Each year at the Got to Be NC Festival, we recognize three young farmers between the ages of 18 and 40 through our Young Farmer of the Day Program, presented by AgCarolina Farm Credit and AgSouth Farm Credit. These young farmers work hard every single day to further the N.C. Agriculture industry and build upon it as the next generation of leaders. Come out during the Got to Be NC Festival this year, May 15-17th, at the N.C. State Fairgrounds to help us recognize them and say thank you for all their hard work!
From the time he could walk, Will Thomas was playing and working on their family farm, Buddy Waddell Farm, alongside his grandfather, parents, aunts and uncles. “My whole family farmed, and I’ve learned a lot through the years from each one of them,” Will said. “As a kid, I always loved riding the tractor with my grandfather and fell in love at a young age with the lifestyle of farming.” Directly following his high school graduation, Will took over the farming operation from his father and grandfather. In fact, Will himself will attest that his senior year of high school was the longest year of his life because of how badly he simply wanted to farm. “I just couldn’t wait to get back here and do what I love to do full-time,” he said. Today, the farm produces 650 to 700 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat for a local feed mill to use in livestock feed.
Although he loves producing every crop they grow at Buddy Waddell Farms, his favorite to work with is corn. “Like the country song says, ‘I watch my corn pop up in rows,’” he said. “I enjoy watching the corn grow throughout the season and harvesting it with our equipment here on the farm. It’s rewarding to see all of our hard work pay off with a good crop.” Although he has faced many challenges through the years, including having to put a majority of his paycheck back into the farm each year, Will wouldn’t trade a single thing for the joy and pride he fills in living out his childhood dream on the farm. According to Will’s nomination form, year-round he is constantly working to improve the farm by expanding the facilities, breaking new ground, or taking on new endeavors for revenue. He is so passionate about this farm and that’s what fuels him every day to work hard and grow great crops for this community.
In the future, Will plans to continue to work hard to innovate on the farm and continue to grow good crops. “It’s very rewarding to see all the crops we grow come to fruition each year and full circle feed the community through the livestock our products feed,” he said. “I hope to make my family proud through all that I am doing on the farm and encourage other young people to get involved with agriculture in any way that they can.” As Young Farmer of the Day at the Got to Be NC Festival, Will is representing our state’s agriculture industry across the grounds. “It’s an honor to be chosen for this program,” he said. “I am proud to keep my grandfather’s legacy alive on the farm and look forward to seeing where our farm continues to grow in the future.”
We are so proud of all that Will is doing to further our state’s number one industry through his family farm! If you see him on the grounds at the Got to Be NC Festival today, be sure to congratulate him on being selected and thank him for all his perseverance and hard work. Will is a strong leader for the future of our state’s agriculture industry and we hope that he, alongside other young farmers, will continue to advance the industry in the years to come!
