Madeline Chandler (right) presents Renee Sutton, James Sprunt Community College chief of staff, with the Honorary State FFA Degree on June 25 at the State FFA Convention in Raleigh. Photo Courtesy James Sprunt Community College
Renee Sutton, James Sprunt Community College chief of staff, was awarded the Honorary State FFA Degree at the State FFA Convention in Raleigh on June 25.
This is the highest honorary degree awarded by the North Carolina FFA Association, bestowed to volunteers for their exceptional contributions to agricultural education and FFA programs in the state.
Sutton was recognized for her dedication to the FFA Association and contributing to the growth of agricultural programs at James Sprunt Community College.
“I was just very honored to be nominated and given that award,” said Sutton, who has been involved in the FFA programs since 1987, when she married her husband. “I think that I got adopted into the FFA when my husband was teaching agriculture… When he retired, two of our children started teaching agriculture in public schools in North Carolina. So it’s been an organization that our whole family has poured into as far as volunteering and trying to help students realize their leadership development opportunities in agriculture.”
Father and son team up to reignite family farm, join HappyDirt
WARSAW — Located in the small town of Warsaw, a stone’s throw away from Interstate 40, is the Moore Family Farm, where owners Robert and Dakota Moore are building their dreams one seed at a time, planting the seeds they hope will reignite their family farm.
After graduating from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University last May, Dakota returned home with a degree in agriculture and environmental science and a decision to bring back the thriving business his ancestors once enjoyed in the very same land they stand today.
The father and son duo recently joined the HappyDirt family and they are excited for what the future has in store. HappyDirt, formerly known as Eastern Carolina Organics, is an organic produce distributor, broker and marketer based in North Carolina championing farmer-owners and farmers from NC with 67% of the produce they purchase being from the state.
Dakota learned about them through an assistant professor at NC State University while doing an internship through the Center for Environmental Farming Systems.
“She knew that my father and I were trying to farm. I was roughly a sophomore in college trying to figure out what direction I wanted to go into, and I met HappyDirt. They were helping farmers,” said Dakota.
HappyDirt understands challenges such as an aging farmer population and the need for young farmers like Dakota who can transition from the current generation to the new generation of farmers.
“Our family has been farming for hundreds and hundreds of years. My great-grandfather began this same farm in around 1830 and his sons farmed, and my granddaddy farmed, and all the brothers farmed. They had a thriving business in the 1970s, that carried on until approximately the 1990s,” said Robert.“This farm has been able to produce doctors, lawyers, businesspeople, professionals, military, educators, all that kind of stuff, but didn’t produce any more farmers.”
“My ancestors were heavy into education,” Robert told Duplin Journal. “They were pushing building a culture that their children would go to college or go to the military, you know, get professional jobs, and it really worked well, but everybody left the farm.”
According to Robert, his family began to lease out their land to industrial farmers in the ‘90s, but after he retired and Dakota returned from college, they decided to use their resources and farm their land.
Growing up Dakota remembers noticing that many of his friends’ parents who were doing well, were farmers.
“They’re eating nice and they’re buying boats, and houses at the beach,” said Dakota. “I was like well we have land — my family lived for generations farming — why can’t we do this? I just never realized nobody in the family went to school for agriculture.”
It was then when Dakota’s initial interest in agriculture was born.
He wanted to learn and decided to start growing watermelons in a small area behind his barn.
“We used a hoe to clean the land. No heavy machinery, nothing,” said Dakota, adding they wanted to see if they could grow anything.
Later on, he decided to pursue a career in agriculture and fell in love with it while working at the university’s farm. Currently Dakota is building their second greenhouse.
Today, the Moores are farming 15 acres of land with their 1957 Farmall and with equipment they rent. Robert shared that while the Farmall does not run 100% of the time, it has been a tremendous help. “It has enabled us to grow because you can do but only so much with the garden hoe.”
