(Beaufort County) Young Farmer of the Day: Stephen Jones with Beaufort County Organics
(Editor’s Note: Jones was recognized during the Got to Be NC Festival held May 17-19. Additional photos of Jones at the festival are available.)
Stephen Jones, owner and operator of Beaufort County Organics, grew up with a strong knowledge of agriculture and appreciation for the hard work of farmers. With many generations of his family working on their farmland in Blounts Creek, Stephen’s history is laced with agricultural heritage. Although his family pursued agriculture for many years, the last person to work on the family farm prior to Stephen taking over was his great-grandfather. “I worked in the manufacturing and engineering industry until I was 22 years old,” Stephen said. “My family had been renting the farmland out for the last two generations since my grandparents and parents chose different paths. However, when I turned 22 and some of my family started to die off, I saw an opportunity in the farm to reignite a legacy.” As an only child, Stephen saw a way to connect back to his roots through the farm and he hasn’t looked back since.
(Edgecombe) Young Farmer of the Day: Tate Mayo with Mayo Mills
(Editor’s Note: Mayo was recognized during the Got to Be NC Festival held May 17-19. Additional photos of Mayo at the festival are available.)
As a third-generation farmer and well-known member of the Tarboro community, Tate Mayo is making a strong difference at a young age for the N.C. agriculture industry. In addition to being a full-time farmer and business owner, Tate is also the current mayor of Tarboro, as well as an agricultural teacher and FFA Advisor at North East Carolina Prep School. From farming to teaching, Tate is doing everything that he can to inspire the community to invest in N.C. agriculture and educate the next generation on its importance. In 1932, Mayo Knitting Mill was established in Tarboro by brothers Columbus and Benjamin Mayo. Along with the knitting mill, which is still in operation today, the Mayo family operates Mayo Farm where they grow many acres of cotton and peanuts. “The farm specializes in growing premium cotton on two separate farms in Eastern North Carolina, Mayo Farms and Piney Grove Farm, a subsidiary of Mayo Farms,” said Amy Robinette of Harris-Robinette Beef who nominated Tate for the Young Farmer of the Day program. …
(Hertford) Elevating the culinary industry with Carolina Gold Oil
(Editor’s note – Carolina Gold Oil was a featured GTBNC vendor at the Got to Be NC Festival held May 17 – 19) Whether you are frying, baking or sautéing, cooking oils are a commonly found ingredient in the kitchen. Although canola and olive oil are some of the more popular cooking oils, there are a variety of other oils that create unique flavor profiles and work well with all types of cooking, including sunflower oil. Got to Be NC member, Carolina Gold Oil, based in Harrellsville, not only creates a classic sunflower oil to help elevate your cooking, but also offers several spice infused oils that provide specific flavor profiles. From growing up on the farm to innovating the industry as an adult, Lee Britt is bringing families across the state together one oil at a time. As a young boy, Lee Britt, owner and operator of Carolina Gold Oil, dreamed of being a farmer. “My great-great-grandfather purchased Britt Farm in 1910 and my family has worked here ever since,” he said. “There is a lot of history here. I grew up learning how to farm row crops like tobacco and raise livestock at the hands of my grandfather and father. I always knew that this farm is exactly where I wanted to be.” …
(Johnston) Falling in love with agriculture through FFA
The bond of siblings is enough to shift the dynamic of an entire family, or at least it was for Susannah “Suzy” Piatek and her family. Growing up with four siblings involved in agriculture, Suzy followed in their footsteps from childhood to FFA and now through high school. With eyes set on a future in ag mechanics, Suzy is well on her way to becoming one of our industry’s future leaders. As a child, Suzy remembers many afternoons spent watching her oldest brother tend chickens in their backyard in Johnston County. “The day he brought home chickens I was immediately fascinated by them,” she said. “I would watch my brother care for them and harvest eggs until I decided that I needed chickens of my own.” Although their parents were not involved with agriculture, all five of the Piatek siblings grew up in FFA and were immersed in agriculture at some point in their lives. In fact, Suzy joined FFA her freshman year of high school because she had seen and heard about all the wonderful things that it did for her siblings. “Watching my siblings come up in FFA plus tending chickens in the backyard really sparked my interest in agriculture as a career,” she said.
(Johnston) A calling to work with cattle
On a multi-generational family farm, the nature of agriculture is often something that becomes ingrained in your DNA through the generations. Justin Wood is the fourth generation to work on his family’s beef cattle farm, Wood Angus Farm in Willow Spring, and he truly couldn’t imagine a life anywhere else. At the age of six or seven years old, Justin began helping his family around the farm and showing livestock at local shows across the state. “This farm has been in my family for 125 years or more, so agriculture has always been a part of my life,” he said. “My grandpa bought me my first heifer and my first show pig in elementary school, and I’ve been showing at a variety of livestock shows, including the N.C. State Fair, ever since.” On average, Wood Angus Farm is home to about 100-125 head of beef cattle as well as hogs and chickens. Justin and his sisters, Mary and Ava, grew up in a world where agriculture was as natural as breathing. In fact, they all showed livestock together for many years. Justin recently aged out of showing, but he continues to help his sisters, cousin, and other family members with their animals each year. …
(Johnston) Passion leads to purpose in NC agriculture
Growing up on a family farm, Paul Eldridge connected with the land at a young age and found peace in the world of agriculture. From growing and selling produce in high school to pursuing his graduate degree at N.C. State University, Paul has kept his eyes on our state’s No. 1 industry for as long as he can remember. As a young boy, some of Paul’s earliest memories were of helping his family in the garden and barning tobacco on the farm. Located in Smithfield, Paul’s family farm continues to grow a variety of produce and row crops today, including corn, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and small grains, in addition to raising cattle. “I am the fourth generation to work on the family farm,” Paul said. “My entire family has deep roots in agriculture, even my mother who works as an agribusiness banker with First Citizens. It’s a part of who we are and it has been a passion of mine for most of my life.” Through the years, Paul has received many hands-on experiences in agriculture, including being given an acre of farmland by his aunt and uncle to raise produce on and sell within the community. ...
