Bucolic Briefs
The Johnston County Mule and Donkey Fundraiser Show will be held May 7 at the Johnston County Arena on N.C. Hwy. 210 in Smithfield. Prizes will be awarded for division winners and trophies and ribbons will be presented in each class. Entry fee is $8 per class. The entry deadline is April 29. Registration starts at 8 a.m. with the show starting at 10 a.m. Admission is $5 for adults and children 12 and under are admitted free. For more, contact Leon Joyner, (910) 379-9916 or e-mail at LeonJoyner55@yahoo.com.
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The Carolina Mane Event Show Circuit will host shows May 7 & 8 and Aug. 6 & 7 at the Hunt Horse Complex in Raleigh. For more on the shows, contact Michele McLaughlin at (919) 934-1344, e-mail at sileeno@ipass.net or go to www.ipass.net/cmesc.
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Dairy farmers will vote May 24 on whether to continue to allocate a portion of the mandatory national dairy check-off fee collected for North Carolina dairy promotions. Currently, 10 cents of the 15 cents collected per hundredweight of milk is designated to dairy promotions in North Carolina. The remaining 5 cents goes to National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. N.C. dairy producers must vote every six years to renew the 10-cent local promotion option through the N.C. Dairy Referendum. Every dairy farm in the state has a vote, and to pass the referendum, two-thirds of those voting must approve the measure. Dairymen should contact their local N.C. Cooperative Extension Service to find their voting location.
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The Carolina Paint Horse Club has announced its 2011 show schedule. Following is the schedule: Summer Daze show, May 28 and 29 at The Circle M Ranch in Pelzer, SC; Dog Days show, July 30 and 31 at the Sen. Bob Martin Agricultural Center in Williamston; the Fall Fling show, Sept. 17 at Colfax; and the Cardinal Classic, Oct. 15 and 16, at the WNC Agricultural Center, Fletcher. For more on shows, contact CPHC president Tony Honeycutt, (704) 792-2122 or go to www.thecarolinapainthorseclub.com.
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The N.C. State Championship Horse Drawn Plowing Contest will be held June 4 at 10 a.m. at the historic Ivey Burn Plantation six miles south of Erwin on N.C. 217. Contest categories include single walking plow, team walking plow, team antique riding plow, team modern riding plow, team consisting of three or more horses, mules, single ox and team oxen. Contestants will compete for cash prizes, trophies and bragging rights. Cost to enter contests is $10 per category. Event is free for spectators. There will also be free horse drawn wagon rides. For more information, contact Ronnie Bowen at (919) 820-4067 or Wayne Collier at (910) 980-0066 or e-mail at bowen898@yahoo.com. The contest is sponsored by the N.C. Work Horse and Mule Association.
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The North Carolina chapter of Re-Run, a non-profit organization that places ex-racehorses into adoptive homes, now has thoroughbred racehorses available for adoption. Thoroughbreds are versatile and do well in any number of disciplines including shows, events, fox hunting or pleasure riding, according to Elizabeth Macdonald with Re-Run. For more, go to www.rerun.org or contact Elizabeth Macdonald at hemacd@mindspring.com.
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