From the North Carolina Farmers Appreciation Day

The Inaugural North Carolina Farmers Appreciation Day celebration on November 14th is fast approaching! The North Carolina Grange, is the lead organization of this annual day in collaboration with many North Carolina commodities, the NC Dept. of Agriculture, and the NC Farm Bureau. Everyone has been 100% supportive of this effort. We all are proud to be a part of spearheading this campaign and we are committed to supporting it year after year.

A designated date to show appreciation to all North Carolina Farmers was introduced at the beginning of the 2023 North Carolina Legislative Session. A Grange Resolution passed by Grantham Grange and then passed by the NC Grange membership at the annual convention was the impetus. After discussions with the Agriculture Committee Leadership at the General Assembly, Rep. Jimmy Dixon of Duplin County and Senior Chair of the House Agriculture Committee crafted a bill for recognizing a North Carolina Farmers Appreciation Day; and so it was that the second Thursday in November is set aside as a day of appreciation and recognition for all North Carolina farmers and farm families.

North Carolina Agriculture Facts

• NC agriculture is the state’s largest economic driver.
• NC ranks 3rd in agriculture diversity.
• NC agriculture has an economic impact of over $100 billion annually.
• There are 46,000 farms in the state. 96% are family-owned and operated.
• The state has 74,062 farmers.
• NC has deep roots in agriculture with 1,827 Centennial farms and 27 bicentennial farms.
• North Carolina is a top producer of many commodities including sweetpotatoes, eggs and poultry, Christmas trees, turkeys, pork, flue-cured tobacco, and cucumbers.

In anticipation of Farmers Appreciation Day on November 14th, the NC Grange along with our partners’ support has rolled out social media campaigns on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We strongly urge all our Grange members to follow the social media posts. In addition to the social media campaign, you can log on to the website at ncfarmerappreciation.com to get information on the 2024 Farmer and Young Farmer of the Year applications as well as updates, beautiful photography and posts from North Carolina farm families.

As part of the social media campaign, the NC Farmers Appreciation Day committee is also working with CBS17 on “On Carolina Soil with Emily Wagner” on four spots to showcase NC Farmers Appreciation Day. Emily is the star of these 2 minute power segments focusing on North Carolina farmers and the land and work they love. The four spots are all posted on all social media channels and direct TV. One of the two spots that was recently filmed was at Cantina 18, a thriving restaurant in the Village District in Raleigh. Emily talked with proprietor and Chef Jason Smith about his restaurant, and how he supports the North Carolina farming industry by buying products from North Carolina farmers and ranchers. Whether it’s Lewis Farm Strawberries from Pender County or pork from Cheshire in Duplin County, you can always expect to see North Carolina products on Cantina 18’s menu!

For the next stop the production team met at the North Carolina Farmers Market in Raleigh. Using a little creativity and lots of enthusiasm the team created a tailgate feast featuring North Carolina products. Most if not all of the food and drink items were purchased or made from items purchased at the NC Farmers Market. The menu included deviled eggs, potato salad, a watermelon basket with chopped cantaloupe, grapes and honeydew, NC peanuts, sodas, pickles and even pimento cheese. On the grill we had wings, corn on the cob, burgers and link sausages. There were even fresh flowers from a flower farm in Iredell County. Emily together with Ron Simmons from the NC Dept. of Ag talked about grilling North Carolina products. It was a fun and festive time. The best part of all of this is not only are we having a great tailgate with fabulous and healthy food, but we are supporting North Carolina farmers and families.

For a state that ranks third in agriculture diversity and has an economic impact of over $100 billion dollars annually, we feel strongly that North Carolina Farmers are deserving of a day set aside for all they do to provide food and fiber to all of us. They help make North Carolina the great state that it is. Nobody does agriculture with such compassion and collaboration than North Carolina. We have so much to be proud of!