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WHEN I GATHER around the Thanksgiving table with my family this year, I’ll have many things to be thankful for. That includes blessings for all of the traditional items — my family and friends, a strong faith, good health, and a meaningful job — and extends to our community.
Duplin County is a special place, with a rich agricultural heritage and some of the nicest people you’ll ever find. My roots run deep in this land, and I’m honored to call it home. This is where my grandfather started our family farm more than 65 years ago and it is where I carry on our family tradition of raising pigs and growing crops today.
It’s a privilege to produce food, and I’m grateful to do it in a rural community like Duplin County that respects and appreciates our farmers.
North Carolina is home to thousands of family farms just like mine. But as our state has grown, there are fewer farms — and fewer people familiar with our farms. Many people don’t understand what we do or how we operate.
That’s one of the reasons we created NC Farm Families, a non-profit organization that promotes our farm families and the issues that are important to us. Our goal is to help educate people about our farms and to speak out when our farms are attacked by those who want to put an end to animal agriculture.
As you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, many of you will pause to give thanks to the farmers who raised your turkey and ham or those who grew your sweet potatoes and green beans.
But our farmers don’t need your thanks. Instead, we need your support. We need your respect.
We need you to know that when we wake up every day, we are doing our very best to produce food in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way.
We need you to understand that our farmers care deeply about our environment. That we are working hard to protect our air and water. That we are complying with some of the toughest environmental regulations in the nation.
We need you to know that our farmers care deeply about our communities. When we aren’t on the farm, we’re often helping others. As volunteer fire fighters, little league coaches, and church and community leaders.
Our farmers certainly appreciate your gratitude, but it’s not what we need most.
Chad Herring, a third-generation family farmer from Duplin County, is executive director of NC Farm Families. Learn more at https://www.ncfarmfamilies.com.