(Nash) Impacting the industry one title at a time
Emory New is a name that many across the agriculture industry might know from her time as N.C. Watermelon Queen. Her love of agriculture, however, started long before 2023 and continued far past her queen years. In fact, Emory is currently working hard to establish her place in the industry and set her path as a leader and voice for agriculture. In her early childhood years, Emory was involved in 4-H and not only learned about agriculture through that program, but also from her father and uncle who raised cattle, farmed tobacco and other row crops. “All of my cousins were a part of 4-H when I was growing up in the Nash County/Wilson area, so it was only natural for me to join as well,” Emory said. “As I got older, I joined the 4-H exchange club where I furthered my agriculture knowledge by meeting with agriculture students in other states and learned about how crops are grown and raised in their hometowns.” As a student at Southern Nash Middle and High School, Emory was heavily involved in FFA from 7th grade through graduation. During her senior year, she was acting President of the chapter. “My seventh-grade year, our school got an ag program, and I dove in right away,” she said. “As a member of FFA, I not only learned many life skills that have helped get me to where I am today, but I also received many hands-on opportunities that broadened my knowledge of agriculture and sparked my desire to spend a career in this industry.” After high school graduation, Emory headed to N.C. State University to further her agricultural knowledge. …
(Pender) Mead maker showcasing honey wines from sweet to dry at Got to Be NC Festival
(Retro Meadery was a GTBNC vendor at the Got to Be NC Festival held May 17 – 19) If there’s one thing the co-owners of Retro Meadery would like you to know, it’s that mead comes in a variety of flavors, and they’re not all sweet. Co-owners Michael Fields and Matthew Clemmons started the business in 2020. During the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, they took some time to start brewing their own beer and mead, mostly as experiments. While their first mead actually didn’t taste great, they enjoyed the process and quickly realized better honey would make better mead. Mead is three simple ingredients – water, honey and yeast. So it can sometimes be simply called honey wine. The right type of yeast can be important, but the honey is the star of the show and the most important factor in flavor. So, Fields and Clemmons sought out sweeter, thicker and more flavorful honeys – particularly a rare raspberry honey. They made test batches and had tastings with friends who put together some tasting groups. “What solidified it for us is, one of the tastings we went to, their friend actually came up to us and said, ‘Hey, I’ve tried commercial mead before; I don’t like it. So, I’m just here to support them because they invited me.’ Then at the very end of it they said, ‘Okay, this stuff’s great. How can I invest?’” explained Fields. …
(Robeson) National Mrs. U.S. Agriculture changes the industry for the better
Within every industry is a group of people who elevate connections, support the products and believe in the message so much that they are willing to do whatever it takes to share that message with the world. For the N.C. agriculture industry, Nicole Hall is one of those people. Growing up in a world that was traced by agriculture, Nicole always knew that something about this industry was calling her home. Although it wasn’t until later in her college years that the spark of agriculture ignited in her life, she has been a firm supporter of the industry since the beginning. A native of Lumberton, Nicole grew up surrounded by agriculture both within her family and across the community. “Lumberton is a huge agriculture community. You can hardly turn the corner somewhere without seeing a farm or a field,” she said. “I heard so many stories growing up from my dad, mom and other members of the community about the importance of agriculture and how it had shaped their lives.” Nicole’s father worked on a farm for many years of his life. In fact, some of Nicole’s very first memories of agriculture were helping to shuck corn and shell peas on the front porch with her family.
(Wayne) A heart for the farm
For a multi-generational family farm, agriculture runs through the veins of each individual. Luke West grew up on a family farm in Northern Wayne County and remembers helping on the farm from the time that he could walk. Today, he not only loves agriculture and being on the farm more than any other hobby or activity, but he also couldn’t see himself doing anything else. From the time he could stand up on his own, Luke remembers spending time in the turkey houses on the farm with his mom. “The farm was my daycare growing up,” he said. “I would go with my mom to the turkey houses every day and play in the shavings until I was old enough to help dad with the row crops.” Luke’s family grows a variety of crops on the farm, including cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts, sweet potatoes, strawberries and tobacco. Although he loves working with every crop on the farm, Luke has a particular soft spot for cotton. “It’s my favorite crop by far,” he said. “Not only is the process beautiful to watch from beginning to end, but it also generates a huge source of pride when you get a good harvest and see it used in your home and throughout the community.” Not only do Luke’s parents work on the farm, but also his brother, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, and uncle. “It truly is a family operation,” he said. “We are not a corporate farm here, we are a family company, and it takes all of us to make this place successful.” Growing up on a farm caused Luke to fall more in love with it every day. In fact, agriculture is so ingrained in every fiber of his being that he couldn’t imagine himself doing anything else. …
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