Summary 2023 — North Carolina

State Contact

Ms. Heather Morton
North Carolina Farm Bureau AITC Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 27766
Raleigh, NC 27611
P: 919-782-1705 ext. 8423
E: heather.morton@ncfb.org
Website

Innovative Programming

1. Teacher workshops (in-person professional development)
2. Teacher workshop (virtual professional development)
3. Pre-service teacher workshops (in-person)
4. Pre-service teacher workshops (virtual)
5. Ag Science events
6. Book Planter program
7. North Carolina Ag Mags

Major Program Impacts or Outcomes

• 84 grants awarded to K-12 teachers in 44 counties for a total of $38,687.40 in 2023.
• 24% Increase in Facebook reach.
• 12% Increase in Instagram followers.

Program Leader Biosketch

Heather Morton is a North Carolina native and grew up working alongside her father at his retail and wholesale plant nursery operations. Along with the nursery operations, her family farms beef cattle, and row crops. Heather graduated from NC State University with a BS degree in biological sciences and horticulture, and a MS degree in Agricultural and Extension Education/Agricultural and Human Sciences. She joined the North Carolina Ag in the Classroom program, housed at NC Farm Bureau, in 2015. North Carolina Ag in the Classroom has since been a part of a USDA NIFA PD-STEP Grant (Chicken Nuggets on Mars), USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant (Strawberry Curriculum and NC Ag Mag), and USDA NIFA Grant (Developing the State of Ag), as well as countless partnerships with North Carolina agricultural commodity groups and North Carolina's land grant universities.