Alexander County Agricultural Fair  -  Taylorsville  -   Sept. 13-18

Alleghany County Agricultural Fair -   Sparta  -   Aug. 23-28

Avery County Agricultural Fair  -  Newland  -  Sept. 7-11

Bethware Community Fair    Kings Mountain     Aug. 3-7

Burke County Fair -   Morganton  -  Oct. 12-16

Cabarrus County Agricultural Fair  -  Concord  -   Sept. 10-18

Caldwell County Agricultural Fair  -  Lenoir  -   Oct. 6-10

Cape Fear Fair & Expo  -  Wilmington  -   Oct. 28-Nov. 6

Central Carolina Fair  -  Greensboro  -   Sept. 10-19

Chatham County Fair  -  Pittsboro -   Sept. 29-Oct. 2

Cherokee Indian Fair  -  Cherokee  -  Oct. 5-9

Chowan County Regional Fair  -  Edenton  -  Sept. 28-Oct. 2

Cleveland County Fair  -  Shelby  -   Sept. 30-Oct. 9

Coastal Carolina Agricultural Fair  -  New Bern   -  Oct. 14-24

Columbus County Agricultural Fair -   Whiteville  -  Oct 12-17

Cumberland County Fair  -  Fayetteville   -  Sept. 16-26

Davidson County Agricultural Fair -   Lexington  -   Sept. 20-25

Dixie Classic Fair -   Winston-Salem  -   Oct. 1-10

Drexel Community Fair  -  Drexel -   Aug. 17-21

Harnett Regional Agricultural Fair -   Lillington  -  May 2-7

Haywood County Fair  -  Waynesville  -  Aug. 25-30

Hickory American Legion Fair    Hickory -   Sept. 1-6

Iredell County Agricultural Fair  -  Statesville     Sept. 6-11

Lee Regional Agricultural Fair -   Sanford  -   Sept. 14-19

Lenoir County Fair    Kinston   -  Sept. 20-29

Moore County Agricultural Fair -   Carthage  -   Aug. 31-Sept. 4

N.C. Mountain State Fair  -  Fletcher  -  Sept. 10- 19

N.C. State Fair  -  Raleigh  -   Oct. 14-24

Onslow County Agricultural Fair -   Jacksonville  -   Oct. 4-9

Pitt County American Legion

Agricultural Fair  -  Greenville  -   Oct. 4-9

Richmond County Agricultural & Industrial Fair

Hamlet    Sept. 21-25

Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair  -  Lumberton   -  Sept. 30-Oct. 9

Rocky Mount Agricultural Fair  -  Rocky Mount  -   Oct. 11-16

Rowan County Agricultural Fair -   Salisbury  -   Sept. 20-25

Stanly American Legion Post

#76 Agricultural Fair  -  Albemarle  -   Sept. 2-6

Stokes County Agricultural Fair  -  King  -  Sept. 13-18

Surry County Agricultural Fair  -  Mt. Airy -   Sept. 28-Oct. 2

Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair  -  Goldsboro   -  Sept. 30-Oct. 9

Wilkes County Agricultural Fair  -  North Wilkesboro  –   Oct. 12-16

Wilson County American Legion Fair

Wilson  -   Sept. 21-26

Alexander  -  Senior Center, Taylorsville -  Oct. 14  -  6:30 p.m.

Alleghany  -  Sparta United Methodist Fellowship Hall, Sparta  -  Oct. 4  -  6:30 p.m.

Anson -   Lockhart Taylor Center, Wadesboro  -  Oct. 26  -  6:30 p.m.

Ashe  -  Jefferson United Methodist Church, Jefferson -   Oct. 18  -  6:30 p.m.

Avery  -  Crossnore Baptist Church, Crossnore  -  Oct. 7  -  6:30 p.m.

Beaufort  -  Civic Center, Washington -   Oct. 28  -  7:00 p.m.

Bladen  -  Powell-Melvin Ag. Service Center, Elizabethtown  -  Oct. 7  -  6:30 p.m.

Brunswick  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Shallotte  -  Oct. 14  -  7:00 p.m.

Buncombe  -  WNC Ag Center, Fletcher  -  Oct. 25  -  6:00 p.m.

