Mike Jones, owner of MAE Farm in Franklin County, was named 2021 Small Farmer of the Year during Wednesday’s segment of the weeklong virtual celebration of Small Farms Week.
Jones, along with his family and other supporters, waited for the announcement of the winner in the conference room at the Franklin County Cooperative Extension Wednesday afternoon. As a lead-in to the announcement, participants viewed live feeds on Facebook Live from Louisburg and from Watauga County, where the other finalist is located.
Rosalind Dale, Extension administrator at N.C. A & T State University and associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences made her way to the room where Jones and his contingent waited to proclaim Jones the winner. He and wife Suzanne received matching jackets emblazoned with Small Farmer of the Year, a plaque and a check for $2,000.
MAE Farm sits on 73 acres of former tobacco land in Franklin County. Jones and his family produce pasture-raised pork and do business at the State Farmers Market.
“I’m very happy to be recognized for my contributions,” Jones said during the live broadcast. Local extension agent William Landis said Jones uses a variety of conservation techniques on the farm, as well as innovative practices like silvopasture (using forested land to graze animals) and rotating pastures and allowing multiple species to graze the same land.
“Mike deserves to be Small Farmer of the Year because he is innovative, focused on conservation and a great mentor,” Landis said during a video presentation that was shown before the winner was announced.
“My success has come from cooperative places,” he said in remarks after he was named the winner. “Many, many people have helped me…I wasn’t the best at anything,” he said, adding that he just kept trying and asked for help from those around him. He said cooperation with others is key to being successful.
MAE Farm comes from the first letters of their three children’s first names, he said. It’s easy to pronounce and easy to remember. He said he didn’t get into farming to be the biggest farm or to make the most money, but to have a nice, stable life.
“I wanted to be a farmer and a father,” he said. “And I got to do both.”