This weekend, Ag Day is finally upon us, with the NC Cooperative Extension working in partnership with Sampson Community College to bring the festivities and excitement to the community this Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We’re real excited to partner with the college and with the new atmosphere being at their place,” Extension Agent in Agriculture and Community Development Eileen Coite said. “It’s just gonna be nice for the community; it’s on a different side of town, its gonna be good.”
The first ever Ag Day was in 2011, initially held in the parking lot area of the NC Cooperative Extension. Denise McIntyre has worked for NC Cooperative Extension since 2007 as a program assistant, and remembers what the first-ever Ag Day event looked like.
“It was hectic of course,” McIntyre recalled. “The original thought of it was that we don’t have a Sampson County event, like Goldsboro and some of the other people have theirs. So what we were trying to do is we were trying to get information out about ag, because this building is mainly ag. What we did is we wanted to have an event that was similar to a fair that people could come out and see animals and see different vendors. We had Ag related stuff, like the beekeepers and local farmers along with entertainment. It was real small and it was right out here on campus. We just pretty much had our parking lot turned into a street fair. From there, it just went bigger and bigger. It started with just our little staff.”
From a few dozen back in 2011, to the thousands that attended the last Ag Day held in 2024, the growth and support have been felt by all involved.
“The main purpose of Ag Day is just to highlight what we do in Sampson County is agriculture,” McIntyre said. “Since most of our county is ag-related, we just want to highlight for people who might not be in the ag industry to show them where their bread and butter is really coming from.”
Coite gave some insight on why this year’s Ag Day will be held at the community college, instead of the Sampson County Agri-Exposition Center, where it has been held for the past few years.
“In the initial stages, we were on the books to go to the Agri-Exposition Center again,” she explained. “Two years ago that was the plan, but it was only about a year ago that we transitioned into going to the community college. We’ve had two Ag Days at the expo center, which is a real nice venue to have as big as it is. There’s plenty of space on the inside and the outside, but there’s limited parking there for a large event. The community college approached us about looking into hosting an Ag Day at the college. That opened some doors for us, more parking for one thing, more real estate on the ground because there’s more land. They have a new activities building where the indoor vendors are going to be. The other nice thing for the college is that it opens up their campus to the community. To see more of what the campus has to offer with their programs and their education. I know they’re planning tours for their trades. There’s several tours that they have planned to showcase the college.”
The NC Cooperative Extension also partners with the North Carolina Ag Foundation, which will receive any of the sponsor funds that come in support of the Ag Day event, along with any of the expenses that the Extension staff collect. Sampson County Convention and Visitors Bureau is sponsoring the bands that will provide entertainment.
“It’s a true partnership,” Coite said. “You’ve got the extension, the college and the Convention and Visitors Bureau that are all partners on this.”
Those that are experiencing Ag Day for the first time can look forward to numerous activities such as a bounce house, rock walls and a barrel train provided by Hubb’s Farm. Local farmers will also display items that those in the agriculture field use on a daily basis to show the community.
“There’s a flight simulator coming from the Air National Guard,” Coite pointed out. “Since the college is right down the road from the airport, we reached out to Moore’s Aerial Applicators and they are bringing a crop duster. We also have some farmers that are offering their equipment to be displayed at the event, so people that aren’t out on the farm every day can see a combine up close. There will be a peanut digger, cotton pickers, several tractors, new and antique ones. Prestage Farms is bringing a feed truck. For the kids, we’ve got several pedal tractors that they can pedal around on to be a farmer for the day.”
There will also be a Innovation Station provided by North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University (NC A&T) and the UMOBILE laboratory provided by the University of Mount Olive, that teaches about science and agriculture.
“(Ag Day) is very special to me, because it’s the heartbeat of Sampson County,” Coite said. “If you’re not in agriculture every day, you don’t realize all the challenges that our farmers do for us, just so that we can have a meal three times a day. So for me, it bridges that gap. It brings everyone together to appreciate and celebrate agriculture, to understand a little more about where our food comes from, how it’s grown, that it’s safe and wholesome and that it doesn’t just come from the back of the grocery store.”
The NC Cooperative Extension, which is not only one of the county agencies, but also a part of North Carolina State University and NC A&T State, is here for the community, Coite asserted.
“We’re here for our citizens in every county,” she said. “There’s 100 extension centers all across the state in every county. Feel free to reach out to us and come to our events and classes to let us know how we can serve our citizens of Sampson County.”