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NC Festival returns May 16-18
celebrate all the goodness
North Carolina has to
offer,” said Agriculture
Commissioner Steve Troxler.
“This event continues to
highlight the best of North
Carolina agriculture and
agribusiness.”
Each day, the festival will
recognize a Young Firmer
of the Day, presented by Ag
Carolina Farm Credit and Ag
South Fami Credit.
Antique tractors and
farm equipment will be on
display daily on the midway,
and a colorful parade of
vintage and antique tractors The three-day Got to Be NC Festival highlights North Carolina agriculture,
winds through the festival grounds
artists will take over the Got to Be
NC stage all weekend.
Educational opportunities will
include the N.C. Forest Service exhibit,
SouthLand Dairy Farmers Mobile
Dairy Classroom, Germ City, Pig
daily at 1 p.m.
Free, family friendly entertainment
includes Boomer’s Farm Truck, the
Agri-Puppets Agritainment Show,
the King BMX Stunt Show, Kenya
Safari Acrobats and more. Musical
Patch Birthing Center and more.
Admission and parking are free,
and the festival hours are Friday from
noon to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10
a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from
10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Got to Be
The Got to Be NC Festival will
take over the N.C. State Fairgrounds
Raleigh May 16-18 for three days of
food, tractors, rides, music, agricultural
exhibits and fun for the whole family.
The best ofNorth Carolina food and
agriculture will be celebrated across
the faiigrounds. Festivalgoers will find
dozens of Got to Be NC member food
companies, wineries and breweries in
the Got to Be NC Pavilion located in
the Agri Supply Expo Center.
The 50,000-square-foot space is
filled with North Carolina products,
such as rubs, sauces, snacks, beverages,
sweets, meats, spices and more. Vendors
will be offering samples and products
for sale. While you're there, check out
the newest Got to Be NC merchandise
so you can show your pride for our
state’s No. 1 industry - agriculture
and agribusiness. Admission to the
marketplace is S3.
“I hope you'll join me at the 16th
annual Got to Be NC Festival as we
Century Farm family named Small Farmers of the Year
Editor's note: This story is courtesy ofN.C.A&T.
When Elvin and Madeline Eaton of Fairport Farm in Kittrell decided to
try growing produce and microgreeas as a retirement venture, they resolved
to do things differently on their quarter-acre farm: No tilling, no commercial
fertilizers or pesticides, and beds that stayed in place for multiple seasons,
rather than rotating.
They also wanted to be a source of nutrient-dease, readily available produce
for the Kea-Tar region, which includes some of N.C. ’s most food iasecure
municipalities in Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance and Warren counties.
Just three years later, their efforts have paid off: the Granville couple are
N.C. Small Farmers of the Year, the annual award given during Small Farms
Week. The annual tribute to small-scale agriculture is presented by Cooperative
Extension at N.C. A&T State University and held each year in March.
“We’re more than surprised,” Elvin Eaton said after the award was
From the tractor
announced. “We grow so different — we grow all year long; we grow
covered; we grow without chemical fertilizer or pesticides. Soil health is
the basis of our farm. This is far out of the norm for people in our area,
but when they see the results, a lot of people have been super receptive.
More than 400 farmers, ranchers, Extension agents and partners from
across the state came to N.C. A&T’s campus to attend N.C. Cooperative
Exteasion’s 39th annual Small Farms Week, which this year centered around
the theme “Next Gen Agriculture” and included educational workshops and
panel discussions focused on the needs of the next generation of growers,
from technological to educational.
The Small Farmer of the Year award was presented March 26 at N.C.
A&T Cooperative Extension’s annual luncheon.
“This year, we have three amazing Small Farmer of the Year finalists,”
(See Fairport Farm, pg. 2)
Commissioner Troxler
If you have been traveling around
rural parts of the state, you know
that farm activity has picked up as
farmers are busy prepping fields
and preparing to plant crops. All
that activity also means drivers
may encounter tractors, large pieces
of farm equipment and modified
school buses on the roads moving
from field to field.
I urge drivers to look out for
by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler
slow moving farm equipment and
slow down because we have already
seen one fatality in North Carolina
this year from a collision between
a farm tractor and tanker truck that
happened in Chowan County.
Farmers prefer to be in their
fields working, but the reality is
they sometimes have to be on the
roads to get their equipment from
one field to another. Accidents can
happen if a non-farm vehicle comes
up on a piece of farm machinery too
quickly as it can take just seconds
to close the gap between the two
and when attempting to pass farm
equipment.
Farm machinery needs wide
turning distances, particularly for left
turns which can sometimes seems
like they are turning right in an effort
to make space for a left turn.
Unfortunately, accidents involving
f ami equipment and non-farm vehicles
are all too common, with more than
1 ,000 such accidents reported from
2015 to 2019, averaging to more
than 200 a year. During that same
time frame, the top five counties
for farm vehicle accidents were
Wake, Guilford, Johnston, Sampson
and Wayne.
Typically, drivers may find more
farm equipment on the roads in the
early mornings and late evenings
as work begins and wraps up. Be
mindliil ofthe yellow farm machinery
warning signs posted along roadways
as they can signal to drivers to be
on alert for farm equipment.
Remember, slow down, be
patient and share the road with
farm equipment to ensure everyone
stays safe.
*#*
If you are looking to get out
and enjoy the great outdoors, many
farmers offer on-farm activities
such as pick-your-own fields and
in May that most likely means
strawberries. 1 am personally happy
to see the arrival of strawberry
season because they are one of
my favorite fruits.
North Carolina ranks third in
strawberry production based on
the value ofthe crop, which means
we have a lot of opportunities to
enjoy fresh N.C. strawberries.
To find a strawberry farm near
you, search the www.gottobenc.
com link or download and use the
VisitNCFarms app.