Ray Family Farms is proud to support the Franklin County 4H "Snout to Tail Dinner & Auction" event.

Louisburg, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/21/2013 -- Looking for a special evening with a delicious, organic meal that will also give back to the community? Well look no further than the Ray Family Farms sponsored "Snout to Tail Dinner & Auction" event!

Ray Family Farms is a North Carolina sustainable farm venture providing safe, delicious and affordable food to families in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Their dedication to organic farming and energy conservation practices has designated them as one of President Obama's "Champions of Change", an honor given to those making great strides in their local community.

The "Snout to Tail Dinner & Auction" event supports the Franklin County 4H Endowment Fund and the Dirt 4H Club expenses. 4H is an organization aimed at instilling leadership, citizenship and life skills in the lives of young people across America. The local Franklin County chapters assist in providing higher education opportunities and sponsored trips to their 4H members.

The "Snout to Tail Dinner & Auction" will be held at the Pilot Lions Club in Zebulon, NC on Thursday April 4, 2013 at 6PM. Tickets to the event are $30 per person and are available on the Ray Family Farms website. The dinner will be prepared by Chef Terri Hutter from Interfaith Food Shuttle with free-range pork donated from Ray Family Farms and organic vegetables donated from Vollmer Farms. The meal will be family-style with 4H members helping to serve the food.

The auction will begin after dinner at 7:30PM. Items already donated for bid include a 55" flat screen TV, a pig picking for 50 people, a brand new riding lawn mower and two new dental patient exams to a local Franklin county dental office. All proceeds from the auction support the Franklin County 4H Endowment Fund and Dirt 4H Club expenses.

If you would like to attend the "Snout to Tail Dinner & Auction", please call Chad Ray at 919-422-1365 or visit the Ray Family Farms website to purchase tickets.

About Ray Family Farms
A husband and wife team, Chad and Jodi Ray began Ray Family Farms over 25 years ago. Their farm has grown in size and popularity with the North Carolina locals, becoming a prime source for beef, pork and additional meats. Ray Family Farms has been nationally recognized for their contributions to organic farming and energy conservation practices, continuing to make great environmental strides in their community. Contact Ray Family Farms to visit their farm or for more information at 919-422-1365 or on their website.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Ray Family Farms is celebrating the holiday season with their second annual "Christmas Celebration in the Barn" event.

Louisburg, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/14/2012 -- Looking for a fun and family-friendly Christmas celebration that will also give back to the community? Well look no further than Ray Family Farms "Christmas Celebration in the Barn" event!

Ray Family Farms is a North Carolina sustainable farm venture providing safe, delicious and affordable food to families in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Their dedication to organic farming and energy conservation practices has designated them as one of President Obama's "Champions of Change", an honor given to those making great strides in their local community.

"Christmas Celebration in the Barn" is an annual event in which Ray Family Farms opens their barn doors (literally) to the community to come and learn about their sustainable farming practices while also enjoying festive Christmas music, food, and up and close personal farm animals! This year's celebration will have holiday favorite refreshments, a bonfire, and live Christmas music from the Raven Ridge Band.

This is Ray Family Farms second year hosting the "Christmas Celebration in the Barn." The event had over 315 people in attendance and this year's celebration is expected to be even bigger. This year's event will take place December 23, 2012 and starts at 7PM at Ray Family Farms in Bunn, North Carolina. Address and directions to the farm can be found on their website at www.RayFamilyFarms.com

In addition to a fun holiday celebration, Ray Family Farms is also raising money for two North Carolina families. They will be "passing the feed bucket" to help one family at Christmas and assist a young boy, who recently lost his mother to cancer, start a college fund. Both the family and young boy are long-time family friends of the Farm.

Last year's celebration surpassed all expectations and this year is expected to do the same. So come one, come all to "Christmas Celebration in the Barn"!

About Ray Family Farms
A husband and wife team, Chad and Jodi Ray began Ray Family Farms over 25 years ago. Their farm has grown in size and popularity with the North Carolina locals, becoming a prime source for beef, pork and additional meats. Ray Family Farms has been nationally recognized for their contributions to organic farming and energy conservation practices, continuing to make great environmental strides in their community. Contact Ray Family Farms to visit their farm or for more information at 919-422-1365 or on their website

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

US dept of Ag provides local farmer, Ray Family Farms, with financial support for Solar energy efforts.

Louisburg, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/21/2012 -- A Franklin County farming family wants to get back to sustainable, localized and profitable ways of growing food, and their efforts are being held up as a model by the federal government.

Chad Ray, a tenth-generation farmer at Ray Family Farms in Louisburg, says he aims for the "triple bottom-line."

"We all have to make money. We all have to have profit, but we also throw in the people and the planet into the mix. All three have got to work," he said.

Ray lets nature do as much work as possible from his free-range chickens and turkeys to his grass-fed beef cattle.

"We're just trying to take the land that was given us and raise the best animals that we can that will give us back the best food we can," he said.

Atop Ray's red barn is his latest effort at sustainability: 42 solar panels, made possible by an $11,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $20,000 grant from the Farm Bureau and about $14,000 of his own money.

The solar panels generate enough energy to power a third of the farm's operations, saving about $150 a month. The energy is sent directly into the common electric grid.

"Technically, we're not using it. You may be using it. Our neighbor may be using it. A building downtown may be using it," Ray said. "We don't know where the energy's going. It's just going to the grid."

A USDA agent will visit the Ray Family Farm Tuesday to see how Ray's solar project is working. The agency will also host a roundtable at North Carolina State University to discuss how the federal government can help small farmers and create jobs.

Ray said the solar panels will make only a small dent in feeding America's appetite for electricity, but the project is a huge step froward in his dream of a more energy-efficient, self-sustaining and natural world.

"The sun grows our chickens," he said. "The sun grows our grass that we cut for hay that feeds our crops. The sun grows our vegetables that feed ourselves and other people."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm