In an emotion-packed event recognizing the state’s small-scale growers, first-generation Sampson County farmer and Air Force veteran Darius McKoy of 12:03AM Farm in Faison, N.C., was named the 2026 N.C. Small Farmer of the Year by Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T.

On most sunny days, Harmandeep Sharma, Ph.D., would prefer to be outside, piloting a drone equipped with a high-tech camera above rows of crops to collect virtual acres of data.

The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences’ landscape architecture program is taking to new heights to replicate and assess the university’s campus — and potentially add to homecoming thrills — through drone and AI technology.

N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension hosted a small ruminant training course at the University Farm this spring, inviting guests to learn about five-point animal assessment and earning their FAMACHA certification. Led by Sanjok Poudel, Ph.D., assistant professor and Extension animal specialist, a group of 20 ruminant enthusiasts and students took part in assessing the health of the farm’s sheep and goats.

Nervousness didn’t stop Savannah Davis, a junior majoring in environmental studies at N.C. A&T, from presenting her poster recently at the annual conference of the North Carolina Association for Research in Education.

From her roots deep in Appalachia, to the streets of Harlem, to the hills of Hollywood, Crystal Cook Marshall, Ph.D., makes it a point to find out what is needed and how to address it in a practical manner.

“Not everybody can afford a certified tax preparer,” said Abraham Adu-Mills, who helped people fill out their taxes for free earlier this month as part of N.C. A&T State University’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.