Trey & Rebecca Liverman of Columbia, N.C., have been selected as North Carolina’s ASA Corteva Agriscience Young Leaders for 2019-2020. This is the 37th year that the NC Soybean Producers Association has participated in the program that identifies and recognizes prospective agricultural leaders form the state.
After graduating from N.C. State University with degrees in Ag Business Management and in General Agricultural, Trey returned home to work on the farm with his father. Along with working on the family farm, he also works as a Seed Dealer for Coastal AgroBusiness. Rebecca attended Meredith College where she earned a degree in Quantitative Food Sciences before she continued her education at N.C. State University obtaining her Masters Degree in Extensions Education. Currently she works for N.C. Cooperative Extension in Washington as the County Extension Director. Trey also serves on the Board of Directors for the NCSPA, Tyrrell ABC Board, Albemarle Resource Conservation and Development Council, serves as the Tyrrell County Soil & Water Supervisor and serves as the Lieutenant & Finance Officer for the Firefighter relief program within the Tyrrell Volunteer Fire Department, and leads the praise band for his church on Sunday morning. He is also a recent graduate od the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Ag Leadership Development for 2017-2019.
Currently their farming operation is conventional tillage that manages row crops including corn, soybeans, wheat, & milo. The weather is currently the biggest determinate on if they will be able to do no-till work but Liverman would like to see more if it added to their farm in the future. A couple of challenges they face are doing more with less. With just the father son team on the farm, adding technology like precision planting and yield monitoring, help them determine where there are variables in their crops and how to better prepare for the next season. Being located on the coast of N.C. has also presents its own challenges and they have been no strangers to hurricanes over the past few years. They often must work to keep the water off their crops more than they have to irrigate. In Trey’s words, the best part about farming is “being able to see all the work that is put in throughout the year come to fruition at harvest. Placing a little seed in the ground and nurturing it and protecting it to the best of our ability in order to feed and clothe our world. It is a tall task and very satisfying knowing we are doing our part no matter how big or small our part may be.”
A major part of being on the NCSPA Board of Directors for Liverman is being able to network and share ideas with growers from all over the state and by having a voice for the N.C. farmer in Raleigh, D.C. and throughout the country. Something that they would want consumers to know, “Farmers work hard to keep the land and soil healthy now and for future generations. We know our actions affect the environment. No one is closer to the earth than farmers and it is important to us to care for the land, water, and natural resources for future generations.”
After meeting through 4-H, the two have been married for 17 years and enjoy being on the water whenever possible, cheering on the N.C. State Wolfpack and the Carolina Panthers. All of course when they aren’t farming, working in extension or volunteering in their community. Trey was also elected to NCSPA Board of Director’s Executive Committee this past January. The first segment of the Young Leader program was held in Indianapolis, Indiana from Dec. 3-6, 2019. The Livermans will complete their training at Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas Feb. 25–29, 2020.