Robert Moore and his son Dakota pose for a photo on their 1957 Farmall truck. Photo by Ena Sellers / Duplin Journal
When asked what the top item on their wish list would be, the Moores said a Kubota tractor, because with a modern hitch they might be able to find someone who could loan them a disc.
“All of our equipment now is single hitch,” said Dakota. “So, nobody’s equipment would even align with anything that we have.”
Despite the challenge of not having modern equipment to help alleviate some of the most labor-intensive tasks at the farm, the Moores are excited about the possibilities for the future. Now with a promising partnership that would put their produce on the market.
“This year we’re trying to make a really big step — to sell at the grocery stores,” said Robert, adding that now the next step for them is to get GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified and also obtain their organic certification.
“To be GAP certified you have to have inspectors come and [watch] while we’re harvesting to see how we’re harvesting and that we’re following the food safety procedures — $1,500. Then organic has to follow the same path, another $1,500 and everything has to be logged and recorded. You have to keep extensive records,” said Robert, explaining that everything is documented so that it can be traced back to where it came from and when it was harvested.
“If we pick a watermelon from row one, of plot one. We have to document what day we picked it,” said Robert.
Dakota explained that with organic farming they work with nature, and they use cover crops to add nutrients back to the soil. He emphasized the importance of soil testing and adding nutrients back to the soil, so it doesn’t completely deplete the nutrients over time.
“A cover crop is really a crop that you grow to add amendments to the soil, which is nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus — those are the main nutrients in your soil when you’re growing things,” said Dakota. “A cover crop changes your whole soil quality… You can grow different things just to add those nutrients back to it. … We started with a cover crop mix and that mix actually changed our whole soil microorganisms.”
Robert shared that in addition to farming, they are doing community outreach. They teach their interns about organic farming and environmental stewardship. Robert told Duplin Journal they are hoping to spread the word about the different career opportunities in the agriculture field.
“We’re not the only black people who were farmers back in the day that have now leased out their land, there are a lot of those around,” said Robert.
“That’s why we are trying to get younger people into farming. Because a lot of these younger people’s grandfathers are farming…And the ones who are not farming still have the land, they are just leasing it out.”
He explained that families who lease land are getting paid just enough to pay the land’s taxes when they could be farming it and making a living from it.
Dakota echoed his dad’s sentiment, comparing how much a person could earn working their land versus working in a processing plant for example. “In three months, you could make your yearly salary. Every season, you can make your salary. That is the difference — That puts you in a different mindset,” said Dakota.
The father and son team are looking forward to this next chapter for Moore Family Farms and their new partnership with HappyDirt.
Moore Family Farm carries seven different varieties of watermelons, which vary in size, color and sweetness. According to Dakota some of their sugar babies watermelons peaked at 12-14 % in the Brinx meter last year. Photo by Ena Sellers / Duplin Journal
KENANSVILLE — Bryan Miller has been Duplin County manager for eight months, making him a relative newcomer to the county. Miller grew up in Wilkes County, and previously worked in a warehouse operation in Virginia, working his way up from entry level to vice president. From there, he segued into county government, working as Caswell County manager for 10 years. He splits his time between Duplin County and Caswell County, where his daughter Emerie is still in school, and his wife Kim works as a school nurse. Miller sat down with Duplin Journal to talk about his career, the importance of quality local government, and the things he loves most about his new home in Duplin County.
Q. What made you want to pursue a career in county government?
A. I’d always taken an interest in politics and administration. I’ll tell you, what really got me interested in it is in Chesterfield County, where I lived, they had an ordinance that said if you had a boat, you had to park your boat behind the back corner of your house. For the lot that I owned, it wasn’t feasible to do that, because the lot sloped so much that I really couldn’t park a boat behind the back corner of my house. So I had to apply for a variance. And applying for the variance and going through that whole process and really understanding how that worked, and speaking to the elected official in that jurisdiction is probably what got me most interested. My neighbor at the time was also in county government, so we had a lot of conversations about county government and how it worked, what we thought was right and what we thought wasn’t.
