DECEMBER 2022

Speak SWEETPOTATO DECEMBER 2022

THE FUTURE OF NORTH CAROLINA SWEETPOTATOES

Brent Leggett, PRESIDENT Leggett Farming Partnership Rob Hill, VICE PRESIDENT Tull Hill Farms Kim K. LeQuire, SECRETARY- TREASURER Kornegay Family Farms & Produce 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

700 E. Parrish Dr. Suite C Benson, NC 27504 (919) 894-1067 NCSPC S TAFF

Sarah Carraway Lancaster Farms Clay Gardner CEG Farms, Inc. Frank Howell Howell Farming Co., Inc. Jim Jones Jones Family Farms

Michelle Grainger, Executive Director Cindy Vanderhoof, Finance & Operations Specialist CoCo Daughtry, Communications Specialist

Brittany Beasley, Intern Grayson Braswell, Intern

Thomas Joyner Nash Produce

Dewey Scott Scott Farms Lynwood Vick Vick Family Farms Craig West West Family Farms Partnership Michael Wood J. Roland Wood Farms If you are interested in contributing an advertisement or an article to the Sweetpotato Speak please contact: CoCo Daughtry Communications Specialist Email: coco@ncsweetpotatoes.com Phone: (919) 894-1067

Spencer visiting the US Ambassador’s French Residence

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Market News Data can be found beginning on page 13

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NORTH CAROLINA REPORT

Although national election results did not meet the Republican expectations, here in North Carolina we did see a red wave as Republicans easily won all statewide races and picked up seats in both legislative chambers. As predicted, Congressman Tedd Budd defeated former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in North Carolina by a comfortable margin of approximately 3.6 points. By North Carolina standards, this is a strong victory for any statewide candidate and especially for United States Senate. The Supreme Court Justice seats both went to Republicans by an even wider margin of approximately 5 points each, changing the balance of power on our state’s highest court from 4-3 in favor of Democrats to 5-2 in favor of Republicans. Republicans also won all four Court of Appeals seats by strong margins, expanding their ma jority to now control 11 out of the 15 seats. In the North Carolina Senate, Senator Berger now has a super-majority of 30 Republicans to 20 Democrats – enough to override a gubernatorial veto. Republicans previously held 28 seats in the Senate. The Republican incumbent Senators won all of their competitive races, and they were able to flip two seats previously held by Democrats. In the House, Republicans added two seats bringing the total to 71-49. This is one short of the super-majority as 72 members are needed to override a veto. However, the Governor’s veto power will be considerably weaker this upcoming session as there are usually a small group of Democrat House members who are interested in voting with Republican leadership on certain issues including the state budget. There are no Senate Democrats who would be likely to vote to override, so the Senate super-majority was crucial for Republicans. The Democrats will also be unable to legislate through the Court system as they have in the past few years now that Republicans have taken control. Overall, Republican leadership in North Carolina was pleased with the outcome and the Democrats will be re-organizing as they look ahead to 2024. The North Carolina General Assembly will have a few more committee meetings and a few more procedural, non-voting sessions in November and December before officially adjourning the 2022 Short Session. Next year is a long session year where the state budget and all other legislation is introduced. The Long Session officially begins on January 11 when members return to Raleigh for a ceremony and social events. Members will then return on January 25 to outline the upcoming Session. By February, we will be in full swing.

