I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing Thanksgiving. In spite of the current challenges with our economy, we all have so much to be thankful for. It was good to slow down a bit over the Thanksgiving holiday and take time to enjoy family, friends and reflect on our many blessings.

I know some of you are aware of the first ever Keepin' It Rural video contest that's been running in the AgFirst Farm Credit district. This contest gives you, our customers and friends, an opportunity to show us some of our favorite things about living the rural life. In other words, show us how you're keepin' it rural!

As this contest draws to an end, I've taken time to watch several of the videos submitted by customers and friends of Farm Credit. What a great group of videos we received - there's lots of talent out there! We have some very funny submissions, several with kids and families, lots of animals and some breath-taking landscape shots.

The winners have been selected and will be announced as soon as the legal folks are satisfied with signatures from all the winners. In the mean time, take a few minutes to watch some of these amazing videos. The videos will make you smile, make you laugh and make you proud you know what it means to keep it rural. http://www.ikeepitrural.com/ In addition, you'll want to fan our facebook page as we'll feature many of the videos in upcoming weeks. Carolina Farm Credit Facebook Page

Since Keepin' It Rural is about sharing what's fun and interesting about farm and country life, we've added a series of articles to the Ikeepitrural website about various issues related to that purpose. Some of the articles will be about hot-button topics while others might be about how stuff works around the farm. But, regardless of the topic, the goal is to shine a spotlight on rural America. We hope you enjoy! If you'd like to suggest a topic for us to write about, email it to us at ikeepitrural@agfirst.com

The 2nd Keepin' it Rural video contest is already underway, so get out our your cameras and start filming. You could be the $3000 winner next year!

I hope you'll slow down during the hustle and bustle of the next few weeks and reflect on the real reason we celebrate Christmas, take time to enjoy your family, friends and all that makes rural life a blessing!

Labels: Keepin' It Rural Contest Update, Mid-December