Behind every juicy, red tomato, tender ear of corn, and plumped out butterbean are untold hours of planting, weeding, watering and spraying. Those gardens don’t take care of themselves, after all.

At last week’s Farm City lunch at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, Elvin Eaton shared some insights about farming and how he and his wife, Madeline, got their Fairport Farms up and running in Granville County.

Vance County Cooperative Extension Horticulture and Field Crops Agent Michael Ellington said Eaton brought a powerful message to the 140 or so folks gathered for the annual event, and it all tied in to promoting awareness that gardening and farming start small.

Sort of like planting a seed and then watching that seed grow, flourish and then produce something wonderful.

“Farming as a business,” Ellington said.  Many people forget it’s a business – that was Eaton’s key message. And every successful business needs a business plan, a map to get from a starting point to a destination.

The Eatons started small – really small, like microgreens small. From there, they branched out with some high tunnels to extend the growing season and now with hydroponics – that’s growing things in water and not soil.

Forming partnerships with agencies such as the local cooperative extension, FSA and others, the Eatons are using innovative techniques to make Fairport Farms successful.

In fact, the Eatons were named the 2025 Small Farmers of the Year during N.C. A&T State University’s Small Farms Week.

Ellington said oftentimes, when people think of farmers and farming, they envision the acres and acres of row crops or tobacco and lots of mechanized equipment. But backyard gardeners and small-scale farmers are successfully bringing their produce to market.

The vendors who come to the farmers market contribute to the concept of the market being a hub of activity, and Ellington said that’s by design.

“We want to create a community center,” he said, “where the community can gather, learn and grow – coming together through partnerships.”

The market isn’t just a spot to buy and sell vegetables – it’s a place where new gardeners can get help from master gardeners as they plant and cultivate plots in the community garden. The market campus is a backdrop for educational opportunities. Local beekeepers and gardeners can design and install pollinator-friendly gardens.

“We’re thinking of the market as a backdrop where people can learn and then go put (those things) into practice.”

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