By Sidney Cruze | Photos by Don McKenzie

• Introduction
• The incubator model
• Hands-on training, home-grown skills
• Download the full article as a

Hands-on training, home-grown skills

So far, they have leased one tract to Philip McMillan, a Southern Pines man who works full-time and farms on the side. A native North Carolinian, his is the first generation in the family not to grow up on a farm. After moving back home from Atlanta and seeing the Houghs newsletter, he joined them in May.

“I’ve always wanted to farm, but never had the chance to acquire the skills,” he says. “The Houghs’ incubator program is just what I’m looking for.”

McMillan works most Saturdays and two evenings a week at the farm, where this summer he harvested cantaloupe, tomatoes, field peas and watermelon. He spends the time watering, weeding and cultivating the soil.

“Building the soil is the key to organic farming,” Jackie says. “It’s a living organism that supports the plants you grow.”

Every farmer knows productive land and good equipment are essential to success, yet access to the Hough’s knowledge of organic farming may be Raft Swamp Farm’s biggest asset. After bringing their fields back to life, Jackie and Louie really know the land. They both will offer hands-on training to their farmers, including help with business plans and marketing. Together they are well connected with organic growers across the state, so if they can’t answer growers’ questions, they will find someone who can.

The Houghs plan has always been to protect the land at Raft Swamp Farm while involving the whole community. Folks interested in organics can gain gardening skills by volunteering on the farm, and the Houghs have relied on people like Shawn Hawkins–someone who likes working the land with his hands–for help with the heaviest labor. An Army major, Hawkins plans to take up organic farming when he retires. “Louie and I spend a lot of time talking about crops and how to get the most out of the land organically,” he says. “It’s like a free class in agriculture. I’m trying to learn as much from him as I can.”

The local Touchstone Energy cooperative, Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation (LREMC), is partnering with Jackie and Louie as well. The fast pace of development in Hoke County is forcing LREMC to cut numerous new rights of way for power lines. Once LREMC cuts and shreds the trees, the cooperative must find some way to dispose of the debris. The Houghs agreed to use any material that hasn’t been sprayed with defoliant; they can add it to their compost or use it as mulch on paths throughout the farm.

“Disposing tree debris is a real issue,” says Walter White, LREMC vice president of customer service and community relations. “We don’t want to put it in the landfill, and we don’t want to leave it there. To have them take it works out well for us. And I think what they’re doing is wonderful.”

The first year at Raft Swamp was busy for the Houghs; in addition to building the soil throughout the farm, they planted an herb garden, started a peach orchard, and established hives for beekeeping. Already they are adding blueberries, muscadines, strawberries and blackberries and planning for a small heritage breed livestock operation. Soon more than four miles of trails will meander along the farm’s perimeter, making it an ideal spot for hiking and bird watching.

“We want to draw people into the farm and reconnect them with where their food comes from,” Jackie says. “We want to connect them with the farms that sustain them.”

Sidney Cruze is a Carolina Country contributor who works in Durham.