We have a diverse workforce here at the NCDA&CS that focuses on consumer protection, food safety, agricultural marketing, accuracy of weights and measures, plant conservation, livestock protection…and more. In Faces in the Field, we’ll talk to one of our employees and provide a behind-the-scenes look at what they do to serve North Carolina.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGYMz5DV-QA
We recently visited the Piedmont Research Station and talked with superintendent Joe Hampton about the research at the station and the importance of research to the future of agriculture. Joe is a passionate advocate for agricultural research to help North Carolina farmers, no matter the size of the farm. The Piedmont Research Station is currently doing poultry research on grazing, floor and cage technologies. Joe says that it’s not their job to tell farmers what type of poultry operation to run, but to gather facts on each type of operation and to let the farmer make his own decision. He also emphasized that everything they do on the farm helps the consumer in the long run.
Joe grew up on a dairy farm, was a poultry science major in college and his first few years of work focused on the poultry industry. He is now involved in the beef cattle industry and serves as the 2011 president of the American Angus Association.