There was an unexpected visitor in the audience at Monday night’s Sampson County Board of Commissioners meeting, in the form of a 6-foot tall very pink, very conspicuous pig.
Of course, this was actually a young man in a costume, but the pig was brought in by Extension Agent Elaine Coite to help promote this year’s Ag Day, planned for March 21.
Though it was a lighthearted moment during an otherwise serious county commissioners meeting, the piggie — named Sampson, of course — is another reminder of just how integral agriculture is to Sampson County.
It’s a well-known fact that the number of hogs outnumber the county’s human population, and agriculture, as a whole, contributes $2 billion a year to the economy.
Sampson is going all out this year to celebrate the lifeblood that is agriculture with not one, but two events later this month. First up will be the Friends of Agriculture Rally on March 17 at the Agri-Expo Center, followed by Sampson County Ag Day at Sampson Community College on March 21.
Both events are designed to celebrate agriculture and all it brings to our local community. The Friends of Agriculture group was started 30 years ago, not only as a way to support area farmers, but as a way to help educate the community at large about the true impacts of the industry.
Guest speakers highlight the Friends of Ag Rally, and according to the group’s chairman, Ronnie Jackson, the speaker is always chosen because of his or her insights into subjects that are pertinent to Sampson County farmers and agribusinesses. This year, that speaker will be Bryan Humphreys, CEO of the National Pork Producers Council. Though Humphreys grew up on a pig farm in Iowa, as evidenced by the presence of Sampson the Pig to promote agriculture, the information he has to share will no doubt be of interest to our local ag community, as well as the general population as a whole.
Just four days later, Ag Day will be held on the Sampson Community College campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ag Day will feature agricultural displays, a mechanical bull, pony rides, food and so much more, and it’s something people of all ages, no doubt, look forward to.
Because the event is held every other year, Coite said it was especially exciting this year because Ag Day will coincide with America’s 25oth anniversary. A farmer tending to crops or livestock is as American as it gets, so it’s only fitting that the two celebrations are part of each other.
Sampson was started as an agricultural community more than 200 years ago, and it will likely continue to be a heavily agricultural area for centuries to come. Without farmers, it’s hard to say what Sampson County would be like.
Yes, there are growing residential and commercial developments throughout the area, but Sampson remains rural and agricultural, through and through. We, for one, hope it stays that way.
We applaud the Friends of Agriculture, Sampson County Extension Center, Sampson Community College and all the other entities who are coming together to truly celebrate our agricultural heritage in the coming weeks. You’ll also see our weekly Thank a Farmer special advertising section every Wednesday this month, one of our most popular sections of the year, followed by our bi-annual Home Grown magazine, publishing in early June, which has as its focus local agriculture and farmers.
We think you all probably know why that is. It’s because farmers are the lifeblood of our community, and as such, we truly thank them every day.