At the age of 40, Mike Jones finally had enough resources to buy land in Franklin County and pursue his dream of owning his own farm. He came from a farming background, but the family lost its farm in the 1950s and since then, family members had worked as sharecroppers and tenant farmers. Fifteen years ago, he bought a 73-acre abandoned tobacco farm and turned it into a successful agricultural operation called MAE Farm. Today, he is the 2021 N.C. Small Farmer of the Year, a recognition awarded annually by Cooperative Extension at North Carolina A&T State University as part of Small Farms Week.