Multiple meetings were held with the new State Veterinarian, Dr. Michael Martin.  We look forward to working with Mike and increasing our joint efforts as we address the health of equine in our State.  We also have a new livestock veterinarian, Dr. Catharine Harris.  Continued meetings are planned to develop a strong working connection with the State Veterinarian Office.

The North Carolina State Fair Hall of Fame Committee met in September to identify nominees for induction into the Hall of Fame.  This years’ nominees come from Cattle and Sheep.  Next year will be the time to consider an equine nominee.

The Great Trails State Coalition also met in September.  We were invited to join the Committee as the Equine Representative.  Next year has been designated as the Year of the Trail.  We have already begun planning for major events throughout our State.  In addition, we were proud to award a major grant to the Piedmont Land Conservancy for the construction of a new Equine Trail.  We look forward to working with them to complete the Project at Bandera Farms.

The Executive Committee of the Coalition of State Horse Councils met to discuss our Fall Meeting and the development of our new webpage.  The Fall meeting is being held virtually and will occur on October 27^th.  The tentative agenda will include orientation to the new webpage, an educational session on how to make a regulatory public comment, roundtable of reports from each State and how to become more involved with the Outdoor Recreation Council.

Our Financial Review was completed during September.  Multiple materials and conversations with our Auditors occurred to complete the review.  A draft budget has been prepared for final review at the next Board of Director’s Meeting.

The month ended with preparation for our Annual Meeting.  We will be hosting the meeting in Lumberton, NC at the Southeastern Agricultural Center.  The Nominating Committee has completed its work.  A slate of potential Board Members has been submitted for consideration.  The Annual Membership Meeting and the Board of Director’s Meeting will occur back -to- back in November.