Parker on N.C. Soil and Water Commission

Cooper had been notified that Parker was elected to the position at a commission meeting earlier in January. He was sworn in during a Wilkes County commissioners meeting on March 7 by Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Michael D. Duncan. His term expires in January 2026.

The seven-member commission provides oversight, rules and policy for voluntary state soil and water conservation programs focused on improving and protecting water quality and natural resources for a variety of land uses. It determines cost share allocations to the state’s 96 conservation districts, which use this to provide financial and technical assistance to landowners for installing best management practices on the land. The commission meets quarterly.

Vernon Cox, director of the N.C. Division of Soil and Water Commission; David Williams, deputy director; and Brian Evans, executive director of the N.C. Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, attended the meeting.

Parker is chairman of the Wilkes Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, Wilkes County Farm Bureau Board and Wilkes Cattlemen’s Board.

He is a member of the Broadway Fire Department and Wilkes Community College Agriculture/Construction Equipment Technology Advisory Committee. Parker is also employed as plant supervisor at the Vulcan Materials Co. quarry off N.C. 115 in North Wilkesboro.

Parker, with his family, owns and operates Parker Farms, which is a Century Family Farm. He lives on the farm, which produces hay and timber and includes a cow-calf operation with 450-500 head. The farm also backgrounds calves, which is the growing of steers and heifers from weaning until they enter a feedlot.

Parker is a graduate of North Carolina State University. He and his wife, Kim, live in North Wilkesboro and are members of Wilkesboro Baptist Church. They have three children and a grandson.

Because Parker’s new position is covered by the State Ethics Act, he must participate in ethics training within six months of his appointment and every two years thereafter. He must also file a statement of economic interest by April 15 each year.