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FEDERAL REPORT

The 2022 Midterm elections are over (with a few races still to be decided). The New 118 th Congress will begin on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 with smaller GOP Majority in the U.S. House of Representatives than had been antic ipated and a yet-to-be-determined outcome for the U.S. Senate due to the run-off election in Georgia on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. The current ratio for the U.S. Senate is 49 Republicans and 50 Democrats and it’s likely the Georgia run-off will decide if the Senate will be equally divided (50-50) or with Senate Democrats being in the majority (51-50). In North Carolina races, there will be five new Members of the U.S. House delegation (Don Davis, D-NC-01, Valerie Foushee, D-NC-04, Chuck Edwards, R-NC-11, Wiley Nickel, D-NC-13, Jeff Jackson, D-NC-14.) In addition, former Representative Ted Budd won the U.S. Senate election race to replace retiring U.S. Senator Richard Burr. This Congress still has some unfinished business in providing funding for the FY 23 government agencies (expires on December 16, 2022). This “Continuing Resolution” (CR) or Omnibus legislation will likely be finished prior to the start of the new Congress. It appears that Congress will be split beginning in January 2023, and will have different legislative approaches to governing. It’s likely there will be few major legislative proposals with a divided Congress but likely some bi-partisan legislation that would include the annual renewal of the 2023 Farm Bill, debt limit increase, reduce federal spending, and National Security related issues.

JOHN COOPER Connect C Managing Partner

NATHAN HONAKER Connect C Legal Counsel

BRAD EDWARDS Jenkins Hill Consulting Principal

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recipes coming soon to our website!

It’s been a busy few months for the marketing team! We are in the middle of refreshing and relaunching the Commission’s website in the first quarter of 2023. Along these same lines, we have also led several photoshoots to update some existing website photos that could use a little love! We are extremely happy with the results and cannot wait to show you the finished website in just a few short months! We also concluded our Blazin’ Blackstone Giveaway this fall. The promotion was a great success, as we received more than 100 entries which included classic recipes as well as some elevated and innovative recipes in the mix that will be great additions to our website. In the end, we gave away 13 Blackstone products: (1) Blackstone 28” XL Culinary Pro Rangetop, (3) 17-inch Portable Griddle/Air Fryer and (10) Warming Racks. Besides garnering thousands of engagements, this promotion also provided us with over 100 consumer emails which we will use for future promotions. We proved that people are purchasing,

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consuming and loving sweetpotatoes enough to put the effort into entering a contest AND getting their friends excited about voting! We hosted our first-ever Registered Dietitian & Food Writer/Editor Farm Tour in early November. This was a chance for these eight dietitian/influencers to not only see how sweetpotatoes are grown and harvested, but meet the men and women behind the scenes who are responsible for growing our deliciously versatile and nutritious state vegetable! They learned about all aspects of the life of a sweetpotato: from growing to packing to processing to new and exciting ways to use them, such as aseptic purees and other value-added ways. The return on investment for this tour has been tremendous: these individuals came ready to learn and at the end of the trip have been spreading the SWEET word about everything they learned throughout their social media channels, blogs or media outlets with which they work. We finished off the tour at our 3 rd Annual FarmHER luncheon honoring the women of the NC Sweetpotato industry, along with welcoming our keynote speaker, Masterchef winner, Whitney Miller! Our goal was to meet, if not exceede last year’s total of $10,000 for this amazing breast cancer charity! We believe we succeeded, stay tuned! We couldn’t be more proud of the turnout of this beautiful event honoring our NC FarmHERS, breast cancer fighters, and survivors!

Finally, we rounded out the fall with the International Foodservice Editorial Council annual meeting in Santa Barbara, California! Here, we sponsored the opening reception’s official cocktail social with our delightful cocktail, the “Batata.” This perfect mix of sweet and spicy flavors was a huge hit with event goers, with many coming back for seconds. We also sponsored the annual awards luncheon with our delicious Roasted Sweetpotato Risotto, a perfect combination of comfort food and autumn flavors. We met with several foodservice editors and were able to lay the foundation to provide them with sweetpotato content throughout the next twelve months – for both culinary magazines and publications with school food service backgrounds. We appreciate the opportunity to return to IFEC year after year and continue to cultivate these sweet relationships on behalf of the Commission and it’s members!

