BEAUFORT COUNTY Farm Bureau Member Horace Hilton Harris passed an important milestone April 1, when he celebrated his 100th birthday. Harris is a charter member of Tyrrell County Farm Bureau and is listed as an agent on an original program for the dedication ceremony of the Tyrrell County Farm Bureau office Sept. 23, 1937. Friends and family celebrated Harris’ birthday with a party in his honor.

CAMDEN COUNTY

CRAVEN COUNTY

CRAVEN COUNTY

CRAVEN COUNTY

DUPLIN COUNTY

FRANKLIN COUNTY

HYDE COUNTY

JOHNSTON COUNTY

JONES COUNTY

MECKLENBURG COUNTY Farm Bureau recently sponsored a fundraiser at Oehler’s BBQ Barn that raised more than $15,000 for the family of William Cook, who was a longtime Farm Bureau member and dairy farmer who died in October at age 54. He left behind two
special-needs children.

PASQUOTANK COUNTY

PAMLICO COUNTY Farm Bureau Member and North Carolina Farm Bureau Vice President Scott Whitford was recently honored with a plaque for his years of dedicated service, including serving as chairman, to the N.C. Pesticide Board.

SCOTLAND COUNTY Farm Bureau has donated funds to the 4-H Health and Fitness Boot Camp, which runs June 15- August 20 at the Laurel Hill Community Center.
The camp will offer about 200 Scotland County youth to participate in activities such as Tae Bo, dancing, fitness games and more to learn the importance of healthy eating and exercise. WAKE COUNTY Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Member Shirley Burt visited with students April 18 and 19 at Sunrise United Methodist Preschool in Holly Springs. All nine classes got to hear a story about life on a farm and make greenhouses to take home. Students were also given a Rudy Rooster coloring book, and teachers were given goodie bags with Ag in the Classroom brochures. WAKE COUNTY Farm Bureau recently helped with Planting Days at the garden at Willow Springs Elementary School. Willy the Safety Squirrel was joined by Women’s Committee Member Michelle Dupree to welcome students to the garden and remind them of safety rules to follow. County Vice President Richard Jenks helped students plant seeds, and Wake County Farm Bureau donated garden tools and $1,000 toward the purchase of a greenhouse. Furthermore, the Women’s Committee provided refreshments to students and presented “The Farmer Grows A Rainbow” kit to the school. WARREN COUNTY Farm Bureau recently awarded a number of scholarships. Jacob Bender, son of Jeff and Lisa Bender of Norlina, and Erin Bender, daughter of Steve and Susan Bender of Warrenton, were selected as the 2009 recipients of Warren County Farm Bureau scholarships, which are worth $1,000 and are renewable for three years upon meeting certain criteria. Jacob, a senior at Franklin Academy in Wake Forest, plans to attend N.C. State University. Erin, a 2008 graduate of Warren County High School who has served in the National Guard, will attend St. Andrews Presbyterian College. Four Warren County High Schools seniors received one-time awards of $500. They are Marcus Hargrove of Warrenton, DeKisha Hendrick of Wise, Tyler Harmon of Norlina and Jessica Kearney. Two students from North Carolina Farm Bureau families have won $1,000 FFA scholarships to pursue agricultural studies. Joy Askew of Jamesville and Elizabeth Eastep of Yanceyville are among 50 students nationwide who earned the awards, given by the National FFA Association in conjunction with the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Dodge Division of Chrysler LLC. North Carolina Farm Bureau Member Dwayne Myers, a former NCFB director from Elkin, has been elected as the new president of the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative. Myers has been the First Vice President of the organization for the past five years, and he farms 800 acres and milks 800 cows with his wife of 35 years, Barbara, and their family in Jonesville.
Myers is also president of Dairy Cooperative Marketing Association, Southern Marketing Association, a current director and past president of Carolina Farm Credit, and a past president of the Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District. North Carolina Farm Bureau’s WOMEN’S COMMITTEE held a silent auction that raised $3,900 for the Ag in the Classroom program. The fundraiser was part of the Women’s Conference, held March 3-4 in Raleigh. ]]> http://www.ncfbmagazine.org/2009/07/achievements-lifestyles-julyaugust-09/feed/ 1 http://www.ncfbmagazine.org/2009/07/county-annual-meetings-%e2%80%93-2009/ http://www.ncfbmagazine.org/2009/07/county-annual-meetings-%e2%80%93-2009/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:44:50 +0000 Farm Bureau http://www.ncfbmagazine.org/dev/?p=1826 County Annual Meetings – 2009

In other news…Eric and Tammy McPherson hosted a multi-county Young Farmers and Ranchers meeting in August at their farm. YF&R members from Alamance, Chatham, Guilford and Rockingham counties enjoyed an afternoon with their families and each other.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY Farm Bureau held a “Hay Day” event at the Western North Carolina Nature Center on Oct. 30 in an effort to expose people to farming and rural lifestyles. The county’s Farm Bureau had a real tractor and hay baler on site to go along with the theme. Buncombe County Farm Bureau’s Greg Young (pictured in green shirt) was on hand to pass out safety tips to both children and adults. The county also supplied an event booth.