Burke -   Community House, Morganton  -  Oct. 21 -   7:00 p.m.

Cabarrus  -  St. John’s Fellowship Hall, Concord  -  Oct. 7  -  7:00 p.m.

Caldwell  -  Hudson Hub, Hudson  -  Oct. 22  -  6:00 p.m.

Camden  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Camden  -  Nov. 18  -  4:00 p.m.

Carteret  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Beaufort    Nov. 9  -  7:00 p.m.

Caswell  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Yanceyville  -  Oct. 19  -  7:00 p.m.

Catawba  -  Ag Resource Bldg., Newton  -  Oct. 9  -  6:00 p.m.

Chatham  -  Silk Hope Farm Heritage Center, Silk Hope -   Oct. 25  -  6:30 p.m.

Cherokee  -   Murphy Elementary School Cafeteria  -   Oct. 25   -  6:30 p.m.

Clay  -  Brasstown Community Center, Brasstown  -  Oct. 9  -  5:30 p.m.

Cleveland  -  Cooperative Ext. Service office, Shelby  -  Oct. 15  -  7:00 p.m.

Columbus  -  Interim Centre, Whiteville    Oct. 4 -   7:00 p.m.

Craven  -  Craven Ag. Ext. Bldg., New Bern  -  Oct. 7  -  7:00 p.m.

Cumberland  -  Crown Center, Fayetteville  -  Oct. 25  -  6:30 p.m.

Currituck  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Currituck  -  Oct. 28  -  7:00 p.m.

Dare    Co. Farm Bureau sub-office, Kill Devil Hills    Oct. 21    7:00 p.m.

Davidson -   Davidson Ag Center, Lexington  -  Oct. 28  -  7:00 p.m.

Davie -   Davie Co. High School, Mocksville  -  Oct. 12  -  7:00 p.m.

Duplin -   Duplin Commons, Kenansville  -  Oct. 21  -  7:00 p.m.

Durham  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Roxboro Rd., Durham  -  Nov. 11  -  7:00 p.m.

Edgecombe  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Tarboro  -  Oct. 25  -  7:00 p.m.

Forsyth  -  County Ag Bldg., Winston-Salem  -  Oct. 28  -  6:30 p.m.

Franklin  -  Co. Extension Annex, Bickett Blvd., Louisburg  -  Nov. 1  -  7:00 p.m.

Gaston  -  Citizens Resource Center, Dallas  -  Oct. 11 -   7:00 p.m.

Granville  -  Cooperative Ext. Building, Wall St., Oxford  -  Oct. 27  -  7:00 p.m.

Greene  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Snow Hill  -  Oct. 26 -   6:00 p.m.

Guilford  -  Guilford Co. Ag Center, Greensboro  -  Oct. 28  -  6:30 p.m.

Haywood  -  Haywood Co, Fairgrounds, Waynesville  -  Oct. 18  -  6:00 p.m.

Henderson  -  Lake Pointe Landing, Hendersonville  -  Nov. 1  -  6:00 p.m.

Hertford  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Ahoskie  -  Oct. 26  -  7:30 p.m.

Hoke   – West Hoke Middle School, Raeford    Sept. 27  -  6:00 p.m.

Hyde  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Swan Quarter  -  Sept. 30  -  7:30 p.m.

Iredell  -  Statesville Civic Center, Statesville  -  Oct. 28  -  7:00 p.m.

Jackson  -  Community Service Building, Sylva  -  Oct. 5  -  6:00 p.m.

Jones  -  American Legion Bldg., Trenton  -  Oct. 7  -  7:00 p.m.

Lee  -  Ruby McSwain Ag Center, Sanford  -  Nov. 1 -   7:00 p.m.

Lenoir  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Kinston  -  Oct. 5  -  7:00 p.m.

McDowell -   Community Bldg., Marion  -  Oct. 11  -  6:00 p.m.

Madison  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Marshall  -  Oct. 26  -  6:00 p.m.

Martin -   Co. Farm Bureau office, Williamston  -  Oct. 18  -  7:00 p.m.

