Every year the N.C. State Fair thrills people of all ages and backgrounds from across the state for 11 exciting days. Fairgoers get the chance to enjoy exciting rides and delicious new foods. The State Fair is also a time to celebrate N.C. agriculture and the hardworking families who make it our state’s leading industry.
Farm Family of the Day, sponsored by Tractor Supply Co., is a program that recognizes one standout farm family each day of the N.C. State Fair. To honor these families’ accomplishments and contributions to North Carolina agriculture, they are awarded tickets to attend the fair on a day of their choosing, where they will be recognized through PA announcements and signs on the fairgrounds.
Barnes Farming and Farm Pak are a dedicated third generation family farm, located in Spring Hope, and are being recognized as the Farm Family of the Day, today, Oct. 19th! While the farm has grown to be the world’s largest sweet potato producer, family values are still at the core of the operation.
“It feels like family even if we aren’t blood related,” Jacy Barnes Clapp said. “It makes it even more meaningful and makes us more determined to the farm.”
The farm comes from humble beginnings, dating back to 1961 when Jacy’s grandfather, Carson Barnes, decided to farm tobacco and sweet potatoes on three-eighths of an acre of land. That same three-eighths of an acre has grown into an over 20,000-acre operation growing sweet potatoes, tobacco, peanuts, soybeans, wheat and watermelons.
After a few years of farming sweet potatoes, Carson decided to found Farm Pak Products in addition to Barnes Farming. When he created Farm Pak, Carson was well aware of the lack of sweet potatoes in Europe and would become one of the first farmers to export the crop to Europe, expanding the market of the sweet potato and strengthening North Carolina agriculture.
To say the farm was founded by Carson though, would leave out the family behind him that drives Barnes Farm. Jacy’s grandmother, Maxine Whitley, played an important role in the creation of the Farm Pak company and went on to serve as the farm’s corporate secretary, the role Jacy play’s today. Along with Maxine, Carson’s son, Johnny, began to run the farm with him after graduating from NC State. Then, Johnny’s son, Josh, would continue the tradition and join the operation in 2018 after creating his own persimmon orchard.
Jacy reminisced about some of her favorite memories, like walking through the watermelon fields or growing up working on the farm as a family and going to farmers markets and selling produce.
“I always loved hearing from my dad, and our longtime employees just how much farming has changed and how much our operation has changed,” Jacy said. “Farming practices and the different technology, how we’ve grown, it’s always very interesting to hear.”
Jacy talked about how the farm has gone from doing all the sorting and packing of sweet potatoes by hand, to now having automated systems with built in sensors and cameras.
As the farm itself grew over the years, the Barnes family made sure their impact on the community around them grew as well. As the largest sweet potato producer in the world, the family realizes the importance of farming for your community, and not being reliant on unstable or far-away sources of food.
“It’s very meaningful to us, that’s one of the things we love most about farming,” Jacy said. “Our community is historically agriculture based, it’s becoming less and less so, but we are honored to carry that on and work with different people in our community.”
As one of this year’s farm families of the day, the Barnes family is taking part in a showcase of one of the most important communities in the state — N.C. Agriculture.
From arriving early at the State Fair and eating breakfast as they go throughout the exhibits, to riding rides and trying out the newest food options, the fair has always been a special occasion for their family. One year the family even entered their sweet potatoes into a competition and went home with the ribbon for the best-looking sweet potato.
We are honored to recognize the Barnes Family and Farm Pak today and look forward to seeing where they continue to expand their farm in the future! If you see them on the grounds at the N.C. State Fair, be sure to congratulate them on this honor and thank them for their hard work in N.C. Agriculture!