County: Duplin
Years in Firsthand Foods Network: 2011-2021
J & A Turner Farms & Sergio Lopez
J & A Turner Farms • Albertson, NC
OUR FARMERS
COUNTY
Duplin
Duplin
YEAR FOUNDED
1950s
1950s
FARM SIZE
250 acres
250 acres
FARM OUTPUT
Hogs, Chickens, Soybeans, Wheat Straw, Sweet Potatoes, Hay
Hogs, Chickens, Soybeans, Wheat Straw, Sweet Potatoes, Hay
Sergio has been managing J & A Turner Farms pasture-raised hog operation for more than 10 years. While he helps out with just about everything on the farm, hogs are his specialty. As owners, Jeremy Turner and his brother, Austin, trust Sergio to get the job done well and he works long hours to take care of the animals entrusted to his care.
This includes overseeing installation and repair of fencing, shelters, waterers and feeders and trouble-shooting mechanical failures and weather events. And it means managing feeding and farrowing schedules and overseeing care of their extensive pasture and woodlot areas. The Turners’ grow their own non-GMO corn and soybeans for hog feed and raise a hybrid mixture of breeds suited for the outdoors, including Hampshire, Duroc, and Chesterwhite. Sergio, his wife and their five children live on the farm where they have their own vegetable garden and a flock of chickens. The kids are Sergio’s constant companions after school and on the weekends.
