TWENTY-FIVE MILES northwest of Greensboro, in the sleepy bedroom community of Summerfield where the bustle of North Carolina’s third-largest city subsides, a 600-acre working farm spreads across rolling pastures, grazing cattle and historic barns restored to rustic beauty. Summerfield Farms has become a destination — a place where agriculture and hospitality come together.
The draw isn’t only the grass-fed beef and the organic pastures, though both are central to the farm’s mission. It’s the way Summerfield turns those agricultural roots into experiences that connect people with farming. The Market, stocked with local goods and the farm’s own beef, doubles as a neighborhood hub where visitors often stay to chat as long as they shop. The Well Truck, a vintage food truck-turned-beverage bar, became a
gathering spot during the pandemic and is now a permanent fixture for live music and family nights. Weddings, concerts, wine tastings and community events all unfold in spaces that still carry the character of old barns and fields.
That confluence of farming and fellowship is intentional. Developer David Couch, who bought the land in 1998, saw early on that agriculture could serve as a bridge to community life. By restoring barns and cottages, introducing cattle and focusing on soil health, he laid the groundwork for a farm that was never meant to be closed off.
“We want this to be people’s third place — after work and home,” Couch said.
And in many ways, it already is.
Families show up for the food, the views and the sense of belonging that’s hard to find elsewhere.
For general manager Holly Zumbrook, agritourism isn’t an add-on — it’s the model.
A fourth-generation Summerfield native, she grew up playing in the farmhouse before the property was restored. She returned in 2014, drawn by the farm’s potential, and worked her way from the Market to events to the general manager’s role.
“I’ll literally push-mow the farm if that’s what it takes,” she once told Couch.
That determination shows in how she talks about the work today.
“It’s not just about food or events,” she said. “It’s about people and community.”
Visitors can tour the pastures, learn about grass-fed beef, stay overnight in historic cottages or sit down at a long table for rooftop tastings. The farm’s main barn, once a utilitarian space, was lifted and reinforced with cinder block footings, then wrapped in reclaimed tobacco barn wood to preserve its character. Today it is the centerpiece for weddings, concerts, corporate retreats and even celebrations of life.
PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE
An event space equipped to host wedding parties, corporate events and large gatherings is made from original materials from tobacco barns at Summerfield Farms.
Clockwise from top right: Developer David Couch restored a tobacco barn at Summerfield Farms with original materials to build restrooms for patrons; an old tobacco barn at Summerfield Farms is kept standing to remind visitors of the area’s history; The Retreat is one of several properties at Summerfield Farms where visitors can stay; a spacious rooftop area provides space for group functions and has a full-service kitchen attached; a signpost points visitors at Summerfield Farms to its many points of interest.
“Tomorrow, it’s a corporate luncheon,” Zumbrook said. “Saturday, it’ll be a wedding with a band on stage, cocktails on the rooftop and dinner in the tent. Last week it was our staff training. We see it all here.”
The barn has modern touches — a full kitchen, an elevator for rooftop access, and alcove and silo bars — but it’s still rooted in its past. Guests sit beneath exposed beams, breathing in the faint scent of hay, and feel a connection to the land’s history. Upstairs, monthly tastings pair French whites or Italian reds with food prepared by partner, Greensboro restaurant 1618.
“You sit around a big community table, watch the sunset, and it reminds you how special this place is,” Zumbrook said.
Beyond the barn, Summerfield’s historic cottages offer retreat lodging. The oldest dates back to the 1930s, a two-bedroom home with a front porch that feels frozen in time.
“It’s rustic, but you can picture a
“Seeing kids running around, off their screens, while parents catch up with neighbors — that’s the most fulfilling thing. It’s what community is supposed to feel like.”
Holly Zumbrook
novelist sitting there finishing a book,” Zumbrook said.
Each house blends the old with the new: original wood ceilings and floorboards alongside Wi-Fi and modern amenities.
Guests come for weddings, family vacations or simply to unplug.
“Every home tells part of this farm’s story,” Zumbrook said. “And when guests stay, they become part of that story too.”
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE
Some stories are whispered rather than written.
The approach works because it’s rooted in integrity. Cattle are grass-fed and grass-finished, raised without hormones or antibiotics. Pastures are USDA- certified organic. Summerfield partners with Temple Grandin–certified processors and insists on whole-carcass utilization. Beef is sold on-site and shipped across the country.
“We can’t compete with big-box grocers, and we don’t want to,” Zumbrook said. “It takes us three years to finish a cow the right way. Integrity matters more than volume.”
