By Chris Tatum, chief program technician, Bladen County FSA
Thomas Carlton “Chubby” Starling, Bladen County executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in North Carolina retired last month after 35 years of service.
Starling began his career in Cumberland County when he was hired as a compliance/field technician in 1976. After being accepted and completing the County Office Trainee Program for managers he was hired by the ASCS County Committee in Moore County in 1983. He held the position of county executive director in Moore County until 1985. In that same year he was hired by the ASCS County Committee in Hoke County where he held the position of executive director until 1997.
That was the year “Chubby” was hired by the FSA County Committee in Bladen County where he served as county executive director until his retirement on Dec. 2, 2011.
Starling was appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman in August of 1999 as the North Carolina state community food security liaison and in the same year served as the North Carolina state coordinator for field gleaning and food recovery.
In 2002 the Department of Defense and the North Carolina Committee for Employer Support of the National Guard and Reserve recognized Starling for his support of employees being a part of these organizations.
Over the years Starling has been involved with several special projects with USDA/ASCS/FSA, including aerial observation projects, crop appraisals, special reviews and hearings and disaster programs, but the one thing he has been more involved with in recent years has been his outreach efforts to the agriculture community and minority groups.
Starling organized dozens of gleaning projects throughout Bladen County and several other counties in the state. He was a founding organizer of the Black History Month Celebration for Bladen County and organized an annual blueberry tour that has bought attention to the agriculture community of how important blueberries are to the North Carolina. He assisted in the organization of the Native American History Month celebration and will be most remembered for the agriculture appreciation dinner held each fall for the past 14 years in Bladen County.
