Christmas Tree Sale

The Young Farmer’s and the RCHS FFA will be selling Christmas Trees as a joint venture this year. Trees may be pre-ordered for pickup at the school on December 3 or December 10. Walk-in tree sales begin December 4 and run thru December 18 at the RCHS Vo-Tech fenced in lot .

Hours of operation:
Monday – Friday: 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: noon to 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 to 4 p.m.

Please consider purchasing your trees from the Young Farmers/FFA this year. In addition to trees, the Horticulture students will be selling centerpieces and wreaths.

November Meeting

The November meeting of the Rockbridge Young Farmers Association will take place on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 7pm in the RCHS Ag Department Classroom.

Our guest speaker will be Bob Rhodes of Micron Bio-Systems (Buena Vista, VA). Micron Bio-Systems is an international leader in biotechnology. Utilizing their scientific expertise in Microbiology, Enzymology, Biochemistry and Immunology they develop product-based solutions for the Animal Husbandry, Companion Pet and Environmental markets.

In addition to Mr. Rhodes’ presentation, we will also discuss plans to participate in the Christmas parade, as well as plans for a Christmas tree sale. All are welcome to attend.

October Meeting

The October meeting of the Rockbridge Young Farmer’s will be held Thursday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the ag department at Rockbridge County High School. Please note the meeting time is 7 p.m. We will discuss the possibility of selling Christmas trees in a joint venture with the FFA and begin planning for other fall and winter activities. Refreshments will be served. Bring a friend!

2009 Raffle Results

Thank you to everyone who supported this years raffle. The proceeds, as always, will fund scholarship awards for college students, or current seniors, who are pursuing agriculture related degrees in a 2 year or 4 year college program.

Raffle Winners:

Black Powder Rifle: Carolyn Withers
JD Pedal Tractor: Ellen Martin
$150 gas card: Ben Cline
$100 Wal-Mart card: Brian Garrett
Linda Patrick Print: Mary Merchant
Farmall Print: Jimmy Gwynn – Augusta Mutual Insurance
Handspun Yarn: Rebekah Berry

Annual Picnic

The annual Young Farmer’s picnic will be held Sunday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. at the home of Jon and Jane McDonald, 520 Walkers Creek Road in Rockbridge Baths.

Please bring a covered dish & drink to share.
The McDonald’s are providing beef barbecue. Plates, cups, napkins and cutlery will be provided.

IMPORTANT: We will be drawing the winners of the raffle prizes. Please bring all of the tickets you have sold. If you do not plan to attend the picnic, please bring the tickets and money to Bobbi at Farm Credit by Friday, Sept. 11.

Hope to see everyone at the picnic…Bring a friend!

September Meeting

There will not be a formal meeting for September, instead we will be having our annual membership picnic on Sunday, September 13th. Details to come.

August Meeting

The August meeting of Rockbridge Young Farmer’s will take place next Thursday, August 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Leisure Time Restaurant located inside America’s Best Value Inn north of Lexington. Dinner will be Dutch Treat.

We will be discussing raffle ticket sales, specifically August 29 at the Rockbridge Community Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you have not picked up your tickets, you may do so at Farm Credit or at this meeting. We also hope to have a draft of the new tri-fold brochure to review at the meeting. We would like to have copies made to distribute at the Festival to prospective new members. We will also finalize plans for our annual picnic on Sept. 13.

2009 Rockbridge County Fair Events a Success!

Thanks to everyone for coming out and participating in the Rockbridge Young Farmers Association sponsored events at the 2009 Rockbridge County Fair. A good time was had by all who attended. We are looking forward to continuing the tradition next year at the 2010 Rockbridge County Fair.

Kiddie Pedal Pull Results (We had over 25 participants!)

