Bucolic Briefs

The Northeast Ag Expo will be held Aug. 2 and 3 at Roberts Brothers Inc. in Shawboro. The event includes crop training on Aug. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for extension agents, ag consultants, certified crop advisers and agribusiness representatives involved in troubleshooting corn production problems. In addition, a field day focusing on corn production will be held Aug. 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Farmers interested in attending should contact their local extension office. Professional credits are available.

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The 13th Annual Franklin County Horse Farm Tour will be held Aug. 4 from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The tour includes three farm visits with educational programs at each stop. For more contact Martha Mobley, extension agent, at (919) 496-3344 or go to http://franklin.ces.ncsu.edu.

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A workshop on Legal Liability and Handling Food Safely will be held Aug. 7 from 5:30-8:45 p.m. at the Ashe County Cooperative Extension Center in Jefferson. The program includes presentations on good agricultural practices, legal issues in direct marketing and why producers need to be concerned about food safety and liability. Dinner will be served. To register or for more information, contact Annette Dunlap, (919) 515-5969, or Carolyn Shepherd, (336) 219-2650.

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Anyone interested in growing or marketing asparagus is invited to an Asparagus Twilight Meeting Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Garnett Carr Farm, 982 Flem Clayton Road, Roxboro. The meeting will highlight the quarter acre variety trial plots and compare 13 different varieties grown on the Person County Farm. Asparagus is a high-value vegetable crop that is easy to grow.
Carl Cantaluppi, a horticulture extension agent, will discuss soil considerations for growing asparagus; soil fertility; insect, disease and weed control; harvesting and marketing techniques; and more. For more information, contact Cantaluppi at (919) 603-1350 or e-mail at carl_cantaluppi@ncsu.edu.

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The election of pork producer delegate candidates for the 2008 National Pork Producers (Pork Act) Delegate Body will be held Aug. 21 at 1 p.m. in conjunction with the board of directors meeting of the N.C. Pork Council. The meeting will be held at the University Club, 4200 Hillsborough St., Raleigh. All North Carolina pork producers are invited to attend. Any producer who is a resident of the state and has paid all assessments due may be considered as a delegate candidate and participate in the election. All eligible producers are encouraged to bring a sale receipt with them proving that hogs were sold in their name and the checkoff deducted. For more, contact the N.C. Pork Council, (919) 781-0361.

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The Mid-Atlantic Professional Rodeo Association will host the following rodeo events in August and September. Aug. 3 & 4 at the Level Cross Community Center in Level Cross; Aug 17 & 18 Lake Waccamaw Boys and Girls Home Arena; Aug. 24 & 25 at Double P Arena in Vale; Sept. 2 & 3 at the Pitt County Fairgrounds Arena in Greenville, S.C.; Sept. 5 at the Iredell County Fairgrounds in Troutman; Sept. 21 & 22 at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds in Fayetteville; Sept. 28 & 29 at the Robeson County Fairgrounds in Lumberton; Sept. 30 at the Dixie Classic Arena in Winston-Salem. All events start at 8 p.m. Call (704) 882-6994 for more.

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The N.C. Goat & Sheep Producers Roundup II will be held Aug. 17 & 18 at the Sanford Lions Club Fairgrounds in Sanford. The event offers the latest research and management information on goat and sheep production. For more contact Martha Mobley, extension agent, at (919) 496-3344 or go to franklin.ces.ncsu.edu.

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The 2007 Equestrian Exchange Consignment Sale will be held Aug. 31-Sept. 3 in the Holshouser Building at the State Fairgrounds. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 31-Sept. 2 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 3. The sale offers the opportunity to buy and consign anything equestrian-related. Pre-registration is required. Volunteers shop before consignors and consignors shop before the public. Items can be dropped off Aug. 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pickup for unsold items will be Sept. 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, contact Lynn Beeson at (336) 643-3773.

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The 55th Annual Peanut Field Day will be held Sept. 6 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Peanut Belt Research Station in Lewiston-Woodville (Bertie County). The event features station tours, a business meeting and lunch. For more, contact David Jordan at (919) 515-4068 or e-mail at david_jordan@ncsu.edu.

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A group of economic development leaders and grocers is researching the possibility of establishing a food-processing center to serve the needs of small farmers, food entrepreneurs and caterers. Farmers and business people are encouraged to fill out a survey indicating their interest in using a facility of this nature.
A shared-use food-processing center is designed to help small farms and food businesses succeed in value-added food production and marketing.
The study seeks to determine the level of demand from potential users, identify lead agencies or organizations that can manage the project and identify suitable locations for the center’s development.
Interested potential users can go to www.orangecountyfarms.org/VASUPintro.asp to fill out the survey. To receive a survey by mail, contact the Orange County Economic Development Commission office at (919) 245-2330 or e-mail Smithson Mills at Smithson@smithsonmills.com.

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Piedmont Biofuels will hold energy management and renewable energy workshops focused on reducing farm energy costs, coping with high and fluctuating energy costs, and capturing all the energy resources available on the farm, including wind, solar and biofuels.
Piedmont Biofuels is offering free tours of its on-farm biodiesel plant near Moncure every Sunday at 1 p.m., or any day of the week by appointment. On-farm biodiesel demonstrations can also be arranged in North Carolina. For more, go to the Piedmont Web site at www.biofuels.coop or call (919) 533-0172.

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The Cabarrus County Fair will host a series of horse events at the fair in September. Following are events and dates: Draft Horse Pull, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. with more than $5,000 in prize money offered for the top teams; Open Youth Horse Show, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m.; Mule and Donkey Show, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. All events will be held in the Cabarrus Arena. For more or to register, contact Marvin Bost at (980) 521-1302 or e-mail at fouracresfarm@hotmail.com.

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The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers will host its 2007 National Conference and Trade Show Oct. 1-4 at the North Raleigh Hilton in Raleigh. The conference theme is “Ideas from the Farm” and includes a growers’ school, farm and nursery tours and educational sessions. Cost for the full conference is $395 for members and $520 for non-members before Sept. 3. Participants can choose to attend only certain parts of the conference for reduced rates.
For more or to register, go to www.ascfg.org or call Linda Twining at (440) 774-2887.

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The Person County Saddle Club in Roxboro will host a Draft Horse, Mule, Donkey and Open Horse Show Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. Halter, pleasure, log skidding, game and other classes will be offered. A negative Coggins test is required for each equine. For more, contact Rob Hall, (336) 599-4039.

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The N.C. Forestry Association will hold its annual meeting Oct. 10-12 at the New Bern Sheraton Hotel and Marina in New Bern. The theme is “A Focus on Energy” and includes presentations on current energy sources, biofuels, new partnerships for energy, biomass energy, carbon credits and a renewable energy portfolio standard. For more information, call the NCFA at (800) 231-7723.

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The Mid-State Tractor Heritage Association will host a fundraising tractor parade Oct. 14 in downtown Asheboro. The event benefits Jim’s Kids, a group helping disabled children. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the parade starting at 11 a.m. This event is open to the public. For more information or to register, call Alex Gilmore at (336) 879-6412 or 736-0435, or Kelly Wicker at (336) 629-4303.

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The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages livestock producers to register their farms with the NCFarmID program. NCFarmID is a voluntary program to register farms for a national identification number as a way to protect livestock in the event of a disease outbreak. For more, contact NCDA&CS at (919) 715-2951 or go to www.NCFarmID.com.