North Carolina Governor Celebrates the State’s Top Crop

I was honored to attend an event at the North Carolina governor’s mansion in February as Governor Josh Stein proclaimed it to be North Carolina Sweet Potato Month, coinciding with National Sweet Potato Month.

During a reception at the executive mansion, farmers mingled with other industry stakeholders and elected members of the General Assembly. I was one of those stakeholders through my role at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Several of my coworkers attended, in addition to representatives from North Carolina Farm Bureau, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

The Executive Chef outdid himself preparing several appetizers featuring sweet potatoes. I was tempted to ask for the recipes, but decided against it. I did help myself to seconds on a few dishes. 

The evening was the first time I’d ever been inside the governor’s mansion. It has been home to my state’s governor and the first family since 1891. Growing up watching “This Old House” on television, I loved walking through the rooms and seeing the exquisite craftsmanship of the Queen Anne-style home. 

I managed to tear myself away from the design to hear the presentations. We heard how the sandy soils and climate make North Carolina such a good place to grow sweet potatoes. Farmers and others in the agriculture industry spoke about the impact sweet potatoes have had at the farm level and beyond. North Carolina State University was recognized for its breeding work developing the Covington variety of sweet potatoes. 

Governor Stein talked about eating sweet potatoes and the things he’d learned about the crop while preparing for the reception. The evening capped off with the reading of the official proclamation and Governor Stein signing it.

Governor Stein’s proclamation recognized the importance of sweet potatoes to North Carolina. Here are a few facts about this crop in my state:

• North Carolina produces more than half of the sweet potatoes in the United States.
• The state’s farmers have grown more sweet potatoes than any other state since 1971. 
• Sweet potatoes are the state’s No. 1 crop by production volume.
• Sweet potatoes were named the official state vegetable after a fourth grade class petitioned for the title to be bestowed on this humble root. 
• The sweet potato industry has an economic impact of more than $298 million in North Carolina, supporting farms, packers, agribusinesses, and workers in the state.

I’ve submitted proclamation requests in the past to recognize North Carolina fruits and vegetables during a particular month. Holding a piece of paper with the declaration doesn’t compare to hearing it read aloud in the executive mansion, surrounded by the people who till the land and harvest the crop. This is the first time I’ve been to an event where our state’s first family recognized our state’s top crop, and I hope it’s not the last.