Michelle Estrada has served N.C. Cooperative Extension for over 20 years and currently serves as the County Extension Director and Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agent for Wayne County. She leads and coordinates her staff to create impactful educational programs, while working collaboratively with local government, NCSU, and community partners. As the FCS Agent, Michelle designs and implements programs that focus on nutrition, wellness, and food preservation, building relationships and collaborating on projects that directly benefit the community. She demonstrates significant strength in establishing efficient work habits through resource curation and customization, as well as strategic relationship building. 

Wayne County boasts a strong agricultural base, producing large quantities of sweet potatoes, poultry, and pork, as well as watermelons, strawberries, and sweet corn. While the emphasis on commodity crops provides a strong economic base and consistent supply of food, most of the production is for large-scale commodity markets, creating a disconnect between what is grown and what is consumed locally. The county also has limited small-scale processing facilities, making it difficult for local farmers to sell directly to the public. Michelle’s work as the CED and FCS Agent is central to address this issue. She organizes events with the Farm Credit Farmers’ Market to increase consumer awareness and direct sales, guides farmers on diversification, and educates residents on how to incorporate fresh, local ingredients into their diets. 

Michelle has developed several key programs to strengthen the community’s connection to local food. Her video series, “Cooking with Michelle”, teaches healthy cooking and food safety using seasonal, local ingredients. She also hosts “Tasty Fridays at the Market,” an impactful program where she connects directly with the community, observing and listening to customers to better understand their purchasing habits and reasons for visiting the market. To promote local producers, she uses TV announcements and oversees Donation Stations at the market, which increase sales for farmers while providing healthy, local food to food-insecure individuals. Wayne County has hosted Donation Stations since 2022, spending over $5,740 with local farmers and donating over 8,225 pounds of produce to more than five local food pantries in the community. Michelle notes that while the core ideas for the programs she incorporates were inspired by other agents and pilot programs, what makes them successful is how they are uniquely adapted to Wayne County. “We infuse our own creativity and personality into each one, ensuring they directly address the needs and interests of our local community,” she shared.Michelle recommends that if other LFCs want to replicate the educational activities and programs from Wayne County, they tailor them to the unique characteristics and needs of their own community. Additionally, she recommends other LFCs actively build strong relationships with community members and partners. And lastly, create flexible, customized resources. “While the NC State Extension Portal has excellent resources, I’ve found it essential to create a dynamic calendar tailored to my local market. I recommend tracking which products are available from your specific vendors each week. This allows you to plan recipes, newsletters, and announcements that align with what’s actually in season in your community, making your content more relevant and useful,” she shared. Over time, she has curated a digital folder of resources with things like recipes, food safety tips, and promotional content that she can pull from in a pinch and use seasonally as needed. 

Another one of Michelle’s passions is Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE). With a background in Early Childhood Education, Michelle has always felt comfortable with that age group and feels that young children are more receptive to learning about local food, nature, and science. She believes that when children get excited about these topics, they can influence their parents to make healthier choices at home. Increasing exposure to healthy foods at a young age is another area she emphasizes, as she believes this can lead to children making better food choices later in life. Exposure and education for the teachers can also be extremely impactful to ensure that what the agent has taught can be extended in a trusted way within the classroom. Michelle has consistently incorporated Farm to ECE programming into her work, including teaching cooking with children at the Partnership for Children of Wayne County annual conference for childcare providers; working with WAGES (Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency) to expand the Color Me Healthy program and increase the use of local foods; and co-creating “Locally Delicious, Kids Edition,” a virtual program featuring story time, crafts, sing-alongs, taste tests, and a recipe highlight a local food. She is also a longtime member of the LFPT Farm to ECE Workgroup, and Wayne County has been a part of multiple CEFS Farm to ECE Collaboratives with Michelle also acting as a trainer. 

If you’re interested in Farm to ECE work in your county, NC State Extension and CEFS NC Farm to Early Care & Education Program, have recently published a variety of helpful guides: NC Guide to Buying Local Food Food for Child Care Centers, NC Guide to Local Food Buying Models for Child Care Centers, and NC Guide to Selling Local Food to Child Care Programs. 

Michelle ended our interview by sharing that while she may be biased, her favorite place to buy local food is their Farm Credit Farmers Market. She said she’s found many recipes that aren’t just her favorite but are also easy to make and a hit with market goers. Some favorites that demonstrate how customers can use fresh, local market ingredients include Peach Salsa, microwave Apple Crisp in a cup, and a refreshing Strawberry Kale Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing.