2010 YF&R State Committee
Chairman - Barton Mitchell
Barton & Marion Mitchell – Chatham County
In 2001, Barton and Marion Mitchell were wed and moved to Chatham County to start their farming career. They partnered with their parents to create JM Johnson Farm. Now, they have approximately 85 brood cows. They produce their own hay for the livestock and have three broiler houses. In addition, Barton co-owns B&B Fencing, which is an agricultural fencing business. Along the way their children, Hannah and David, have blessed their lives. Their family is actively involved at Joy Baptist Church. Barton has participated in the community as a member of the Cattlemen's Association, Agribusiness Council, and Ruritans. He served as Vice President of the Cattlemen's Association.
District 1 - Betsy Morris
2nd Year Member
Kevin & Julie Roberts – Perquimans County
Kevin works at Eure Seed Farms, Inc, which includes farming 1250 acres of soybeans, wheat, corn and cotton. They raise 35-50 head of Black Angus/Simmental beef cattle. He manages the seed production plant processing about 250,000-300,000 units of soybeans for Syngenta Seeds and for UniSouth Genetics (USG) and AgVenture.
Julie is a National Board Certified Teacher who has taught grades K-6. She uses the NC Ag in the Classroom curriculum and The Farmer Grows a Rainbow kit.
They have a son, Jay Ethan Roberts. They enjoy traveling (by motorcycle at times), boating and worshiping at Evangelical Methodist Church in Elizabeth City.
1st Year Member
Scott & Anna Uzzell – Halifax County
Scott and Anna reside in Scotland Neck, NC with their two dogs; Raleigh, a maltese, and Windsor, a yellow lab. They attend the First Baptist Church of Scotland Neck. They enjoy outdoor activities, grilling, spending time with family and friends, and NC State athletics.
Scott graduated from Hobgood Academy in 2002 and later from NC State University in 2006 with a degree in Agricultural and Extension Education and a minor in Crop Science. He is employed with Parkway Ag Center, Inc. in Tarboro, NC as a seed, chemical, and fertilizer salesman. Parkway services farmers' needs in Edgecombe, Halifax, Martin, Nash and other surrounding counties.
Anna graduated from Triton High School in Dunn, NC in 2005 and like Scott, from NC State in 2009. Her degree is in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Anna is employed with BB&T in Williamston, NC as a Relationship Banker.
District 2 - Mac Hodges
2nd Year Member
John & Sarah McLawhorn – Greene County
John farms with his father and uncle on the family farm, Triple M Farms. They farm livestock including pigs, beef cattle and Tilapia fish. They also farm about 2400 acres of row crops including tobacco, corn, beans, wheat, cotton and oats. John is also a volunteer fire fighter with Scuffleton Rural Volunteer Fire Department.
Sarah, a National Board Certified Teacher, started a new career this year in elementary school counseling. She is also a high school varsity cheerleading coach and very active with Greene County Relay for Life.
They were married in November 2006 and welcomed their first child, John IV, "Kade", in February 2010. They have a Blue Heeler cattle dog named Zip who loves the farm! They are active in church and community ag events like the North Carolina Sweet Potato Festival. They enjoy, hunting, fishing, camping, grilling out, NC State and ECU sports, spending time with family and friends, and love the beach!
1st Year Member
Jamie & Jeanea Boyd – Beaufort County
Jamie and Jeanea live on Jamie's maternal great grandfather's homestead in Pinetown. They were married in January 2000. In July 2004 they welcomed their son, James "Braxton" Boyd, to the farm and in August 2007, their daughter, Emma Caroline Boyd joined the crew. They are truly the light of their parents' lives! Braxton and Emma enjoy taking care of Chester, the dog; Simba and Cookie, the barn cats; and twenty-five Rhode Island Reds.
Jamie, fourth generation farmer, works side by side with his uncle, Larry G. Boyd, Foxfire Farms, Inc. and his dad, James Neal Boyd Sr., NBE Farms, Inc. The combined farming operation consists of 6000 acres comprised of corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, tobacco, and cotton. Jamie tends 250 acres of corn, tobacco, and cotton. In addition to tending his acreage, Jamie specializes in the spraying and harvesting aspects of all the farms.
