When Elvin and Madeline Eaton of Fairport Farm in Kittrell decided to try growing produce and microgreens as a retirement venture, they resolved to do things differently on their quarter-acre farm: No tilling, no commercial fertilizers or pesticides, and beds that stayed in place for multiple seasons, rather than rotating.

They also wanted to be a source of nutrient-dense, readily available produce for the Kerr-Tar region, which includes some of N.C.’s most food insecure municipalities in Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance and Warren counties.

Just three years later, their efforts have paid off: the Granville couple are N.C. Small Farmers of the Year, the annual award given through N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension during Small Farms Week. The annual tribute to small-scale agriculture is presented by Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T State University and held each year in March.

“We’re more than surprised,” Elvin Eaton said after the award was announced. “We grow so different — we grow all year long; we grow covered; we grow without chemical fertilizer or pesticides. Soil health is the basis of our farm. This is far out of the norm for people in our area, but when they see the results, a lot of people have been super receptive.

“We really didn’t think we had a chance. We were just happy being nominated, honestly.”

More than 400 farmers, ranchers, Extension agents and partners from across the state came to N.C. A&T’s campus to attend N.C. Cooperative Extension’s 39th annual Small Farms Week, which this year centered around the theme “Next Gen Agriculture” and included educational workshops and panel discussions focused on the needs of the next generation of growers, from technological to educational.

The week kicked off Monday, March 24, in Warren County, home of Patrick Brown of Brown Family Farms, the 2024 Co-Small Farmer of the Year; and closed Friday, March 28, in Cumberland County at Secret Garden Bees, the honey farm of James and Christi Hartman, 2024’s other Co-Small Farmer of the Year.

“Winning the N.C. Small Farmer of the Year award helped our farm to grow,” Brown said. “We were able to expand our markets, and being able to provide technical assistance and share information with other farmers helped solidify our farm.”

The Small Farmer of the Year award was presented March 26 at N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension’s annual luncheon.

“This year, we have three amazing Small Farmer of the Year finalists,” said M. Ray McKinnie, Ph.D., associate dean and Extension administrator. “They have shown us what it means to be next-generation farmers with their ingenuity and dedication to the profession, and to helping their communities thrive.”

The weeklong annual celebration was launched by Extension in 1985 to connect with small-scale farmers — including minority farmers and those in underserved 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.

Using five 100-foot high tunnels — greenhouses without air conditioning — on just one quarter of an acre of their 12-acre Century Farm, the Eatons have grown their retirement venture into a profitable, civic-minded enterprise. A Certified Naturally Grown farm, they grow microgreens, kale, collard and mustard greens, broccoli and a variety of lettuces in addition to tomatoes, potatoes, onions and carrots, supporting a farmers’ market business and a direct-sell business.

Madeline Eaton is surprised as Elvin Eaton smiles at the Small Farmers of the Year announcement at the annual luncheon.

The couple also are major contributors to food-donation programs at the Granville Veterans’ Life Center and the Farm to Fridge Program, a collaboration between Cooperative Extension and the library system that allows farmers to stock a fridge with free, fresh, surplus produce that people can pick up as needed.

“The Eatons are amazing advocates for agriculture in our community,” said Wendy Tatum, N.C. Cooperative Extension food and built environment agent in Granville County, who nominated the couple for the award. “If I had to describe them in three words, it would be passionate, knowledgeable and they want to give back to the community — they are collaborative.

Farm to Fridge is an example of that community spirit, Tatum said. Before their involvement, the program was struggling. With attention from Tatum and encouragement to the farming community from the Eatons, the program is now thriving.

“Since June last year, Farm to Fridge has taken in 65,000 pounds of produce that would normally be waste and put it back into our county,” Tatum said.

Madeline Eaton serves on the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, a regional planning organization.

“There is a tremendous need for food in our system,” she said. “As a teacher, I saw food insecurity — my children were happy to have a packet of ketchup for dinner to put on their potato chips. When you understand that the need is that dire, you are compelled to take action, and that’s ultimately why we’re here — because we want to change that, and teach people that they can grow their own food and grow for their community.”

The Eatons credited Granville County Cooperative Extension for much of their success.

“We have a really great Extension office. Without them, we probably wouldn’t be here,” Elvin Eaton said. “The Extension network is a vital part of any agricultural or even gardening venture. There’s so much information they’re just waiting to give you; all you have to do is ask.”

“I really am overwhelmed,” Madeline Eaton said of the award. “And I’m grateful, because it’s recognition from our farming community — people who understand and share the value of having fresh food in your local area. The experience that farmers share, and their willingness to pass on that information, has had such an impact on our success and every other farmer’s success.

“We have such a sense of pride that people who do what we do want to recognize us for our small efforts."

For more on this year’s Small Farmers of the Year, see our Small Farms Week page.