The Fair Focuses On Agriculture
By Kerry Hall, NBC17 Reporter
On a gloomy opening day of the 2008 North Carolina State Fair, Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler reminded a crowd at the opening ceremonies that the fair is about more than the rides and games on the midway.
“Agriculture and agri-business are this state’s number one industry, $70 billion a year,” Troxler said. “And yet people forget about it.”
But there are many places around the fairgrounds for people to get an agricultural education. Beyond the flashing lights and smells of funnel cakes is Heritage Circle, where exhibits show the history of North Carolina and its fair.
On Friday, teams competed in an old-fashioned tobacco stringing contest. All of the tobacco harvested will be cured throughout this year’s fair.
Some kids also got a lesson on how they get their food. A long line of children formed around NCSU students showing them how to milk a cow.
“I came here to milk a cow,” said five-year-old Ellie Hope Casner. “They told me to go to the very top and pull back.”
Courtney Clapp, a college student and president of the North Carolina chapter of the FFA, said it’s encouraging to see young people learn about the industry.
“Agriculture is one of the main parts of North Carolina. So it’s good to be here,” she said. “We all need to value agriculture because it’s what’s keeping us living. It feeds us. It clothes us.”
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