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SARAH SCHLICHTER, MPH, RDN NCSPC RD OF RECORD

As we head into the dark, cold winter months, health is often top of mind leading into the New Year and as we consider goals and intentions. Whether you want to lose weight, eat healthier, improve your gut health, (https://ncsweetpotatoes. com/blog/how-gut-health-impacts your-overall-health/) get more active, having awareness around your health and wellness status is important. Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death among both men and women in the United States. Fortunately, it is also one of the most preventable. Use these winter months to prepare your heart for a healthy, and busy 2023 season. As a Registered Dietitian, one of the first questions I have for my clients is, “when’s the last time you saw your doctor?” Consider this and if it’s been over 6 months, make an appointment. Getting your yearly physical and labwork done is very important. While some people tend to put this off, knowing our blood pressure, cholesterol and other numbers is vital for protecting our health and taking any steps towards improving it. If you have a family or personal history of high blood pressure, you want to be aware of it as well as measures you can take to reduce

it, whether that be lifestyle habits, medication, or a combination of the two. If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can increase a person’s risk for heart disease, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, pregnancy complications, and cognitive decline later in life. Now that you have made that appointment ( I hope you’ve put it on your calendar !), think about these heart-healthy habits. Which are you currently doing? Which can you add to your routine? Are there any healthy swaps you can make from a dietary perspective? Eat More Fiber We talk about the power of fiber as one (of many) awesome qualities of sweetpotatoes, but it’s a great tool for your overall health. Fiber helps aid in digestion and bowel habits, but it can also help reduce or stabilize cholesterol. Soluble fiber helps trap fats and binds it in the small intestine, so it can be excreted rather than absorbed, therefore, helping lower LDL cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that consuming 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber a day can lower cholesterol by 18%. (https://www.mdpi.com/1660 4601/12/5/4726) Add Movemen t You Enjoy! You don’t have to train for a half marathon if you hate to run, and you don’t have to do HIIT

workouts every day to be healthy. Any type of movement is great movement! You’re probably already getting a good amount of movement out in the fields or farms. The goal is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, with at least two days of muscle-strengthening activities, like weights, yoga or pilates.

Substitute Water for Calorie-Filled Drinks

Are you someone who enjoys a nice can of soda, or juice? Do you load your coffee with extra cream and sweeteners? These liquid calories can add up quicker than we realize since they don’t

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contribute to our physical fullness. Try to bring awareness to what you’re drinking throughout the day and aim to drink least half of your body weight in ounces per day! Diversify Your Gut Health Gut health is always a trendy topic, and we love to boast how our wonderful, antioxidant-rich sweet potatoes can help contribute to a healthy gut! Fiber is a great source of prebiotics for our gut flora, meaning it helps feed the probiotics, the live microbes in our digestive system. Eating a wide variety of colorful fruits and veggies can help with this. For inspiration, check out these 10 easy ways to eat more fruits and veggies. (https://ncsweetpo tatoes.com/blog/10-easy-ways-to eat-more-fruits-vegetables-this summer/) Trade Stress for Laughter Easier said than done, but the simple act of laughing is a stress reliever in itself! We all know that stress can play a toll on health, and that can be from physical, mental, emotional stress, or a combination of them. While it’s unlikely that we

can completely mitigate our stress, a key is learning how to cope with it in a more positive way so it doesn’t take as big of a toll on our health. Find some things that contribute to happiness and try to engage in them more - whether it’s exercise, spending time with loved ones, rest days, funny movies, or anything else, laughing can decrease stress hormones! org/en/healthy-living/healthy-life style?uid=1979) research suggests that laughing can lower stress hormones, decrease inflammation in your arteries, and raise your levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as “good cholesterol. Prioritize Those Z’s Adequate sleep is directly correlat ed with health status. We know that inadequate sleep is linked to an increased risk of chronic disease, (ht tps : //pubmed . ncb i . n lm. n i h . gov/24082301/)such as coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Aim for at least 7 hours/night, if possible. You can improve your sleep quality by having a small According to the American Heart Association, (https://www.heart.

protein-rich snack before bed, reducing screen time in the two hours before bed, maintaining a cooler bedroom temperature (the ideal temperature for sleep is some where between 65-69 degrees), and doing something calming before bed. Reading, journaling, light yoga or stretching or meditation can all help clear the mind before bed, improving your sleep quality. While we look forward to a wonderful and prosperous 2023 (with abundant sweetpotato pro duction!), please make sure to take care of yourself and spend time with your friends and family. Self-care is important. Make time for you so you can feel your best to produce your best results out in the fields!

