Twentieth Ag Literacy Fest Draws a Statewide Crowd

Agriculture-related companies joined state, federal and local agencies at the N.C. A&T University Farm to showcase academic and career opportunities in agriculture for nearly 230 middle and high school students during the college’s  20^th annual Winter Agricultural Literacy Fest, held on Feb. 16.

Nearly 230 students from 20 agricultural programs in North Carolina attended the event, according to Antoine Alston, Ph.D., associate dean of academics.

“This fair is one of our biggest recruitment opportunities within our college,” Alston said. “We’re recruiting secondary, middle and high school ag program students who might be future Aggies.”

Students toured the farm’s nine units; met Smokey the Bear and N.C. A&T mascots Aggie and Aggietha;  and visited 28 different career and academic exhibits, including N.C. Farm Bureau, AgSouth Farm Credit, N.C. Dept. Of Agriculture and Consumer Services, USDA, N.C. Pork Council, FFA, N.C. Egg Association and Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T.

Students met Smokey the Bear, Aggie mascots Aggie and Aggietha and enjoyed a 360 degree photo booth as part of their day.

They were also treated to a 360-degree photo booth and a live performance by the Zeta Phi Beta sorority.

“Take advantage of everything you see here today,” 1890 Scholar Miles Lee told the crowd in his welcome remarks. “Whether you come already interested in agriculture or come out of it wanting to study agriculture, it becomes holistic, part of your lifestyle. The College of Agriculture and North Carolina A&T is part of a community. Treasure that.”

Jan Archer, a representative of co-sponsor N.C. Pork Council, told the students that agriculture provides “amazing job opportunities,” even if they aren’t interested in animals or crops.

“It doesn’t matter what your skill set is. If you are really good at TikTok or Instagram, we have a job for you. If you love being on the farm and being around animals, or if you work with computers, we’ve got a job for you,” she said.

One of the teachers who participated in the fair, Annabel Bello, a sustainable agriculture teacher at Weldon STEM High School, said her students learned that agriculture has a lot to offer.

“It’s not all about chickens, and it’s not all about farming,” said Bello. “The trip to the farm was highly informative.”

Denise Cummings, an animal science teacher at Hoke County High School who attended last year’s event, said the 2024 career fair offered more information on the college’s application process.

“Some of the students I spoke with said they were able to speak to an admission’s officer,” said Cummings, “They had questions about how to apply. This was a great opportunity for them to learn and take advantage while they were on campus.”