OUR FARMERS

James and his family live and work the farm that has been in their family for almost 160 years. While most of their land is leased for crop production, the wooded areas and pastureland closest to the house are dedicated to hog production.  Raising hogs is a family affair and his teenage kids are frequent helpers. But most of the daily chores are carried out by Buckshot, an employee and friend who has worked for the family’s businesses for over 30 years. 

James and his father, Neil, have a strong conservation ethic. Neil has pledged to never sell his land for development as most of it is in a floodplain, but to keep it in agriculture in perpetuity. James works full-time for the NC Forest Service managing the state’s nursery and tree improvement program, propagating and preserving species native to the region. In fact, on his family farm, he has preserved one of the oldest surviving tracts of the endangered Longleaf pine tree.