From Air Force to Farming: Sampson County Grower Named 2026 N.C. Small Farmer of the Year

In an emotion-packed event recognizing the state’s small-scale growers, first-generation Sampson County farmer and Air Force veteran Darius McKoy of 12:03AM Farm in Faison, N.C., was named the 2026 N.C. Small Farmer of the Year by Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T.

The annual award was presented during Small Farmer Appreciation Night, part of N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension’s 40^th annual Small Farms Week.

“I’m not holding this plaque without Mr. James Hartsfield, without Mr. Walter Adams, and without Cooperative Extension,” said McKoy. His farm specializes in many varieties of vegetables and herbs, and also produces eggs and honey.

McKoy’s family and county Extension team erupted with joy at the announcement. McKoy, who pumped the air with pride, received a standing ovation from the crowd.

“What makes 12:03 Farm unique is the diversity of crops, Darius’ commitment, and his organic, sustainable practices,” said James Hartsfield, Cooperative Extension area small farm agent who nominated McKoy for the award.

“It really impresses me that somebody being his age, and a first-generation farmer ... how far he’s come in such a very short time, and how successful he’s become,” said Walter Adams, an agricultural and natural resources technician in Lenoir and Duplin Counties. “I am excited to work with him.”

In his speech, McKoy told the crowd that the theme of this year’s 40^th annual Small Farms Week — Deep Roots, Strong Future — applied to him.

“I started 12:03AM Farms three-and-a-half years ago, but the land has been occupied and farmed for about 78 years,” said McKoy. “The land was transitioned to me by Mr. and Mrs. James and Jean Joyner. I told them I would carry that torch, and the people there before me were good stewards of the land: I’ve got deep roots.”

McKoy, who served seven tours of duty, including two in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, during his military career, said that farming has been therapeutic, helping him to combat post-traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities. Now, he brings other veterans to the farm, both to help and learn, and to heal.

“I believe that medicine is in your nutrition,” said McKoy. “I sustained some severe injuries while in the military, and one of my counselors recommended agriculture to help reduce the medications and pharmaceuticals I needed to take. Now, these crops have been able to help me and other veterans along the way.”

McKoy was one of three finalists for the award, representing the state’s eastern region. Western region finalists were Nick & Elisabeth Dezern of Millboro & Co. Farm in Franklinville. The urban region finalist was Anna Anders of Anders Family Farm in Tobaccoville.

All three finalists were honored during the farm-to-table dinner, which also included remarks by Kimberly Ratcliff, CEO of Ratcliff Premium Meats, and performances by the N.C. A&T Jazz Ensemble.

“There are so many people here in the audience with small ranches from across North Carolina,” said Ratcliff, who is from East Texas. “It’s so great to see the energy and the excitement here.”

Ratcliff left a successful corporate career to work on her family’s Texas farm. Driven by a passion to uplift small-scale producers and protect agricultural legacies, Ratcliff is a nationally respected advocate for financial education, land stewardship, and farmer empowerment.

Ratcliff encouraged the crowd to have a business plan when starting any farming venture, and to take calculated risks in growing their operation.

Twelve previous Small Farmers of the Year received special recognition at the event, which also celebrated Small Farms Week’s 40^th anniversary this year. News anchor and reporter Giselle Thomas, of WFMY News 2 in Greensboro, emcee’d the event.

Many of the previous Small Farmers of the Year said that the award had helped their business to grow, and said how much they enjoyed learning from each other and from Cooperative Extension.

For Elvin and Madeline Eaton, the 2025 Small Farmers of the Year, the past year has been a whirlwind. “We’ve just met so many like-minded people,” Madeline Eaton said. “It’s reassured us that we’re on the right path, that we’re doing the work and we’re not in it alone.”

2010 Small Farmer of the Year Joe Thompson, who raises prawns in Cedar Grove, N.C., said he’s noticed the presentations at Small Farms Week have gotten more in-depth.

“It’s very educational,” he said. “I enjoy meeting people from all over the state.”

From cultivating new sources of business to producing industrial hemp to implementing strategies to keep farms resilient and profitable, Small Farms Week events offered a variety of learning opportunities. In the “speed station” session, participants rotated among tables where they could ask Extension experts specific questions and get new ideas to bring back to their farms.

Along with the exhibitor's showcase and tours of the University Farm and Community Garden, farmers heard from students, who gave presentations on their agricultural research.

Albert Beatty, owner of AA&S Farms in Bladen County, said he has only missed one Small Farms Week in the past 20 years. “They’re just getting bigger and better,” Beatty observed. “I have never seen as many young kids at one of these functions as I have today. And I have not seen as many young females in agriculture in my life.

“The future looks good with the youngsters, as long as they can get financing,” said Beatty, who grows hogs, cows and hay on his farm.

In his remarks at the dinner, Chancellor James R. Martin II praised Extension’s efforts to support and train small-scale farmers despite statewide and national obstacles from rising costs in fuel and farming equipment to competition from overseas markets.

“Everyone here, like myself, that’s a farmer understands the challenges and headaches, but the joy and connections that you have with the land,” said Martin, who owns a farm in upstate North Carolina and another in Virginia. "It is incumbent on us to stimulate and innovate in ag as a matter of economic and national security, and our way of life. At this university, we’re doubling down on our investments in farming and ag.”

This year is the 135^th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act of 1890, legislation which established the foundation for 1890 Land-grant universities like N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University. During this anniversary, it’s even more important to recognize the history and impact of land-grant universities and their programs, interim Dean Radiah C. Minor said.

“This program is not only important, but truly impactful,” said Minor. “Our Cooperative Extension and small-farms efforts exist because of the value you, the farmers in the room, bring; work that is demanding, often unseen, and absolutely essential to our communities and our state.”