Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
STANLEY, N.C. -- The oldest farm in Gaston County is implementing some of the newest technology on their farm.
Rhyne Family Farm in Stanley has about 70 beef cattle roaming around. At a traditional farm, the cattle would walk to the creek to drink water.
At the Rhyne farm, they use a special watering device to make sure your water is clean.
The device is a large container with water inside. There are four balls that cover the container. The cows come up to the watering system, push the ball down with their head and drink water. After they drink water, the ball goes back up.
The cattle watering system keeps the debris out of the water, reduces disease and prevents the water from freezing.
The water comes from well water that is drilled specifically for agriculture use.
These practices are implemented by the farmer because whatever the farmer is doing will directly impact them as consumers.
The cattle watering system costs several hundred dollars. The state of North Carolina pays for 75 percent of the watering system. This is part of North Carolina’s Agricultural Cost Share Program.
Many farmers in North Carolina are eligible to take part in the Agriculture Cost Share Program. After all, the state wants to make sure all of our water is protected.