Mecklenburg    Oehler’s BBQ Barn, Charlotte    Nov. 1  -  6:00 p.m.

Mitchell -   Helen’s Restaurant, Bakersville  -  Oct. 19  -  6:30 p.m.

Montgomery  -  Garner Conference Center, Troy  -  Oct. 19  -  6:30 p.m.

Moore  -  Union Pines High School, Cameron  -  Oct. 21  -  5:45 p.m.

Nash  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Nashville  -  Nov. 4  -  7:00 p.m.

New Hanover   -   Hugh MacRae Park, Wilmington  -  Oct. 26   – 6:30 p.m.

Onslow -   Onslow Co. Multipurpose Bldg., Jacksonville -   Oct. 11 -   7:30 p.m.

Orange  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Hillsborough  -  Oct. 27 -   6:30 p.m.

Pamlico  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Alliance  -  Oct. 20  -  7:00 p.m.

Pasquotank  -   Co. Farm Bureau office, Elizabeth City  -   Oct. 18  -   7:00 p.m.

Pender  -  Burgaw Depot, Burgaw  -  Oct. 12  -  7:00 p.m.

Person  -   Person Co. office bldg, Roxboro  -  Nov. 8  -  7:00 p.m.

Pitt  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Greenville  -  Oct. 26  -  7:00 p.m.

Polk  -  Polk Co. 4-H Center, Columbus  -  Oct. 5  -  6:30 p.m.

Randolph  -  Capt. Toms Seafood, Staley    Sept. 27  -  6:00 p.m.

Richmond  -  Richmond Sr. High School Cafeteria, Rockingham  -  Oct. 21  -  6:00 p.m.

Robeson -   Co. Farm Bureau office, Lumberton  -  Oct. 28 -   7:00 p.m.

Rockingham  -  Ag Center, Wentworth  -  Oct. 21  -  6:00 p.m.

Rowan  -  Frank Small’s farm, Salisbury  -  Oct. 26  -  6:30 p.m.

Rutherford  -  Chase High School, Forest City    Oct. 7  -  7:00 p.m.

Sampson -   Sampson Co. Agri-Exposition Center, Clinton    Nov. 1  -  7:00 p.m.

Scotland -   Scotland Place Civic Center, Laurinburg    Oct. 14 -   7:00 p.m.

Stanly  -  Stanly Co. Agri-Civic Center, Albemarle -   Oct. 21 -   7:00 p.m.

Stokes -   Stokes Co. Cooperative Ext. office, Danbury  -  Oct. 5  -  7:30 p.m.

Surry  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Dobson -   Nov. 8  -  7:00 p.m.

Transylvania  -  Transylvania Co. Library, Brevard -   Oct. 2  -  6:00 p.m.

Tyrrell  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Columbia  -  Oct. 11  -  7:00 p.m.

Union  -  Agriculture Center, Monroe  -  Oct. 5  -  6:30 p.m.

Vance  -  H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library, Henderson  -  Nov. 4  -  7:00 p.m.

Wake  -  Delightful Inspirations, Raleigh    Nov. 1 -   7:00 p.m.

Washington  -  Vernon James Center, Roper  -  Nov. 4  -  7:00 p.m.

Wayne  -  Wayne Center, Goldsboro  -  Oct. 19  -  6:00 p.m.

Wilkes    -   Co. Farm Bureau Office, N. Wilkesboro  -  Oct. 19  -   6:30 p.m.

Wilson  -  Co. Farm Bureau office, Wilson    Nov. 1  -  7:30 p.m.

Yadkin  -  Moose Lodge, Yadkinville  -  Nov. 1 -   6:00 p.m.

Yancey  -  Burnsville Town Center, Burnsville  -  Oct. 14  -  6:00 p.m.

—

There were three guys from the city walking in the woods and they came across this huge hole in the path.
The first guy says, “Let’s throw some rocks in the hole and see how deep it is.” So that’s what they did, only they didn’t hear it hit bottom.
So the second guy says, “I saw a log back there; let’s get that and throw that in.” So that’s what they did.
Then this farmer comes walking up and says, “Have you seen my goat go by here?”
The third guy replies, “Yeah, we saw one jump down in that hole.”
The farmer replies, “What? That couldn’t have been my goat. He was tied to a log!”