Jeanea is a full-time Physical Therapist Assistant. She is employed with People First Rehabilitation and Beaufort Regional Health Systems. She also enjoys her volunteer work with the Pinetown EMS Ladies Auxiliary.
Jamie, Jeanea, Braxton and Emma attend Beaver Dam Church of Christ, where they enjoy working with the church youth. In their spare time, they enjoy NASCAR racing and football.
District 3 - Audrey Brown
2nd Year Member
Nicholas & Kimberly Dupree – Harnett County
Nicholas and Kimberly live in Angier. Nicholas is a graduate of NC State with a degree in Field Crop Technology. He and his father own and operate Dupree Farms, LLC. They tend about 2500 acres including flue-cured tobacco, soybeans and wheat.
Nicholas is a volunteer fireman with the Angier Black River Fire Department and is a Harnett County Farm Bureau board member.
Kimberly graduated from Campbell University and works for Hospira; a pharmaceutical company in Clayton, NC.
They enjoy the company of their animals, 2 cats and 2 labs. They also enjoy hunting, fishing and spending time with family and friends.
1st Year Member
Ernie Taylor – Wayne County
Ernie Taylor is from Wayne County where he is president of Sea Gobbler Farms, a poultry farming business his father started in 1986. He is a contract grower for Butterball LLC. The farm consists of 6 grow out houses which are home to 34,000 male turkeys per growing cycle, for an annual total of over 4 million pounds of meat. Ernie also owns approximately 100 acres of farmland which is rented out to grow wheat, soybean, corn and pine trees.
He also owns Taylor Trucking LLC, which is a contract dump truck hauling company working from Raleigh to the coast of North Carolina.
In his free time Ernie volunteers as treasurer of the Mt. Olive Jaycees, chairman of the Mt. Olive Ducks Unlimited chapter, board member and past chair of the Mt. Olive Chamber of Commerce, president of the Waylin Area Foundation, member of the Mt. Olive College Alumni Board, committee member of the NC Pickle Festival and a member of the Wayne County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
Ernie graduated from Wayne Country Day School in Goldsboro and was a business management major at Mt. Olive College. He enjoys traveling, hunting, boating and his 13 year old dog, Honey.
District 4 - Jessica Hucks
2nd Year Member
Bill & Julie Carmichael – Scotland County
Bill is the president and owner of Bill Carmichael Inc., a contract broiler chicken operation. The operation consists of 8 chicken houses. Bill is also Farm Manager for WPC Farm, an 1100 acre row crop operation owned by his parents.
WPC Farms produces cotton, soybeans, wheat and peanuts. The operation includes 120 acres irrigated by center point and 300 acres irrigated by reel type irrigation.
Bill is a 1999 graduate of NC State University with a degree in Agriculture Business Management. Julie is an Accountant at Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg. Julie is a 2008 graduate of UNC Pembroke with a degree in Business Management.
Bill is Chairman of the Scotland County Young Farmer and Ranchers and serves as Scotland County Farm Bureau, President. Bill and Julie have a son named Lane.
1st Year Member
Dallie & Meghan Canady – Columbus County
Dallie and Meghan reside in Pireway, NC (which is located about 15 miles from Tabor City) with their firstborn, 1 year old son, Jentri Canady.
Dallie is the owner of Canady Farms, LLC. The farm grows and harvests 1200 acres of land which consist of tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat and cucumbers. Meghan is a graduate of UNCW with a BS in Elementary Education and a Masters in Curriculum Instruction and Supervision. She teaches fourth and fifth grade.
They are members of Dulah Baptist Church and volunteer at their local school, along with Columbus County YF&R's, in an after school Jr. Agriculture club.
In their free time they enjoy hunting, fishing, and spending time with family and friends!
District 5 - DeShon Cromartie
2nd Year Member
Bryan & Lin Kirk – Wake County
www.oldecountryproduceandmulch.com
Bryan owns Kirk Farms, Inc that consists of 350 acres; crops grown are cotton, soybeans, wheat, corn and produce. The farm provides produce to his family owned road side produce store Olde Country Produce and Mulch.
Bryan is employed with the City of Raleigh Fire Department as a Firefighter/Hazmat Specialist. Bryan also is an Auctioneer with Goins Auction, Inc. Bryan serves as a board member for the Wake County Farm Bureau.
