4-H members from Lenoir and Jones counties recently explored food production, food safety, food distribution, and food science during a day of tours and activities in Raleigh. 

The 4-H’ers first visited the Randleigh Dairy Heritage Museum, a part of NC State University designed to teach how milk gets from the farm to the table. They then toured the NC State dairy, where milk is harvested for daily use at University dining halls and also for use in the production of Howling Cow ice cream. The 4-H’ers observed the dairy’s milking and refrigeration facilities and visited the areas where the dairy cattle are fed and managed.  

The 4-H group next traveled to the State Farmers Market. There, Monica Wood, director or marketing, spoke to the 4-H’ers about the Market’s purpose, facilities, and daily operations. Afterward, the 4-H’ers toured the buildings and grounds. They also competed in teams in a scavenger hunt to photograph various North Carolina horticultural products sold by market vendors. The winning team members were Kaitlyn Crompton, Connor Howard, and Cooper Torrence, all from Jones County. 

After experiencing the State Farmers Market, the 4-H members traveled to the NC State University campus, where they had lunch at Clark Dining Hall and visited Talley Student Union. 

Their final visit of the day was to NC State’s Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Science at Schaub Hall, where they interacted with professors and staff members and explored academic and career opportunities in food science. They also toured some of the department’s labs and observed research projects being conducted by the food scientists there. Their hosts at Schaub Hall were April Hix Morrison, the department’s undergraduate academic adviser; Gabriel Harris, a professor and the director of undergraduate programs; and Ann Zielinski, an Extension assistant with the department’s entrepreneurial program. 

The Lenoir County 4-H members who went on the trip to Raleigh were Isabella Houston, Jackson Strickland, Eli Tuller, Ethen Tyndall, Delila Tyndall, Jayden Jarman, and Riley Jones. 

The other Jones 4-H’ers who participated were Amari Murrell, Mariana Martinez, Wyatt McCoy, Reece Carter, Deanna Loftis, and Alondra Martinez, 

The 4-H foods trip was coordinated by Kelly Tyndall, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, and by Abbigail Barber, Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development, both from Lenoir County, and by Samantha Bennett, Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development, from Jones County. 

The activity was just one of many summer programs offered by the Lenoir and Jones 4-H programs. Such 4-H opportunities are open to all youths between the ages of 5 and 18. To join 4-H or to get more information, call the Lenoir County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension at 252.527.2191, or the Jones County Center at 252.448.9621.