River-Ready Heirlooms John Hollifield’s bamboo rods are works of art

Haywood EMC was proud to present Upper Hominy Fire & Rescue with this contribution.

HEMC Helps Power Local VFDs

Jonathan Creek Fire and Rescue, Clyde Fire Department and Upper Hominy Fire & Rescue requested help from Haywood EMC to purchase new equipment. Jonathan Creek Fire and Rescue Chairman Tim Sisk said, “These funds will be used to upgrade our exterior lights to LED fixtures.”

Money requested from Clyde Fire Department “will be used for the purchase of a new AED unit,” said Chief Mitch Sellars.

Upper Hominy Fire & Rescue requested help from Haywood EMC to purchase a new chainsaw. “This chainsaw will be placed on a new fire engine and will assist us in our fire and rescue efforts,” said Fire Chief Shane Prestwood.

In appreciation for the fire departments’ assistance during outages and emergency work for our member-owners, Haywood EMC was glad to return the favor with a small grant towards the purchase of this equipment at each fire department.

Powering Agriculture and Rural Communities

Agriculture is North Carolina’s top industry, and its history is closely intertwined with electric cooperatives. Electric co-ops like Haywood EMC were founded by farmers to bring power to rural areas which grew from their hard work and ingenuity.

National Ag Day was March 24, but we are thankful every day for the opportunity to continue partnering with our agricultural member-owners to reduce farms’ carbon footprints, lower operating costs and provide added productivity and convenience. Examples of these efforts include:

Innovative Energy Projects.

North Carolina’s electric cooperatives worked with Harnett County- based Butler Farms to create one of the state’s first self-powering agricultural microgrids (visit ncelectriccooperatives.com/energyinnovation/microgrids), which incorporates biogas from swine waste and solar energy to generate electricity and provide power reliability. A second agricultural microgrid is being developed in partnership with Hyde County egg producer Rose Acre Farms. „ Electrification of Farm Equipment and Processes. The state’s electric cooperatives, including

Haywood EMC, are also helping identify ways to electrify agricultural processes and help make them cleaner, smarter and cheaper.

Advances in technology have allowed farm equipment such as tractors, irrigation systems, robotic milking and automatic feed pushers, along with operations like controlled environment agriculture, to be powered through electricity instead of fossil fuels, offering a wide range of benefits to farmers. „ Reducing Farm Energy Costs.

The North Carolina Energy Audit

Program provided discounted energy audits to help farmers prioritize energy efficiency projects and access funding for equipment upgrades in 2020.

Lilly Ensley Brooks Valentine

Two Local High School Seniors Receive Touchstone Energy Scholarships

Each year, Haywood EMC awards scholarships to local high school seniors through our Touchstone Energy Scholarship program. The TSE Scholarships assist the local high school seniors in attending the college or university of their choice.

Last year, Haywood EMC awarded Touchstone Energy scholarships to Brooks Valentine and Lilly Ensley, both of Pisgah High School. Brooks is attending University of North Carolina, while Lilly is attending Appalachian State University.

Visit haywoodemc.com to learn more about the TSE Scholarship, or have a student you know apply next year!

Congratulations to Haywood EMC’s 2020 Basketball Camp Winner

Our Basketball Camp Scholarship was Anthony Qemali from Summit Charter School. Congratulations, Anthony!

Unfortunately, both UNC and NC State’s Basketball Camps had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we still wanted to honor Anthony as the winner for 2020.

HEMC Powers Bright Ideas Grants to Educators

Haywood EMC awarded over $10,000 in Bright Ideas Education Grants to outstanding educators in our local schools. These grants are awarded each year to teachers for Innovative projects that enhance student learning. With the unique challenges faced by educators this school year, we had some of our most creative projects yet!

Since 1994, Haywood EMC has contributed to helping teachers accomplish their creative projects along with North Carolina’s other 25 electric cooperatives. Collectively, the cooperatives across the state have funded projects benefitting over 2 million students!