On November 17
th, a brother led five fellow brothers on a tour of Kornegay Farms, Inc. John Mitchell Kornegay, a graduating senior in Agriculture Business Management and Animal Science invited the chapter to visit his family’s farm in Mount Olive, North Carolina. The leadership committee planned the visit to begin with a campout including a bonfire Friday evening and a farm tour the following morning. Brothers brought food, sleeping bags and tents, however due to weather brothers slept inside. This fellowship time was a great opportunity for brothers to relax away from Raleigh.
The farm tour began around 11am on Saturday morning. John began by showing us farm equipment and where their sweet potatoes are packaged. We also enjoyed seeing the cattle and walking through soybean fields. Products of Kornegay Farms also include Coastal Bermuda hay, wheat straw, feed and corn. They also work with rye, oats and tobacco on a plantation. We sat down for lunch at a favorite local restaurant, Johnny’s Seafood, where we enjoyed shrimp and cheeseburgers. After lunch, we observed the harvesting of soybeans. Every brother had the opportunity to ride in the combine, which was a great experience for everyone. A few brothers picked cotton from a nearby field to take back as a souvenir. John gave us a wonderful hayride to see the pig nursery, goats, and horses.
All brothers who participated had fun and learned something new about agriculture. We all brought home some Covington sweet potatoes, a variety developed at NC State University. We are proud to be from the top sweet potato producing state in the nation. The leadership committee is planning more farm tours for next semester to help brothers learn about different aspects of agriculture.