For the first time, scholarships were awarded to two students who will attend community college to receive an associate degree in an agriculturally related field or prepare to transfer to a four-year college or university. The renewable scholarship is valued at $1,000 per year for two years of study, and provides each recipient with a total of $2,000 over two years for tuition, books and other expenses. Ultimately, the scholarship program will assist four community college students each year.
For the six four-year college or university students, the renewable scholarship is valued at $3,000 per year and provides each recipient with a total of $12,000 over four years for tuition, books and other expenses. The scholarship program assists 24 college-level students each year.

The R. Flake Shaw scholarship program has provided more than $500,000 in scholarship money to agriculture students since it was founded in 1967.

All six of the four-year college scholarship recipients have chosen to attend North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh.

Matthew A. Currin, a graduate of Knightdale High School in Wake County, plans to pursue a degree in agricultural education. Currin is also part of a Supervised Agricultural Experience, where he manages a greenhouse and nursery plants, does forestry management with 4,000 red cedar trees and works on a soybean and grain family farm. “To teach students about the need for agriculture is something I am passionate about, because I strive to promote agriculture for the future,” he says.

Cameron M. Davis, a graduate of Northeast Academy in Northampton County, says a career in agriculture has always been his choice. Davis has his own business, Davis Lawn Care, and has spent his whole life on the farm. His father, grandfather, uncle and several cousins are farmers, too, and he thinks the farm is the best place to live, have a family and have a career. “I enjoy the heritage of the farm and knowing I work the same land my father and grandfather did before me,” he says.

Kylie G. Glisson, a graduate of Rosewood High School in Wayne County, will pursue a degree in animal science. Glisson has already garnered experience working with the Wayne County Animal Shelter and participating in sheep production. “Both of these have allowed me to gain experience with both small and large animals, and at the same time, apply the skills that I have learned in my high school animal science classes to real-life situations,” she says.

William R. Harper, a graduate of Greene Central High School, plans to return to the farm that has been in his family for generations after college. But, Harper says today’s successful farm operation requires an education in business and marketing, as well as protecting the environment while feeding the world. “I am interested in all parts of a farming operation, but I know I have much more to learn to keep my family farm successful in the future,” he says.

Forrest C. Howell, a graduate of Pungo Christian Academy in Beaufort County, plans to attend Beaufort Community College (BCC) for one year and then transfer to NCSU to pursue a degree in agriscience. Howell has already been dually enrolled at BCC and wants to return to his community to enhance farming techniques to preserve the environment and improve productivity. “People are dependent on agriculture to survive, but in this growing, urban world agriculture, it is often overlooked,” he says.

Austin B. Jones, a graduate of Creswell High in Washington County, says he’s already experienced some of the personal satisfaction that comes from farming. Jones has already spent several years working on two farms—a grain farm and a tobacco and turkey farm. “I’ve seen a great potential for profit and personal gain through the rigor of agricultural life,” he says.

Zachery B. Morris, a graduate of Lawrence Academy in Bertie County, will pursue a degree in agricultural business management. Morris says his dream is to continue his family’s farm legacy and run the business. “In order to be successful in this current economic state, a much broader education is needed that includes not only good farming techniques, but also knowledge of business and technology,” he says.

Alicia M. Watts, a graduate of Hoyle’s Creek Homeschool in Gaston County, plans to attend Redlands Community College, where she plans to study sheep and goat reproduction and nutrition. Watts says she wants to earn a master’s degree in animal science and work for USDA, possibly as a meat inspector. “This career contributes to the ag industry in many ways,” she says.

Bullard and his wife, Anne, have owned and operated Gwynn Valley for more than a decade, but the camp itself has been a Transylvania County treasure for 75 years. Scores of children have experienced what it’s like to milk a cow, pick fresh string beans and lettuce or shuck corn for the first time. The camp’s objective is all about showing youngsters how critical agriculture is—that food doesn’t just show up at a grocery store.

“You get all kinds of kids having their eyes opened to aspects of foods that they would have never experienced before,” Grant Bullard says. “It’s a neat approach to a different kind of programming in a summer camp setting.”