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FUNDS AVAILABLE

As you probably know, the NC Sweetpotato Commission re ceived a NC Specialty Crop Block grant focused on Controlling Guava Root-Knot Nematode in Sweetpotatoes. The purpose of this grant is to share the cost of GRKN testing with growers. We appreciate everyone who has sub mitted reimbursements thus far, and look forward to receiving more as we have MORE MONEY to give!

make this opportunity better for you. Originally, there was a maximum reimbursement amount of $875 per year. That maximum limit has been removed and we are now able to reimbursegrowersat100%ofyourre ceipted costs for GRKN assay testing by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services’ Agronomic Division. In addition, you can now claim your preliminary soil test in the reimbursement, as well.

the money runs out. The deadline for all submissions has been extended to March 30, 2023. You can submit reimbursement requests for two of the following years: 2021, 2022, 2023. For example, a grower can submit reimbursement requests for testing in 2021 and 2022 for a total of two reimbursement requests. Simply visit your member portal for the reimbursement details and forms, or contact the office at 919-894-1067 or email Vanessa at grantadmin@ncsweetpotatoes.com with any questions you may have.

The NCSPC is excited to announce that we have a few updates that

All reimbursements are made on a first-come, first-served basis until

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Michelle Grainger,

presenting a gift to US Ambassador Denise Bauer

Dear Sweet Friends,

Where in the WORLD has 2022 gone? HOW is it possibly December and we are talking about plans for 2023?!? My guess is that you must be asking yourself these same questions. Since our last issue of Sweetpotato Speak , our office has been in what has felt like warp speed with all our activities. Here are a few examples of what we have been up to: • We were featured on the Got to Be NC cooking stage at both the Mountain State Fair and the NC State Fair as well as Spencer attending the opening day and ribbon cutting ceremony of the NC State Fair, • Continued our partnership Star Chefs with restaurant weeks in Denver and New Orleans, • Attended the Appetite for Health Nutritional News Update in Arizona, • Had a booth at the SIAL Paris Food Show – one of the world’s largest food shows • Presented a gift to US Ambassador Denise Bauer of France on behalf of our industry and served NC Sweetpotatoes at a Trade Reception held at the Ambassador’s residence, • Launched a new Instagram account in France – be sure to follow along @patatedouceusa_cn • Participated in the International Food Editors Conference (IFEC) in Santa Barbara California, • Hosted eight National Registered Dietitians (RD) for 3.5 days in NC to experience sweetpotato harvest, • Held our 3 rd Annual FarmHER of NC Sweetpotato Luncheon, where we conducted our 2nd Annual Live Auction to benefit the Pretty in Pink Foundation, • Co-hosted the 2 nd in the series of Reviving the Supper Club Chef Series with Ripe for Revival at The Hackney in Washington, NC featuring executive chef Jamie Davis (mark your calendars for the 3 rd offering – February 7 th where we will be sure to be celebrating National Sweetpotato Month) • Offered a member educational event in partnership with the USDA-AMS office – How to become a Certified Vendor with the USDA (if you missed this offering, do not to fret, as we will be

A FEW MINUTES WITH MICHELLE

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providing the recording on your member portal in the coming weeks) • Launched our Change.org petition to formally recognize the correct and botanically correct spelling of sweetpotato as one word (not two) – all in an effort to more formally differentiate our preferred “root potato” from the often-misclassified tubers (white Irish/Russet potato and/ or Yam) – be sure to sign and share the petition at https://bit.ly/3uiTRDT All of these efforts were selected to help

