Bucolic Briefs

The United States Equine Rescue League Inc. has hundreds of healthy horses available for adoption. All horses have current Coggins tests, up-to-date vaccines and various levels of training. There is a small fee to adopt. To learn more about fostering, adopting or volunteering, go to www.USERL.org or contact Sue Meadows, (252) 224-0959, Teresa Campbell, (919) 221-1564, or Cindy Mantyla, (252) 244-2813.

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The Franklin County Horse Farm Tour will be held Aug. 1 from 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. and will feature educational sessions at three farms. Lunch is provided. Cost is $10 per person. For more, contact Martha Mobley, extension agent, (919) 496-3344 or go to www.franklincountyfarmfresh.com.

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The Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center at Mount Olive College will host the first Mid-Atlantic Grass-Fed Beef Conference Aug. 11-12 at the Sheraton Imperial in Research Triangle Park.

The conference will focus on the challenges facing producers and address consumer questions about grass-fed beef. The event features a producer panel and educational presentations on genetics, grazing, marketing and labeling.

A pre-conference tour of grass-fed and locally finished beef producers, Triple B Farms, Rogers Cattle Company and Baldwin Beef, will be held Aug. 11. Pre-registration for the tour is required as space is limited.
Conference pre-registration is also required. Cost for the tour only is $25 or $100 in advance for the entire conference. On-site registration is allowed, but pre-registration offers a discount to attendees.

Contact Sandy Maddox at (919) 658-7682 or smaddox@moc.edu, or go to www.mocagbiz.com for additional information or to register.

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The NC/VA Egg Industry Conference and Mid-Atlantic Layer Management Workshop will be held Aug. 12-13 at Grandover Resort and Conference Center, Greensboro. For more, contact Keith Anderson, (919) 515-5527.

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The N.C. Goat and Sheep Producers Roundup III will be held Aug. 14 & 15 at the Guilford County Cooperative Extension Center and N.C. A&T State research farm in Greensboro. The two-day educational conference features the latest information on producing and marketing goats and sheep, a N.C. Chef’s Cook-off of chevon and lamb on Aug. 14 and youth programs on the Aug. 15. For more information and to register, contact Martha Mobley, extension agent, at (919) 496-3344 or go to franklin.ces.ncsu.edu.

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Registration for Central Carolina Community College’s sustainable agriculture classes will be held Aug. 19 at the Pittsboro campus. The sustainable agriculture degree program and non-credit continuing education classes emphasize sustainable production and marketing of high quality crops. Go to www.cccc.edu/Agriculture for a full list of courses and information on registering, or call Robin Kohanowich at (919) 542-6495, ext. 229 for more.

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The Ashe County Friends of Agriculture will host the following two upcoming events: an Open Horse Show Aug. 22 at the Ashe County Ag Expo Center in West Jefferson. Registration opens at 10 a.m. Show starts at 11 a.m.; Little Boots Rodeo, Sept. 19, at 10 a.m., open to youth of all ages and includes horse and non-horse events such as mutton busting, cowboy boot race, toy truck race, etc; Extreme Mountain Cowboy Race, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. For more, contact Mike Johnson at (336) 877-5838 or 877-0557.

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The 2009 Agriculture Expo will be held Aug. 29 from 1-9 p.m. at the Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs. Producers of all agricultural commodities including Christmas trees, livestock, row crops and small fruits and berries are invited to learn new ways to diversify their farms and see some of the ongoing research projects at the station. University specialists will be on hand to talk about research projects and new equipment and production techniques. Cost is $10 and includes a farm fresh dinner prepared by the Ashe/Alleghany Cattleman’s Association. For more, contact N.C. Cooperative Extension in Ashe County at (336) 846-5850 or in Alleghany County at (336) 372-5597.

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The Fall Equestrian Exchange Consignment Sale will be held Sept. 3-7 in the Holshouser Building at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. The sale offers opportunity to buy and sell equestrian-related items, tack and barn supplies. A preview sale on Sept. 3 from 5 to 9 p.m. is $6. Admission is free Sept. 4-7. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 4-6, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 7. Drop off items to sale Sept. 2 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pick up unsold items Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Consignors earn 75 percent of sales. For more, contact Lynn Beeson, (336) 697-1097 or go to www.EquestrianExchange.com.

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The N.C. Simmental Association will hold a Simmental sale featuring bulls, cows and heifers Sept. 5 at noon in Statesville. Call (336) 468-1679 or e-mail ncsa@yadtel.net for a catalog.

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The 9th Annual Justice Community Antique Tractor, Car and Engine Show will be held Sept. 11 & 12 at Duke Memorial Baptist Church in Louisburg. Times are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Admission for ages 12 and up is $5. Contact Donnie Aycock, (919) 853-2925; Paul Kilmer, (919) 496-2522; or Phillip Rice, (919) 853-3161 for more information.

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There will be an open horse show Sept. 12 starting at 1 p.m. at Biggerstaff Park Horse Complex in Dallas. For more, call Judy Yarbrough at (704) 400-1899.

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The Coastal Carolina Saddle Club will hold horse shows Sept. 12 and Oct. 10 beginning at 10 a.m. Rain dates are the following Sundays. Shows feature English, Western and gaming classes. For more, contact Linda Barker at (252) 560-3213.

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The Gaston County Saddle Club will host an open horse show Sept. 19 at Biggerstaff Park in Dallas. For more, contact Marlin Chappell at (704) 263-8366 or Diane Craig at (704) 732-2745 for a show-class sheet.

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The N.C. Forestry Association will hold its annual meeting Oct. 7-9 at the Marriott Grande Dunes Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. For more, contact Chris Brown with the NCFA at (800) 231-7723.

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The Farm Bureau BioAg Symposium will be held Nov. 12 at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Biotechnology Research and Training Center. The free, daylong education symposium will cover many aspects of agriculture. Topics focus on: forestry, freshwater fish production, organic food production, increased farm production, honey bees and the N.C. food supply, practical seed and plant tissue culture, future feedstocks in North Carolina, impacts of farming on the state’s natural resources and biofuels quality. Lunch will be provided. The event is hosted by UNCP and the N.C. Community College System’s BioNetwork/BioAg Center. For more, contact Ed Hunt, (910) 345-0080 or e-mail at hunte@ncbionetwork.org.

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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.

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