Tag Archive for: #maefarm

MAE Farm Owner Works Hard to Stay Small

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It’s sometimes a stretch for Mike Jones to be a farmer in Franklin County AND manage the farm’s retail outlet at the N.C. State Farmers Market, but it’s a family affair that pays off – for Jones and the customers who buy his pasture-raised meats.

Jones, owner of MAE Farm, was named the 2021 Small Farmer of the Year recently during the 35th annual Small Farms Week sponsored by N.C. A & T State University’s Cooperative Extension program. He’s always looking for ways to improve, but not necessarily looking to compete with large-scale farm operations. “I don’t have to be the biggest there is to be happy.”

He opened his space at the farmers market in 2007 with a card table, a cash box and one freezer. But the business has grown over the years, and now about half the weekly sales comes from other small farmers like himself. “We are your local supplier,” he told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. “I define ‘local’ as the state of North Carolina.”

Being named the Small Farmer of the Year is an honor that Jones shares with his wife, Suzanne, and his children. Working with family has been a blessing, he said. “I have a wife that bought into my goals and my dreams and my visions,” he said, adding that two of the children majored in business in college because the importance of the family business partnership made a “profound impact” on them.

William Landis, agriculture and small farms agent for Franklin and Warren counties, also was on show and said he and Jones were out at the farm just Tuesday checking on grass improvements in the pastures. Landis said Jones uses innovative pasture practices that help his farm stand out.

“When you decide to have a pasture-based system,” Jones said, “you’re at the mercy of the weather – droughts, flood, wind, heat.  And the soil itself is beat up by the impact of the animals being on the land.” It is critical to pay attention to soil health and do restoration work when needed. Plant roots stabilize the soil and also pick back up the nutrients that animals again consume, which creates an efficient recycling loop on the farm, Jones said.

A well-managed system can lower feed costs while directly affecting the bottom line, he said. Consumers notice improved flavor, he said. “They say, ‘Wow, this is different,’“ Jones said, when they compare his products to those that come from a big box store.

His operation may not be as efficient as larger facilities, but “the economic benefit is the end product. People really prefer the taste and texture of the meats I produce,” he said.

Salted fatback is one such item – it’s a MAE Farm specialty item that folks ask for.

Landis said one of the most exciting things about having Jones recognized for his work “sets a high bar and encourages people to get into the industry. He’s done a lot for agriculture in the region.”

Follow MAE Farm on Facebook or visit www.MAEFarmmeats.com.

Enjoy here the TownTalk Broadcast Audio with Mike Jones.

 

MAE Farm, Mike and Susanne Jones; 2021 NC Small Farmer of the Year

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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.”

TownTalk 03-22-21 William Landis, Small Farms Week

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Small farmers make up about 80 percent of farmers in this area and provide the community with delicious produce and pasture-raised meats that consumers can find at local farmers’ markets. But small-scale farmers are not necessarily trying to compete with, or become, large-scale farmers, according to William Landis with Franklin County Extension Service.  He told John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk that small farmers who can find a niche product or a niche market can position themselves to be successful.

Landis is the small farms agent for Franklin and Warren counties. Part of his job is to help small farmers with resources to become as efficient and productive as possible. These days, with so much information available via the internet, it may be challenging for producers to make choices about how and what to grow on their farms.

“Come to us,” Landis said of cooperative extension services. “Bounce what you’ve heard off your local extension agent. We’re here to help you out,” he said. Many small farmers around here, he said, have full-time jobs off the farm and do their farm work when they get off work.

March 21-27 is Small Farms Week in North Carolina, thanks to the Cooperative Extension program at N.C. A&T State University. And a Franklin County farmer is in the running for Small Farmer of the Year.

Mike and Suzanne Jones run MAE Farm and they market their pasture-raised meats at the State Farmers Market. Jones has been a farmer since the early 2000’s, long before Landis became an extension agent. “It’s good to see that he’s finally getting recognized,” he said.

The winner will be announced on Mar. 24 during the virtual Small Farms conference.

Small Farms Week TownTalk Podcast

Selection criteria include how small farmers are engaged in the community, as well as innovative practices that are used on the farm, Landis said. Jones is involved with the local Farm Bureau and uses innovative pasture management practices like silvopasture – letting animals graze in forested areas – and rotational grazing of multiple species.

Landis said a small farm is one that has less than $250,000 a year in income. Advances in technology, from tractors with built-in GPS systems to the use of drones, have been helpful additions for producers. Other types of technology – like phone apps – are also being used to help boost the agritourism industry, Landis said. One such app is called Visit NC Farms. Producers load information about their farm and it’s accessible via the app. Agritourism is a growing trend and has helped small farmers weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Other online tools like MeatSuite can help consumers find locally sourced meats in their area, he added.

Franklin County, he said, is situated in a perfect spot to respond to the huge Raleigh-Durham market. “Within 30 minutes, you can be in Raleigh and deliver your product,” he said. The Raleigh-Durham market is one of the largest markets in the U.S., he said. Responding to the needs and wants of a market that size is what can put a small farmer on the road to success.

Right now, the Franklin County Farmers Market is located near the Carly C’s on Bickett Boulevard in Louisburg. It currently operates under a shelter on Fridays from 9 to noon, but Landis said there is some movement afoot to create a closed-in market.