Paul Dunn Turns Decades Of Agriculture Experience Into New Online Show

BENSON — After decades of working with farmers, livestock owners and horsemen, longtime Benson businessman Paul Dunn is taking some of those conversations to a new audience.

Dunn is the host of “Time to Feed Up with Paul Dunn,” a new YouTube program focused on animal nutrition, agriculture and the people who have spent their lives working with animals.

The program is being produced in association with Cushing Media.

Dunn, 67, recently completed the sale of Mule City Specialty Feeds, the Benson business where he spent much of his career before becoming its owner.

Following the sale, he established Mule City Consulting, through which he helps other business owners prepare for and navigate the process of selling or transitioning out of their businesses.

His new program will draw from 56 years of experience and relationships in animal husbandry, featuring conversations with horsemen, livestock owners, farmers and other animal professionals.

A lifelong Benson resident, Dunn has longstanding ties to agriculture and Benson Mule Days.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from N.C. State University in 1981, though Dunn said much of his education came from the people he worked with afterward.

“NC State provided me with tools, and my 5,000 customers educated me.”

During his career at Mule City Specialty Feeds, Dunn helped keep custom animal feeds available to animal owners and hosted more than 100 educational events at the business.

He also helped expand access to Non-GMO Project feed options in North Carolina and worked with the University of Mount Olive through federal and state grant programs aimed at helping small farms remain viable.

His work has also included efforts involving soybean processing for animal feed using extrusion and expelling methods rather than chemical processing.

Outside agriculture, Dunn is an amateur radio operator who has assisted emergency management during numerous disasters.

He has been recognized as Johnston County Ham of the Year, inducted into the Johnston County Livestock Hall of Fame and named Benson Citizen of the Year.

Dunn and his wife, Cynthia Hood Dunn, are lifelong members of the Benson community. Their family includes a daughter, son-in-law and grandson, along with four mules and a dog named Scooby Doo.

“Time to Feed Up” is intended to be educational, practical and conversational. Viewers will be able to submit questions about animal nutrition and suggest subjects for future programs.

Dunn and the production team plan to answer selected viewer questions during upcoming episodes.

The first show will air Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. on YouTube.