WATCH THE SMALL FARMER OF THE YEAR ANNOUNCEMENT LIVE SEPT. 30
Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T will announce the 2020 North Carolina Small Farmer of the Year during a ceremony streamed on Facebook Live at 11 a.m. Sept. 30.
Farmers in Avery, Lenoir, and Robeson counties have been named finalists for award, which recognizes a small-scale grower in recognition of their commitment to their work, their community and North Carolina agriculture.
The event will be streamed on the Facebook page of Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T: public will be able to tune in to the event via Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/CooperativeExtensionatAandT.
Williams profiled on "Made in Greensboro" blog
Alumna Janiya Mitnaul Williams, the director of the university’s new Pathway 2 Human Lactation Training Program, was profiled on the Made in Greensboro blog.
Williams has a long history as a champion of breastfeeding, especially for Black families. When she was breastfeeding her sons, Williams started the Mahogany Milk Support Group on Facebook to share advice. The group now has more than 2,500 members.
In 2015, she became the youngest and first Black and Non-Registered Nurse lactation consultant for Cone Health, working at Alamance Regional Medical Center, according to the post.
“What I found the most rewarding is that you are able to provide a sense of calm for these families who may not think they are doing something correctly – just being able to empower another person to trust their body and trust the process,” she told the blog.
EXTENSION CREATES "TRY HEALTHY" MAGAZINE
Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T has produced a 14-page print magazine called Try Healthy aimed at participants in Extension’s two nutrition and health programs for SNAP recipients, WIC recipients, and SNAP-eligible adults and children: the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Try Healthy. The magazine offers healthy recipes, ideas for family activities, tips on food safety and money management, and more.
LIANG, MOORE INTERVIEWED ABOUT COVID-19 AND FARMING
Kathleen LIang, Ph.D.
Kathleen Liang, co-director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems in Goldsboro and a CAES faculty member, was interviewed by Carolia Public Press for a Sept. 8 article about how farmers are weathering the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID-19 affected farmers. Period,” Liang told the media outlet. “Farmers are very resilient, creative and innovative and adapted to the pandemic.”
In many cases, small farms done better than larger operations, she said.
“COVID-19 impacted large, commercial farms in a different way,” Liang said. “Their supply chains are more complicated, and every stage is specialized, and there are more challenges to relying on a variety of labor.”
The article also quotes Aaron Moore, an agent with Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T.
“Not a lot has changed on the production side; all of the changes have been on the marketing side,” Moore said. “COVID forced farmers to switch gears and look at new markets.”
