‘From the tractor’ is published in the monthly Agricultural Review. This column appears in the October 2026 edition of the paper.
We open the N.C. State Fair Oct. 15 at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh, and this year will mark the return of country ham competitions at the Fair. I believe the last country ham competition was held here in 1999.
In addition to these commercial and amateur contests, we will also be having demonstrations on the process of curing hams and how to cook different cuts of country ham. Country ham judging will take place on opening day (Oct. 15), starting at 1 p.m. in the Got to Be NC Pavilion in Dorton Arena. Activities and demonstrations will take place throughout the afternoon, concluding with two presentations on the Got to Be NC Cooking Stage at 5 and 7 p.m.
Then on Monday, Oct. 19, there will be more demonstrations and activities in Heritage Circle beginning at noon with country ham and sweet potato biscuit cooking on a wood stove. Demonstrations highlighting the ingredients, techniques and salting process and more will be held at noon and 2 p.m. We will be joined by the cure master for Goodnight Brothers Country Ham in Boone, a commercial country ham producer.
In addition, there will be antique equipment used in the ham making process. For some people, I expect seeing this will bring back a lot of good memories and for others, it may be the first time they learn more about this Southern food tradition.
I can remember very well participating in hog killings with neighbors and family and learning how to cure ham from my granddaddy. Growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house and the lessons I learned from them I have shared with my sons.
One of the things I am most excited about showing is cooking ham and biscuits on a wood-burning stove. I have five wood-burning stoves in my personal collection and we even use a couple of them at my house. I appreciate how these stoves changed the lives of families from cooking over open fires to having something that could accommodate multiple pans, bake and even heat water at the same time.
When we first started talking about bringing the competitions back, I knew that having ham curing demonstrations in Heritage Circle would be a good fit with the type of educational displays that take place there.
We have worked hard to update and expand Heritage Circle so we could showcase more examples of farm life skills and old-time traditions and provide a space that offers educational opportunities for families in a relaxed environment.
Refurbishing the tobacco barn so we could cure a barn of tobacco during the fair with wood fires, adding the tobacco stringing/looping contest on the first Friday, opening up the blacksmith shop to allow people to see the work of the smithy, building the Tobacco Pavilion where we hold a mock tobacco auction on the second Friday, expanding into the wooded area up the hill with more N.C. Forest Service and Soil and Water Conservation displays and activities, building a dog-trot style log building that will host a variety of North Carolina wineries and a wine garden has breathed new life into Heritage Circle.
Some fairgoers may remember that work started last year on rebuilding the Flower Show building with the demolition of the existing buildings. For 2025, the flowers and plants were displayed in a temporary tent and I appreciate everyone’s patience with the building process.
We expect the new Flower Show building to be complete and in use this year. It will be a big change for
the area, carrying the log building feel of Heritage Circle through to the Flower and Garden area. Our goal is to improve the experience for fairgoers and invest in the fairgrounds so it will continue to serve North Carolinians for the next 100 years. I think fairgoers will like the new space and it will be a better space to see all the flowers, plants and arrangements entered.
As you can see, we have a lot planned for you. I look forward to seeing you in Raleigh Oct. 15-25.