Still, the success of Summerfield Farms is measured in more than pounds of beef sold. It’s seen in neighbors catching up outside the Market, in children running across wide-open fields while their parents relax with a drink and in the growing number of couples who choose to marry under the farm’s oak trees. Agritourism here isn’t a trend — it’s a way of sustaining agriculture by opening it up.
Today, Summerfield Farms is an anchor
for its region, shaping both its economy and its identity. On a given week, visitors might attend a tasting, feed goats on a family outing or walk into the Market for grass-fed beef. Couples arrive from across the country to marry under the farm’s sprawling oaks, while corporate teams book retreats that mix work with wide-open skies. Locals rely on it for food, fellowship and a reminder of their town’s heritage. The farm grows food but also
grows community. It preserves history while creating space for new memories. It sustains agriculture while showing families what farming looks like in the 21st century.
The farm still runs on the rhythm of the seasons. The land provides, the community gathers and the farm endures — a living reminder that in North Carolina, farming is as much about connection as it is about crops and cattle.
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE
Left, The Market at Summerfield Farms is stocked with items made in North Carolina. Right, inside The Market at Summerfield Farms, curious guests can see
cut of cattle is on a cow.
Farming first at Galloway Farm
The
Columbus
County farm is home to the largest corn maze in eastern North Carolina
By Dan Reeves North Carolina Farm Life
DRIVING THROUGH the coastal plain of Columbus County, fields of hay and corn stretch wide before U.S. 74 splits and cuts the family farm in half. For generations, the Galloways raised tobacco and row crops here. Today, Alma Galloway has helped transform the land into one of southeastern North Carolina’s most popular agritourism destinations. Galloway Farm traces its roots back to 1944, when Galloway’s husband’s grandfather bought the first acreage. Over time, the family grew tobacco,
experimented with rice and leaned into corn. When the federal tobacco buyout ended an era of farming across the state, the Galloways, like many others, pivoted. They kept cattle — today about 180 head of beef — and began raising row crops like soybeans and hay. But the farm’s next chapter came in 2011, after Galloway attended a kindergarten field trip with her son.
She remembers the busloads of kids at another farm where the owners seemed less than thrilled to have visitors.
“She acted like she didn’t even want to talk to the kids,” Galloway said. “As much as I love kids, I thought, ‘I can do this better.’”
That thought stuck with her. When her son turned 5, she hosted his birthday party at the farm. Children from Brunswick and New Hanover counties spent hours
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE
Galloway Farm owner and operator Alma Galloway, right, poses with her son, Walker, and his fiancée at the entrance to Galloway Farm in Hallsboro.
A cornflower grows at Galloway Farm.
playing, riding hay wagons and exploring. At 7 p.m., many were still there.
“They couldn’t get enough of the cows and goats,” she said.
Soon people began asking if she did parties. That planted the seed for what would become the farm’s Maze Craze. Her husband was hesitant at first, giving her 15 acres to prove the idea could work.
“He said, ‘Show me you can make more money with that than I can, and we’ll talk,’” Galloway said.
She did, and little by little, she gained more ground for attractions, shelters and parking. She even partnered with a local Dodge dealership to carve their logo into a maze design, an early sign of her knack for creative marketing.
Today, Galloway Farm spans roughly 40 acres of agritourism space with hayrides, a barrel train, live music, concessions and its centerpiece corn maze. This year, Wilmington International Airport partnered with the farm on a design that mimics the air travel experience, complete with runways and gates woven into the stalks.
Galloway is quick to point out that
not all agritourism is created equal. She bristles when so-called “entertainment farms” pop up with little connection to actual agriculture.
“They’re hurting the integrity of what farming is,” she said. “When a group of school kids books a field trip at an adventure farm that has zero dollars in
Providing loans for farms, homes and land within 46 counties in eastern and southeastern North Carolina.
PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE
Galloway Farm’s corn maze is the largest corn maze in eastern North Carolina.
production agriculture, I cringe. If you’re going to share your farm with people, tell your story. Be authentic.”
For her, authenticity means that the maze and the attractions all circle back to the land, the cattle and the crops. That also extends to what she teaches children. In addition to the big maze, Galloway Farm has a two-acre kids’ maze with a Corn You Find scavenger hunt and three story trails that bring agriculture to life. The most popular is the trail of Spookley the Square Pumpkin.
“The story of Spookley is one that speaks to anti-bullying and treating others the way that we wish to be treated,” Galloway said. “As kids wander
through that trail of the maze, they read the story of Spookley and learn lessons such as acceptance, diversity and more. At the end of the maze, they recite an anti-bullying pledge, showing that they listened and understood.”
By keeping the experience rooted in agriculture and values, Galloway believes families leave with more than a pumpkin or a few photos — they have a stronger sense of what farming means in North Carolina.
