Extension Service’s Blalock knows livestock

He’s first of three retiring this fall, taking 90-plus years of experience with them

T. J. ROYAL

Extension Agent Ralph Blalock is set to retire Sept. 1, after more than 26 1/2 years working within Edgecombe County.

As a livestock agent who began working here in January 1982, Blalock, 55, said Edgecombe "has been an awful good county to work in."

Blalock will be the first of three retirements that'll reshape the county's Extension Service. On Oct. 1, Extension agents Connie Sherrill and Joe Dickens will take their 60-plus years of experience with them into retirement.

Before he headed back east to Edgecombe, Blalock spent three years as an Extension agent in Western North Carolina in Catawba County, from 1978-81. In his early 20s, the Wilson County native had a year's experience managing a herd of cattle. It was that experience and know-how with cattle, that caught the attention of his future boss when they went to college together at N.C. State University.

James Pearce, who retired in November as the county's Extension director, said when he met Blalock at N.C. State, "I could tell then that he was somebody who was gonna be really good at either raising livestock or helping people with livestock."

Pearce said that because of his skills sizing up and judging livestock, Blalock's expertise "is particularly sought after" by people from across the southeastern United States and beyond.

"There's a certain amount of confidence for being able to give reasons on the spur of the moment as they have to do in livestock. It takes an awful lot of maturity and poise, and that's something you don't see a lot of," Pearce added about the unique qualities he sees in Blalock's abilities as an Extension agent.

And when it came to helping clients in Edgecombe and beyond, Pearce said that Blalock was not bound by a schedule.

"He started out many days at daylight, finished many days until the wee hours. He made himself available to the livestock owners when they needed him, not just during office hours," Pearce said.

"He certainly was proof that Edgecombe County citizens and North Carolina got a lot more than what they paid for. It's been a real honor to work with Ralph."

Blalock said that he took on 28 credit hours his last semester in college in 1978, so that he could get his degree as fast as possible and start to work.

"I made the Dean's List that semester, actually," he added about the time he took on the exceptional course load.

Blalock also spent all of his career in Edgecombe working with the youth in 4-H animal and livestock judging, including current Extension Director Art Bradley.

Bradley said that it was through 4-H that "I really got to know Ralph. He's always been extremely helpful with kids, teaching them about animals and developing their skills.

"A lot of the Edgecombe kids have gone on to the state level for those competitions" in judging different types of livestock, thanks to Blalock's efforts, Bradley added.

Blalock said that he was particularly proud that some of his 4-H judging competitors were able to meet and exceed the results of larger operations from around the state.

"We had winners at the state fair, and we were able to compete with some pretty big operations. So we got a lot of satisfaction out of that," Blalock said.

With a nod to Bradley, Blalock added that when it comes to dealing with the children, "you better be nice to the 4-H'ers coming up behind you, because you never know, they might be your boss one day."

Along with the other Extension agents working in Edgecombe in the early '90s, like Blalock, Sherrill and Dickens, Bradley said it felt like returning to "family" once he came on full-time as an Extension agent.

"Knowing Ralph and working here as an intern one summer, with him here as an agent, it helped me along to decide to take a career as an Extension agent," Bradley added about the steps he took to become an agent in his home county.

Echoing Bradley's sentiments about the other Extension agents, Blalock said there'll be a lot he'll miss from his days in the office.

"I'll miss the camaraderie with the co-workers. It's kind of like your second family" Blalock said, especially since so many of the Extension agents came on board within the same period of time.

With the time he'll have on his hands, Blalock said he plans to do more fishing than he's been able to in the past, and to continue to work on his farm in Lucama.

Blalock lives with Carol, his wife of 27 years, and their two children, Cassie and Ryan.

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