Lin is a RN and works at Wake Med. They have been married for 6 years and have 2 daughters, Lindsay and Karleigh. They are members of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Knightdale.
1st Year Member
Brooks Barnes - Wilson County
Brooks is from Wilson County, where he farms with his father, Jeff. Together they farm 1500 acres of tobacco, sweet potatoes, corn, soybeans and wheat. He is a member of the Wilson County Young Farmers Association and the Wilson County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
Brooks graduated from NC State in 2004 with a degree in Agronomy. In his spare time he enjoys hunting and fishing.
District 6 - Jim Roney
2nd Year Member
John & Laura Rumley – Guilford County
John and Laura live in Guilford County where John is owner and operator of Hooper & Rumley Farm. The farm operates in Guilford, Rockingham and Caswell Counties. Hooper & Rumley Farm produces tobacco, soybeans and wheat. This farm is a 6th generation farm operation; John's family is still part of the farm operation.
Laura is an Assisted Living Administrator with Brookdale Senior Living. Laura enjoys working with the Alzheimer's Association in her free time. During both their free time they enjoy networking with their other farmers in the community.
1st Year Member
Darren & Stephanie Jenkins – Alamance County
www.pritchettfarmsnurseries.com
Darren is a 2005 graduate of N.C. State University. Darren earned degrees in Agricultural and Environmental Technology, as well as Agricultural Business Management. He is currently pursuing a degree in Fire Science. Darren is employed with the City of Burlington Fire Department where he is a First Class Firefighter. He is also employed with the Snow Camp Volunteer Fire Department where he is a Captain. In his spare time, Darren enjoys hunting and restoring classic cars.
Stephanie is a 2005 graduate of UNC-Greensboro. Stephanie received degrees in Dance Education and Sports Medicine. She is employed with Burlington Academy of Dance and Arts. She is also employed with Pritchett Farms Nurseries where she is the plant production manager. Stephanie is a member of the A.O. Civitan Club, Alamance County Landscape Professionals Association, and Western Alamance Farmers Club. She is on the Board of Directors for the A.O. Civitan Club and is a board member for the Alamance County Voluntary Agricultural District. She is also a member of Berea Christian Church and works closely with the Family and Youth Program.
Pritchett Farm's Nurseries is a family owned and operated nursery business established in 2001. The plant nursery is a new division of the family farm - Pritchett Farms established in 1875. Pritchett Farm's, owned and managed by Edgar Pritchett, is a working 250 acre farm producing beef cattle, corn, hay, small grain, soybeans, and tobacco. Pritchett Farm's Nurseries is a working 2 acre containerized nursery producing ornamental shrubs and trees. The nursery is open to both retail and wholesale customers.
District 7 - Karen McKnight
2nd Year Member
Jeff Broadway – Union County
Jeff is from Union County, where he currently lives on the family farm owned by his parents. The farming operation consists of 150 acres of owned and rented land. They raise commercial cattle as well as purebred Simmental and Angus.
Jeff had partnered in a goat dairy until recently, he continues to maintain a small herd of goats on the family farm.
When he is not involved in the farm activities he spends his time as a large animal associate veterinarian serving procedures in Union, Anson, Stanly, Rowan, Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties.
Jeff is a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church and serves on the NCSU-CUM Alumni Board of Directors.
1st Year Member
Guy & Tiffany Bowers – Davidson County
Guy graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Agriculture Business. Guy tends the family farm, Lazy B Cattle & Grain, with his father.
Lazy B Cattle and Grain grows 250 acres of corn for grain and silage, 250 acres of soybeans, 100 acres of barley, 100 acres of oats, 50 acres of wheat, 50 acres of grain sorghum, and 100 acres of hay. Also, there is a small feedlot that has a capacity of 250 head. Finished cattle are shipped to a packing plant in Pennsylvania, where the beef is sold as all natural.
Tiffany graduated from Appalachian State University with a master's degree in Communication Disorders. She is employed as a speech-language pathologist for Davidson County Schools and One Step At A Time Therapy Services.
Guy serves on the board of Davidson County Cattlemen's Association, Davidson Farmer's Cooperative, and FarmHouse Fraternity Association board. Tiffany serves on the Women's Ministry and Fellowship Meal Committee at their church.
