GREENSBORO, N.C. – Farmers, educators, students, government officials and the general public can now register for Small Farms Week 2026, N.C. Cooperative Extension’s annual celebration of small-scale agriculture and its essential contributions to the state’s agriculture economy.
This year’s event will be held March 22 – 26 under the theme “Deep Roots, Strong Future: 40 Years of Small Farm Impact,” a tribute to the event’s 40th anniversary. Most workshops and demonstrations will take place at the University Farm Pavilion, 3020 McConnell Rd. A dinner celebrating small-scale farmers around the state will be held March 24.
Attendance is free, but registration is required. A registration form and more information, including an agenda of events, are available at the Small Farms Week website.
“Small farmers and family farms are the foundation that our state’s $113 billion agriculture sector is built on,” said M. Ray McKinnie, Ph.D., Extension administrator and associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. “A lot has changed in 40 years, but these are still the people who put food on our tables. Our mission is to give them the knowledge and support to thrive. During Small Farms Week, small-scale producers can network and learn from experts and each other. This is so important, especially for those who feel isolated in rural areas.”
After a kickoff event on Tuesday, March 23, in Granville County, home of the 2025 Small Farmers of the Year Elvin and Madeline Eaton, of Fairport Farms, events will move to the Farm Pavilion.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, participants can attend a wide range of workshops on such topics as including building risk-ready farms, using data to support better decision-making, providing food to local childcare centers, and using e-commerce tools. Programs will offer plenty of interaction and chances to learn from others, including a Ted Talk-style lunch, where farmers and community partners will share challenges and success stories, and a “speed station” peer-learning event where farmers rotate among tables hosted by specialists, field staff and researchers.
No Small Farms Week would be complete without the announcement of the winner of the Small Farmer of the Year award. The 2026 awards program has been expanded to include regional winners from the East, West, and Urban regions of the state. All three regional winners will be honored at the Small Farms Week dinner on Tuesday, March 24, at the N.C. A&T Alumni Events Center, and one of the three will be named the statewide Small Farmer of the Year.
Giselle Thomas, Courtesy of WFMY News 2
The dinner replaces the traditional mid-week Small Farms lunch. Giselle Thomas, an Emmy award-winning journalist with WFMY TV, will serve as emcee for the awards dinner reception. Thomas came to WFMY in 2023 after working as a reporter in Gainesville, FL. She is a Florida native and holds a degree in broadcast journalism from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a historically Black institution. She was a broadcast associate at CBS Mornings and worked at CBS This Morning in New York as part of the program’s summer fellowship program.
“Our three regional finalists for Small Farmers of the Year will join a long list of producers across the state who personify the innovation, the resilience, and the commitment to community of small farmers everywhere,” said McKinnie. “For these people, farming isn’t a job, it’s their life.”
“With a changing climate, volatile markets, and other challenges ahead, we want to be there to support them, honor their work, and show our non-farming neighbors what it takes to bring food to their tables. That’s really what Small Farms Week is all about.”
