When David Vernon’s Aunt Martha was a little kid in the 1930s, she once had some friends ask to come home with her after school to play. When the school bus dropped them off at her house, though, she quickly realized that they weren’t just interested in playing. “She got frustrated because they didn’t actually … Read more
As the holiday season rolls around, people across the state are beginning to pull out their Christmas decorations and keep an eye out in the stores for gifts. One of the holidays’ most recognizable features is the Christmas tree and for many families picking one out is an annual tradition. At Almond Christmas Tree Farm … Read more
As of November 8, 2024, Rameses, the live animal mascot for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been around for 100 years, but that’s relatively recent history for the farm where he lives. When Rameses debuted at a VMI vs. UNC football game in 1924, Jimmy Carter was five weeks old. Ace … Read more
Phillip Walker lived within a half a mile of where he first saw the light of day, and he loved to share that fact with most anyone he met. For much of his life, he lived on part of the 200-acre northern Orange County farm that has been in his family for over 200 years. … Read more
Norman Jordan Jr. is the third-generation owner of Brush Creek Swiss Farms, a dairy farm in Siler City. Although started by his grandfather, the exact origin of when the farm began milking cows commercially is unknown among relatives. The Jordan family decided to establish 1927, the birth year of Norman Jordan Sr., as the start … Read more
Five miles from the western tip of North Carolina sits Payne Meadows, a sixth-generation farm in the prime tourist town of Murphy. Surrounded by lakes, Appalachian Mountains and North Georgia communities, the atmosphere provides the perfect nature getaway. Previously a cattle farm throughout the years, Payne Meadows has transitioned to the events industry as of … Read more
Summary: The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is looking for farms that have been in continual family ownership for 100 years or more to apply to be part of the Century Farm Family program. This year on Oct. 21 we will hold the Century Farm Family Reunion at the State Fair in Raleigh. … Read more
The Farm to Vittles, located in Delco, has not only a vibrant history but is currently breaking barriers for women in agriculture. Run by April Lennon Simpson, Farm to Vittles is just ten years away from being a 200-year-old farm. April, however, is not the first member of her family to run this farm. The … Read more
Summary: Yesterday we honored families who have owned their farms for 100 years or more in what we called the 50th + One Anniversary of the Century Farm Family program. A total of 1,970 farms are classified as Century Farms. Of those, 90 are registered as Bicentennial Farms for 200 or more years of continual … Read more
To say that Wade Reid was born into farming would be true. His 450-acre farm, named Warriors Ridge, has been in his family since at least 1717, although many of the official records from the farm that would have dated back to this time were destroyed when the Union Army burned the Pasquotank County Courthouse … Read more