Just because it is December doesn’t mean that our office if slowing down, quite the contrary as we have several more activities on our calendars before the years’ end! • We will be participating in the last of the StarChef Restaurant Week Promotions for 2022 in San Francisco, • We will be conducting in-person PR Agency Pitches in Europe for a full week, • And we will be working on finalizing the details for both our Annual State Meeting (January 19 th in Goldsboro, NC), and our National Convention (January 22-24 in Wilmington, NC) if you haven’t yet registered for either/both of these, please do so by visiting our home page at ncsweetpotatoes.com (You may have to scroll just a bit down to find the links to do both) On behalf of the entire office team at the Commission, we wish each of you a beautiful Christmas season. I appreciate that 2022 has been a rollercoaster of a year and it is our prayer that 2023 will be much more straightforward and predictable. In our eyes (and many others), our members are heroes – as you help ensure that the world has the most premium sweetpotatoes produced and you do so with such passion, dedication, and heart. It is our honor to serve and support you and your operations. God’s blessings on each of you and your families.

RDs tour the packing facility at J. Rowland Wood Farms

elevate and raise awareness of our great superfood, not only in our home state, but well beyond our borders and ultimately support you, our members and this great industry! There is so much to say about each of these activities, but I’ll leave it to the photos included and invite you to reach out to our office to learn more details about each.

From Left to Right - your NCPSC Staff: Cindy Vanderhoof, Michelle Grainger, Grayson Braswell, CoCo Daughtry, and Brittany Beasley

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August 28, 2022 - November 5, 2022

OLD CROP

NEW CROP

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F.O.B price range

OLD CROP

NEW CROP

FINALIZING THE 2021 CROP SEASON TOTAL TO DATE (August 29, 2021 thru November 5, 2022) is:

13,212,084 (40 pound cartons fresh market sweetpotatoes) this compares to 13,441,956 (40 pound cartons fresh market sweetpotatoes) for the total to date last season of the 2020 crop.

BEGINNING NEW CROP The 2022 crop season total to date (September 04, 2022 thru November 05, 2022) is:

521,130 (40 pound cartons fresh market sweetpotatoes) this compares to 959,318 (40 pound cartons fresh market sweetpotatoes) for the total to date last season of the 2021 crop.

The more participating packing houses the better more accurate view of our industry is provided. Please consider supplying NCDA&CS with your weekly crop movement. For questions, comments, concerns or if you are willing to become a contributor, please contact Jeremiah Lanning, NCDA&CS Market News Reporter, at (919) 707-3118 or via email at Jeremiah.Lanning@ncagr.gov .

* Source: NCDA&CS Market News

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WHY NCDA&CS MARKET NEWS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU

Financial institutions: use this data to help determine loaning money to farmers for annual production costs and long-term infrastructure investments

Insurance Companies use this data to determine fair market value for crop insurance policy and claims.

USDA/RMA (Risk Managment Agency) uses this data to determine compensation needed to mitigate catastrophic impacts such as hurricanes and pandemics.

EPA uses this data to evaluate regulations and requirements for farms.

Legislators use localized data to develop policies and legislation to benefit farmers or to evaluate existing programs and policies.

The success of this program depends on you! Participation requires a commitment on the part of management to ensure that company staff understand the expectation to provide the information to Market News accurately and within the timeframe required to meet the publication deadline. The report is only as accurate as the data provided and available in time for publication. Help us ensure we do not lose this program.

To participate contact Jeremiah Lanning at NCDA& CS Market News: (919) 707-3118 or email: jeremiah.lanning@ncagr.gov.