As opposed to having food trucks arrive regularly like at a store, the staff at Gywnn Valley raises about 70 percent of the food that’s consumed at the camp during the summer. That amount includes locally raised beef and all vegetables cultivated by farm manager Dale Robertson, who has directed production for many years.

The camp includes a pond stocked with trout that are caught and enjoyed by all during a weekend fish fry. On-site is a refurbished grist mill that’s now used not only to grind corn for various dishes but also to churn old-fashioned ice cream.

“We’re finding very few kids these days have any kind of contact with farms,” Grant Bullard says. “I think 25, 30 years ago, you might find an aunt or uncle or grandparent who owned a farm somewhere in a rural setting. Now less and less you’re finding that among our camper population.”

The campers range from kindergartners through children in the eighth grade. They can stay for just a day or for as long as 20. Bullard indicated not only have children from North Carolina visited and stayed, but youngsters from as far away as Massachusetts and Mississippi have come as well.

Transylvania County Farm Bureau President Jackie Whitmire views Gwynn Valley as a crucial resource for enlightening children about farming and food.

“Many young people today never realize that their food comes from the farmed earth by way of the grocery store. Hopefully this experience will awaken their interest in the American farmer’s role in supplying a healthy and affordable food source for our people,” Whitmire says.

Furthermore, Whitmire thinks maybe some new farmers might begin to bloom because of what they experienced at Gwynn Valley.

“Perhaps some of the campers will get excited about a future profession related to farming or agribusiness. North Carolina offers a diversified menu of farming opportunities across our state for young farmers,” Whitmire says.

Johnson was joined by fellow inductee Richard Petty, NASCAR’s leadership and local and state government officials. They all turned out for May’s official opening ceremony at the Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte. Race fans packed the plaza surrounding this magnificent piece of architecture to soak in racing’s continued transformation from a rural regional sport to the nationwide, technologically advanced circuit it is today.

When it was time for Johnson to address the crowd, he stood humbled by the awing structure of glass and steel full of memorabilia, race cars and interactive displays. Along with Johnson and Petty, NASCAR included Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., and Dale Earnhardt in its inaugural Hall of Fame Class.

“For me to go in with the first bunch, with Richard and the Frances and Earnhardt, was just unbelievable. It still hasn’t soaked in,” Johnson says. “When you’ve got that kind of company in the process of doing a Hall of Fame, you can’t explain it. It’s just the greatest thing to ever happen to me.”
Johnson had a hand in assembling much of the historical content that’s now included in the Hall of Fame. He was one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers, winning 50 races. As a team owner, he assembled cars for Cale Yarborough, who won three consecutive championships in the late 1970s, and then for Darrell Waltrip, who claimed three more titles in the 1980s.

The Hall of Fame includes plenty of notable artifacts highlighting the sport’s greatest performers such as Petty, Johnson, Earnhardt, Yarborough and Waltrip. It also includes plenty of tributes to NASCAR’s recent successes, such as drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

“I want to tell our fans, you have the best Hall of Fame in the world right here in Charlotte,” says current NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.

Hall of Fame visitors can experience firsthand what it’s like to be behind the wheel or in the pits with simulators that use the latest technology. They also can absorb NASCAR’s 60 years of history through one-of-a-kind artifacts and photographs.
Petty was just as excited about taking in all that the Hall of Fame has to offer as anyone.

“Just to see NASCAR grow to where it is today, to see it finally have a Hall of Fame, and then to be inducted into it on top of that,” Petty says, “of all the thousands and thousands of people it took to get NASCAR where it is today, I’m so glad to have been along for the ride.”

Hyde County Farm Bureau Member Ray Spencer remembers one of the worst ever to hit the state—Hurricane Hazel back in 1954.

“We had not had any real bad hurricanes until Hazel,” says Spencer, who now is 87 and served as the County Board President for close to 20 years and also served on the  state board of directors for quite some time.

“We had high tide right here in our yard. It got waist deep. It was a vicious storm that came in and struck real quick then went right back out,” Spencer says.

