FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – A Cumberland County honey producer shared North Carolina Small Farmer of the Year honors with a farmer from Warren County. The 2024 selection of James Hartman of Secret Garden Bees in Cumberland County and Patrick Brown of Brown Family Farms in Warren County is the first time in history there has been a tie for N.C. Small Farmer of the Year.
Hartman and Brown were honored March 27 at a luncheon during the 38th annual Small Farmers Week, held March 24 – 30 at North Carolina A&T Cooperative Extension.
Hartman is a veteran who runs a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) producing premium raw honey. Hartman turned his land, near Linden in Cumberland County, into a beekeeping operation as a way to manage post-traumatic stress syndrome. Hartman served 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal officer, including two tours of duty in Iraq.
Hartman and his wife Christi bought 23 acres in Cumberland County in 2014 to move away from suburban living and back to their country roots. They started with three hives and today, Secret Garden Bees includes more than 30 hives and sells raw honey to retailers, wholesalers and people who enjoy all-natural raw honey. Customers include 60 Fresh Market stores in 12 states with plans to expand to another 70 stores this summer.
As one of approximately 9,000 veteran farmers in North Carolina, Hartman took advantage of the Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act, which gives surplus equipment to veterans before going to auction.
Hartman has partnered with the Soldiers to Agriculture program through Cumberland County Cooperative Extension. Soldiers to Agriculture helps soldiers transition to agriculture after leaving the military. Hartman has also partnered with the Veterans Farm of North Carolina, which helps veterans become self-sufficient farmers. Both programs send veterans to Secret Garden Bees to learn farming and farm business practices.
“I’m actually excited to share this award this year because I am 100% convinced that there’s enough success to go around for everybody and everybody can be a winner,” said Hartman. “This is indicative of that.”
Brown is a fourth-generation farmer who grows hemp and vegetables. In 2019, he created his own line of hemp extract products, now known as Hempfinity. He produces hemp as a cash crop and has contracts with Biophil Natural Fibers in Lumberton and an R&D Partnership with VF Corporation, an apparel company based in Denver.
Small Farms Week was launched in 1985 to connect with small-scale farmers, including minority farmers and those in limited-resource communities, to ensure they receive the latest research-based information on farming techniques, new tools and technologies. The theme for this year’s Small Farms Week was “Pathways to Profits.”
Watch a video about James Hartman and Secret Garden Bees here. Watch a video about Patrick Brown and Brown Family Farmers here.
For more information about Cumberland County Cooperative Extension and programs such as Soldiers to Agriculture, visit the website at cumberland.ces.ncsu.edu. The office is located in the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center at 301 E. Mountain Dr., Fayetteville.