Below is a summary of local interest stories that have recently been highlighted on the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ In the Field Blog. Please feel free to use any of this content in your publications or contact us if you have any additional questions.
Eastern:
(Carteret) Supporting local at a seaside escape in Beaufort
A passion for all things local is what drives Chefs Kim Bell and Jonathan Haas and their menu choices at the Inn on Turner in Beaufort. This coastal getaway is appealing for visitors due to its short walk to the town’s historic waterfront shopping area and historic sites, but it also offers its guests a chance to enjoy a breakfast that features the best of North Carolina’s seasonal offerings. “We feature as many North Carolina small family farms as we can on our menu,” Bell said. “Supporting our local farmers is a win-win because it gives our guests quality and freshness and fuels small business and a sense of community. I think these choices represent what Beaufort is all about.” ...
(Duplin) Kornegay Hereford Farm: A Family Tradition of Passion and Care
The following blog is a guest post provided by Avery Shelton, a senior Agribusiness student at the University of Mount Olive. Shelton serves as Vice President for the Animal Science Club and plans to work in the livestock industry after graduation. The article is part of a series of blogs provided by UMO students.
Located on the outskirts of Mount Olive, Kornegay Hereford Farm or KHF provides fresh local meat and other products for consumers. The family owned farm has been passed down through generations and is currently owned and operated by Karen Scalf and assisted by her supportive husband and three outstanding children. Kornegay Hereford Farm is a 100% grass- fed beef farm that focuses on and educates others about the importance as well as benefits of regenerative agriculture. Karen Scalf says, “Growing the healthiest grass-fed Hereford beef on the family farm has been our passion since 1949.” ...
(Johnston) Agriculture, It Is All Connected!
The following blog is a guest post provided by Hannah Mayo, a junior Agribusiness major at the University of Mount Olive. Mayo is from Smithfield and serves as the Vice Chair for the University’s Collegiate Young Farmer and Rancher Committee.
Agriculture is a diverse field and it takes a lot of people and many different jobs to make agriculture successful in feeding the world. It is important that many industries work together, which is why it is all connected. The networks that exist in the field of agriculture are why we have dependable and convenient food sources. Agriculture touches all of us in our daily lives. My family raises chickens and beef cattle. My sister and her husband grow row crops such as sorghum, wheat, and soybeans. One example of the connection in agriculture on my sister’s farm involves the combine that they use to harvest soybeans in the fall. The combine harvester is manufactured and engineered to harvest grain with minimal waste. The farmer depends on the machine to work properly to complete the season’s harvest. Many times, this same combine is driving down the road to harvest the next field, with a line of impatient drivers following it. Maybe someone behind the combine is in a rush to get to the grocery store or other destination. ...
(Robeson) From the Lumbee kitchen: A soup for leftovers that won’t be a ‘gaumy mess’
Jamie Locklear grew up in the Saddletree community outside Lumberton in Robeson County. He’s a cultural preservationist of Lumbee food ways. After the work and stress of putting together a full Christmas meal, his idea for what to do with Christmas leftovers may have you singing “hallelujah! Something simple!” “It’s not a specific recipe. It’s a roadmap or even a technique for you to use with whatever leftovers you may have,” Locklear said. “You’re not trapped by this recipe. You can use whatever you have. The meat will just be your base. If you use turkey, it’ll be turkey-based. If you have ham, it’ll be a ham base.” Locklear wanted to stay true to Lumbee roots, so the ingredients for his winter squash soup are all native to America – things Lumbee people could have been growing before European settlers arrived and brought other foods. ...
(Wayne) One NC Farm That Is Udderly Awesome
The following blog is a guest post provided by Kali Kasulis, a Senior in Veterinary BioScience at the University of Mount Olive. Kasulis is also president of the UMO Animal Science Club and vice president of UMO Collegiate FFA. While attending the University of Mount Olive, Kasulis has had the opportunity to work at Cherry Farm as a part-time employee. “During my experience at Cherry, I have milked cows, used equipment, and cared for many animals,” she said. “This experience has opened many doors and opportunities for me. Not only have I learned skills that will benefit my future career as a veterinarian, but I have also been able to learn personal skills that will carry me through my adult life.”
