December 2025 - Sweetpotato Speak

SWEET SUCCESS: in Action NCSC

Since our June publication, the NCSC team has actively engaged consumers statewide through events such as the Wilson Tater Hogs baseball game and the Mountain State Fair Recipe Contest. We partnered with Ken Pecota from NC State’s Breeding Program And Garland Parker from Fresh Endeavors Consulting to film a series of educational videos at a Pittsboro grocery store. These videos highlight the benefits of sweetpotatoes and best practices for storage and merchandising to maximize sales. They will soon be available on our website for use by you and your sales teams when working with retail buyers. In October, we attended FNCE—the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Nashville, TN— connecting with over 7,500 nutrition professionals and launching our digital Pet Cookbook (scan the QR code to explore sweet treats for pets!). One of the year’s most memorable highlights was welcoming nine registered dietitians from across the country—along with two North Carolina FCS Extension Agents—for a weeklong farm tour. The experience featured hands-on planting demonstrations and a culinary challenge with Nash Community College students, creating meaningful connections and deepening appreciation for sweetpotatoes and the farm families who grow them.

We wrapped up the week with our 6th Annual FarmHER event, where Dr. Dawn Cavaness shared valuable insights on mental health and wellness. As part of the celebration, we hosted an auction benefiting the Pretty In Pink Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing lifesaving medical assistance to uninsured and underinsured breast cancer patients across North Carolina.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our growers, packers, shippers, and allied partners, the NC Sweetpotato Commission has contributed nearly $35,000 over the past five years. What an amazing way for our community to give back—and we couldn’t have done it without you!

Doggy Cookbook

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