Slow Down as Planting Season Begins

After a long, cold winter, “nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina” in the spring! As we all start to emerge from our winter hibernation, so does Mother Nature. We see the signals all around us – greening yards, budding trees, longer days – that remind us that it is the beginning of the growing season. For our farmers, those signals say it is time to go to work, preparing to plant this year’s crops. For some farmers, that work comes on top of the year-round duty of caring for farm animals.

See more: North Carolina Pork Farmers Are Committed to Top-Notch Care for Their Animals

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Yes, spring is an exciting time of year for farmers, but it can be overwhelming, too. Farmers are spending additional hours on the road moving from field to field during this season, and there is something they need you to do to help them work safely and efficiently. Let’s all remember the motto from our statewide billboard campaign: “See a Tractor? Slow Down.” as we encounter farmers on the road this spring. Trust me, they want to get in the field as soon as possible, just like you want to reach your destination as quickly as possible too. But safety can’t be overlooked. Please be patient and remember that their travel is all part of the larger effort to keep us fed.

Photo credit: Eric Waters

See more: H-2A Guest Worker Program Helps Fill Need for Labor on North Carolina Farms

Spring for Farmers

With so much work to be done, farmers simply can’t do the entire job on their own. It is essential that our farms get the help and employees they need to get the season started and carry them through to harvest. The farmworkers who travel here each spring to join them on their farms, many coming back year after year, are their partners. The return of farmworkers and renewal of these relationships is another sign of spring.

See more: North Carolina Colleges Prepare Students for Ag Careers

A crop of a different sort, but also important to North Carolina agriculture, takes shape in the spring, too – the “crop” of new graduates ready to begin agricultural careers! North Carolina is rich with opportunities in higher education, some of which you can read about in this issue, for young people who want to train for careers either on or off the farm, supporting our state’s top industry. Even more exciting than a new spring is seeing new young people with a passion for agriculture joining the team.