NC FARM BUREAU FEDERATION held its annual Collegiate Discussion Meet on Nov. 8 at the Federation’s headquarters in Raleigh. Contestants for this year’s meet included Crystal Roberts and Lee Tyre, both students at N.C. State University, and Jaron Jones and Carla Saunders, students at North Carolina A&T State University. The participants discussed the topic of “How do we correct misconceptions about Farm Bureau?” for approximately 25 minutes and were judged on their cooperation, communication and ability to offer constructive criticism while analyzing this agricultural problem and developing solutions. After a competitive discussion, Crystal Roberts was the winner. From Buncombe County, she is a junior at NCSU with a major in animal science. She was awarded a plaque, $500 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Sacramento, Calif., where she will represent North Carolina in the National Collegiate Discussion Meet held during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference, Feb. 7-9.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY Farm Bureau member David Collier was recently named a 2008 McCloy Fellow. He was given the opportunity to travel to Germany, where he received a closer look at agricultural, farm and food-supply conditions abroad.

The McCloy Fellowship was established in 1975 and gives young Americans and Germans the opportunity to broaden their professional experience in environmental affairs, journalism, urban affairs and agricultural production.

JONES COUNTY YF&R members Trent and Rebecca Scott recently visited the first-grade class of Terri Mack and Anita Scott at A.H. Bangert Elementary School in New Bern. They read the book The Tree Farmer and presented it to Mrs. Scott and the assistant principal for the school’s library.

They took the class outside to plant a Leyland Cyprus tree, and each child was able to help dig the hole, put dirt back in the hole and then a child watered the tree. Each of the children wrote them thank-you notes and drew pictures of their visit and planting the tree.

RANDOLPH COUNTY Farm Bureau recently celebrated the Grand Opening of a new satellite office in Archdale, at 102-A Bonnie Place. On hand for the ribbon-cutting were board members Ronald Self, Bud Smith, Sheela Wright (holding her granddaughter), Jerry Davis, AnnaRae Hodgin, N.C. House Rep. Patricia Hurley, agency manager Bill Foster, Congressman Howard Coble, Archdale Mayor Bert Stone, board members Lloyd West and Jimmie Moffit, and several employees.

ROWAN COUNTY Farm Bureau sponsored a forum for all candidates for Rowan County and North Carolina offices on Thursday, Oct. 2. Candidates for the General Assembly included Lorene Coates, Ada Fisher, Andrew Brock and William Burnette. In addition, three of the four county commission candidates were present: Raymond Coltrain, Carl Ford and Jim Sides.

In other news…Farm Bureau members Jason and Robin Starnes hosted a “Day at the Farm” event for nearly 35 school children on Saturday, Oct. 4 at the couple’s farm. Jason and Robin are active in YF&R activities county and statewide. The children were entertained by a hay ride, crafts using farm products and learning how to milk a cow. The event was a fun learning experience for all who attended.

SAMPSON COUNTY Farm Bureau Women’s Committee contributed gently used items to a Duplin/Sampson fundraiser auction for Valley of Hope, a center that helps women in need, on Nov. 8 in Wallace.

WAKE COUNTY Farm Bureau Women’s Committee members Josephine Evans and Shirley Burt shared the importance of agriculture with more than 120 students when they attended the Apex Business Alliance Career Fair on Oct. 17. Each student was given an “Ag Paths to Success” brochure and viewed a poster about careers in agriculture. The fair, held at the Apex Community Center, caters to three local middle schools in the area.

In other news…Women’s Committee members Monnie Jenks and Shirley Burt visited with preschoolers and kindergartners at St. Michael’s School in Cary on Oct. 14 for an “Ag in the Classroom” event. Students learned about cows, were allowed to milk a pretend cow and made a “Moo Mask.” Burt read to the students the book Sweet Potato Pie and helped them make their own pie to eat. A total of 75 students participated. The teachers were given goody bags filled with treats and “Ag in the Classroom” brochures.

No matter where you are in North Carolina, navigable water is never far away. With more than 370,000 boats registered in the state, hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians take to the water every year.

Motorboats, rafts, canoes, kayaks, sailboats and other types of vessels coupled with the state’s various watery venues—from whitewater mountain streams to lakes to lazy rivers to vast expanses of sound and ocean—give North Carolinians a dizzying array of choices when it comes to water-related activity.