Galloway Farm’s season runs eight weeks in the fall, with about 20 staff helping during peak weekends. Outside of the season, Galloway and her family still tend to cattle and row crops, while
her husband’s 84-year-old father, the patriarch, continues to “call the shots.” Easter brings a helicopter egg drop that showers 15,000 eggs across the fields, a spectacle that introduces new families to the farm and brings them back in October.
Not every idea has worked — Christmas events proved too risky with unpredictable weather — but the farm has carved out a steady rhythm with its fall focus.
“You’ve got to be passionate about what you’re doing to begin with,” Galloway said. “It’s not as easy as it looks. But if you’re true to yourself, if you tell your story, people will come back.”
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE
Clockwise from top right: An antique pickup truck with Galloway Farm’s insignia greets guests as they enter the area; pumpkins are lined up outside for families and school groups to collect when they visit; a playground is available for kids at the farm; toddlers who visit can be treated to a ride around Galloway Farm.
North Carolina’s Fraser fir trees perennially in demand
By Melinda Burris North Carolina Farm Life
HART-T-TREE FARMS was established in 1976 by John and Kathy Chefas. The company began in Hart, Michigan, but in the mid-1980s, the farm relocated to Grassy Creek in Ashe County. There, they began producing Fraser firs, much sought after as Christmas trees. Today, the farm is managed by John and Kathy’s daughter, Carrie McClain, and her husband, Jeff.
Carrie McClain said Fraser firs — which Christmas tree farmers have been growing commercially in North Carolina since the 1950s — are native to the Southern Appalachian Mountains and sought after by consumers because “it’s an excellent, amazing Christmas tree.”
While her father was on a buying trip in North Carolina to secure Fraser firs to sell in Michigan, where he had been farming, he made his first visit to Ashe County. John Chefas “fell in love with the piece of property” in Grassy Creek, which is now home to Hart-T-Tree Farms.
In 2011, Carrie McClain and her husband made the move from Michigan to the farm in North Carolina. Since then, McClain has taken a leadership role in the farming community, currently serving as president and board member of the Ashe County Christmas Tree Association and a member of the board of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.
McClain has taken the initiative to get involved in the Grassy Creek community as a business owner and as a citizen.
“I like doing leadership and volunteer roles,” she said. “That’s something that I’ve always done. I think it’s really important to be a part of your commodity groups. I think it’s really important to work together and to learn from one another.”
In addition to her other community work, McClain also serves on the board of the New River Conservancy.
Importance of Christmas tree farming to Appalachian economy
Given her volunteer work with the state and county Christmas tree associations, McClain can speak with authority about the importance of Christmas tree farming to the western part of the state.
PHOTO COURTESY HART-T-TREES FARM
Carrie McClain works on saplings at Hart-T-Trees Farm.
“Christmas trees came along and really saved and preserved a lot of farms in the mountains because there’s not a lot of crops that farmers in the mountains can grow competitively and better than other places,” McClain said.
While the terrain and other factors make it difficult for farmers in the mountains to grow crops and compete with farmers in eastern N.C., Fraser fir Christmas trees are one crop farmers in western North Carolina can grow better than other farms across the country.
McClain asserts that the massive consumer demand for North Carolina Christmas trees was instrumental in saving many family farms that had been struggling before the industry flourished. The Fraser fir grows so well in its native Appalachian soil because the trees get just the right amount of moisture, and the higher elevation on mountain slopes allows the roots of the trees to drain properly, ensuring the growth of robust trees.
About 95% of Christmas trees grown in western North Carolina are Fraser firs.
“There’s not even a commercial
incentive to grow any other type of tree; Fraser fir is just, far and away, such an amazing Christmas tree that it’s not even worth putting your land in,” McClain said. “You’re only going to grow another species if you’re trying to use land that you can’t grow Fraser fir on.”
What makes the Fraser fir so sought after?
McClain detailed five reasons Fraser fir makes for an excellent Christmas tree:
• The tree has a beautiful natural color with a silvery undertone visible beneath its rich dark green needles. The Fraser fir is also known to withstand fading compared to other varieties of Christmas trees.
• The needles are soft to the touch, so you don’t have to worry about pricking.
• The Fraser fir has naturally strong and sturdy branches, which means you can decorate the tree however you wish with no fear that the limbs will not hold the weight of heavy ornaments.
• The fresh tree has a pleasant aroma
that will fill your home or office.
• The Fraser fir is low-maintenance; the tree retains moisture, which means it retains its needles.
Through her volunteer work and service on various boards, McClain has become intimately involved in her community and feels the Christmas tree farmers in Ashe County have a special bond.
“Growers often live on the land that they’re farming,” McClain said, revealing this is why growers are sustainabilityminded. “They might be farming several pieces of land all over the area, but they’re often living on at least one farm, and they very much care about the environment.”
