Alumnus-owned Tull Hill Farms wins award from NC Department of Labor
Media Contact: Kendall Hill, 252-526-8588 or kendallh@centurylink.net
Tull Hill Farms, co-owned by Kendall Hill, a 1962 graduate of the College’s Department of Horticultural Science, received the Hudler Safety Training Award from the North Carolina Department of Labor. The award is given each year to a North Carolina grower who demonstrates excellence in farm safety.
Tull Hill Farms Inc., owned by Hill, his son Rob Hill and his nephew Michael Hill, is a progressive and diversified operation of 4,500 acres producing tobacco, sweet potatoes, cotton, soybeans, lettuce and other crops. Hill’s brother, Jimmy Hill (a former partner), serves as president and chief operating officer of the company.
Hill, of Kinston, has served six terms on the board of the N.C. Sweet Potato Commission, including four terms as president, and served as the state’s representative to the U.S. Sweet potato commission. He initiated and supported pioneering research such as the micropropagation program for sweet potatoes, and he was instrumental in the creation of the college’s specialty Crop Program.
Ron Hudler, in whose memory the award was created, served as chairman of the Department of Labor’s Agricultural Safety and Health Council, which is a group of farmers and advocates who advise the commissioner on matters pertaining to agricultural safety and health in North Carolina.
Hudler was an advocate for training farm workers. His son, Dale Hudler, presented the award to Hill at the Department of Labor’s 18th annual Gold Star Grower Luncheon.
– Written by: Suzanne Stanard, 919-513-3126 or suzanne_stanard@ncsu.edu
