Trail Riding Opportunities As the warmer months approach and children are out for summer break, many moms are looking for summertime activities. Many do not realize how many horseback riding opportunities North Carolina has. Our state offers a wide variety of trails and facilities. North Carolina - STATE & COUNTY PARKS (County, Nearest City, Contact Information) American Tobacco Trail, Wake, Apex (919) 387-2117 Bladen Lakes (State), Bladen, Elizabethtown (910) 588-4964 Cane Creek Park (County), Union, Waxhaw, (704) 843-3919 Cedar Rock County Parks & Rec. (County), Alamance, Graham, (336) 570-6760 Dupont State Forest, Transylvania, Cedar Mountain, (828) 877-6527 Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes, Danbury, (336) 593-8480 Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, Johnston County, (919) 938-0115 Latta Plantation Park (County), Mecklenburg, Huntersville, (704) 875-0808 Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly, Albemarle, (704) 982-4402 Pilot Mountain State Park, Surry/Yadkin, Pinn ...

The first Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. It was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a Nebraska journalist and politician originally from Michigan.  Throughout his long and productive career, Morton worked to improve agricultural techniques in his adopted state and throughout the United States when he served as President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture. But his most important legacy is Arbor Day. Morton felt that Nebraska's landscape and economy would benefit from the wide-scale planting of trees. He set an example himself planting orchards, shade trees and wind breaks on his own farm and he urged his neighbors to follow suit.  Morton's real opportunity, though, arrived when he became a member of Nebraska's state board of agriculture.  He proposed that a special day be set aside dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees.  Nebraska's first Arbor Day was an amazing success.  More than one million tr ...

As we approach the time of year when more and more individuals and farms are working with their plants and crops the risk of dangerous exposure to chemicals needs to be considered. Pesticides can be particularly harmful to those working on farms as they are often used for crops. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has pointed out several issues to remember when working with agricultural chemicals.  "Pesticides can be dangerous if you are working in fields that have been treated or sprayed with them or when handling and applying them. Pesticides can enter your body in many ways. Simple contact through skin and clothes is one of the main ways chemicals enter your body. Another way is through breathing mist, dust, fumes, or smoke containing pesticides and chemicals. You can even poison yourself if you don't wash your hands before eating." Keep the following in mind when handling agricultural chemicals: Always check the product label! The label provides specific inform ...

What is National Teach Ag Day? National Teach Ag Day is a day to celebrate school-based agricultural education and to encourage agricultural education advocates, especially current agricultural educators (middle school, high school, post-secondary, pre-service programs, etc.) to share with others the great career opportunities in agricultural education. Join the celebration live from Buena Park High School Agriculture Program in Buena Park Calif. Log on between 10 a.m. and 12p.m. Pacific time TODAY to hear Alicia Hodnik, 2012 National FFA Central Region Vice-President, and tour Buena Park’s state of art facilities.  You can also use Twitter, Facebook and email to ask panelists about majoring in agricultural education, how to get hired, and what it’s like to teach agriculture. See below for ways to get involved! WHAT HAPPENS ON NATIONAL TEACH AG DAY? Agricultural educators and agricultural education advocates will engage in a variety of activities to celebrate and promote the career of agr ...

First Pioneer Insurance Agency has achieved the On Your Side® Master Farm Certification designation from Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Company, Des Moines, IA. Master Farm Certification is the next step in Nationwide Agribusiness’ On Your Side Farm Certification program. Farmers can depend on a Master Farm Certified agent to have an in-depth understanding of their farming operations, provide detailed risk assessments, educate them about exposures, match coverages to meet their needs, and provide professional, knowledgeable service. “We’re excited First Pioneer Insurance Agency has become Master Certified,” said Clayton Evans, Agency Vice President. “We have made a commitment to help protect farmers with the highest levels of professionalism and service. Master certification tells our farmers that we’ll keep investing in training to be sure we’re positioned to help protect them now and into the future.” The Master Farm Certified designation is also in ...

Every year growers face losing crops due to freezing temperatures. There are a couple of ways that you can reduce your risk of crop loss due to freeze damage.  Some techniques are effective in the winter when there is a freeze risk present as well as other preventive techniques which include scheduling planting and harvesting at appropriate times. Two terms to know, freeze means “subfreezing temperature conditions that cause crop damage” also known as “killing frost”. Frost is associated with a weather condition when air temperatures are at the freezing point of water or below but may not result in freeze damage to crops. It may be advantageous to use techniques as adding heat and covering crops when the chance for a freeze is present.  It is also important to consider freeze and frost risks when scheduling a planting season.  Harvesting during a freeze-free period is critical to crop yield success as well as proper crop and field selection. The temperatures at which ...

How to Shield Yourself and Employees from the Heat

There's nothing quite like sitting back on a comfy outdoor chair, or dining al fresco, when the sun's up and all seems right with the world. But if that's the sort of opportunity you have on your mind right now, maybe you should be getting a little groundwork done. And, if you have a patio or deck, that means checking it for wear and tear, making repairs and sprucing it up for the best of the spring and summer months. Whether you’re enjoying your deck resting in the cool breeze by the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, Blowing Rock or Banner Elk, indulging in a barbecue after a game of golf in Southern Pines or Pinehurst, or soaking up the sun in the Piedmont area of Asheboro, North Carolina, there are a few helpful suggestions we offer that will facilitate at keeping the longevity and protection of your deck for yourself and others to enjoy during these beautiful summer months. The life expectancy of a wooden deck is around 10 to 15 years and the Home Safety Council reckons that in any one year 20 millio ...

These days everyone is looking to save money. Looking for cheaper insurance is one way to lower costs. But, what if taking cheaper insurance was going to leave your family vulnerable to expensive denied claims? Do you know the true cost of your insurance policy? Toni Maccarone, Personal Lines Account Manager, just had a client come by to say he had received a lower quote from an 800# on his auto insurance. She asked if it offered the same protection as his current coverage and sure enough, it did not. The cheaper quote our client had received lacked the protection he needed. After comparing the 800# quote to his current protection, Toni took the time to explain the differences between the cheaper quote and his current protection. The client appreciated this personal service and decided to stay with the superior protection he has with First Pioneer Insurance Agency. Don’t let a few dollars put your family in harm’s way with expensive denied claims. We want you to know that your coverage is doing ...

North Carolina ranks number one nationwide in the production of flue-cured tobacco and sweet potatoes; second in the growth of Christmas trees; third in the production of cucumber and strawberries; and, fourth in the production of upland cotton. Particularly during the planting and harvest seasons, dangerous situations may arise from slow moving agricultural machinery on the roadways. There has been an uptick in accidents on public roads in recent years that involved agricultural equipment for a multitude of reasons. There is an estimated sum of 52,500 Farms in North Carolina with total farmland size averaging a whopping 8.4 million acres. Notably, Banner Elk, Boone and West Jefferson, North Carolina is prominently known for its production of Fraser Fir Christmas Trees. Today's farms and ranches have increased in size, and land being farmed is often separated by longer distances. This means farm machinery has to be transported on public roads for further distances than in the past. The equipment itself is a ...