There’s no better place to start than North Carolina’s mountains, called by one outdoor magazine “the top whitewater destination in the United States.” The western portion of the state is home to nearly two dozen outfitters who will arrange and guide raft, canoe, kayak, or drift boat excursions on the French Broad, Nantahala, Tuckaseegee and other mountain rivers.

“We’re open year-round, but we’re usually booked heavily in the summer months,” says Barbra Rodichok at Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, which offers raft, kayak and canoe outings on nine rivers. “A rafting trip is a great way to cool off in the hot summer months. And it’s an authentic way to be on the water; it’s not like a theme park.”

These excursions don’t require expertise in whitewater paddling. There’s something for all skill levels.
“We do three rivers mostly in North Carolina, and they’re mostly family-friendly,” Rodichok says. “But there are so many options. For example, we do trips on the Pigeon River just over the border in Tennessee with kids as young as 6. Then we have rivers like the Cheoah in the far western part of the state, where you have to pay attention to every paddle stroke.”

Nantahala, like most outfitters, also offers a paddling school, rentals and lake outings.

If whitewater rafting doesn’t sound like the ideal vacation, the lakes in Western and Piedmont North Carolina provide an abundance of boating opportunities. Farthest west, Hiawassee, Santeelah, Fontana, Nantahala and Chatuge lakes all offer spectacular mountain scenery, convenient boat access, a variety of water sports and excellent fishing. Boat rentals are available at most of these western lakes, and many areas also include family-style campgrounds.

In the Piedmont, 32,000-acre Lake Norman, near Charlotte, is the state’s largest man-made lake, with more than 520 miles of shoreline, and provides opportunities for swimming, fishing, skiing, cruising and other water-related activities.

“It runs the gamut,” says Kelly Cook, a ranger at Lake Norman State Park. “At our boat launch, we see everything from jonboats to big ski boats, even kayaks and canoes.”

Boating opportunities also abound farther east, at Jordan, Harris and Falls lakes near the Research Triangle, and at Kerr and Gaston lakes on the North Carolina-Virginia border. All offer convenient boat access, full-service marinas, picnicking, great fishing and plenty of open water on which to cruise. Most also offer other activities, including camping, hiking and bike trails.

Mention Eastern North Carolina and thoughts immediately drift to the ocean. Oregon Inlet, the Morehead City-Beaufort-Atlantic Beach area and the Wilmington-Southport areas are meccas for offshore boaters and fishermen. Marinas and boat suppliers are abundant in all of these areas, and dozens of charter-boat operators are available for offshore or inshore fishing or for cruises.

But the East isn’t all ocean. The Roanoke-Chowan, Pamlico-Tar, Neuse and Cape Fear rivers, along with Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, offer every type of boating activity imaginable—from kayaking and canoeing, to skiing and waterboarding, to sailing and powerboat racing. Public access areas are scattered all along the coast, and in towns such as Elizabeth City, Plymouth, Belhaven, Washington, New Bern, Beaufort, Swansboro and Wilmington.

If sailing is of interest, Oriental, just off the Intracoastal Waterway in Pamlico County, bills itself as the “Sailing Capital of North Carolina.” The village boasts two sailing schools and anchorage for more than 2,700 sailboats. Facilities for kayaking and other types of boating also are available.

“We have about 300 people a year in our classes, and we’re seeing more people every year,” says Chris Daniels, chief instructor at Oriental’s School of Sailing. “It’s a great activity for families. From young to old age, all can do it. Anyone can steer the boat.”

Sailing also taps into a real human yearning.

“It’s an idea, a dream—sailing off into the sunset and all that,” Daniels says. “It looks majestic and pure, in a way, to see if you can make the boat move without power.”

To truly find some peace and quiet on the water, try a canoe or kayak trip along one of the state’s “paddle trails.”

“Paddling is one of the fastest-growing recreational activities,” says Tom Potter, executive director of the North Carolina Paddle Trails Association. “It’s a great family activity, and it’s not all that expensive to get into.”

But, if just riding along sounds more appealing, North Carolina has that, too.

At Lake Lure, in mountainous Rutherford County, guided pontoon boats lead leisurely cruises, exploring scenic Hickory Nut Gorge and visiting the inn where the movie “Dirty Dancing” was filmed.

At Lake Norman, visitors can enjoy a dinner cruise on a 48-foot yacht; the cost is about $225 per hour, not including fuel. At Beaufort, the Diamond City charters offshore excursions to watch dolphins and treat large groups to a pig-pickin’ out on the Atlantic Ocean. Costs run from $15 to $33 per person.

From Murphy to Manteo, from Cherokee to Calabash, there’s no shortage of things to do on the water in North Carolina.