New facility in Duplin County

At the opening of the new Duplin County Livestock Facility in January, the CEO of Southern Bank said, "This is going to be one of the greatest things Duplin County has ever done." Grey Morgan should know, too. A Duplin County resident, he grew up here fostered by North Carolina 4-H.

Tri-County EMC, the Touchstone Energy cooperative based in Dudley, and North Carolina EMC in Raleigh were among the contributors to the Kenansville facility. Located on the Duplin Commons grounds near the Lois G. Britt Agricultural Service Center, the 17,164-square-foot building is intended to help regional livestock producers as well as 4-H youth programs.

As envisioned by the Coastal Carolina Cattle Alliance, the facility will help producers handle and sort their cattle locally and safely in preparation for market. "They will be able to individually weigh their calves and make their truckloads much more uniform and more desirable to the perspective buyers," said Justin Whitley, N.C. Cooperative Extension's Duplin County agent. He added that it will "help them improve the management of their herds through breeding soundness exams for bulls, Beef Quality Assurance training, low-stress handling, heifer development, etc."

The building includes office space, a show arena, sorting area, loading and unloading chutes and holding pens.

Among its educational uses, the 4-H Youth Livestock programs will use it for shows, judging and other activities.

Duplin County owns the building, Cooperative Extension operates it. It is debt-free, with some $643,000 in funding coming from Golden LEAF, N.C. Agriculture Development & Farmland Preservation Trust and other grants, donations and county support. It can be rented for a variety of activities. Contact Extension's Wanda Hargrove at (910) 296-2143.