Like other farmers across the state, Christmas tree farmers stay informed about the newest farming methods, take into account research from Christmas tree researchers and specialists, and investigate introducing eco-friendly farming methods, including pollinatorfriendly practices, integrated pest management systems and encouraging ecological diversity.
NC Christmas trees
Elite Fraser fir
NC State has a program dedicated to Christmas tree science. Known as the NC State Christmas Tree Genetics Program, researchers there have studied the genetics of “elite” Fraser fir trees for more than two decades, hoping to harvest the best genetic seeds for farmers.
North Carolina Christmas Tree Production by County
Did you know?
• North Carolina ranks second in the nation in Christmas tree production, following closely behind Oregon.
• 940 growers
That’s right: The state has nearly 1,000 Christmas tree growers, with approximately 53 million trees growing on more than 33,000 acres.
• More than 3 million Christmas trees are harvested each year, and 96% are Fraser fir trees, which are native to North Carolina.
• Ashe County is nicknamed the “Christmas tree capital of the world” and is the largest tree-producing county in the U.S. Fraser firs from Ashe County have been chosen multiple times to be the official White House Christmas tree.
• Christmas trees bring North Carolina more than $144 million in farm income annually, according to the USDA.
• It takes as long as 12 years to grow a tree to an average retail height of 6-7 feet.
• Zero Amount of waste from a cut Christmas tree — a completely recyclable and renewable product.
Estimated 2024 harvest by county, scaled from USDA 2022 data to match NCDA&CS statewide totals.
PHOTOS COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CHRISTMAS TREE ASSOCIATION
A worker in Ashe County trims Fraser fir trees.
An elite Fraser fir seed orchard tree is covered in cones at Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs.
Since 1955
Our company began as a family farm. It has been family-owned, family-operated and family-oriented for four generations. Our chickens are raised on family farms—many through several generations of the same family—by local farmers who are committed to our mission. Our family of employees often includes multiple relatives working in the operation. And then there is our family of products—a wide variety ranging from fresh to cooked chicken.
NC- Rose Hill, Wallace
GA- Forest Park, Vienna
SC- W. Columbia, Greenville, Hemingway LA- Arcadia
Hubb’s Farms
Keeping farming alive in hearts and minds
USA
Today has ranked Hubb’s Farms in Clinton as one of the top mazes in America
By Dan Reeves North Carolina Farm Life
COMING IN from the west down U.S. Highway 421 through Harnett County, the road memorializes Pulitzer Prize -winning playwright Paul Green for a stretch through the quaint community of Lillington. About 40 miles southeast, as the two-lane road winds past farms and fields dotted with dilapidated structures — tobacco barns mostly — and necessary commerce such as gas stations, tractor supply stores and the occasional restaurant, Sampson County welcomes you.
Hubb’s Farm in Clinton, one of North Carolina’s best-known agritourism destinations, is preparing for its annual Fall Festival. In less than 24 hours, families will pile into wagons, get lost in a 15-acre corn maze and haul pumpkins across fields that have been farmed for generations. It looks like entertainment, but for John and Tammy Peterson, it is something more: a way to keep farming alive for themselves and in the hearts and minds of North Carolina’s youth.
The Petersons launched Hubb’s in 2008, the same year their son Luke was born. Tobacco was long gone, hogs provided income but little connection for visitors, and Tammy wanted her son to grow up tied to the land.
“I knew I wanted him to have a connection to our farm,” she said. “And really, everything we built at first was Luke’s playground.”
That playground included ponies, a straw bale maze and a handful of photo cutouts. Their only goal that first year was to break even.
They did more than that. Word spread, families returned, and the maze grew into a treasured tradition. Each season brought something new: giant slides, zinnia and sunflower fields, a pumpkin patch and eventually a reimagined hog house turned into what the Petersons proudly call the “Taj Mahog.” The space
“They come for the fun, but they leave knowing more about where food comes from.”
Tammy Peterson
transforms into a puzzling mini putt-putt course, conceptualized to challenge and delight visitors. Hubb’s covers 65 acres, draws 20,000 to 25,000 visitors and has become a fixture for schools, churches and families from Raleigh to Wilmington.
The work never lets up. The Petersons mow nearly 40 acres of grass every week to keep the farm tidy for visitors. They juggle ticketing systems, concessions and food permits alongside hog production and crop rentals. Pumpkins are trucked in and staged across the fields in time for families to find “their” perfect one.
“Not every farm can open their doors to the public,” John said. “You’ve got to be clean, safe and ready for people. It’s farming plus hospitality.”
