MOULTRIE – Faylene Whitaker, of Climax, North Carolina, is the first woman to win the Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year.
Two years after they married, Faylene Whitaker and her late husband, Richard, started their own farm in 1975 on ten acres of rented land, using a 150 International tractor and a $40 tobacco setter. When the first crop was sold, they applied the proceeds to the purchase of 36.5 more acres.
“That winter,” Faylene recalled, “my husband, who had a farming background, started a tree-planting business, and I was responsible for growing our plants and preparing the land for planting.”
Today Whitaker Farms & Garden Nursery operates at three different locations in and around Climax, North Carolina, on 940 acres of owned and rented land that produces tobacco, garden plants, field tomatoes, strawberries, organic corn and wheat, and a variety of vegetables. It also features an agritourism business catering to all age groups.
Faylene said, “Our older son, Shane, joined us after he graduated from college; we then converted our row crops and tobacco crops to organic. He is a major partner in our farm business and serves on the local and state Soil and Water Conservation Service boards as well as the NC Tobacco Growers board and the NC Farm Bureau Flue-Cured Tobacco Advisory Committee.”
Shane’s wife, Kelly, is a minor partner and a licensed environmental engineer who serves on the NC Farm Bureau’s Agritourism Advisory Committee and is the vice-president and past treasurer of Providence Grove High School. Nephew Winston Coley is a minor partner with ten years’ experience on the farm, and grandson Chase is also an employee in the family business with future prospects for partnership.
A piece of wisdom Faylene has learned over her many years of farming is, “Work stays at work; we never take it home to the family.”
Another component of Whitaker Farms is Whitaker Equipment, LLC, a company that works on large tractors and equipment and repairs all of its own trucks with one full-time mechanic, three part-time employees, and three licensed CDL drivers. Whitaker-owned trucks haul all of the farm’s crops, produce, stone, and landscape equipment.
Whitaker Farms markets directly to the public by inviting customers to shop at two garden centers and at their produce buildings that sell flowers, fruits, vegetables, bakery items, ice cream, and lunch foods. They also offer educational school tours and feature a picnic area and a playground. Faylene said, “We’re passionate about reaching consumers and educating them about agriculture through television ads, our website (www.whitakerfarm.com), social media, farm tours, and special events like our spring picking of strawberries and our fall pumpkin patch.”
Vegetables and tomatoes are shipped on their trucks to the state farmers market where stores from all over the region and Virginia pick up fresh produce. Strawberries and greenhouse tomatoes are all sold retail. Tobacco is sold under contract to three different companies. A local milling company and an organic chicken company buy the wheat and corn.
Faylene recalled, “When I started out, the biggest problem I had was that I was a 19-year-old woman with no farming background or experience. Everyone asked to speak with my dad or husband. But I studied hard, visited farms, took a number of farming classes, and learned accounting, earning the nickname ‘book farmer’ in my neighborhood.”
She added, “All through the years I was blessed to have a husband who was completely supportive of my ideas and efforts. We knew and respected each other’s strengths.”
As with many in the agriculture industry, the Whitaker’s faced labor shortages but managed over the years to build a loyal, long-term, and even multi-generational workforce. Another current challenge is farmland preservation in an area attractive to developers. Faylene noted, “To keep our land in agricultural use, we are continuing to diversify our business to make it relevant to the community and sustainable for the future. A personal challenge in 2023 was the loss of my partner in life and in farming, my husband, Richard. Through faith and the love and support of my family, I am dedicated to carrying on our vision for Whitaker Farms.”
On the local level, since 2001 Faylene has served on the Randolph County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee and has past involvement with Randolph County FSA and Randolph County Soil and Water Committee. On the state level, Faylene currently serves on the NC Board of Agriculture, the NC Farm Bureau State Board, and the NC Farm Bureau State Women’s Leadership Committee. She’s also served as a past vice president of the NC Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Association, the NC Tobacco Growers Association Board, The NC Strawberry Association Board, and the USDA NC State FSA Board. On the national level, she and Richard worked with members of the US Congress and other tobacco farmers on the tobacco buyout. She and Richard traveled twice to Brazil on behalf of the tobacco industry and the NC Board of Agriculture for various crops.
On the local level, the late Richard Whitaker was a member of the Randolph County Tobacco Growers Association and served long-term as president of the Randolph County Farm Bureau. On the state level, he was a board member of the North Carolina Farm Bureau and served on its executive board as well as the board of the North Carolina Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Association.
After nearly fifty years of farming, Faylene has learned to surround herself with people she trusts who can step in when times are hard or illness strikes. Cross training key farm personnel is another important part of her management style.
She said, “The most rewarding aspect of farming has been working alongside my husband each day and bringing our children up on the farm with a strong sense of responsibility. We let them make their own mistakes so they could learn and grow from them, as we all have. Employees also need to know they are valued.”
She summed up her priorities: “God is first, family is second, employees and friends are third, and the business comes fourth because without the first three, the farm won’t matter.”
Faylene Whitaker was nominated North Carolina Farmer of the Year by Tadashi Totten, District Field Representative at North Carolina Farm Bureau.
He said, “The Whitaker family farm began as a dream that came true through dedication and hard work over nearly five decades. When Richard passed away in August 2023, Faylene committed herself to keeping his legacy alive and expanding her own vision for the farm. She now works alongside her older son and other family members to share her love of agriculture and to pass it along for future generations. She is a great voice and advocate for North Carolina and US agriculture and serves in many state and national agriculture organizations that promote its importance.”
Senior judge Joe West said, “The 2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year was selected from an outstanding group of eight state Farmers of the Year. The recipient was chosen because of their outstanding qualifications. The winner is highly diversified and has demonstrated the ability to adapt their operation to changing economic conditions as well as commodity and consumer preferences.”
The Southeastern Farmer of the Year award recognizes excellence in agricultural production and farm management along with leadership in farm and community organizations. The award also honors family contributions in producing safe and abundant supplies of food, fiber, and shelter products.
Harper Family Holdings, the Alabama Farmers Federation, Arkansas Farm Bureau, Florida Farm Bureau, Georgia Farm Bureau, North Carolina Farm Bureau, Tennessee Farm Bureau, and Virginia Farm Bureau have joined together to generously sponsor the 2024 program.
The Sunbelt Expo is coordinating the Southeastern Farmer of the Year awards for the 34th consecutive year. A total of $1,324,000 in cash awards and other honors have been awarded to 304 southeastern farmers since the award was initiated in 1990.