What compounded the problem was not just the amount of water on the farmland but the kind of water. Spencer recalled how the soil was altered for several years because of saltwater from Pamlico Sound that affected his farm, which is just three feet above sea level. Tons of gypsum, what Spencer said county natives used to call “land plaster,” were applied to absorb the excess sodium so crops could grow again.

“You could take your finger and run it down the row and it was salt. There’s no question about it. You can’t grow anything on that type of soil until you get it out,” Spencer says.

The predicament hurricanes leave North Carolina farmers might be the most extreme in the case of growers like the Spencer family of Hyde County. Ray’s son Glenn Spencer is now the County Board President and farms more than 1,600 acres.
“The people who haven’t experienced salt in the soil don’t have any correlation about what it can do to you,” Glenn Spencer says. “If there’s a sodium buildup in the soil, it tightens the soil up so it can’t release the nutrients.”

Whether it’s getting corn harvested before the peak of hurricane season arrives in September or hoping cotton won’t be ruined if floodwaters come in October, North Carolina farmers have had to keep tabs on potential storm tracks for decades.
Jeff Orrock, the warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Raleigh, explained why this state is so susceptible to hurricanes and tropical storms.

“Geographically, we’re vulnerable just from our location because we are just so far out into the Atlantic,” Orrock says, adding only Texas and Florida are more prone to be affected by hurricanes than North Carolina.

Beyond Hurricane Hazel, several storms have left vicious marks on North Carolina.

Farmers throughout the Eastern part of the state readily remember the agricultural disaster Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd caused in 1999. Residents in Western North Carolina witnessed historic flooding in 2004 stemming from Hurricanes Frances and Ivan that originally made landfall on the Gulf Coast. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo blasted 90 mph winds in downtown Charlotte though it came ashore in South Carolina.

“There’s really no part of the state that’s immune to these things,” Orrock says.

So what could this year’s hurricane season hold? Orrock believes atmospheric conditions in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans could make for a rocky time in North Carolina if all the ingredients come together for breeding severe storms.

“The last time North Carolina got a direct hit from a significant hurricane was back in 2003 with Hurricane Isabel. Fast-forward seven years and we really haven’t had to deal with one,” Orrock says. “We may be getting overdue for a significant hurricane.”

This disconnect is happening as the result of the success of the American food industry. It is the fact that we’ve made it so easy to grab a meal that many people are disconnecting. Many North Carolinians are fortunate enough to not worry about food security, so they probably never consider the matrix of economic cycles being held together by the roots of food production.

It is not until the holiday season or during an emergency or natural disaster that the average person may even pause from their busy life and consider the logistics of providing basic food and water to those in need somewhere else hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

The truth is the availability of safe, nutritious food doesn’t just happen like sunrise and sunset; it takes long-term planning based on well-developed policy positions.

The land disconnect phenomenon, however, is not a sign of disrespect or an insult to the farmers who work so hard to produce the bread, protein, fresh produce and dairy products that help feed the world’s population. North Carolina produced nearly 50 percent of the nation’s sweet potatoes, almost 9 percent of its broiler chickens and 8 percent of its blueberries during 2008.

It is more of an opportunity for us to try and help people remember how once upon a time, practically everyone farmed to live. They had to grow greens and peas and raise some livestock or they didn’t eat. Many families traded with their neighbors to keep things fresh and enjoy a product that didn’t exactly sprout to life in their soil. Just like the past, the future must also embrace this local food model.

With the help of transportation, technology and the improved convenience of our food supply, more than 98 percent of the U.S. population now doesn’t actively grow enough food to feed one person—much less the 100 or more that can be served by a single modern farmer. That leaves less than two percent of the population to feed the rest, and they do more than an above average job of working with all variables to ultimately make the right choices to grow our food.

There is a trust that society has placed upon each grower. The vast majority of farmers take this unspoken contract seriously and with the best of intentions. However, as with any profession, a random bad actor is often displayed as an industry portrait to the larger society via the media and other communications channels.

Because this trust exists, however, it is farmers who will respond to the United Nations advanced warning to the governments of the world. We will need 70 percent more food within 40 years. It will take all the good farmers—large, medium and small—under agriculture’s big tent to feed the world’s estimated 9 billion people by 2050.