Former extension agent reflects on agricultural passion
Green Thumbs
* 4th in a 5-part series
Mill Creek – If you are a farmer in Graham County, there is a good chance Raymond Norton is a familiar name.
Norton has been farming and helping farmers of Graham County for 55 years, with 30 years spent working for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Office.
But his love of gardening began before he came to Graham County. Growing up on a 100-acre farm in Madison, his family raised burley tobacco, trellis tomatoes and beef cattle – so he was no stranger to hard work.
Living in a home with four sisters and a brother – and farming with horses using a horse and plow, until he was 15 years old – he learned about farming from “the old school." He was 13 years old when they got electricity. He remembers fighting with his siblings over who would use the kerosene lamp to do their homework.
He has fond memories of his mom keeping the milk and butter in the springhouse, making lye soap, doing laundry over an open fire, and cooking delicious meals on an old woodstove. The corn was shucked for winter, keeping enough for the livestock and taking the rest to Silvers Mill in Petersburg to make cornmeal.
He also candidly remembers canning season. The Norton’s grew and preserved everything they ate, only purchasing salt, coffee and gas on credit from the store. He recalled the year their grocery bill reached the $300 mark, and how upset his daddy was that they had spent so much money at the store. The costliest item on the bill was the gas for their truck, which cost 19 cents a gallon at the time.
Norton always enjoyed farming and dreamed of a future as an agricultural teacher or an extension agent. After graduating from Berea (Ky. College), he was offered the position of 4-H agent and has been in Robbinsville ever since 1969.
He spent the first 15 years as the 4-H agent taking the county’s youngsters to camp and teaching them about animals and farming. Many adults in the county have a “Raymond” story to share if given the opportunity.
He spent many hours and many miles helping to shape the youth of the county into responsible adults and teaching them the values of hard work, honesty and appreciation for the farm.
Norton later became the Graham County Extension Office Director and continued to help his friends and neighbors with their farming issues, offering sound advice as well as a helping hand for the next 15 years – until he retired with 30 years of service.
Even in retirement, Norton spent most of his time in the garden and continued to help neighbors and friends with their livestock and their gardens. He still raises tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, corn, beans and melons at his home in the Tallulah area.
Today, he gives away more produce than he keeps. He believes in giving back to the community he calls home and enjoys sharing with others who are not able to plant their own gardens. Gardening is a way of life and brings him great satisfaction.
“Stay busy, as active as you possibly can," Norton advised. "Keep your mind occupied. It’s good physical therapy and free exercise."
And stay busy, he does. Not only does he give away produce, but also raises pumpkins for eight businesses in the community – providing them with the opportunity to have contests each year.
The name "Norton" and the word "farming" go hand-in-hand.