Each year at the Got to Be NC Festival, we recognize three young farmers between the ages of 18 and 40 through our Young Farmer of the Day Program, presented by AgCarolina Farm Credit and AgSouth Farm Credit. These young farmers work hard every single day to further the N.C. Agriculture industry and build upon it as the next generation of leaders. Come out during the Got to Be NC Festival this year, May 15-17th, at the N.C. State Fairgrounds to help us recognize them and say thank you for all their hard work!
Josh Young, owner and operator of The Young-Outlaw Ranch in Dudley, is being recognized today, Sunday, May 17th, as the Got to Be NC Festival’s Young Farmer of the Day! As a child, Josh had two dreams: to be a Marine and be a cowboy or farmer. After serving in the Marine Corps for five years and the Army for three years, he began pursuing his second dream in early 2021 by establishing The Young-Outlaw Ranch in Wayne County. From then until now, Josh has been impacting the community and the nation through his products, agritourism events and agricultural advocacy initiatives.
Although he didn’t grow up on a farm, Josh was raised on Western movies and wanted to be a cowboy from a very young age. “My grandpa and I would watch old Western movies together, which is where my love for that lifestyle really started,” he said. “I remember watching the cowboys on screen ride horses or rope calves and thinking I wanted to do the same thing one day.” Today, he raises a variety of livestock animals at The Young-Outlaw Ranch including Texas longhorn cattle, pigs, chickens, hair sheep, fainting goats, and deer. In fact, he is currently on track to be the first USDA Venison Production ranch in North Carolina. “I am working with experts at the county level, NCDA and USDA to make this dream a reality,” he said. Josh is also one of the founders of the Carolina Deer Association where he promotes deer farming in North Carolina as a viable source of income for livestock producers.
According to Josh, deer farming is a way to diversify the agriculture industry in our state, protect farmland, utilize smaller tracts of land efficiently, and appeal to the next generation. “I can fit about 200 deer on the same plot of land as 10 cow/calf pairs when rotational pasture management is applied,” he said. “Due to the size and nature of deer, farmers would be able to use their land for an additional source to their meat products.” The Carolina Deer Association was established in 2024 with the mission of supporting and representing all aspects of the Cervid industry within our state from deer farming, hunting, and conservation, to even just deer enthusiasts. In Washington, D.C., Josh and his team along with the North American Deer Farmers Association are advocating for deer farmers, fighting for science-based policies on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), and more. “Deer farming has been a big dream of mine for the past five years, so it’s exciting to see people getting on board,” he said. “I truly believe this is something that can revitalize and innovate the industry, and it’ll be exciting to see where it continues to go from here.” If you want to learn more about the Carolina Deer Association, stop by their booth today at the Got to Be NC Festival inside the Jim Graham Building.
At The Young-Outlaw Ranch in Dudley, Josh produces local beef and pork products for his customers to enjoy. In fact, he recently shipped some of his products to a customer in California, which is the farthest he has shipped products to date! “Our beef is grain-finished for 90 days from locally sourced grain from a partnership with R&R Brewery in Mount Olive using their distilled beer mash as an added mineral and protein benefit,” he said. “Our meat products are NCDA and USDA certified, allowing us to ship orders across the nation as well as pickup points on the ranch and at Down East Armory in Goldsboro.” Josh also offers a variety of ranch merchandise in the store, including t-shirts, hoodies, cups, hats and more. Check out his website to order something today, or start planning your visit to the ranch!
In addition to offering local products to the community, Josh also hosts a variety of on-site events, like school group tours and Veterans in Ag classes, as well as travels to schools, fairs and other events across the state to advocate for N.C. Agriculture. “Josh has been an advocate in agricultural operations in our state,” said Patricia Cranmer, who nominated Josh for the Young Farmer of the Day Program. “He promotes agritourism with campus tours in the hopes that he will be able to inspire an interest in farming for younger generations.” During your visit to the ranch, be sure to check out the roping dummy, which is a nod to Josh’s initial dream of becoming a cowboy, and meet his pet kangaroo, aka Buckaroo. “I ended up with a kangaroo because I had adult money and nobody told me no,” he said. “However, Buckaroo is a crowd favorite at the ranch, and I’ve been able to use him to teach kids about other parts of the world that they may never get to visit.” Check out his website for more information and schedule a tour today!
“I could not have gotten this far without the support of my friends along the way and building a network of driven, like-minded people, whose goals go beyond profits and to building communities like Rooted in NC and Tara Creek Pro Rodeo & Event Center,” he said.
As a first-generation veteran rancher, Josh has worked hard to get to where he is today and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. “If you would have told me five years ago that I would own this incredible ranch and be living out my dream both on the ranch and in agricultural advocacy, I never would have believed you,” he said. “Being recognized as a Young Farmer of the Day at the Festival is an honor I’m not fully sure I deserve, but I am proud to represent the industry in this way.” In the future, Josh hopes to bring on more students at the ranch, obtain his USDA Venison Production license, expand shipping of his products and more. We are honored to recognize Josh today and look forward to seeing where he continues to propel the industry in the years to come. If you see him on the grounds at the Got to Be NC Festival, be sure to congratulate him on this honor and thank him for his hard work in N.C. Agriculture!
