tools, pottery and food safety.
MOORE COUNTY Farm Bureau recently made a donation to the Moore County Cattleman’s Association toward their purchase of an aerator. Moore County livestock producers will be able to use the aerator on their pastures.
NORTH CAROLINA Farm Bureau and about 20 County Farm Bureaus contributed to the farm section of the I CAN Be Healthy exhibit in the new Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville children’s museum.
ONSLOW COUNTY Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors had a booth at Farmer’s Day on Sept. 11. Farmer’s Day is an annual fundraiser for Richlands Friends of Farmers, an organization that sponsors agriculture scholarships, held on the first Saturday after Labor Day every year.
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY Farm Bureau awarded county scholarships to Jessica Baker, John Norwood and Kayla Ore.
STANLY COUNTY Farm Bureau’s Ag Ambassador, Sandy Hatley, reports that Ag in the Classroom activities were in full swing in September at Stanfield Elementary School. Second-graders learned about apples during a unit on Johnny Appleseed and made chains using paper plates, yarn and construction paper to demonstrate the life cycle of an apple from a seed.
SURRY COUNTY Farm Bureau helped welcome U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan to Pilot Mountain Pride, a packaging and distribution facility for Surry County fruit and vegetable growers, where she learned about the operation. Board Member Charles Boles is manager of Pilot Mountain Pride, and Surry County Farm Bureau contributed money and equipment to the effort, which opened earlier this year.
TYRRELL COUNTY Farm Bureau Member Jacob J. Parker was recently appointed as a farmer-director to the United Soybean Board. He was sworn in on Dec. 8.
UNION COUNTY Farm Bureau Members George C. and Frances Parker and their family have been named Union County Farmer of the Year for their farm, Parker and Sons Farms. Parker and Sons Farms was founded in 1975. They grow corn, hay, milo, soybeans and wheat, and have bulls and Angus cross cows.
WAKE COUNTY Farm Bureau had a display at the Jordan Lake Heritage Day on Oct. 2. Vice President Richard Jenks and Women’s Committee Member Shirley Burt invited visitors to shell corn, loop tobacco, milk a cow and learn how agricultural byproducts are used. Children were given Rudy Rooster coloring books, and about 150 visitors participated.
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