By Shelby Carroll

My name is Shelby Carroll, and I am Rowan County’s Cooperative Extension’s new natural resource and agriculture agent. Being a Concord native, I have seen first-hand just how quickly our local family farms can be sold and turned into housing developments and or supermarkets. While I did not grow up on a family farm, I always had one to turn to. My very first job was working at a produce farm in Cabarrus County. The farmer was very fortunate enough to hire me during the summers so I could work so I could afford FFA National Convention.

Since then, my passion has been to push local agriculture products and keep the family farms in business. I went to Northwest Cabarrus High School, where I was showing beef cattle and sheep through my FFA chapter. I served in many officer roles and as a regional officer as well. There my love for this industry grew even more. I attended the University of Mount Olive in Mount Olive. I got my degree in environmental and natural resources. I became more aware of all of North Carolina’s agricultural products. I learned about sustainable agriculture practices and focused my profession around them. One of my favorite projects I helped complete was building an aquaponic system that included tilapia and a mixed media bed where we grew strawberries and a variety of lettuce and other leafy greens.

While at the university, I worked on our student farm, which focuses on row crop production, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes. I was also active in our Young Farmers and Ranchers organization and Collegiate FFA. These organizations allowed me to attend conferences about the agriculture industry and public speaking events that I participated in that discussed agriculture topics. I moved to Kannapolis this past year and quickly started to enjoy the community in Rowan County. Since then, I have picked up honey bee hives and small-cut flower production. My parents own a classic car restoration shop, so I come from a family of entrepreneurs. I am new to learning new farming techniques and hope to expand my products someday. I enjoy being involved within my community. I hope to raise awareness about the decline in our local farmland and push more Rowan County citizens into agriculture.

I look forward to meeting everyone!