I’ve always been the type of person that wanted to help people, regardless of what it was. So with my personal experience dealing with county government, the folks that I knew who were in county government, and my heart and passion really for helping people, serving people, led me to want to go into county government.
Q. You’ve been in Duplin County for eight months. As a newcomer, what are your impressions of the area?
A. I love Duplin County. Even though I still have a home in Caswell County, I refer to Duplin County as home. I could not be happier with the staff here in the county government. They’re well-trained, knowledgeable, they know their jobs, they care about the people in the county, and the Board of Commissioners is a very high functioning board. The board takes great pride in the county’s financial position, and making very deliberate decisions on how the county operates. Overall, I’m incredibly pleased to be here.
Q. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the county right now, especially in terms of growth and agriculture?
A. Connectivity. We’ve got to do something to improve the connectivity, whether it be internet or cell phone coverage. Doing those kind of things will enhance business prospects. If you have a business and you’re riding down the road and your cell phone drops, that’s preemptive from having businesses relocate to Duplin. Everybody in any space needs internet to just perform the basic functions of their business, like payroll and HR. There are places in Duplin where the internet is not enough that you could run a business. We’ve got to do better with the connectivity.
Q. What are some of the goals you have in mind for the county?
A. The commissioners set goals for the county. I follow through on their directives. I think that what the Board of Commissioners wants and expects for the county is for us to have a vibrant county, where both the needs of agriculture are met, as well as the needs of our residents that do not work in agriculture.
Q. On a more personal note, what do you do in your spare time?
A. I love to play golf. I love to fish. I love to spend time with my family, and of course my buddy, my dog, Winston.
Q. What’s the last book you read?
A. Forged in Crisis. It’s about different leaders throughout history and the way that their time and circumstances that they were dealing with shaped them as a leader. It’s really good.
Q. What’s your favorite eatery in Duplin County?
A. You can find me at Highway 55, the Country Squire, Duplin Winery. I really like the Filling Station. To pick a favorite, I couldn’t do that. They’re all great. The county attorney and I went to the Pizza Village in Beulaville the other day, and I would probably add that to my list.
Q. What, in your opinion, is the best thing about Duplin County?
A. The people. The residents here are wonderful. I have been met with open arms, open minds, and a willingness to help. There is no doubt in my mind that the people are Duplin County’s biggest strength. The people are truly what makes Duplin County the greatest county in North Carolina, as Commissioner Jesse Dowe often points out.
A new rule from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission requires home sellers to disclose information about flooding damage to potential buyers. The rule went into effect on Monday, July 1.
The addition of flood-related questions to the Residential Property and Owners’ Association Disclosure Statement came about in December 2022, after the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a petition on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council, North Carolina Justice Center, MDC Inc., North Carolina Disaster Recovery and Resiliency School, Robeson County Church and Community Center, and NC Field.
“Without proper flood disclosure, a home buyer is left in the dark about the risk and potential lifetime cost associated with the home,” said Brooks Rainey Pearson, senior attorney with Southern Environmental Law Center.
The rule comes into play when sellers fill out the required disclosure statement, which asks questions about the home that’s potentially being sold, such as when the house was built, are there roof or pest problems, whether it’s in violation of any codes or ordinances, and so on.
Homeowners filling out the form can check yes, no or no representation, meaning basically that the homeowner can choose not to answer.
The new rule has brought somewhat mixed reactions from area real estate agents.
“I’m thrilled that this has happened,” said Realtor Curt Simpson of Simpson Real Estate in Wallace. “In real estate, the more you disclose, the better off everybody is.”
Realtor Courtenay Thompson of White House Real Estate said she’s pleased with the new rule as well, but she’s also wary of sellers potentially exploiting “gray areas” that have to do with what realtors call “material facts.”