What sets Hubb’s apart is how tightly it ties entertainment back to farming.
Luke Peterson, the inspiration for many of Hubb’s Farm’s themes and attractions, rides an ATV on location the day before opening.
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE Pumpkins are trucked in from Virginia for Hubb’s Farm’s fall festival.
Educational signs line the trails, explaining irrigation, crop cycles and why North Carolina leads the nation in sweet potatoes and pork. School buses arrive by the dozen in October, with children cycling through wagon rides, pumpkin picking and animal visits.
“We trick people sometimes into learning about agriculture,” Tammy said. “They come for the fun, but they leave knowing more about where food comes from.”
Over the years, visitors have navigated designs that featured pirate ships, space shuttles and tributes to North Carolina from its history to its zoo. The Petersons sketch out the theme each season with input from their sons Luke and Will before a maze designer from Idaho helps bring the final pattern to life.
Agritourism has become a lifeline for many North Carolina farms. Nearly a thousand farms across the state now offer activities ranging from berry picking and wineries to corn mazes and more join each year. While the numbers vary, research shows the average agritourism farm in the region makes around $100,000 annually from visitors. With Hubb’s drawing 20,000 to 25,000 guests a season, spending on tickets, pumpkins and concessions likely puts the Petersons well above that mark.
“Agritourism has helped us become sustainable,” Tammy said. “Farming has changed so much over the years. There are still so many hog farms, but it’s not like it used to be where everyone is growing tobacco. It’s about educating the general public and letting them know where their food comes from and the importance of agriculture and how it supports so many. They don’t know.”
The Petersons are themselves contract hog growers with Smithfield Foods. COVID-19 pushed them to adapt in ways that have stuck. Online ticketing and timed entry became permanent after proving to be a smoother system than cash at the gate. Not every idea worked — holiday events and Valentine’s drive -ins
The Farm Store at Hubb’s Farm offers visitors of all ages souvenirs to remember their experience.
were too much effort for too little return — but Hubb’s Farm found its sweet spot by focusing on what it does best: the fall season. Even the corn maze reflects that balance. When longtime visitors complained it had gotten too small, the Petersons expanded it back to its original 15 acres.
“People love a gourmet maze,” Tammy said. Through it all, family has remained at the center. Luke grew up alongside the farm, inspiring attractions and learning to drive a tractor before he could drive a car. Tammy’s mother still mows and decorates, keeping the place looking sharp. For the Petersons, Hubb’s Farm is a business, but it is also a legacy.
Families may come for pumpkins and hayrides, but what they leave with is harder to measure: an experience rooted in real agriculture. In a county where farms still dominate the landscape with fewer people working the land, Hubb’s bridges the gap between past and future. It proves that farming in North Carolina can adapt without losing its soul.
If you go
Where: Hubb’s Farm, Clinton
When: Annual Fall Festival runs late September through early November. Open weekends with special weekday hours for school groups.
Highlights: 15-acre corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin patch, giant slides, zinnia and sunflower fields, animal encounters and the “Taj Mahog” hog house-turned-mini-golf course.
Special this year: A newly expanded maze design and seasonal flash ticket sales online.
Tickets: Purchase online for discounts; limited tickets available at the gate. Concessions, doughnuts, roasted corn and slushies available on-site.
More info: hubbsfarmnc.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Left, a sign lays out the rules for entering the maze at Hubb’s Farm. Above, a giant slide is one of several attractions kids can enjoy at Hubb’s Farm.
PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH CAROLINA FARM LIFE
HILLSBOROUGH — Jane Saiers and Darin Knapp founded RambleRill Farm in 2010. Knapp grew up on a small beef farm in Pennsylvania, and Saiers had already earned recognition as a master gardener. The small farm evolved from a big garden that continues to grow to this day. It produces organic fruits, vegetables, herbs and mushrooms. Chickens and goats are raised on the farm as well.
About 15 years ago while attending a sustainable agriculture program at Central Carolina Community College, Saiers became aware of what certified organic meant. She had already started eating certified organic food to avoid consuming harmful pesticides, but she learned it involves much more than that.
“The certified organic guidelines and regulations really are all about working with nature as you grow,” Saiers said.
The ultimate goal is to create a healthy farm ecosystem that is constantly evolving. The philosophy was in harmony with Saires’ love for planting and respect for natural processes, and she knew immediately this was how the couple would approach farming in their new venture.
“It was really a values-driven decision on our part, primarily,” she said.
RambleRill Farm has been certified organic since 2013, but Saiers emphasized that the tenets of this approach to agriculture have always been a part of the farm.
“We’ve never used any chemicals on the farm,” she said. “We’ve always been passionate, really, about the health of the soil and trying to maintain and, when possible, improve the health of the soil because that leads to healthy plants, which leads to healthy people.”
