Howard County's Thirteenth An­nual Town & Country event will take place Saturday, Feb. 18, at Fayette High School. 

Town & Country promotes lo­cal businesses, provides educa­tional opportunities and recognizes citizens who have made outstanding contributions to their communities.

A business expo, educational programs, 4-H achievement dem­onstrations and an evening banquet are all part of the T&C event. Indi­viduals may attend all or one of the offerings.

Banquet - 6 p.m.

Crowning the Town & Country event is a banquet ceremony which includes a dinner catered by Coun­try Cuisine Catering, Boonville, local awards presentations, local talent and entertainment by Bruce Blakemore. Chris Rohlfing will serve as master of ceremonies. Tick­ets are $15 and must be purchased in advance. They are available at the Howard County Extension Office in the Courthouse, at Commercial Trust Co. and at New Franklin City Hall. For more information, contact the Extension Office at 248-2272. (Tickets will be collected prior to the dinner.)

 Business Expo - 1 to 5:30 p.m.

The following businesses and organizations will be represented at the business expo: Jira Unlimited, Howard County Soil & Water Conservation Dis­trict, Rotary Club, Howard County Fair Association, Young Farmers of Fayette, Market Street Floral of Fayette and Glasgow, H&R Block, Mackenzie Wells with Lia Sophia Jewelry, Love Scents (Scentsy) with Lisa Boos, Dove Chocolate Discov­eries, Melanie Lawson with Thirty-One Gifts and Valerie Simpson with Pampered Chef.

 During the business expo, a si­lent auction to benefit the 4-H Youth Program Assistant will be held.

 4-H Achievement Day

Members of 4-H will demonstrate what they have learned in the program. Sessions begin at 11:30 a.m. and will take place in the FHS classrooms.

 Show Me Quality Assurance

Available to 4-H members only will be Show Me Quality Assurance (SMQA) certification from 9 to 11 a.m. The SMQA program emphasizes good management practices in the handling and use of animal health products, and encourages producers to review their approach to their herds' health programs. By completing this program, producers demonstrate their commitment to animal production. The entire industry benefits from widespread producer commitment to the pro­gram. The program, if put into practice by the majority of U.S. producers, will help the industry protect or even expand its market. This will be accomplished by reducing the risk of incidents that could destroy consumer confidence.

Preregistration is required to attend the SMQA certification session.

 Educational Programs

The following educational pro­grams will be offered free of charge (except the pesticide applicator training session) at the times listed. Sessions will take place in FHS classrooms.

• Pesticide Applicator Training. Time: 1:30-3:30. Facilitator: Todd Lorenz, Horticulture/Agronomy Specialist. Description: After go­ing through this training, a farmer is "certified" and can legally buy restricted use pesticides for use on their farm. Licensed, Certified ap­plicators have to renew or recertify their training every five years. Cost is $20.00.

• Gardening over the age of 50. Time: 3:45-5 p.m. Facilitator-: Todd Lorenz, Horticulture/Agronomy Specialist. Description: Lorenz will discuss healthy consideration and examples of adapting tools to fit the requirements of an aging gardener.

• Celebrating Financial Freedom in the US. Time: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Facilitator: Vivian J. Mason, Ph.D., Family Financial Education Specialist. Description: During this workshop participants will define, what it means to be financial free; it means something different to everyone. For some it could mean trying to be debt free, others it might be all about saving, planning for retirement, paying off your house, or investing for the future. Simply put, financial freedom means being able to have the choice of doing the things that you enjoy without wor­rying if you will have enough to pay the bills.

• Bees and Beekeeping. Time: 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Facilitator: Dennis Potter. Potter will discuss the impor­tance of the honey bee to our food supply, the plight of the honey bee and some basic information on bee­keeping and how to get started.

• Farm Taxes - What's New & What's Not. Time: 1:30 p.m. Facilitator: Parman Green, MU Extension

• Ag Business. Description: This session will explore important income and estate tax issues farmers need to be familiar with as they develop their business and estate plans. Information presented will be useful for people doing post year-end tax planning for 2011 as well as those interested in income and estate plan­ning for 2012.

• Legislative Updates. Time: 3:30 - 5 p.m. Facilitators: State Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia), and Samantha Kemp from State Rep. Mary Still's office (D-Columbia) will be on hand to give an update and answer any questions that you might have.

• Health Screening. Time: 1:30 -5 p.m. Description: Health professionals will provide free screening for blood pressure, blood sugar, height, weight, and body-to-mass calculations. A diabetes educator/ nurse practitioner will be on hand to answer questions.

• Economic Development Update. Time: 3 p.m. Facilitator: Richard Fowler, chairman of the Howard County Economic Development Council, will have an open session answering questions on what developments are taking shape for Howard County.

• Free Business Assistance. Time: 2:30 - 5:30 p.m.) Facilitator: Virgil Woolridge, Business Development Specialist. Description: Need infor­mation on how to start a business in Missouri? Already own your business? Is your business keeping you up at night? Here is your opportunity to receive free, reliable and confidential business assistance. Stop by and visit with Virgil Woolridge, University of Missouri Extension Business Development Specialist.

Sponsors

The following businesses and organizations have donated money to make the Town & Country event possible. Sponsors with an asterisk (*) indicate donations of $250 or more.

 Heart of Missouri MFA Agri Services*
Senator Kurt Schaefer*
Commercial Trust Company*
Jira Unlimited
Addison Biological
FSC Financial
Innovatia
Howard County Veterinary Service
Rotary Club of Fayette
Howard County Soil & Water
Conservation District
Howard County Farm Bureau

Source: The Fayette Advertiser, Fayette 4, 2012