Fifth-generation Black Farmer to Deliver Keynote as Part of Small Farms Week 2022

Phillip J. Haynie III

Phillip J. Haynie III, a fifth-generation Black farmer, loves his work. He also realizes he is part of what might be considered an endangered species.

“Our story as a family is about challenges and overcoming them,” said Haynie, known as P.J. to family, friends, and colleagues. “I’ve been very blessed to be a successful small farmer who grew to become a large farmer. And I’ve come to realize how small our numbers are. There are more bald eagles in this country than there are Black farmers.”

Haynie, who grows winter wheat, barley, corn, and soybeans near Reedville, VA, and cotton, wheat, corn, soybeans, peas and rice in Arkansas, will present the keynote address at the upcoming Small Farmers’ Appreciation Event.  The event is one of the highlights of Small Farms Week, the annual tribute to small-scale agriculture in North Carolina presented by Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T. His daughter, Colette Haynie, a sophomore at N.C. A&T majoring in biology/pre-med, will join her father for the keynote and offer the younger generation’s perspective on farming.

Small Farms Week 2022 will be held March 21 – 26, with most events offered online because of COVID-19 restrictions. The Small Farmers’ Appreciation event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to noon, Wed., March 23, and will be webcast from the Extension at N.C. A&T Facebook site (CooperativeExtensionatAandT). Along with Haynie’s keynote, the event will include the announcement of the 2022 Small Farmer of the Year by Barbara Board, Ph.D., associate dean and interim administrator for Extension at A&T.

The Haynie family has farmed since P.J.’s great-great-grandfather, who was born a slave, scrimped and saved to purchase 60 acres in Virginia’s Northern Neck region shortly after emancipation. Over the generations, the family has experienced the challenges that have led so many Black farmers to leave the land, including discriminatory lending practices and the resulting loss of land and generational wealth, and subtle and not-so-subtle racism.

Today Haynie is a successful businessman who farms land in all four counties of the Northern Neck region and operates a long haul trucking company, a timber harvesting company, and a landscaping and excavating company.  In December 2021, Haynie and another Black farm family became co-owners of the only Black owned rice mill in the U.S., located in Pine Bluff, AR. He also has dedicated his life to helping Black farmers and small farmers who struggle to get by.

“We still have disparities and inequities and a lot of ground to cover and progress to make,” he said. “Advocacy is the key. You need to make yourself heard.”

Haynie is chairman of the National Black Growers Council, a coalition of African American commodity growers who advocate for the 21^st-century policy needs of Black growers and the future of Black growers. A graduate of Virginia Tech University, he served on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Advisory Committee for both Virginia Tech and Virginia State universities. He is a former member of the board of USDA’s Plant Variety Protection Act and the Agricultural Advisory Council for Virginia’s first congressional district. In 2016, he was named a  Champion of Change by President Barack Obama.

Small Farms Week was launched in 1987 by Extension at A&T as a way to connect with small-scale farmers—including minority farmers and those in limited-resource communities—and ensure they receive the latest research-based information on farming techniques, new tools, and technologies. It also gives the public a chance to meet their agricultural neighbors and learn about farm operations and food production. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Changing Times, Growing Seasons.”

Registration, a full schedule of events, and information on how to participate virtually in Small Farms Week will be provided on the Small Farms Week 2022 website. Visit the site for updates and more information.