Farm City Banquet

The 56th Annual Farm City Banquet will be held on Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 6:00PM at the Boone United Methodist Church located on New Market Boulevard in Boone. The theme for this years banquet is “High Country Grown” as we celebrate our High Country grown produce, programs, and people. Following a local food supper, we will recognize individuals for their contributions and support of our local agricultural economy. Local bluegrass musicians, the Blue Ribbon Boys, will provide entertainment. We will also have door prizes that will be given out at the end of the celebration.

This year, awards will be given out to individuals and/or businesses that have made significant contributions to agriculture; organizations, service or civic, that have benefited the community and agricultural economy, and groups that have made significant contributions to volunteerism, local agri-tourism, and socially-sustainable agricultural practices. Commodity groups also will award their respective producers of the year, and Watauga Soil and Water will present the Farm Family of the Year award.

Door prizes will include baskets filled with locally produced foods and other items. In addition, the Watauga Arts Council has arranged for a local artist to finish a piece of art with an agriculture theme to be given away at the event. This year, Watauga County Farm Bureau (Farm City's "Gold Sponsor") is also hosting a canned food drive at the Banquet. Guests are asked to please bring canned food items to be given to area food banks.

Nomination forms for Farm City Awards are available online HERE

Tickets are $10.00 per person (children 5 and under eat for free; children 6-12, $5) and can be purchased at the NC Cooperative Extension Office, 971 W King St., Boone. No tickets will be sold at the door and ticket sales are limited to 250. For more info, please call 828-264-3061.

Watauga County Farm Bureau and our sponsors are a snapshot of the commodity associations, private businesses, and agencies that form a long list of those who support Agriculture one farm at a time...and WE THANK THEM:

Hollar and Greene Produce, Carolina Farm Credit, Southern AG, PHARMN, the Watauga County Farmers Market, the Watauga County Christmas Tree Association, Mountain Kubota of Boone, Allen Wealth Management, Critcher Brothers Produce, the Watauga Cattlemen’s Association, Watauga County Soil and Water, Goodnight Brothers Hams, Mountain Keepers, the Watauga Beekeepers Association, and Bandana’s.

Teen Leadership Conference

2011

Teen Leadership Focus Conference

November 4-5

Sertoma 4-H Educational Center

Sertoma is located above Winston-Salem, about 2:15 from Boone

Join other 4-H members from across the state

Fun, social time

Leadership workshops

Hungry to Help food drive feature

Registration Due Date: October 14

Cost: $95. This fee includes facilities, meals (Friday dinner and Saturday breakfast, lunch and bag dinner to go), insurance, supplies, audio-visual equipment and lodging. Lodging at both facilities will be in cabins.

TENTATIVE AGENDA

Friday

4:00-6:00 Registration

6:00 Kick-off meeting

7:00 Dinner

8:00-9:30 PM Workshops

9:30-11:00 Dance

11:30 Lights out

Saturday

7:00-7:45 Breakfast

8:00 Group meeting

9:00-10:30 Workshop

10:45-12:15 Workshop

12:30-1:15 Lunch

3:15-4:45 Workshop

4;45-5:15 District Meeting

5:30-6:00 Closing business meeting

6:00 Adjourn; box dinners to go

District Meetings

Closing Business Meeting

Adjourn – Travel Safe!

Box Dinners to-go

DAILY DRESS CODE: Males or Females: Jeans, Khakis, T-Shirts, tennis shoes • No cut offs or worn jeans with holes

Scholarship Opportunity

The General Hugh Shelton Leadership Center is pleased to offer for the 8th year a major 4-year college scholarship. Each year one emerging student leader has been awarded essentially a full scholarship for all 4 years to NC State. Next year's winner could be from your school!!! The mission of this Center, housed at N.C.State University is to "inspire, educate, and develop values-based leaders who are committed to personal integrity, professional ethics and selfless service". We conduct scholarship programs, executive forums, and youth outreach programs. As a part of the scholarship program we have endowed the General Hugh Shelton National Student Leadership Scholarship. Essentially, we are trying to identify and reward America's most outstanding high school student leader. The type of student leaders you are producing are exactly the ones who may be qualified and interested in pursuing this scholarship, valued at $10,000 per year(and renewable), plus an annual $2,000 stipend for external leadership experiences such as study abroad.

The following website will provide a description of the scholarship,

the criteria and the application, which is due this year by Nov. 1.

http://www.ncsu.edu/extension/sheltonleadership/leadership-scholarships/national-scholarships.php

National 4-H Week 2011

October 2-8 is National 4-H Week

The theme for 2011 is:

Youth: Joining the Revolution of Responsibility

Writer: Mitzi Downing, mitzi_downing@ncsu.edu, 919-515-8487

For more than 101 years, the 4-H Program of North Carolina has been engaging youth in programs that help develop skills for a lifetime. These skills range from communication to community service and from goal setting to leadership. Regardless of the skill learned, the benefits gathered from a young person participating in the 4-H Program are priceless.

The 4-H is the largest youth development program in the nation, serving more than 6.5 million youth annually. Administered by North Carolina Cooperative Extension at NC State University and NC A&T State University, 4-H serves youth in all 100 counties in the state plus the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians through a network of 100 County Extension Offices. 4-H is managed jointly by both a professional and volunteer staff. North Carolina 4-H, one of the leading 4-H programs in the country, has more than 218,000 youth participants and more than 21,000 volunteers working together to deliver the more than 100 projects, opportunities, and events offered annually through the program.

4-H is unique in that it offers experiences to the most urban young person and youth in rural areas by providing the opportunity to participate in community 4-H clubs, K-12 outreach programs (delivered in school classrooms), day and overnight camps, and other special interest opportunities. North Carolina 4-H serves the sons and daugthers of our military personnel through the 4-H Military Program located throughout the state, primarily on military bases.

Youth members can participate in a variety of projects in the areas of science, technology, engineering, math, healthy living, citizenship and leadership. Beyond the excitement of learning something new through a project, youth have the opportunity to participate in citizenship and leadership conferences, travel the state, become involved in their community through service, and meet new friends in a safe and comfortable setting.

4-H youth are a living, breathing, culture-changing Revolution for doing the right thing, breaking through obstacles and pushing our country forward by making a measureable difference right where they live.

If you would like to learn more about 4-H, or have a family member wanting to join 4-H, contact your local Watauga County Extension Office or visit the North Carolina 4-H Youth Development website at: nc4h.org.