The farm is part of the Real Organic Project, an add-on certification for soilbased growing.
“We as organic farmers regard soil as the foundation of everything,” Saiers said, mentioning Sir Albert Howard, one of the founders of organic agriculture and the belief that “the health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible.”
Saiers emphasized how complex it can
“Often we make mistakes, but we’re trying as much as we can to either mimic natural processes or to work with them.”
Jane Saiers, RambleRill Farm
be to create the right growing environment, noting that a handful of soil may contain trillions of microbes, thousands of animal species and miles of fungal hyphae. She isn’t against hydroponic farming; she simply states that to be certified organic, plants must have roots in the ground. One exception is mushrooms, which can grow naturally on logs or in other environments.
The Real Organic philosophy extends to animal welfare.
“The Real Organic Project requires that your chickens have access to pasture, to green out in the world,” Saiers said. “You can’t keep chickens in these large containment facilities the way animal feeding operations do, where they crowd thousands of chickens together for their entire lives.”
Chickens must be allowed to roam freely and peck around as they naturally do. They must have enough room to properly roost where they can move about with ease. Saires maintained that the additional regulations the Real Organic Project has are geared toward
making sure animals have a happy life.
Saires said the regulations are not unreasonable and based on respect for the natural ecosystem and a desire to abide by that using farming methods that will not interrupt it.
“I’m always very, very reminded of my ignorance,” she said. “I mean, we as humans can understand some things about nature, and we try our best, and sometimes we make mistakes. Often we make mistakes, but we’re trying as much as we can to either mimic natural processes or to work with them.”
When a crop is harvested, a cover crop is planted. Rye is used because of the benefits it gives to the soil compared to leaving it uncovered. Cover crops are bulwark against soil erosion and weeds.
RambleRill Farm hosts a market on the property every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where the public can buy seasonal produce and fresh eggs. The farm has embraced the community by allowing local craftspeople to participate in the producers-only market.
COURTESY JANE SAIERS
RambleRill Farm grows organic crops and raises chickens and goats.
In Good Heart Farm
Small farmers embrace pollination-friendly agricultural practices
By Melinda Burris North Carolina Farm Life
PITTSBORO — Ben Shields and Patricia Parker are the owners of In Good Heart Farm. The farm was named in honor of the saying that when the soil is good, it is in good heart.
Soil health is the foundation on which this small agricultural venture is based.
“We prioritize soil health on our farm because when your soil is in good health, the plants are better able to defend themselves from insect or disease pressure,” Shields said. “It makes for more delicious and nutrient-dense produce. We encourage soil health with minimal tillage, planting cover crops, crop rotation, taking soil tests at least once a year and then adding minerals as needed.”
In Good Heart Farm is a year-round working farm that cultivates more than 100 types of plants native to the area. The planting is done using a variety of pollinator-friendly methods
“We also include native plants in hedgerows in our gardens to encourage beneficial insects and other such critters to help us manage the pests,” Shields said. “We also plant catch crops, encouraging the plants to eat them rather than the ones we want to eat.”
Methods used to encourage bees and other nearby predators to pollinate in and around the crops to provide a natural barrier from harmful insects and the damage they inflict include a pollinator hedgerow installed between sections of the garden. It consists of native flowering trees that invite natural exterminators to enter the farm’s ecosystem and feed and live. Shields credits this hedgerow with “decreasing the distance that the beneficial insects and other animals have to travel to then get to the pest and help eliminate them.”
An example of the type of indigenous plants used on the farm is the cup plant, so named because the leaves form a cup. Those leaves store water after rainfall, and animals are naturally attracted to it
PATRICIA PARKER / IN GOOD HEART FARM
An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly rests on a flower in bloom at In Good Heart Farm.
increase the ecological diversity to its maximal point” to minimize the amount of time and resources that are dedicated to pest control management.
Shields stressed that although the property is 21 acres, only five of those are set aside for farming, with two dedicated to vegetables and flowering plants.
To keep the soil in the garden from becoming depleted, crop rotation is used in combination with the aforementioned methods to nurture the organisms within it. When an area is not planted with cash crops, cover crops are grown there. In summer, cover crops may consist of buckwheat, since it doesn’t take long to flower. In winter, oats and barley are planted as a means to nourish the soil in preparation for spring planting.
“Our rotation is quite complex, and it evolves every year as we kind of learn more about the science of the plants and the organisms in the soil, but we use crop rotation and these cover crops to feed the
soil and to keep it in good health,” Shields said.
Towns nearby provide leaves, and the organic matter is used to nourish the crops as well.
