Small farms play a vital role in supporting the competitiveness and sustainability of United
States rural and farm economies and in protecting and enhancing its natural resource base and
the environment. These numerous and diverse small-scale operations provide a nursery for the
development of new enterprises and marketing systems, and a replenishment of the farming
population.
There are approximately 43,000 small-scale farmers statewide, and in honor of their
accomplishments, pioneering work, and technological advancements, the state of North Carolina
recognizes the week of March 22 t through 28 t as North Carolina Small Farms Week. The theme
for the 34 th annual North Carolina Small Farms Week is: “Inspiring Farmers, Sustainable
Farms.”
“ Small farmers are essential to North Carolina’s agricultural sector. In fact, they comprise about
80 percent of all farms in an $91.8 billion dollar industry,” said Rosalind Dale, Ed.D., Extension
administrator at N.C. A&T and associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Environmental
Sciences. “Small Farms Week recognizes their efforts to provide fresh, local food and also
offers a lot of information that farmers can use to increase profit margins while acting as
stewards of our natural resources”
There will be two local events to highlight North Carolina Small Farms Week. First, there will
be a Bladen County 4-H Annual Food Drive to help feed hungry people in Bladen County.
Donate canned goods and other non-perishable food by March 31, & be part of a Statewide
Cooperative campaign that feed the hungry and celebrates small farmers. Take food items to the
Bladen County 4-H Office located at 450 Smith Circle in Elizabethtown. Second, there will be a
Specialty Crops in Organic Practices Tour on March 18, at the Center for Environmental
Farming Systems Small Farms Unit in Goldsboro located at 201 Stevens Mill Road, Goldsboro,
NC 27530. The tour will start at 1:00 p.m. and last until 4:00 p.m.
The kickoff for Small Farms Week will be held on March 20, in Murphy, the home of the 2019
Small Farmers of the Year, Harold and Nancy Long. The highlight of Small Farms Week will be
the March 25, appreciation luncheon on the NC A&T campus in Greensboro, which includes
recognition of the 2020 Small Farmer of the Year. Campus events also include educational
programs, demonstrations of technological innovations, and a student cooking competition.
For more information on Small Farm Week or to register for events, contact the Bladen County
Extension Center at 862-4591 or visit bladen.ces.ncsu.edu
Related Article:
https://bladencounty.org/bladen-county-commissioners-recognize-retirements-receive-update-on-disaster-recovery-efforts-and-agree-to-assist-blueberry-farmers/
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