Since today is Thanksgiving Day, I would like to pause a few minutes to give thanks for one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve as your County Extension Director here in Robeson County for more than 19 years.

When I first assumed these responsibilities, I found that my position with Cooperative Extension provided me the opportunity to write a weekly column for The Robesonian. I was instructed that I could write about anything I wished, but the topics I selected to write about should be of interest to a large number of readers, not to just a select few. I was told that I could express my own opinions if I wished, but I would have to understand that not all readers would agree with my opinions.

I was told the deadlines for submitting this column to this newspaper each week. On several occasions I have been told that I needed to shorten my comments, since space on the agribusiness page of this newspaper was somewhat limited. I was encouraged to provide pictures related to the topics of this column; something I have tried to do on occasion.

I was fortunate that about the time I started writing this column we installed our first computers in the Extension Center. So during this entire time, I have had access to a word processor instead of having to rely on a old-fashioned typewriter or a hand-written script.

Since this column always appears in the Thursday edition of The Robesonian, each year I have the opportunity to write a special column for Thanksgiving Day. This special column always allows me the opportunity to share specific information about this special day or to share information about the many things for which we should be thankful.

Except for a break of a couple of years when John Townsend, then director of what was called ASCS, provided this column, I have sat in front of my computer almost every week to write this column. Assuming about 50 columns each year (since on several occasions I have been out of the office and unable to prepare a column), over the years I have written about 850 columns for the readers of The Robesonian.

On most occasions, I do not have any difficulty at all writing these columns. Phone calls from people in the county, just like you, alert me to special problems or situations that I feel would be interesting to many of you.

Visits to the farms and homes of people in the county, or to some of the business that operate in the county, provide me the opportunity to see and learn more about lots of interesting things. At times, I am eager to share this information with you. I am always eager to share information about the great things that are happening in Robeson County.

I often read interesting articles in bulletins, magazines, or on the Internet that I feel you would enjoy learning more about. Some of you have suggested topics for my columns.

But I do have to admit that sometimes I really struggle trying to write this column. I can't seem to determine a good topic to write about, or I have difficulty writing so readers can understand and, hopefully, enjoy the topic I have chosen to write about. At times, I sit in front of a blank computer screen for hours while trying to complete this column.

The greatest satisfaction to me is when so many of you take the time to tell me how much you enjoy reading this column. Some of you have thanked me for the information I have provided about dealing with some of your everyday problems, such as fire ants, unwanted critters around the house, centipede lawns, weeds, or plant diseases. You have thanked me for information about bluebirds, local agricultural statistics, and upcoming events. You have expressed your appreciation for personal interest columns, such as Bo Stone's corn maze, William Leggett's butter bean operation, or Roy Herring's new peach orchard.

On this special Thanksgiving Day, I give a special thanks for the many readers of this weekly column. I hope you enjoy the information I provide, and I hope on occasion you find it useful. As long as The Robesonian will allow, I will continue writing. I hope you continue reading.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 04/19/06