The Ponytail Ag Campaign Wraps Up Four-Month Tour of NC

During the Ponytail Ag tour we traveled to each of North Carolina’s six regions—Western, Greater Charlotte, Piedmont Triad, Research Triangle Park, Eastern, Southeastern—to interview some amazing women involved in the agriculture industry. The campaign was created by NC Biotechnology Center - Ag Sector Development team, NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, NC Farm Bureau and Feed the Dialogue NC in an effort to promote these women and the ways in which they’re advancing the future of farming in the state while highlighting the plethora of opportunities for females in the industry.

In order to spark a conversation around the topic locally, nationally and globally, we conducted the campaign using live video, interviews and photos. These can be found using the hashtag #PonytailAg on all social media platforms, on Facebook and Twitter @ponytailag, Instagram @ncagtech, and on our Youtube profile: Ponytail Ag.

We asked each member of the Ponytail Ag team what some of their favorite moments were from the tour in order to get a more personal reflection of the experience. We hope that by sharing this campaign we can get all to understand and appreciate the women involved in agriculture in North Carolina, and we encourage you to join the conversation.

Carolina Stamey, Photographer:

I really enjoyed visiting Fading D Farm and learning about the water buffalo lifespan, their habitat and the different nutritional products that their milk can provide, especially for those who are lactose intolerant. Faythe and her husband have devoted years of their lives to caring for their water buffalo and believe me, they are very well taken care of—they treat their animals like kids. I would say that I can measure their animals' happiness by the delicious taste of their dairy products! 

Kristen Baughman Taber, Public Relations and Social Media Consultant:

Our visit to Bee Downtown during the Ponytail Ag tour was so eye-opening for me. Who knew you could learn so much about leadership roles from bees? 

Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, founder of Bee Downtown, is a young woman entrepreneur who started her business while studying at North Carolina State University. She's a fourth-generation beekeeper and founded her business to save the dwindling honeybee population while providing corporations with educational opportunities. 

We visited Leigh-Kathryn in the heart of the Research Triangle Park where her company maintains beehives. She is so inspiring and has a wealth of knowledge about bees! Perhaps one of my most favorite facts she mentioned while her hands were covered in honey bees is that worker honey bees are female and live for about 6 weeks and do all the work.

Zach Stamey, Videographer:

My favorite stop from the Ponytail Ag Tour was, hands down, Hart-T-Tree Farms in Grassy Creek, NC with Carrie McClain. Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year, so much so that we always put up our Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving to get a head start on the festivities. Carrie’s farm felt like Christmas times a million with endless mountainous hills of Christmas trees as far the eye could see. She said Grassy Creek is dubbed the “Coolest Corner” of NC and I can certainly see why; it felt like our own little magical piece of the North Pole.

Jorden Yeargan, Social Media Manager:

I had SO many favorite stops on the Ponytail Ag tour, but Jones von Drehle was really something special! On the day we went to visit their vineyard it was foggy and overcast, making it feel and look just like we were in the mountains of North Carolina. We got to wander around the vines and see the different varieties of grapes as their sweet golden retriever Chole bounced along beside us. They also let us take a peek at all of the wine barrels and of course, taste some wine! I just love how much the wine community is growing here in NC and it was such a cool thing to experience a winery that is growing their own grapes right here and it is producing amazing quality wine. 

Michelle VonCannon, NC Biotechnology Center:

I have always enjoyed the edible treasures of the Atlantic ocean, but never gave much thought into “farming” our oceans. A whole new world around mariculture was opened to me when we explored the waters off Cedar Island, NC to learn about raising oysters.  The topic of climate change has also been big in recent years, especially the impacts on our land and oceans, so it was great to hear firsthand about the challenges being faced, how they’re being addressed and the benefits to this model of farming. Jennifer, her husband and their farm dog took us on an exciting adventure in our own backyard, letting us sample the fruits of their labor straight out of the water. I feel blessed to call this work.