District 8 - Callie Birdsell
Adam & Rebecca Stewart – Catawba County
Adam and Rebecca live in Catawba County, NC. Adam farms with his father and grandfather. Adam is part of a 4th generation family farm known as Promise View Acres Farm, LLC. They grow about 700 acres of wheat, 500 acres of corn and 1,200 acres of soybeans. Adam is a graduate of Lenoir Rhyne University with a BS degree in Chemistry. Rebecca is a graduate of Appalachian State University with a BS degree in Elementary Education; she is a third grade teacher and part-time dance teacher.
They had a little girl in May 2010. They attend Cove Church in Mooresville; they also serve on the Cove Kids Team. Adam plays the guitar and sings regularly on the Worship Team.
1st Year Member
Heath & Kelli Blake – WilkesCounty
Heath grew up on a family farm in Wilkes County. While working on the farm, Heath also attended the community college and obtained his Associate degree in Diesel Mechanics.
After college Heath expanded their family farm to support a family of his own. He married Kelli in February 2011 and she also helps on the farm.
They have 14 chicken houses for Tyson Foods and grow 50 acres of tobacco along with 250 acres of small grain, hay and beef cattle.
Heath and Kelli are members of the Wilkes Cattlemans Association of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. They enjoy spending time with their family and friends in their spare time.
District 9 - Ronald Hawkins
2nd Year Member
Kyle Lindberger – Gaston County
Kyle farms with his father and brother raising commercial beef cattle and custom harvesting around 200 acres of hay.
1st Year Member
Corey Gasperson – Polk County
Corey resides in the Green Creek section of Polk County. He produces hay for the horse market on his family's farm and other acreage that he leases for hay production.
Along with hay, he produces for sale, Corey also does custom baling. In addition to his farming business, Corey is a farrier shoeing horses in all equestrian disciplines from show horses to recreational mounts. An avid horseman himself, Corey enjoys fox hunting with the Green Creek Hounds.
District 10 - Jimmy Cowan
2nd Year Member
Jerred Nix – Henderson County
Jerred is a 4th generation apple farmer with Wayne Nix & Son's Farms. He farms with his father and grandfather. Their apples are sold through a direct market at the Farmers Market and fruit stands. There are about 10 varieties of apples from red delicious, golden, romes, gala, fuji, mutsu, granny smith, janagolds, staymans and pink lady's. All the fruit is fresh not processed and the farm operation does all the packing themselves.
He graduated from NCSU in 2008 majoring in Ag Business Management, and a minor in Ornamental Landscape Technology. He is a member of the NC Apple Grower's Association and is a board of director with the Blue Apple Growers Association.
In Jerred's free time he enjoys hunting and playing music.
1st Year Member
Justin & Michelle Gillespie – Buncombe County
Michelle and Justin with their two children, Caleb and Cole, live in Leicester, located in Buncombe County.
Michelle and Justin farm with Justin's father and family. As part of their cow calf operation, they raise replacement commercial heifers, and grow their own hay. The cattle breed is Angus/Simmental, numbering about 35 head. Caleb and Cole enjoy working in the garden. They grow several varieties of beans, corn, okra, tomatoes, pumpkins and other vegetables. They enter their homegrown items in the county fair. Michelle eagerly enjoys canning and freezing fruits and vegetables.
In addition to the farm, they own and operate Gillespie Lawn Care and Landscape. The business maintains lawns, sells firewood, and offers snow removal.
Michelle is currently working the family business. She is enrolled at the local technical college working towards a nursing degree. Justin is an Agriculture Education teacher at North Buncombe Middle School. He is the FFA Chapter Advisor. They are active members of Turkey Creek Baptist Church where Michelle is a member of the choir and helps in the nursery. Justin serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.
Caleb is in the 4th grade and Cole in the 2nd grade. Both boys enjoy showing livestock and playing basketball. They are active members of the 4H club and participate with most FFA activities. Caleb and Cole are always a part of the farm and chores. They both express great interest in a future with agriculture.
In their free time they all enjoy horseback riding, camping, team roping, riding four wheelers, and spending time with family and friends. They are beginning a new hobby, shooting sports, through 4H. They have 1 dog named Sam, 5 horses, a few backyard chickens, and 2 barn cats.
Team Members
- DeShon Cromartie (Team Leader)
- Mac Hodges
- Ken Powell
- Jessica Hucks
- Lendy Johnson