Tour Montgomery farms on Saturday ♥

As published in the Courier-Tribune on June 20, 2012

By Hugh Martin

TROY — Danelle McKnight, horticulture agent for Montgomery County Cooperative Extension Service, has been on the job just two years, but in that time she has been busy visiting farmers, organizing farmers markets, working with local beekeepers and doing all the other chores that come with her position.

On Saturday, June 23, the fruits of another venture will take place as the Second Annual Sandhills Farm Tour features local farm operations in Montgomery, Anson, Richmond and Moore Counties. This is an event for the whole family to learn about gardening, farming and seeing where their food comes from and how it is produced.

The self-guided tour will begin with a kickoff event at the Sandhills Research Station, 2148 Windblow Road, at 9 a.m. with live music and hay rides. The Sandhills Farm Tour will continue until 2 p.m. Admission for the Sandhills Farm Tour is $15 per carload until June 22, then $18 per carload the day of the tour.

Tickets are available from the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service office in Montgomery County through Friday. On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased at Sandhills Research Station.

For more information call the Montgomery County Cooperative Extension Service at (910) 576-6011.

Local farms on the tour:

* Lucas Farm, 239 Windblow Road, just south of Candor, may be the highlight of the tour. Charles Lucas is experimenting with using high tunnels, which are large greenhouse-like structures, to extend his growing season to include even the colder winter months. His 10-acre farm is also used as a research laboratory for interns from N.C. A&T State University.

* Shadow Hill Farm & Kennel is noted for raising award-winning Shelties. The farm is located in southeastern Montgomery County at 1723 Belford Church Road. Owner Jane Bright has been involved with dog shows since she was a young girl.

In February 2010, one of her Shetland sheepdogs named Shadow Hill’s Star Chaser won Best of Breed at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City. Bright is also well-known from her appearance on the Survivor television series, where she was voted the favorite of the fans of the show that season.

* Hope Farms, 117 N.C. Highway 731 East, between Candor and Mount Gilead in the Pekin community. Ed and Sheila Menendez and their son live in a farmhouse constructed in 1890. “We are trying to live as simply as possible,” Sheila says. “We believe in the connection we have with our animals, the land, and ultimately, our food. We do everything as naturally as possible.”

“When you come to tour Hope Farms you’ll see chickens, ducks, pigs, a Dexter cow, horses, and herding dogs, but most of all we are just a family — like you, and your neighbor, and their families.”

The Menendezes have added a vintage glass greenhouse to their farm, where they can grow crops throughout the year.

* Blue Q Ranch is on 1,580 acres at 2010 Okeewemee Road, northeast of Troy. The farm is a “modern cattle operation focused on the needs of commercial cattlemen and registered breeders alike,” according to its website.

The farm is the dream of Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins, a Pennsylvania native who fell in love with the region during a stint with the Carolina Panthers. The ranch provides the perfect off-season retreat for Kerry, his wife Brooke, herself a North Carolina native, and daughter Riley.

* Persimmon Hill Farm, 1639 Pleasant Grove Church Road, is a small family farm. Jimmy Bowles and his family grow vegetables, fruits, and raise grass-fed beef.

*Johnson’s Peaches. Garret Johnson and his family have opened a brand new produce stand at 1348 Tabernacle Church Road at the corner of US 220 Alternate south of Candor. It is easily accessible from Interstate 73/74.

Johnson’s Peaches has been a destination for decades. The stand was originally about one mile north of their new location, but when the interstate was completed from Emery to Ellerbe, it took their customers with it. They built a new stand between Ellerbe and Rockingham, but once again, the construction of the new interstate came knocking. The people of Montgomery County have welcomed them back home to their new and permanent location.

Other farms on the tour will include: Red Barn Farm, 502 Robinson Bridge Road, Wadesboro; Bountiful Harvest Farm, 2001 Cedar Grove Church Road, Polkton; Pee Dee Orchards Inc., 11279 Highway 74 East, Lilesville; Honey Love Apiary, 1940 Bill Curlee Road, Polkton; Rankin Farm, 1312 Jones Springs Church Road, Ellerbe; Chappell’s Peaches, 672 Highway 211, Eagle Springs; Phillips Farm & Peaches n’ Cream Stand, 2735 Highway 74 East, Wadesboro; Triple L Farms, 205 Derby Road, Ellerbe and Little River Vineyards, 1907 NC Highway 73 West, Mount Gilead.