NC A&T School of Agriculture Hosts U.S. Secretary of Agriculture 

April 22, 1998 

Greensboro, NC: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman addressed civil rights and small-scale agriculture issues during the keynote address at A&T's Small Farm's Day Luncheon, the highlight of the North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program's 12th Annual Small Farms Week.

"Agriculture is as vital to national security as any army," said Glickman. "Americans have never had to go to war because they're hungry."

Glickman's comments were heard by an audience of approximately 300 in F. A. Williams Cafeteria on the NC A&T campus. Also during the luncheon, Lesker Loyied Norris of Wake County was named the state's top small-scale farmer and presented the G. L. Dudley Small Farmer of the Year Award, which comes with a cash prize.

During his address, Glickman acknowledged that the odds are stacked against small-scale farmers, but indicated that USDA will continue to support this segment of the farming population with education and loan programs tailored toward their needs.

"I am not anti-big agriculture," said Glickman. "I am anti-agriculture policies that hurt small farmers."

Glickman also stated that his organization was investigating civil rights complaints against it, and vowed that he was working to rectify those problems.

"I want the USDA to be known as the premier leader in civil rights," said Glickman. "We have a lot of work to do."

Other highlight activities during Small Farms Week included the Women in Agriculture Symposium and a student-led colloquium on issues of current significance to African Americans involved in agriculture. The colloquium, entitled, "Agriculture, Technology and Trade: The Past, Present and Future of African Americans in Agriculture," featured former US Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy and leaders from the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association.

Small Farms Week is a statewide celebration of small-scale agriculture coordinated by the North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program, during a week designated for this observance by Governor Jim Hunt and Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Graham.

Organizers of Small Farms Week activities conduct educational programs which help farmers learn of recent developments in technology, and publicize the contributions made by small-scale agriculture to the economy of North Carolina.

Dr. Daniel Lyons Sr., assistant administrator of regional and county programs for A&T's Cooperative Extension Program, directs the annual observation.

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For more information, please contact Dr. Daniel Lyons Sr., NC A&T Cooperative Extension Program, (336) 334-7024.