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«Editors’ recommendations» with a link to the article. The website has had 2.5 million page views and 600,000 unique visitors per month. To support NC sweetpotato sales in the Danish market, a BBQ-themed in-store promotion with the #1 Danish retailer, Salling Group was held during the month of June. The hypermarket chain Bilka was the perfect venue for instore activities due to their large sales area and an average number of 5,000 customers per day. In all 18 nationwide Bilka stores North Carolina sweetpotato tastings were offered, where consumers were informed about the taste, origin, health benefits, and versatility of NC sweet- potatoes. A promotional flyer with infor mation and recipe suggestions for BBQ inspired shoppers and encouraged them to buy sweetpotatoes to cook at home.

American Pie Company Promotion

During the market orientation trip of Michelle Grainger (NCSPC), Sandy Stewart, and Cathy Ma (NCDA) in Europe, mk 2 guided part of the tour led from Paris (France), via The Hague and Rotterdam (Netherlands) to Copenhagen (Denmark). Besides plenty of opportunities to connect with importers, buyers, distributors,andchefs,thedelegation joined a press event in Denmark. In addition, a nation-wide retail pro motion with NCSP tastings and a delightful gourmet cooking event took place in Europe’s epicenter for food trends and high-end food, Copenhagen. NCSP Press & Influencer Event At NCSP’s exclusive & hygge Press Event in Copenhagen, 15 Danish and Swedish lifestyle & food journalists and influencers were excited to take part in a unique cooking class with popular chefs to learn more about the versatility of NC sweetpotatoes. Guests enjoyed a delicious lunch

featuring North Carolina sweet potatoes prepared by well-known Danish chefs Anders Halskov- Jensen and Mads Cortsen and were invited to take part in a sweetpotato hummus competition. As part of the event, mk 2 produced branded material: black aprons for the guests as well as goodie bags filled with NC sweetpotatoes, a sweetpotato peeler, lemonade and brochures to inspire participants to use sweetpotatoes in their dai ly meals. Everyone left the venue happy and enlightened with lots of sweetpotato information. After the event, around 60 posts and stories on social media with a reach of almost 113,000 were generated. Another highlightwas thepublication in Denmark’s most important food magazine, Samvirke.dk. The article featured four NCSP recipes, 52 ways to eat sweetpotatoes as well as information on NC right at the beginning. On the homepage, they put a teaser into the section

I n mid-June, mk 2 managed to run a promotion with popular Copenhagen based American Pie Company. The café is well-known for their home made sweet pies and savory meat and veggie pies and only uses fresh, simple, quality ingredients. Special for NC sweetpotatoes, the American Pie company served their famous Sweet potato chai pie with toasted meringue. Further, Danish NCSP promotional flyers were handed out to all customers in stores and several social media posts highlighted this great recipe and were echoed on the new Danish NCSP Instagram channel.

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ASSOCIATTEEM

ARCOLA HARDWOOD CO. 252-257-4484 arcolalumbercoinc@embarqmail.com B&B PRODUCE 919-894-1803 debbie@bandbproduce.co BARFOOTSOF BOTLEY +44-1243-261211 www.barfoots.com BENCHMARK BUILDINGS &IRRIGATION, INC.

FARMERS HARVEST 302-270-6885 www.farmersharvestinc.com FIRST CITIZENS BANK 919-716-4445 www.firstcitizens.com HARVEY FARMS 252-523-9090 www.harveyfertilizerandgas.com HIGHLAND FRESH TECHNOLOGIES 813-951-2912 www.highlandhasit.com HILL TOP FARM SERVICE CENTER 919-894-4611 www.hilltopfarmservicecenter.com INTERNATIONAL PAPER 910-258-1522 www.internationalpaper.com

LONG ISLANDLUMBER 434-283-1583 www.longislandlumber.com

MANRY RAWLS 757-562-6131 www.manryrawls.com MCALL FARMS 843-662-2223 www.yamright.com MOODY DUNBAR 910-892-3175 www.moodydunbar.com NASH PRODUCE 252-443-6011 www.nashproduce.com NATURE’S WAY FARMS

252-398-3116 www.bbandi.com

CAQUIN GROUP 863-800-0094 www.caquin.com CAROLINA FARM CREDIT 704-761-2897 www.farmcreditofnc.com

