Elvin and Madeline Eaton, owners of Fairport Farms in Granville County, have been selected as the 2025 Small Farmers of the Year by N.C. A&T State University during the annual Small Farms Week celebration.
The Eatons decided to grow microgreens as a retirement venture, but they wanted to change things up and steer away from some of the more traditional farming practices. Their philosophy – a no-till, no commercial fertilizer or pesticide and keeping growing beds in place for multiple seasons approach – is paying off.
Using five 100-foot-high tunnels — greenhouses without air conditioning — on just one quarter of an acre of their 12-acre Century Farm, the Eatons have grown their retirement venture into a profitable, civic-minded enterprise. A certified Naturally Grown farm, they grow microgreens, kale, collard and mustard greens, broccoli and a variety of lettuces in addition to tomatoes, potatoes, onions and carrots, supporting a farmers’ market business and a direct-sell business
More than 400 farmers, ranchers, Extension agents and partners from across the state came to A&T’s campus to attend N.C. Cooperative Extension’s 39th annual Small Farms Week, which this year centered around the theme “Next Gen Agriculture” and included educational workshops and panel discussions focused on the needs of the next generation of growers.
“We’re more than surprised,” Elvin Eaton said after the award was announced during the annual banquet at A&T State.
“We grow so different — we grow all year long, we grow covered, we grow without chemical fertilizer or pesticides. Soil health is the basis of our farm. This is far out of the norm for people in our area, but when they see the results, a lot of people have been super receptive.
“We really didn’t think we had a chance. We were just happy being nominated, honestly.”
The weeklong annual celebration was launched by Extension in 1985 to connect with small-scale farmers — including minority farmers and those in underserved communities — to ensure they receive the latest research-based information on farming techniques, new tools and technologies. It also gives the public a chance to meet their agricultural neighbors and learn about farm operations and food production.
Learn more about Small Farms Week by clicking here and watch a video produced by NCA&T that highlights Fairport Farms by clicking here.
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Elvin and Madeline Eaton, center, of Fairport Farm in Granville County, North Carolina, became N.C. Cooperative Extension’s 39th Small Farmers of the Year on Wednesday, March 26, at the annual Small Farms Week luncheon on the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University campus. From left are Interim College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Dean Shirley Hymon-Parker, Chancellor James R. Martin II, Elvin Eaton, Madeline Eaton, Wendy Tatum of Granville County Cooperative Extension and Associate CAES Dean and N.C. A&T Extension Administrator M. Ray McKinnie.