“If a home is located in a flood zone, that’s a material fact,” she explained. “I have sold real estate in River Landing for most of my career, and I have always disclosed if there’s been flooding on a property. I always bring it up and it has definitely cost me some deals, but at the same time, sellers can always check no representation on the form if they choose not to answer. That’s a gray area with the new rule.”
With the new rule in place, the four-page form has become six pages, with new questions asking specifically about flooding and past flood damage.
Previously, the only question that the form asked about flooding was: “Is the property subject to a flood hazard or is the property located in a federally-designated flood hazard area?”
“‘Is it subject to a flood hazard’ is a very loose way of asking the question, and most people would say no,” Simpson said. “And if a seller or an agent didn’t want to be very forthcoming, they could answer that question no, and avoid a lot of questions about what happened in 2018 when we had Florence flood in lots of areas that were not federally-designated flood areas.”
The first question regarding flooding is the same, but then the next question delves deeper: “Has the property experienced damage due to flooding, water seepage or pooled water attributable to a natural event such as heavy rainfall, coastal storm surge, tidal inundation or river overflow?”
Other questions ask about insurance claims for flood damage, assistance from federal agencies for flood damage and if the property has been elevated due to flooding concerns.
“I’m not saying this is going to fix every problem, but it’s going to make it a whole lot more difficult for them to say, no, there’s no problem,” Simpson said.
However, as Thompson pointed out, “They can still check no representation. Some people just check no representation all the way down the form and it’s perfectly legal to do that.”
One might think the rule mostly affects the River Landing community, but Simpson said that’s not necessarily so. “It’s not just River Landing,” he said. “It’s pretty much everything from Chinquapin to Northeast. All of Highway 41, lots of property on Highway 50 flooded as well. There were houses in Beulaville that had flooded, houses in the Hallsville area that were flooded, and people came in and bought them after they had flooded out, renovated them, and with the rising real estate market, they have sold them, at a pretty good profit. If they’re not completely transparent about the flood risk, the buyers do not know what they’re getting.”
However, River Landing may bear the brunt of the new rule, in Thompson’s opinion. “It sucks for River Landing and Wallace in general because it scares people off when they find out a property has been flooded,” she said. “It is hard for sellers, too, because once you disclose that, it jades your property. But I do believe it should’ve been part of the form a long time ago.”
Homeowners and potential buyers can always visit http://fris.nc.gov and type in a specific address to find out if a home is prone to flooding.
The Wallace Town Council updated its system development fees at a continued meeting on Tuesday night, June 25, reducing water fees, while increasing sewer fees for new developments coming in to town.
The fees are charged for any new connection to the system, and are required to be updated every five years, Town Manager Rob Taylor explained.
The prior water fee started at $1,462 for a three-quarter-inch line, and increased as the line sizes increased. The newly adopted fee will be $553 for a three-quarter-inch line, a reduction of $909.
A one-inch line will now cost $923, while a two-inch line is $2,946, four-inch is $11,607, six-inch is $23,949, and an eight-inch line is $51,584.
As for sewer rates, the base fee for a three-quarter-inch line increased by $20 to $2,069. The sewer rates also increase as the line gets bigger, with the following costs for connection to sewer: one-inch line, $3,454; two-inch line, $11,025; four-inch line, $43,439; six-inch line, $89,629; and eight-inch line, $193,054.
“You can see how those rates really start to increase for sewer as the line gets bigger,” Taylor told the council. “We’ve just got way more cost in our sewer system plant than we do with water. … We have a lot of projects getting ready to start that will require a lot of capital, and these system development fees are made to help us cover some of that infrastructure that we have to put in.”
Mayor Jason Wells questioned how many customers use the eight-inch lines, which are the most expensive. Taylor said that there were no current customers using that size water or sewer line.
“When you get up to that size, you’re working with municipalities like Teachey, Greenevers, and we already have interlocal agreements with those folks, but this would be for some huge industry using a lot of water,” Taylor explained.
The new fees were available on the town’s website for public comment for 45 days, which is why the item was not ready for action at the council’s regular meeting on June 13. No public feedback was received, Taylor said.