910-594-0096 www.nwfarms.com

NC STATE PORTS 910-746-6415 www.ncports.com PIERCE CROP & SOIL 919-920-0238 dpierceriver@gmail.com PRATT INDUSTRIES 864-221-7809 www.prattindustries.com

J.R. SIMPLOT 252-508-2677 www.simplot.com

COURTIER NORDANY BROKER INC. 506-473-9492 www.nordany.com FARMFRESHPRODUCE 800-606-9267 www.farm-fresh-produce.com FARMPAK PRODUCTS 252-459-3101 www.farmpak.com

JOHN S.CONNER 757-627-3910 www.jsconner.com

KHS TRANSPORTATION 252-206-5444 www.khsts.com

LANCASTERFARMS 252-291-3048 www.lancasterfarmsnc.com

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MEMBERS RABO AGRIFINANCE

SEV-REND 618-301-4132 www.sev-rend.com

TRIEST AG GROUP 919-496-2239 www.triestag.com TRINITY FROZEN FOODS 910-543-7437 www.trinityfrozenfoods.com TRP SUMNER PLLC 910-891-1100 www.trpsumner.com VICK FAMILY FARMS 252-237-7313 www.vickfamilyfarms.com WADAFARMSMARKETING 919-578-4020 www.wadafarms.com

855-818-6555 www.raboag.com

RIPE REVIVAL 252-567-8305 www.riperevivalmarket.com ROBERSONPRODUCE 912-375-5760 www.robersononion.com ROBINSON FRESH 800-411-3596 www.robinsonfresh.com

SOUTHERNCONTAINER 252-237-0539 www.socontainers.com SPRING ACRES SALES 252-478-5127 www.springacres.com STEELEPLANTCOMPANY 731-648-5476 www.sweetpotatoplants.com STRICKLAND BROS. 252-478-3058 www.stricklandbros.com TELEOS AG SOLUTIONS 619-592-0858 www.teleosag.com TRIANGLERISKADVISORS 919-496-2239 www.triangleinsurance.com

S.A.I.L. 252-243-7245 www.sail.li

SCOTT FARMS 919-284-4030 www.scottfarms.com

SCOTT INSURANCE 919-844-0640 www.scottins.com

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North Carolina SweetPotato Commission 700 E. Parrish Dr., Suite C Benson, NC 27504

919.894.1067 ph 919.894.7018 fax www.ncsweetpotatoes.com

2022-23 NCSPC CALENDAR 2022 Dec. 5-8 |Final Star Chef Event Dec. 7 |Promotion Committee 1:00 PM (in person) Dec. 1-15 |Star Chef Restaurant Week in San Francisco Dec. 12-16 |International PR Pitches Dec. 20 |Board of Directors Meeting Dec. 21 |Pretty in Pink Check Presentation Dec. 22 |Brookhaven Academy – Classroom Visit 2023 Jan. 19 |Annual Meeting – Maxwell Center, Goldsboro Doors open at 8:00 AM Jan. 22-24 | US Sweet Potato Convention – Wilmington, NC Feb. 2 |Video shoot – NCSU Teaching Kitchen Feb. 7 |Reviving the Supper Club Chef Series #3 Feb. 7-10 |Fruit Logistica – Berlin

Feb. 15 |Littleton Academy – Classroom Visit Feb. 20 | Sweetpotato Production Meeting – Wilson County Ag Center Feb. 23 | Sweetpotato Production meeting

– Sampson County Agri-Exposition Center

The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission Inc. is a nonprofit corporation made up of over 400 sweetpotato growers along with the packers, processors and business associates that support them. The sole purpose of the commission is to increase sweetpotato consumption through education, promotional activities, research and honorable horticultural practices among its producers. Thanks to the six sweetpotato farmers that chartered the commission in 1961, the commission has supported its growers and maintained North Carolina as the No. 1 sweetpotato producing state in the United States since 1971.