It’s a Tie: Farmers from Warren, Cumberland Counties Share 2024 Small Farmer of the Year Award

Two North Carolina farmers were named Small Farmers of the Year this week as N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University’s Cooperative Extension division celebrated Small Farms Week, N.C. Extension’s annual tribute to small-scale growers.

Farmers and ranchers from across the state came to N.C. A&T’s campus Tuesday and Wednesday to attend workshops, farm tours and demonstrations centered around this year’s theme, “New Paths to Profits.” Other events were held around the state on Monday, Thursday and Friday.

For the first time in its 38-year history, the North Carolina Small Farmer of the Year Award was presented to two people, one a fourth-generation farmer in Warren County growing hemp and vegetables, the other a veteran who runs a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) in Cumberland County that produces premium raw honey.

The awards were presented at N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension’s annual luncheon.

“Each of these dynamic small farms was formed through a strict business lens,” said M. Ray McKinnie, Ph.D., associate dean and Extension administrator. “These farmers have entered innovative partnerships, broadened their resources and become economic boosts for others. They’ve worked hard for justice to benefit farmers and engaged with their communities to better their neighborhoods. And they both did it extremely well.”

Patrick Brown’s farm has been in his family since 1865. Over the generations, Brown Family Farms, in southeastern Warren County, has focused on growing timber, raising livestock, cultivating vegetables, grain and tobacco, and most recently, producing hemp extracts and fiber.

Jim Hartman turned his land near Linden in Cumberland County into a honeybee-keeping operation as a way to manage the post-traumatic stress syndrome that he was experiencing after 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer, including two tours in Iraq. Hartman and his wife, Christi, started with three hives and today his Secret Garden Bees includes more than 30 hives and sells raw honey to retailers, wholesalers and people who simply enjoy the taste of all-natural raw honey.

Both farmers were honored as the 2024 Small Farmers of the Year on March 27 as part of Small Farms Week, the annual tribute to small-scale agriculture presented by Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T State University. The weeklong annual celebration was launched by Extension in 1985 to connect with small-scale farmers—including minority farmers and those in limited-resource communities— to 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.

This year’s Small Farms Week focused on the theme “Pathways to Profits”  and included educational workshops, panel discussions, and demonstrations as well as the announcement of the new Small Farmer of the Year.

“We’re grateful and honored to share this award with Mr. Hartman,” Brown said. “Congratulations to all of the producers, especially in Warren County – we dedicate this award to them.”

Brown spent years traveling the world as a federal contractor, including working alongside USDA officials as an agricultural advisor in Afghanistan – all while helping his father manage the family farm.

He came home and applied his business acumen to farming, establishing The Connect Group, LLC in 2013 and delving into hemp production a few years later.  In 2019, he created his own line of hemp extracted products, now known as Hempfinity. He produces hemp as a cash crop and has contracts with Biophil Natural Fibers in Lumberton and an R&D partnership with VF Corporation, an apparel company based in Denver.

For more than 25 years, Brown has been involved in Community Supported Agriculture, enabling community members to buy fresh, seasonal produce directly from his farm. Brown is also a strong proponent of agrotourism, and his future plans include renovating an old home on his ancestral land into an educational facility. He is also teaching a fifth generation, his nephews Justice and Isaiah White, who are farm manager and operations manager for the farm.

Hartman and his wife purchased 23 acres in 2014 simply to get away from suburban living and into the country, where they both came from. What began as a stress relieving hobby with three beehives now includes more than 30 hives, providing all-natural raw honey to 60 Fresh Market Stores in 12 states, with plans to expand to another 70 stores this summer. As one of about 9,000 veteran farmers in North Carolina, Hartman took advantage of the Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act, which gives vets access to surplus equipment before it goes to auction.

Hartman is committed to operating a debt free, environmentally sustainable farm and to helping other veterans interested in farming. He has partnered with Soldiers to Agriculture, a program through Cumberland County Cooperative Extension to help soldiers transition to agriculture after leaving the military, and the Veterans Farm of North Carolina, which helps veterans become self-sufficient farmers. Both organizations send veterans to Secret Garden Bees to learn farming and farm business practices.

“I’m actually excited to share the award this year because I am 100 percent convinced that there’s enough success to go around for everybody and everybody can be a winner. This is indicative of that,” Hartman said.