Bailey Rayford ’99: ‘A&T prepared me to be able to do anything’

Bailey Rayford ’99, with her daughter, Reese, is a fourth-generation Black farm owner and an advocate for agriculture, both in North Carolina and nationwide. She is a member of the CAES Advisory Board and an unofficial recruiter for the college. 

Bailey Rayford ’99 has deep roots in North Carolina agriculture.

A fourth-generation farmer, she and her two brothers, Sean and RayMond Turner, own and operate T&T Farms in Iredell County, an ornamental nursery that supports their commercial landscaping company and a logistics company. Around 400 acres, some of the land has been in the family since 1904.

Rayford graduated in 1999 with a degree in agricultural education. She, her brothers and many other family members have attended N.C. A&T; one nephew, who is currently enrolled, is part of the third generation.

Rayford operates the logistics and real estate branches of the family’s businesses. Her brother Sean operates the farming operations, while RayMond is in charge of the commercial landscaping company that provides a value-added component for their farm.

“A&T prepared me to be able to do anything,” she said. “Lessons from my parents and grandparents, as well as what I learned from the CAES and its phenomenal network, gave me the confidence to take risks. Most Black farm families have to be resourceful and diverse to maintain, and I gained the capability to think outside the box.”

As with anyone who has lived close to the land, Rayford knows about growth, failure and resilience.

Her mother, Teresa Turner, grew up on a dairy farm on Bailey Farm Road in Iredell County, which also produced cotton and tobacco. Her grandfather, Burgess Bailey, Sr., a sharecropper, died while the oldest three children were in college; the youngest was born on the Tuesday after her grandfather’s funeral, Rayford said.

Her late grandmother, Goldsbeth Cowan, affectionally known as Ma Bessie, was a young widow and mother of eight who maintained the farm and helped the children so they could fulfill their dream of having college degrees. Rayford’s mother became a teacher and for many years also performed all the administrative duties for their family businesses.

Rayford’s father, Jerry Turner, grew up farming cotton and tobacco in the agriculture-based, rural community of Harmony, near Statesville. He later purchased that farm, and the family currently uses it to raise beef cattle and production crops. He has also turned 75 acres into an ornamental nursery. In 1974, he started Turner Landscaping, a commercial landscaping company, becoming one of the state’s first Black commercial contractors.

“It’s a lot, but it’s what we know. It’s given us a great quality of life, and we don’t run from hard work,” she said. “Our goals and visions are for our children and grandchildren to have the same opportunities as we did, to learn skills, solid business practices and the value of land acquisition.”

Growing up, Rayford loved learning about how the family’s property was acquired, acre by acre.

Although agricultural education seemed like a natural choice for someone who had grown up on a farm, Rayford knew that she didn’t want to teach. Instead, she chose a path that allowed her to learn about agriculture as a business.

“Conventional farming is not the farming of 2020. You have to think out of the box and not just do things the way your grandparents did,” she said. “When I tell a student, ‘You should major in ag,’ and they say, ‘I don’t want to farm,’ I say, ‘I’m not asking you to drive a tractor, I am asking you to learn how to sell, repair and manufacture a tractor, and then, be versatile enough to jump off that tractor and engage in the local commodity meeting. If you like, I want you to be equipped to own the dealership.’”

Rayford was already familiar with N.C. A&T before enrolling; while in high school, she spent three summers on campus, participating in the Research Apprenticeship Program, the Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders and other programs.

After enrolling, she became president of the university’s Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) chapter, and was active in the collegiate FFA program. She was also given the opportunity to participate in the legislative process, with a special interest in the agriculture committee, by U.S. Rep. Frank Mitchell, who was the House representative for her district. Rayford has maintained a relationship with Mitchell ever since, and the two are still close.

She worked with Cooperative Extension as a student job, which allowed her to work with farmers and engage with USDA’s programs and grants for small and limited-resource farmers. After graduation, she went to work for John Deere and for the N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler on his small farms team.

Rayford always knew that she wanted to return to the family business and be a part of its day-to-day duties with her grandfather, dad and brothers. After her mother’s death in 2009, she did so, to help to continue to build her mother’s legacy.

“Family is my main energy source,” she said. “My great-grand parents, grandparents and parents were building a legacy for me before I was born, and I want to continue to drive that train with my brothers.”

Rayford’s brothers are active members of FFA boards, the Natural Resource and Conservation Service, N.C. Farm Bureau and other professional agriculture groups. Rayford spends much of her time promoting agriculture to Black youth. She wants them to understand the professional stability and leadership opportunities it offers.

“Small, minority and limited-resource farmers are always in need of outreach and need to have someone making sure they have the tools they need. That is extremely important to me,” she said. “We always need to think about how we’re getting information and tools out to our other populations to make sure they’re gaining the benefits as well.

“The farmers I worked with became like family – I sat at their tables, I worked on grants and walked their farms with them so that they could get the knowledge. When you become family, you want to make sure they excel. I remember the Cooperative Extension agent being on our farm and sitting at our kitchen table discussing new programs; we need reestablish those practices today.”

Now, Rayford is a member of the CAES Advisory Board and works with the dean and the development office on alumni engagement. She is also an unofficial recruiter for the college, bringing prospective students to campus. Recently, she was appointed to Purdue University College of Agriculture’s Diversity Action Committee.

Under their family’s foundation, Rayford, her brothers and her husband have set up an endowment for the CAES with an emphasis on agricultural entrepreneurship. Their goal for the endowment is $50,000.

Rayford started the foundation to help rural kids around the state to have opportunities. Each summer, they pay for students to attend Boys and Girls Club for the entire summer and provide transportation, a barrier in rural areas.

“Kids can’t say they want to go to college, or engage in a profession, when they’ve never been out of their own zip code,” she said. “There is such a gap between minority kids in rural areas in economics, education and job readiness. These are the people I’ll employ, who will work hand in hand with my children. I want to improve their quality of life, and the quality of life for my rural community.”

The mentoring she received at A&T prepared her for the agriculture business and for her advocacy roles, she said. She credits former CAES professors Alton Thompson, Ph.D., and Willie Willis, Ph.D. for bringing numerous opportunities to the college. Both remain in contact with Rayford and her family.

“I told a potential student, ‘The gift that keeps on giving is the network. The golden ticket, when you get your degree from A&T, that you also get is a network that will help you for the rest of your life. Not that many schools can say that. I feel blessed.”