Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler recognized Dianne Farrer and Ron Stamey as employees of the month for their contributions to the department. The two were presented a plaque for their accomplishments during a ceremony held last week in Raleigh.
Regional agronomist Dianne Farrer was named the June 2012 NCDA&CS Employee of the Month. As a regional agronomist, Dianne provides on-site consulting to help growers in Carteret, Craven, Greene, Jones, Lenoir and Pitt counties. She troubleshoots nutrient and nematode problems, establishes appropriate agronomic sampling programs and implements management recommendations in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner.
Here’s an excerpt from Dianne’s recommendation letter:
If a grower needs assistance with a problem, Dianne is willing to research a topic until she can find the answer the grower needs. Dianne is very innovative and is always looking for new ideas to assist her clients.
One example of this is her work with the N.C. State University Crop Science Department to adapt a computer software program that uses NCDA&CS soil test data to calculate the economically optimum fertilizer rate for growers. Dianne found a way to tether her cell phone to a laptop so that she could demonstrate this program to growers during farm visits.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler names Ron Stamey NCDA&CS Employee of the Month for August 2012.
Commissioner Troxler also recognized Ron Stamey as the August 2012 NCDA&CS Employee of the Month. Ron is the marketing specialist for the Western N.C. Agricultural Center in Fletcher. He is responsible for supervising the daily operations of the facility, as well as promoting and booking the site as an events venue. In addition, Ron works closely with fair manager Matt Buchanan to plan the N.C. Mountain State Fair.
Here’s an excerpt from Ron’s letter of recommendation:
Ron provides excellent customer service to each client with an attentive ear for details. If the event is for one day or for a two-week run, Ron provides support from the beginning to the end. He is committed to seeing that each show has their needs met….Ron reaches out with his years of experience in media promotions to provide maximum advertising through the WNC Ag Center website and Facebook, which he developed and maintains.
In addition, Ron was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work with the 2011 N.C. Mountain State Fair advertising campaign. Check out one of the commercials here.
Congratulations again to Dianne and Ron!