Despite the farm’s small size, it fills 150 community supported agriculture (CSA) orders per week with a combination of seasonal vegetables, herbs and flowers.
“The CSA is something we’ve been doing since we began,” Shields said. “We’ve always been attracted to having a reciprocal relationship with our community members, and we value the exchange with them and the ability to share the risk of growing food that is inherent to growing food and farming.”
The CSA also includes a costshare program for individuals facing financial hardship so they can still participate, and a percentage of the cost is offset. The farm was created with this community- oriented philosophy in mind.
PHOTOS BY PATRICIA PARKER / IN GOOD HEART FARM
Zinnias (top) are a popular flower for pollinators, including the hummingbird moth, black swallowtail butterfly (middle) and ladybug (bottom). Left, rows of crops grow at In Good Heart Farm.
A Culture of Barbecue. A Commitment to Community.
Across North Carolina, barbecue is more than a tradition. It’s a point of pride.
That’s why the NC Pork Council proudly sponsors the Whole Hog Barbecue Series a celebration of our state’s rich barbecue heritage that also supports the communities we call home.
In the past five years, these events have raised more than $1.1 million to support local nonprofits and strengthen North Carolina communities.
Third-generation farming services company continues to grow, evolve
Today, John Deere is the largest force in the U.S. combine harvester market
By Hadley Creekmuir For North Carolina Farm Life
PENDER COUNTY — “Hometown Hollywood.” Ever heard of it? That’s the nickname for Burgaw, the charming town that has served as a frequent backdrop for films and television shows. It’s also the blueberry capital of Pender County and home to about 80,000 acres of important farmland, producing crops such as soybeans, corn, wheat and cotton.
Just 30 miles from Wilmington in this “Hollywood” town sits a father-son team who, more than 50 years later, are carrying on the family business of providing agricultural services for the farming community. More than 4,000 acres of farmland across the state are thriving thanks to the family, who farm and fertilize wheat, soybeans and corn fields.
Charles Rooks, who earned his degree in agricultural engineering from NC State in 1972, and his son, Jeff Rooks, who also graduated from NC State with a degree in agricultural business, run and operate their multifaceted farming business. Though times have changed since the company’s inception, the foundation of the business — and the handshake deals — are still very much the guiding principles of today.
It all began in the 1960s, when Melza and Etta Mae Rooks established the roots of Rooks Farm Service.
“My grandfather first started the business because his father closed their meatpacking business, and he needed to work,” Jeff Rooks said. “And my grandmother was equally involved in every facet.”
Thanks in part to living in a more rural part of the state, Melza and Etta Mae had the foresight to anticipate a growing business need for farmers and acted on it.
Around that time, then-Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz promoted a policy
“I don’t know anybody around here doing what I do who is not a multigenerational farmer. My dad grew the business, and my job is to keep it alive.”
Jeff Rooks
PHOTO COURTESY ROOKS FARM SERVICE INC.
Jeff Rooks, right, and his father, Charles, operate Rooks Farm Service in Pender County.
of planting “fencerow to fencerow” to maximize production on farms, resulting in a rapid expansion of land ownership and operations across the country. But in North Carolina, what was also transpiring, according to reports from the Department of Agriculture, was a consolidation of farms, with many small family farms being sold to larger agricultural operations. The combination of trends led to decreases in the overall number of farms in the state while the size of the remaining farms grew.
“Whereas we used to service around 100 farmers and their land because in the 1960s, there were more farmers who owned less land, that number began steadily shrinking each year. Today, it’s about 25 farms,” Rooks said.
Though machinery and equipment came with a hefty price tag, Melza made the first step in what would become his family’s legacy: He purchased a combine and offered that service to the land he rented and farmed. It was a way of increasing yield, productivity and efficiency, and in 1972, Melza realized his vision had grown to scale enough to incorporate the business and provide his sons ownership.
Continuing the family ownership was a smart move, one that enables the enterprises to continue.
“It’s very, very hard for somebody who did not grow up farming to get into this business,” Jeff Rooks said. “Because the land and equipment today are so expensive, it’s almost impossible. In fact, I don’t know anybody around here doing what I do who is not a multigenerational farmer. My dad grew the business, and my job is to keep it alive.”
Expansion continued into owning and operating grain elevators, which they purchased in the 1980s and ’90s, and in doing so equipped the business with a second revenue stream. These beaming vertical structures of massive scale leave a footprint on not just the land but the economy. While a grain elevator’s primary function is to store large quantities of grain collected from farms near and far before distributing it to buyers and processors, it also acts as a strategic business partner for local farmers.
“Essentially, we are the bank for local farmers, hedging the grain, so to speak,” Jeff Rooks said.