The council voted unanimously to approve the new system development fees.
Also at the continued meeting last Tuesday night, the council unanimously approved a contract with Duplin County Schools to provide SROs (school resource officers) in the coming school year. Police Chief Jimmy Crayton was not present at the meeting, but Taylor reported that both Crayton and Town Attorney Anna Herring had reviewed the contract and recommended approval.
In one more item of business, the council had approved the sale of a piece of property at the corner of North Norwood Street and East Murphy Street at its April meeting. The property was advertised on GovDeals.com, with Mount Calvary Leadership Development Corporation bidding $25,000 to purchase the property.
The council voted unanimously to authorize the sale, and then the meeting adjourned.
The Wallace Town Council will next meet on Thursday, July 11, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.
The Duplin County Board of Education honored two newly national board certified teachers at the regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 18.
“National board certification is offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards,” explained Daren Tyndall, assistant superintendent for human resources. “It’s a way to recognize the accomplished teaching that is occurring in North Carolina classrooms. The certification process is based on high and rigorous standards that evaluate teaching practice through performance-based assessments.”
The ultimate goal of having national board certified teachers is to improve the performance and achievement for students, Tyndall added.
The two newly national board certified teachers are Kristen Kane, STEAMA beginning teacher coordinator, and Nicole Lane, family and consumer sciences teacher at East Duplin High School.
“It’s an honor well deserved,” Tyndall said.
The board also approved an interim budget resolution for the 2024-25 fiscal year as part of its consent agenda.
“The interim budget resolution, which was approved in the consent agenda, is an interim appropriation of an amount equal to the prior year’s budget,” explained Christy Johnson, executive director of public relations for Duplin County Schools. “This is necessary until the state approves a budget to allow us to continue operating.”
During a joint meeting with the county commissioners and school board in May, Duplin County Schools Chief Finance Officer Dawn George reported that the school system has requested a 10.66% increase in its budget this year, to $11,066,000. “What that represents is the increases to our recurring costs, which includes the state-mandated increase in salaries of about 3%,” George explained. “Retirement will go up approximately 1% and health insurance will go up about 7%.”
“The information shared at the joint meeting was planning information that will be used to build our budget, which will be based on how much we will actually receive from state and local entities,” Johnson said.
Since it was part of the consent agenda, the budget resolution was approved with no public discussion.
Also at the June 18 meeting, the school board approved service contracts for the upcoming school year. Most of the contracts were approved as part of the consent agenda, save for the contract with Edwards and Associates Physical Therapy, Inc. for a maximum of $80,000. This contract was voted on separately so that Board Member Pam Edwards could recuse herself from the vote, since her family members run Edwards and Associates Physical Therapy.
The other contracts that were approved included:
Compass Speech, PLLC (maximum of $155,000);
Invision Services (maximum value of $125,900);
Jennifer Carter (maximum value $95,000);
ProCare — interpreter (maximum of $116,500);
ProCare — teacher of deaf/hard of hearing (maximum $45,000);
John E. Sexton & Associates (maximum $35,000);
Psychological and School Services of Eastern Carolina (maximum $150,000);
IntelliChoice Home Care (maximum $90,000);
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (maximum $14,628).
There were also several memorandums of understanding approved as part of the consent agenda, including the MATCH Wellness program, the Duplin County Health Department, Communities in Schools of North Carolina Services Group, LLC, the Jobs for North Carolina Graduates program at Wallace-Rose Hill High School, and James Sprunt Community College for the continuation of the Duplin Agribusiness Academy.
After an executive session, the board voted to approve Superintendent Dr. Austin Obasohan’s personnel recommendations, with the exception of Chairman Brent Davis, who recused himself from the vote.
During his report to the board, Dr. Obasohan thanked all of the staff and students who helped the county’s Pre-K students graduate. “To go send them out into their new world prepared is key, so kudos to all the staff who work with these kids and will continue to work with them,” he said.
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