Help a Young Farmer Save a Farm

I’m Justin Walker, and I’m a fourth-generation farmer. I’m 24 years-old.

I recently inherited my family’s farm after my grandfather, John Walker, passed away unexpectedly. 

My grandfather had taught me everything he knew, but suddenly I was in charge of the farm and its future. I was 20 years-old at the time. My grandparents and my mother raised me, and my grandmother, mother, and sister depend on me to keep the farm going. Now, I urgently need to save my family's farm.

For the past few years, I've been reinventing the farm, transitioning from growing only conventional crops and starting to grow fresh vegetables for the community. The new approach is working, but I need to further invest in the farm to grow a sustainable business, and I also need help to pay down some of the debt we inherited when my grandfather passed away to keep the farm safe from foreclosure. When you lose someone in your family, it takes time to get back on your feet.

Any amount you can contribute will help, $5 or $50.

Thank you for reading. If you want to learn more about my farm, a friend helped me with this short video: 

I’m a young farmer, but I have farmed all my life. One of my earliest memories is driving a small tractor when I was just 5 years-old. During my childhood, we raised many traditional crops for the area; we grew corn, wheat, soybeans, and tobacco. But we also raised fruits and vegetables for the family, so I have experience with both types of farming. I went on to study agriculture in college at North Carolina A&T State University.

I have a passion for agriculture and farming, and I want to save my family’s farm so that we can preserve our heritage, continue living here, and produce healthy, fresh vegetables for our community. My goals are to focus on serving the local markets, and I would like to get our farm certified as organic.

Last year, I started a new mobile market stand to sell fresh vegetables in my community. Thanks to a small grant from the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI), the new business got off to a good start. But I need to do more to make it profitable enough to take my family’s farm to the next step of transitioning away from raising only conventional crops.

I’m raising funds specifically to:
Invest in the farm and my new mobile market stand, which I use to sell vegetables locally; invest in organic certification; and help pay down debt that I inherited with the farm, so that my family can have a more financially secure farm and home.

I need to raise the funds by this summer at the latest to make sure we have enough time to get the farm on its feet and take advantage of the main part of the growing season.

This means so much to me because it’s not only our livelihood at stake, but our family’s land and a farm that could provide a source of sustenance to the community.

I would be very appreciative of any contribution you can make to support my dream of being a successful organic farmer and a role model for other young people in my community who want to pursue agriculture or become farmers.