KENANSVILLE, N.C. — Stereotypes surround the notion of beauty pageants, but one North Carolina queen is focused on breaking that mold and being more than just another pretty face.
Emory New has been representing watermelon farmers since March when she was crowned this year's N.C. Watermelon Queen
During her day-to-day life she is an agricultural engineer with a nutrient management company
Her goal is to prove you don't have to be restricted to one interest
An average day in the shoes of Emory New, the 2022 North Carolina Watermelon Queen, might shock you, starting with the fact that they happen to be boots not heels, and she spends her time at swine and poultry farms around the region.
“I knew that when I wanted to come to N.C. State, I wanted to solve problems in agriculture, which is why I majored in agricultural engineering,” New said. “Being at Agri-Waste gave me that way to not only use my engineering background and run the calculations, but work with the farmer, hands on.”
Agri-Waste is a company that helps farmers develop nutrient waste management plans that improve both their economic and ecological efficiency. As an assistant project engineer with the company, New meets with farmers to go over their existing operation and collect data before putting together a plan that will then be put into place on the farm.
“In the past six years the hog industry has used 25% less water than what they were using six years before and 75% less land and so to be able to use less but produce more, that's really what we're trying to do,” New said. “In reality, when we come out to farms, when we talk to farmers, we actually show people who haven't been on farms what's actually happening.”
She was crowned the Spring Hope Pumpkin Queen in high school in her hometown and didn't give pageants another thought until the opportunity to compete for the title of North Carolina Watermelon Queen was brought to her by the farming family she was spending her summer with.
“I am normally the one in the background getting things ready. Being out in the spotlight has been interesting for me because I just love to help people and a lot of times the person in the spotlight is the one being helped,” New said.
Every day that she shows up to work for Agri-Waste she is actively crushing the stereotypes surrounding the pageant industry, which she says are very real. But her crown rests on top of a head determined to make a difference in the world of agriculture.
“A lot of times people just see the crown, and they think you're just another pretty face, but in reality you bring something to the table, and you have that knowledge, and you have that confidence in yourself ... you just have to believe in yourself,” New said.
As the watermelon queen you can find her promoting watermelon at various events around the state — working to connect consumers to local producers and give them an understanding of where their food comes from.
“Agriculture is North Carolina's No. 1 industry, and if we don't talk about it, if we don't help it and really show that we are doing the best to feed the world basically, then we won't have anything,” New said.
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