FOUR N.C. FARMERS WIN AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Four North Carolina flue-cured tobacco growers recently received the 1997 Philip Morris Award of Excellence in Tobacco Production.

Honored were:

• Major Foy Ivey of Mount Olive. Ivey's farm produces tobacco, cotton, soybeans and swine. He was recognized for his efforts to paying close attention to detail and studying and adopting proven production practices to ensure the production of quality leaf and profitable yields.

• John William "Billy" Carter of Eagle Springs.He produces 142 acres of tobacco on a diversified farm in western Moore and eastern Montgomery counties. Other crops include sweet potatoes, sweet corn, small grains, watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables. He was cited for growing high-quality tobacco on sandy, drought-prone soils and for his willingness to innovate.

• Mark Anthony Wellons of Princeton. Wellons produces tobacco, cotton, soybeans and beef cattle in partnership with his brother and father. He was recognized as an innovative farm leader in Johnston County, one who is eager to learn new production techniques and to test them on his farm.

• Sybil Jones Bullard of Pembroke. With her husband, Danny, Bullard farms about 2,400 acres, producing tobacco, corn, wheat, cotton, soybeans, hay and brood cows. She also is president and general manager of J.R. Jones Grain Inc. She was cited as a model of leadership and integrity for fellow farmers who works diligently for her profession and her community.

The awards program, sponsored by Philip Morris USA and conducted by North Carolina State University, recognizes tobacco farmers, ages 21 to 40, for outstanding production and community service.

The growers were chosen by their peers, agricultural company representatives and county agents with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Each received $1,000 and a plaque at a banquet in Raleigh on Nov. 5.

Also honored were North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service agricultural agents Bryant M. Spivey of the Duplin County and David Dycus of Lee County along with county Extension directors Kenneth R. Bateman of Johnston County and Everett Davis of Robeson County.

EAGLE SPRINGS FARMER RECEIVES TOBACCO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

John William "Billy" Carter was among four North Carolina flue-cured tobacco growers who recently received the 1997 Philip Morris Award of Excellence in Tobacco Production.

The awards program, sponsored by Philip Morris USA and conducted by North Carolina State University, recognizes tobacco farmers, ages 21 to 40, for outstanding production and community service. he growers were chosen by their peers, agricultural company representatives and county agents with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Each received $1,000 and a plaque at a banquet in Raleigh on Nov. 5.

Also honored was Carter's agricultural agent, David Dycus. Based in Cooperative Extension's Lee County Center, Dycus is an area specialized agent for alternative agricultural enterprises.

According to Dycus, Carter "is highly respected by farmers all across the Southeast and grows some of the best tobacco on land that most farmers would not farm because it is sandy, drought-prone soil. He is innovative and always interested in new ideas."

Carter, 36, lives in Eagle Springs with his wife, Paige, and infant daughter, Hannah. He produces 142 acres of tobacco on a diversified farm in western Moore and eastern Montgomery counties. Other crops include sweet potatoes, sweet corn, small grains, watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables.

He began farming as a 12-year-old, when his father gave him a one-sixth interest in a 5-acre farm. Carter says that he rented a small farm when he was 17 to help pay for college.

Carter has served as vice president of the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina, as board member of the N.C. Vegetable Growers Association and as a member and past president of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service's Advisory Leadership Council. He also is a member of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Candor. He graduated in 1983 from NC State University. He holds a bachelor's degree in horticulture.

PRINCETON FARMER RECEIVES TOBACCO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Mark Anthony Wellons was among four North Carolina flue-cured tobacco growers who recently received the 1997 Philip Morris Award of Excellence in Tobacco Production.

The awards program, sponsored by Philip Morris USA and conducted by North Carolina State University, recognizes tobacco farmers, ages 21 to 40, for outstanding production and community service. The growers were chosen by their peers, agricultural company representatives and county agents with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Each received $1,000 and a plaque at a banquet in Raleigh on Nov. 5.

Also honored was Wellons' agricultural agent, Kenneth R. Bateman, the director of the Johnston County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.

According to Bateman, Wellons is "an innovative farm leader in Johnston County. He is eager to learn new production techniques and in some cases branches out on his own to see if certain practices will work on his farm."

Wellons, 28, lives in Princeton with his wife, Mary. He produces tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans and beef cattle in partnership with his brother and father. He is a member of several professional and community organizations, including Princeton Baptist Church, Johnston County's Extension Advisory Leadership Council and Environmental Education Committee, and the Tobacco Advisory Committee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service. He also is a member of the board of directors for the N.C. Cotton Promotion Association and is vice president of the Johnston County Farm Bureau.

Wellons is a 1990 graduate of North Carolina State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in animal science.

ROBESON COUNTY FARMER RECEIVES TOBACCO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Sybil Jones Bullard of Pembroke was among four North Carolina flue-cured tobacco growers who recently received the 1997 Philip Morris Award of Excellence in Tobacco Production.

The awards program, sponsored by Philip Morris USA and conducted by North Carolina State University, recognizes tobacco farmers, ages 21 to 40, for outstanding production and community service. Winners were chosen by their peers, agricultural company representatives and county agents with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Each received $1,000 and a plaque at a banquet in Raleigh on Nov. 5.

Also honored was Bullard's agricultural agent, Everett Davis. Davis is director of the Robeson County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.

Bullard, with her husband, Danny, farms about 2,400 acres, producing tobacco, corn, wheat, cotton, soybeans, hay and brood cows. She also is president and general manager of J.R. Jones Grain Inc. In addition, Bullard is active in several community organizations, including the N.C. Indian Housing Authority, the Robeson County Crop Promotion Association, the County Extension Advisory Council, the Southeastern Grain and Feed Association and Southeastern Utilities Development Inc. She also is member of the corporate board of directors of the Lumbee Guaranty Bank and a Sunday School teacher at Pembroke First United Methodist Church.

Through such activities, Bullard has become a model of "leadership and integrity" for fellow farmers, according to Davis. "I hear comments from other farmers in her community about how she and her husband sent a crew over to their farm to plant corn when their tractor broke down, about when they loaned a truck to haul grain, or when they went back down to the grain elevator on Sunday to unload a truck so grain harvest could continue. ... They are truly an asset to their profession and to the community in which they live and serve."

Bullard, 38, is a 1980 graduate of Davidson College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in economics.