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 or contact us if you have any additional questions.
Eastern:
(Caswell) A day in the life of a farm wife
Sometimes life has a funny way of directing us to where we need to be and that was certainly the case for Meredith Bernard, also known as This Farm Wife. Although she didn’t grow up on a farm, Meredith grew up around facets of the agriculture industry with both her parents working at N.C. State University, one with Cooperative Extension. “I remember being around agriculture as a kid because I always loved riding horses and my cousin worked a tobacco farm,” she said. “But it wasn’t until a friend and I got involved in ag science at N.C. State that my true passion was born.” Upon leaving college, Meredith worked for a variety of corporate and retail locations, including a feed store, before finding her way back to her husband’s family farm in 2013. “…
(Johnston County) Flying farmer soars past industry expectations
Brandon Batten, current farm manager of Triple B Farms in Johnston County, grew up on the family farm and has fond memories of learning the trade from his father and grandfather. “Our farm was started in the mid-late 70’s by my grandfather and has grown immensely since that day,” he said. “My earliest memories on the farm are helping to care for the hogs, which we used to have a lot of back then and learning the ins and outs of farming from my father.” Triple B Farms currently raises beef cattle as well as a variety of row crops, including tobacco, corn, wheat, soybeans and hay. …
(Johnston) Pace Family Farms seeks to educate the public on the importance of N.C. agriculture
Pace Family Farms in Clayton is not only focused on providing high-quality products for their customers, but also on educating the public on the importance of farming and eating local. Michelle Pace Davis is the sixth generation on the family farm and has been involved with agriculture since she can remember. “I majored in agriculture education at N.C. State University and worked as an ag teacher for three years before returning home to the family farm,” she said. “And even though we all love farming, our true mission is to educate the public and help them get to know their local farmer.” …
Piedmont:
(Granville) Research station welcomes visitors for popcorn tour
On a hot, humid, August morning recently, Amy Manzulich of Roxboro stood on the edge of a corn plot on the Oxford Research Station, watching her four children pull ears of corn from the stalks. Braving the heat was worth it as they each brought over ears and shucked them to see the kernels on the cob inside – their eyes lighting up with each new discovery. There was chatter about the color of the kernels and whether they were “ripe” enough or dry enough to use for popping corn. …
(Cabarrus) Porter Farms: Bringing a competitive edge to the farming industry
Jared Porter and his family bring a competitive edge to the farming industry at their family farm in Mt. Pleasant. At Porter Farms, not only does the Porter family raise a variety of livestock animals, including cows and pigs, but they also host three obstacle course races each year, including the well-known Spartan race….
(Wake) New tractor lending program brings benefits to research stations
Research Stations Division Director Teresa Lambert expects a new tractor lending program to be a nice boost for two of the state’s agricultural research locations. It already has her dreaming about expanding the program, too, as a way to help even more stations with their important work. The program involves John Deere lending $1.28 million worth of tractors. That comes out to nine large tractors, each equipped with the company’s GreenStar guidance system. The tractors will go to the Central Crops Research Station at Clayton and N.C. State University’s Lake Wheeler Road Research Lab just south of Raleigh. The research farms will be able to use each tractor for 200 hours or 12 months. During the current five-year agreement, John Deere dealer Quality Equipment will pick up the lightly used tractors around the beginning or end of each year and drop off new ones for the next 200-hour/12-month period. …
(Wake) Fire Chief Gail Bledsoe finds purpose and peace in the forests of N.C.
“Growing up in Ashe county, I was surrounded by forests,” said Gail Bledsoe, fire chief with the N.C. Forest Service. “It was a place of peace for me and has always been like home.” As a child, Gail was surrounded by forestry, not only because that was her playground, but also because her family was very involved with logging. Although she didn’t initially major in forestry at N.C. State University, after three years she decided to stop running from her fate and pursue a career in forestry. “I always knew that I loved forestry, but it wasn’t until my junior year of college that I decided to take the leap of faith and pursue what I loved,” she said. “And it was then that I started working with the N.C. Forest Service as an intern, doing research and making connections.” Upon graduation, Gail worked for Bladen Lakes State Forest for a short time before coming on staff at the N.C. Forest Service, where she remains to this day. Gail has served in many roles throughout her time with the forest service and is currently serving as fire chief where she is involved in a variety of tasks throughout the year, including emergency response and management. …
(Warren) Spring water in his veins, red wine in his soul
“I tell people this is Holy Land, and the definition of Holy Land is it’s designated for a purpose,” said Preston Williams, co-owner of Seven Springs Farm & Vineyard. “When people cross the ditch out front and enter the property, they feel a sense of peace,” he said. “People tend to laugh when they come to Seven Springs, and that’s good for the soul.” Seven Springs Farm & Vineyard in Norlina opened their doors in 2020 with a clear vision of the future – navigating the coronavirus pandemic and all its related challenges. Preston says that COVID-19 surprisingly helped their business because visiting a winery was a creative outdoor activity people could enjoy. In fact, the Williams family even utilized the pond and dock on the property to offer a unique and romantic date night for couples. Today, guests can tour the grounds, enjoy the beautiful scenery and sip wine on the porches.
Western:
(Cleveland) A child’s dream turns reality at Guernsey Girl Creamery
At eight years old, Ashley McMurry knew that she wanted to spend her life milking cattle. As the current owner of Guernsey Girl Creamery in Shelby, Ashley grew up on her family’s dairy farm and was given a lot of responsibility at a young age when a farming accident put her father in the hospital. “I had to grow up a lot at the age of 13 because there was work around the farm that had to be done in the absence of my father and grandfather,” she said, “but in that time period I learned a lot that has helped me in my career today."
(Yadkin) Marriage leads to lifetime of love and farming
Sometimes life has a funny way of showing us new passions through the people that we love. Autumn Hunter did not grow up on a farm but found her true passion for agriculture when she married her husband, Landon, and became a part of Hunter Family Farms Produce. Both Autumn and her husband are part of the Young Farmers and Ranchers of N.C. group, where they were originally inspired to venture into the produce industry. Today they continue to lead that group into new and innovative avenues of agriculture. Located in Boonville, Hunter Family Farms was originally a tobacco farm and transitioned in 2016 to grow a variety of produce as well as raise cattle. “We currently have 50 cattle, 25 acres of produce and 150 acres of sweet corn and beans,” Autumn said, “we obtained our meat-handlers license a few years ago and have been producing grass-fed, grain-finished meat ever since.”
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