CLIMAX, N.C. — North Carolina’s agricultural business brings in $18.7 billion and has close to 72,500 producers with only 33% of them being female. 

Faylene Whitaker and her husband, Richard, started Whitaker Farms almost 50 years ago, all on a dream. 

Faylene and Richard on their wedding day. (Courtesy: Faylene Whitaker)

“My husband came from a farm, and I came from town. And the second year we were married, he said, ‘I think I would like to have a farm.' I said, ‘OK, we can do it,’” Whitaker said. 

The two 19-year-olds started off with 10 rented acres for tobacco and cheap equipment. Faylene Whitaker had no farming experience while her husband did. Determined to help him with his dream, she read any farming literature she could get her hands on and volunteered at green houses for experience. 

“They call me the book farmer here in the neighborhood because I always had a book in my hand. But I always believed I could do anything I wanted to do,”  Faylene Whitaker said. 

Their hard work paid off, eventually developing their 10 acres of land into 1,000. 

“We grow organic tobacco, organic corn, wheat, about 15 acres of strawberries, about 40 to 50 acres of vegetables and about 15 acres of pumpkins,” Whitaker said. 

Now not only do they grow produce, the farm has greenhouses, a bakery, agricultural tourism, classes, event space and more, although, it was a rocky start for the duo. 

“We had a hard time getting our first loan to operate, and we finally found a local bank that had faith in us and gave us the loan, and we paid it all back that year,” Whitaker said. 

Whitaker said one of the hardest challenges she faced was being a woman in agriculture, which was unheard of at the time. Despite the cultural abnormality, Whitaker knew she could do anything she wanted. 

This year, she helped break the glass ceiling again for women in agriculture. Becoming the first woman in North Carolina to be named Farmer of the Year by the Sunbelt AG Expo.

Faylene Whitaker looks over the farm with her dog. (Courtesy: Faylene Whitaker)

“I think every farmer deserves to be recognized because they sacrificed so much and they feed the world,” Whitaker said. 

She says she is humbled by the award but shares the accomplishment with the community, her staff and family that all helped her get to the place she was today. Especially her husband Richard, who passed away last year. 

“He would be my biggest fan. He's there. He knows it. He's all around us on this farm,” Whitaker said. 

Whitaker says this award is for the both of them, the two 19-year-olds who started out on a dream. 

“It takes determination. It takes not giving up when a hard time gets hard and knowing you're going to fail sometimes there is going to be times you fail. You will start over. That's just the way it goes,” Whitaker said. 

Next month the eight winners of the Sunbelt for their state will meet at the Sunbelt AG Expo to determine the Farmer of the Year for the Sunbelt. 

Whitaker Farms is open Monday through Saturday and is at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market seven days a week.