Each year, Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T celebrates the crucial role of small farmers in North Carolina’s $91.8 billion agriculture sector with Small Farms Week.

The 34th annual Small Farms Week will begin Friday, March 20, in Cherokee County – the home of the 2019 Small Farmers of the Year, Harold and Nancy Long. Events in Cherokee County will take place at the homeland of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and will include a panel discussion among local farmers and a tour of the Long Family Farms and Gallery.

Small Farms Week – which has the theme “Inspiring Farmers, Sustaining Farms” – continues with events on the campus of N.C. A&T the following week, including an Educational Forum and activities for school-age children on Tuesday, March 24, and the annual Small Farmers Appreciation Luncheon on Wednesday, March 25, where the winner of the 2020 Small Farmer of the Year award will be announced.

The keynote speaker for the luncheon will be Jimmy Gentry, president of the North Carolina State Grange, chair emeritus of the CAES Advisory Board, and an alumnus of N.C. A&T College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. Campus activities conclude on Thursday, March 26, with a student cooking competition.

To register for Small Farms Week 2020, please complete the registration form.