The margins for farmers can be so thin, and the price today of corn, wheat and soy won’t be tomorrow’s price, so farmers turn to businesses like Rooks Inc. to contract prices ahead of time and store the grain bushels in their elevator.
It’s a visual texture that is woven into the state’s landscape and history — and economy — that will continue only with the grit of those like the Rooks family.
History of the combine
A combine, short for combine harvester, is a complex machine designed for efficient harvesting of mass quantities of grain. Modern combines can cut a swath through a field more than 40 feet wide.
The name comes from combining three essential harvest functions — reaping, threshing and winnowing — and the machine harvests corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, rye, barley, sorghum, flax, sunflowers and canola.
Hiram Moore patented the first U.S. combine in 1835. Early versions were horse-drawn, followed by models that were pulled behind a tractor.
Even the earliest combine models could harvest 100 acres in a day, a process that would previously have taken several days.
A horsepowered combined harvester cuts, threshes and sacks crops in Washington state in the early 20th century.
COURTESY ROOKS FARM SERVICE INC.
A Rooks Farm Service combine harvests grain in Pender County.
UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD COURTESY OF U.S. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The evolution of Perry-winkle Farm
Cathy Jones learned from her customers at farmers markets
By Melinda Burris North Carolina Farm Life
CATHY JONES and her late husband, Mike Perry, began farming a tract of land in northern Pittsboro in 1990. The farm, Jones said, “mushroomed out of a personal garden,” planted and cultivated as a means for the couple to grow organic vegetables as they endeavored to improve the quality of their diet in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. Jones said the decision to expand what became Perry-winkle Farm was a practical necessity, as she had loved the land and purchased it, but then was faced with the question of what she would do to make the money needed to pay off the 30-year mortgage she had signed.
She had the dream, and her partner, Perry, an accomplished brick mason, proved to have crucial know-how. Jones credits his organizational expertise and knowledge of development and construction with enabling the pair, who eventually wed, to maximize the yield on the quarter-acre tract of land they began farming.
The couple soon realized three essential things.
They would have to farm more land to make the venture commercially feasible.
“We expanded the farm on a yearly basis, developing another quarter acre and another quarter acre to the point where we had about four acres in production,” Jones said.
The new farmers understood their land had tremendous growth potential. However, they also knew the soil on much of the property was “pretty depleted” because the former owner, a dairy farmer, had not cared for the soil properly. He had planted no cover crops between growing seasons, so the earth needed nourishment and the chance to replenish itself before it could render a yield that matched its potential.
They also quickly recognized that
their farm was in a premium location, just nine miles from the Carrboro Farmers Market and eight miles from the Fearrington Village Farmers Market. That meant they did not have to pack their produce and travel far to find their target consumer base: people who were looking to purchase the fresh, organic vegetables, herbs and a vast array of seasonal flowers they were now producing year-round on their rapidly expanding farm.
They began selling at the Fearrington Market in its inaugural year, 1991.
Founded by a group of farmers, with Jenny and R.B. Fitch spearheading the effort, it became the state’s first midweek farmers market, an initiative of a Duke Endowment project known as Seeds of Hope. A primary goal of the market’s creation was to give the public a chance to connect directly with farmers and buy fresh produce straight from the source. Cathy and Mike joined the Carrboro Farmers Market three years later, giving them another popular outlet to sell their farm-fresh goods.
Flowers proved to be a financial boon
It was at the Carrboro Farmers Market that Jones said she first realized the possibilities cut flower sales offered for the expansion of their business. Jones
“We weren’t getting wealthy, but we were content. We really felt like we were part of the community.”
Cathy Jones
doesn’t claim to be a horticulturalist. She emphasizes that farming is a business and acknowledges she recognized the consumer demand when she saw it. Based on that, 50-60% of Perry-winkle Farm’s production areas would eventually be devoted to growing flowers.
Jones recalled noticing that when bouquets were strategically displayed, more patrons would be drawn to their table at whichever market they happened to be at that day. Thanks to the flowers’ continuing popularity for DIY projects such as floral arrangements, bridal bouquets and wreaths, the farm’s space at the weekly Carrboro market now includes a self-serve flower bar.
Knowing when to cut, how to care for fresh flowers key
It’s not as simple as it may sound, Jones warns.
“The thing about cut flowers is there is a day when a flower is at its peak and it’s the best time to pick it,” she said. “So depending on the variety of flowers, we might pick something like sunflowers every day because they’re opening at different rates, and every day there might be a dozen or two stalks out there.
“The whole goal in the cut flower world is picking the flower when it’s at the point
COURTESY PERRY-WINKLE FARM VIA FACEBOOK
Cathy Jones holds a bouquet of freshly cut zinnias at Perry-winkle Farm.
