Participants in this year’s Small Farms Leadership 360 Initiative, designed to help small-scale farmers develop their businesses and become community leaders, have a bit extra on their plate — thanks to the previous cohort.
“My cohort last year explicitly said they would like the opportunity to do homework,” said Raymond Thomas, Ph.D., assistant professor and agricultural market specialist for Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T.
Those members told Thomas — in his second year of leading the free program — that they wanted to create and present their farm plans and get feedback on them.
Raymond Thomas, Ph.D., assistant professor and Extension agricultural market specialist, discusses business planning with participant Qian Yang, right Last year's class told Thomas that they wanted a chance to prepare and present a farm plan.
During the first session for the 2026-27 cohort on Oct. 1, Thomas encouraged participants to get to know one another. “One of the biggest strengths of this program is its ability to cultivate a community amongst the farmers that participate,” Thomas said. “We find that our small farmers are always stronger when they work together.
“Our small farmers in the state are an intrinsic part of our food system,” Thomas said. After the recent outbreak cyclospora illness, he noted that consumers turned to local farmers for their produce. “When you know where your food is coming from, you know it's safe, you know it's responsibly grown, and you know you're supporting an individual or an organization that is looking to better themselves as well as better the entire agriculture economy of North Carolina.”
Program participants also will get the opportunity to speak with graduates of the previous cohort and learn from their experiences. And they will get information about the resources available to help small-scale farmers, such as grants or programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the state of North Carolina.
The program partners with the Agriculture Business Innovation Center. ABIC is a national center housed at A&T that offers technical assistance to agricultural business owners to plan, develop and fund ventures.
Zarek Wynn of Corn and Goose Farms in Caswell County said the program is “super beginner-friendly.”
Wynn, who has been farming for three years, said the first module was more of a refresher for him. But he’s excited at the prospect of gaining hands-on experience and learning from the mentors he meets through Leadership 360.
“For example, I just found out that North Carolina A&T is doing ginger, so I would love to know more about the ginger program,” Wynn said.
Tara Morison said she is hoping to revive the Gibsonville farm her great-grandfather bought years ago. “I’ve learned a lot in day one about the business aspect,” Morrison said.
Fletcher Barber Jr., Extension small farmer recruitment specialist, said the background of participants has changed since the Leadership 360 program began in 2018.
Initially, those enrolled were mostly retired farmers or farmers who also worked a part time job, he said. Many recent participants own land, but they are not yet farmers.
“They’re individuals who worked corporate jobs, and they left those jobs and they came back to the family farms,” Barber said.
“And that was the purpose of the 360 — to help give them some direction and some guidance on how to best utilize their land,” he said.
