Touring With Women in Ag

I’ve been on many agriculture tours, but none that focused on women in agriculture. Until now.

Put together by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension office in the state’s northeastern Nash County, the tour started with a dinner at Faithful Stables & Venue, a local event venue and horse stable. I sat at a table with ladies I’d never met before — a beekeeper/tea farmer; a knitter; and two ladies who grew up on farms and, as they near retirement, are looking to farm on a smaller scale. Conversation flowed as we learned about each other and exchanged contact information. 

The speaker was a coworker of mine at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, who started Pack House Farms, a small, pick-your-own blueberry farm, with her husband. Before the evening ended, door prizes were handed out. I got a gift certificate to the farmers market we’d be visiting the next day, an unexpected but completely appropriate prize for an agriculture event.

The next morning, we met at the Nash County Farmers Market. This was my first visit, and I was amazed at what I saw. Two brick buildings teemed with vendors and customers; I could have done my weekly grocery shopping there! Vendors sold local meat, ice cream, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. I met several farmers I follow on social media and made plans to visit them at their farms.

After the market, we visited Strawberry City, a farm I visit often in-season. Brent and Sue Leggett started this first-generation farm. Besides strawberries, they grow row crops and sweet potatoes, and this year they planted their first crop of winter squash and watermelon. Sue has been a county commissioner since 2019, taking an opportunity to represent her community and agriculture. 

Our final stop was Enfield Cotton Ginnery. Owner Tatum Eason walked us through the gin and showed us the steps to separate the lint from seeds. We learned about gin-used technology, including an app farmers can use to look up information about their cotton.

The tour was a great opportunity to learn more about agriculture in our community and women’s role in our state’s top industry.