Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T loaded the bus and headed down east for a tour of the Eastern Region counties and the farms, programs and areas currently collaborating on projects with Extension specialists and county staff.

Twenty participants from campus, including Chancellor Harold Martin, Provost Tonya Smith-Jackson and Dean Mohamed Ahmedna, joined Extension specialists, regional area directors and faculty in making the seven-county trek to see firsthand Extension’s work in beekeeping in Halifax County; developments in hemp and CBD in Martin County; row crops and tobacco in Bertie County; a look at the Cooperative Extension Center, and its high tunnel demonstration area, in Currituck County; work on an exercise with Teen Entrepreneurship Camp in Nash and Edgecombe Counties; and to take a tour of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems in Wayne County, among other projects. 

Participants also met 2023 Small Farmers of the Year Jeannette Martin Horn and Joyce Martin Bowden of J&J Martin Produce in Wayne County, a “century farm” founded by the sisters’ ancestor more than 100 years ago.  

Cooperative Extension at North Carolina A&T State University sponsored the Eastern Region Tour. In the photo, Jeannette Martin Horn, left, and Joyce Martin Bowden, of J&J Martin Produce Farm in Mount Olive, stand beside the new sign recognizing their being named the 2023 Small Farmers of the Year.

Small Farmer of the Year runners-up 4-Ever Vista Farms in Halifax County was also on the tour, where owners Linette and Richard Hewlin showed visitors their high-tunnel produce operation. 

“The Eastern Tour provides an opportunity to showcase the impacts of N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension on the human condition and economies of individuals, families, and communities in eastern North Carolina, and it allows people in those communities the chance to visit with and talk to the leadership of N.C. A&T, an opportunity that so few get,” said Extension Administrator M. Ray McKinnie, Ph.D.  

Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T makes more than 500,000 contacts with North Carolinians living in limited-resource communities each year, providing education related to small-scale farming, nutrition health and wellness, and environmental sustainability.  

Extension also reaches nearly 15,000 youth each year through 4-H programs. 

“We have such an awesome team of staff across Eastern N.C. who are all committed to the Extension mission and the individuals they service,” said Shannon Wiley, Ph.D., Regional Extension Director, Urban and Non-Traditional/Underrepresented Audiences, who organized the tour. “This was an opportunity for those leaders to experience ‘boots on the ground’ action and gain a greater understanding of how we can continue to work together to leverage our work in outreach and research.  

“We saw a lot, learned a lot and know the areas we need to build action around!”