North Carolina agriculture is very diverse. This is evident on the 18 state-owned research farms that are found across the state. North Carolina is home to the Cherry Research Farm, which was a part of Cherry Hospital. Both Cherry Hospital and the Research farm reside in Wayne County, just outside of Goldsboro. ...
(Wayne) Hooked on a life of farming
Aquaculture is a huge part of our state’s agriculture industry, something that Randy Gray knows all too well. Randy is the owner and operator of Circle G Farms in Pikeville as well as the president of the N.C. Aquaculture Association. Although he hasn’t raised fish all his life, Randy has always been involved in the agriculture industry and loved it from the start. “I grew up on a farm with my father growing a variety of crops,” he said, “I remember farming when I was a kid and I have always loved it.” …
Piedmont:
(Randolph) Centuries of tradition fostering love and family legacy
For over 100 years, Bobby Royals’ family has been farming the land in Trinity. A member of our Century Family Farm program, The Barn at Royal Gait continues that family legacy of farming today as well as fosters love across the state in their beautifully restored barn wedding venue. The Barn at Royal Gait contains nearly 170 acres of farmland today, where the Royals’ continue to raise black angus cattle, Morgan horses and hay. “I grew up on the farm and learned the trade from my father,” Bobby said, “and I always told him I would never be a full-time farmer, but when the time came I knew that I had to carry on the incredible history that we have here on the farm.” …
(Union) Farming brings lifetime of love at Little Family Farms
Agriculture has a way of bringing people together, even husband and wife duo, Kate and Kaleby Little. Kaleby grew up on his family farm learning to grow row crops and hay from his parents and grandparents. Kate’s grandmother owned and operated a Century Farm. Kate also raised show cattle all throughout her childhood that she would enter at the N.C. State Fair each year. While in the College of Agriculture at N.C. State University, Kate and Kaleby fell in love and thus started their joint agriculture journey. Little Family Farms, located in Marshville, is home to over 40 beef cattle today as well a momma cows and calves. …
(Wake) Impacting the community with locally grown products
Hard work deserves appreciation, especially in agriculture. As a sixth-generation farmer, Hannah Hayworth has been around agriculture her entire life, but has truly come to appreciate it as the years go by. “The more that I get involved, the more I appreciate the work of our farmers because none of it is easy,” she said. Hannah’s family owns and operates HS Howell Farms LLC where she grew up and learned all about farming a variety of crops, especially greenhouse tomatoes, from her parents. Currently a 21-year-old senior at East Carolina University in Greenville, she is gaining all the experience she can on the family farm, where they grow many field and greenhouse fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and corn. …
(Wake) Inspired to change the world one product at a time
Although David Duong, owner and operator of Oak Ridge Farms in Zebulon, did not grow up on a farm, he was surrounded by the influence of food his entire life. “My dad is Vietnamese and his family always had a close connection with food,” he said. “Food meant security and I always had a fascination with it.” Unlike most college students, David started out at N.C. State University knowing exactly what degree he wanted to obtain, Livestock and Poultry Management. “I raised chickens as a hobby growing up and always really enjoyed it,” he said, “and then I read a book by Joel Salatin called ‘Pastured Poultry Profits’ that inspired me at 13 years old to make this my lifestyle.” ...
Western:
(Ashe) Department loses employ with deep connection to research station
In mid-December, the N.C. Department of Agriculture lost an employee who not only meant a lot to the research station where he worked but to the community around the station. Dale Sheets had worked at the Upper Mountain Research Station in Ashe County since 2013, but he had a much longer, rich heritage with the Department of Agriculture. Teresa Lambert who grew up at the station and is now the director of the Research Stations Division in NCDA&CS, said Dale’s grandfather Gordon Sheets worked for the Transou farm that became part of the research station, and by all accounts that deal included bringing Gordon onboard to continue to help manage the farm. ...
(Polk) Making wine and growing a father-daughter bond at Overmountain Vineyards
A father-daughter bond is a special thing, especially in the context of farming. Sofia Lilly, winemaker at Overmountain Vineyards in Tryon, has grown up learning the trade from her father and is proud today to be one of the only father-daughter winemaking teams in the state. “I have been watching and helping dad make wine since the vineyard was started in 1994,” Sofia said, “We started very small with dad making wine just for friends and family on the porch, but I have many memories of learning from him that I still look back on and benefit from.” …