Ages 3-4:
First: Colby Jarvis (Fairfield), Second: DJ (last name unavailable), Third: Alex Bryant (Beaver, WV), Fourth: Isola Altizer (Renick, WV), Fifth: Leland Gates (Lexington), Sixth: Trey Lewis (Rockbridge Baths)

Ages 5-6:
First: James McDonald (Rockbridge Baths), Second: Austin Higgins (Kerrs Creek), Third: Sage Marcum (Lexington), Fourth: Ashley Conner (Natural Bridge Station), Fifth: Justin Smith (Monroe, VA), Sixth: Daniel Humphries (Buena Vista)

Ages 7-8:
First: Emma Marcum (Lexington), Second: Austin Doyle (Lexington), Third: Wes Jarvis (Fairfield), Fourth: Cole Higgins, Fifth: Abigail Hattersley (Buena Vista), Sixth: Fran Manspile (Lexington)

Rockbridge County Fair Events

Kids Tractor Pedal Pull
Saturday, July 18, 2009
1:00pm
East Complex
Virginia Horse Center

CLASSES
3-4 years old
5-6 years old
7-8 years old

Registration Day of Pull
Classes may be limited

Fun for the Whole Family
All you need to bring is YOUR CHILD!

8th Annual Redneck Barnyard Olympics
Saturday, July 18, 2009
2:00pm
East Complex
Virginia Horse Center

EVENTS:

Straw Bale Toss
Blind Tractor Driving
Hillbilly Horseshoes
Water Balloon Race

* Events subject to change or be added to rules and regulations for each event will be announced the day of the events.
First Place Rosettes will be awarded. Decisions of the judges are FINAL!

July Meeting

The Rockbridge Association of Young Farmers will meet Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at Salerno’s Restaurant on Jefferson Street in Lexington. Dinner will be Dutch Treat. We will discuss plans for the Barnyard Olympics and pass out raffle tickets so everyone can start selling. PLEASE contact Bobbi Loudermilk ASAP if you have secured a prize to be used for the raffle. So far we have a very nice black powder rifle, $150 gas card, $100 Wal-Mart card, $100 framed print “Farmall Friends” and 2 skeins of hand spun Mohair yarn.

Hope to see you there!

May Meeting

The Rockbridge Association of Young Farmer's will meet on Thursday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ag Dept. at Rockbridge County High School.

Scott Hannah, Director of Vocational Education and Transportation will speak with us to discuss ways in which our group can support the agriculture program at RCHS.

Please bring along ideas for our annual fundraiser. In the past we have had a raffle. If you have other ideas, we'd like to hear them.

Please bring along a friend and also a refreshment to share.

April Meeting

The Rockbridge Young Farmers will meet on Thursday, April 2nd at 7:30pm at Leisure Time Bar and Grill located in America's Best Value Inn, North Lee Highway. Dinner will be Dutch treat. Our guest speaker will be Tammy Halsey, Curriculum Specialist with The Agricultural Education Department at Virginia Tech. Ms. Halsey will speak to us about the possibility of adding FFA alumni to our chapter.

If you have not paid your dues, please come prepared to do so.

Bring a friend! Hope to see you there!

National Agriculture Week

The Rockbridge Association of Young Farmers salute agriculture and the future of agriculture in
Rockbridge County, Virginia and across America during

NATIONAL AGRICULTURE WEEK March 16 - 20, 2009.

National Agriculture week is an opportunity for us to honor the contributions
of the American farmer. We must not forget the important role these men and
women have on our daily lives.

Thanks to all of our farmers for their hard work and dedication.

Everyone is asked to enjoy and admire the wonders of American
Agriculture as National Agriculture Day is celebrated
on the first day of spring, March 20, 2009.

March Meeting

The Rockbridge Young Farmers will meet on Thursday, March 5th at 7:00pm in the Ag Department of RCHS. Plans will continue for the Ag Career Day preparations in connection with National Agriculture Week March 15-21, 2009. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be served.

2009 Officers

Alan Berry, President

Jessica Mills, Vice President
jessica_mills@rockbridge.k12.va.us

Jon McDonald, Treasurer
jonjanemcd@aol.com

Bobbi Loudermilk, Secretary
bloudermilk@agfirst.com

Jane McDonald, Reporter (webmaster)
mcdonaldj@wlu.edu

Scholarship Recipient

Congratulations to Matthew Deacon, the recipient of the 2008 Rockbridge Young Farmers Association Educational Scholarship. Matthew is a full-time student at Potomac State University in West Virginia.

Thank you to all who supported our annual raffle that makes this scholarship possible.