PLOWING NEW FIELDS.

• Author: Blake, Kathy
• Position: COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP PITT COUNTY

Always a leader in North Carolina agriculture, Pitt County is cultivating new industries, workers and infrastructure. And it's already reaping the rewards of that work.

S&S Farms is in its third generation of family ownership. It started in 1952 with row crops--tobacco and cotton --on its acres between Greenville and Farmville in Pitt County. "Tobacco was a mainstay for us early in our farming career," says its owner, Steve Sutton, who took over in 1974. "We farm about 2,500 acres of land, and that consists of about 1,100 acres of corn, about 1,400 acres of soybeans and about 400 acres of wheat that is in a double-crop situation," he says.

But times change. The Suttons began raising chickens and ventured into agritourism--adding attractions to bring customers and their dollars to farm--with Homeland Strawberries four years ago. It hosts school field trips and community events, educating visitors about agriculture, livestock and conservation, using its installed waterways and till and no-till acres as examples. N.C. Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts named it and the Suttons its 2021 State Conservation Farm Family of the Year.

Agriculture continues to be a staple of Pitt County's economy. U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2020 statistics show it ranked fifth in the state for peanuts, seventh for cotton and soybeans, and 15th for corn, putting it 15th overall with cash receipts of $80.5 million. Add livestock and it jumps to 10th among the state's 100 counties. But it's not the only industry that's growing in this corner of North Carolina.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, for example, was Pitt County Economic Development's Industry of the Year in 2021. It's investing $154 million to increase capacity at its 1-million-square-foot pharmaceutical production and packaging factory in Greenville. And in a $4 million rebranding, Vidant Health and East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine formed a partnership in May, becoming ECU Health, an eight-hospital network that serves 1.4 million people in 29 counties.

Cultivating growth requires inputs, from partnerships to transportation improvements. N.C. Department of Transportation opened Interstate 587--Greenville's first interstate--in June. Its 37 miles touches Pitt, Greene and Wilson counties. "Transportation access is a major decision factor in economic development," says Kelly Andrews, Pitt County Economic Development director. "The unveiling of Interstate 587 is a major boost for our efforts in eastern North Carolina and Pitt County."

Greenville Mayor P.J. Connelly says 1-587 will lead to further growth for the county and region. "In the coming years, the DOT's Quad-East plan that will connect Greenville, Wilson, Goldsboro and Kinston will be vital in our efforts to...