Editor’s NOTE: When scrolling through my phone one night while enduring insomnia, I found this column (below) about how the death of small farms is changing rural America. I quickly realized that its words represent what is a clear and present danger to Eastern NC — posted to the Zerohedge website by way of Epoch Times.
Since I drive through many miles of farm country coming and going each week, Molly Engelhart’s words bear sharing, repeating.
Farming communities in Eastern NC are different than they were 40 years ago – there’s no denying that. And changes to that way of life affects not only the business centers in our small towns, but schools and how we raise our children.
To illustrate that point, here is a story about Chowan County farmer John Layton that I wrote about the struggles of being a family farmer.
The Death Of The Small Farm Is The Death Of Rural America
By Molly Engelhart
Modern farming is destroying small communities as we move more and more toward the “go big or go home” model—thousands of acres of the same monocrop, managed by one or two people on a tractor spraying chemicals.
What used to be 20 or 30 small farms—each with a household and family that supported the local restaurant, gas station, feed store, and the veterinarian who served a few counties—is now replaced by a single sprawling operation with no animals, no neighbors, and no community.
Over the past decade, roughly 140,000 U.S. farms have vanished, and it’s not just those farms that have collapsed—but the entire ecosystem they supported: diners, auction barns, schools, vets, and feed stores have all felt the blow. The economic destruction radiates outward—every boarded-up business is a ripple from a missing farm.
Despite this, small farms are often treated as quaint, inefficient, and economically irrelevant in the modern food system. But the numbers tell a different story. Globally, farms under 2 hectares (about 5 acres) produce around 30 to 34 percent of the world’s food, while using only about 24 percent of agricultural land. That’s not inefficiency—that’s productivity. If you expand that to farms under 5 hectares, they produce more than half of the world’s food. These farms grow a diverse range of crops and raise animals in ways that serve local and regional markets—feeding people directly, not just supplying commodity markets or overseas exports.
Small farms matter because they produce food where it’s eaten, keeping supply chains short and resilient. They’re often the ones growing the vegetables at your farmers market, the eggs from down the road, the beef from a rancher you know by name. They support biodiversity, employ more people per acre, and keep profits circulating locally. Dismissing them as outdated isn’t just wrong—it’s dangerous to our food security.
While most of the farms we’ve lost were small family operations, the fight to save rural America isn’t just about acreage—it’s about approach. It’s not the size of the farm that determines its value to a community, but the farming practices it uses and the relationships it sustains. A larger farm can still operate in a way that regenerates the soil, employs local people, and feeds its neighbors—if it’s run with vision and courage.
That’s exactly what Will Harris has done at White Oak Pastures, his 1,250-acre family farm in Bluffton, Georgia (held by his family since 1866). In the mid-1990s, Harris made a radical break from industrial agriculture. He replaced chemical inputs and confinement feeding with rotational grazing, diversified livestock, and on-site, USDA-inspected processing facilities. White Oaks Pastures is now one of the only farms in the country with separate abattoirs for red meat and poultry.
To make this transformation, Harris took an extraordinary risk—borrowing $7.5 million against the family land to build these processing plants in 2008. It was a gamble most would never dare, but it paid off. His farm now operates as a zero-waste, closed-loop agricultural ecosystem, where nothing goes to waste, and grass-fed meats, eggs, organic vegetables, and byproducts like hides are turned into artisanal goods and compost. His regenerative practices have rebuilt topsoil, captured carbon, and sparked a local economic revival.
Today, White Oak Pastures employs up to 180 people, making it Clay County’s largest private employer. What was once a dying ghost town now has a general store, a restaurant, lodging, and an event center—because one man chose to bet everything on a different way forward. His example proves it’s not the scale that matters—it’s the soil health, the humane treatment of animals, the jobs created, and the way the farm integrates into the life of the town.
The wake-up call is already ringing: boarded-up Main Streets, closed auction barns, veterinarians relocated to cities, feed stores shuttered, schools shrinking. And make no mistake—this is not just an economic issue. It’s a matter of national security. If we lose the ability to feed ourselves, we lose the ability to protect ourselves. Food has been a weapon in almost every war in history. Without control over our food supply, we surrender control over our future.
When we allow small and mid-size farms to fail, we don’t just lose their food production—we lose the skills, the infrastructure, and the intergenerational knowledge that comes with them. We also lose the community glue they provide. Farmers don’t just grow food—they buy feed, fix equipment locally, hire the local vet, and send their kids to the local school. Multiply that by dozens of farms in a county, and you see why their disappearance hollows out whole regions.
That’s why I am thrilled that Will Harris will be joining us at Sovereignty Ranch at the end of September for our Food is Medicine retreat—a gathering dedicated to restoring health, community, and resilience through the way we grow, cook, and share food. We’ll be talking about soil, nutrition, farm economics, and the urgent need to rebuild regional food systems—because the fight for our farms is the fight for our future.
If you care about your country, your health, and your freedom, start now: support small farmers. Buy from them directly. Demand that your grocery stores and restaurants source from them. And most importantly—eat the small farm diet. This means real food from real farms, grown in a way that nourishes the soil and the people. Every purchase is a vote for the kind of America we want to live in. The survival of rural America—and perhaps the survival of America itself—depends on it.
A round-up of everything from God’s country…
By Miles Layton
First week of teaching classes at Mattamuskeet School – rewarding, scary in some ways, being new to teaching, making a difference.
Kids are great too and much praise for the supportive staff!
One kid – after he found the book “Holes” he started reading. The book’s plot delves into the history of the area and how the actions of several characters in the past have impacted a boy’s life in the present. These interconnecting stories explore themes such as labor, boyhood, friendship, the meaning of names, illiteracy, and elements of fairy tales — onions too.
I’ve seen the movie – good movie.
The boy asked me if he could borrow the book — which I shared. Made my day. Praise be to God for this encouragement. This boy will go places, be a success.
First day of class, I wrote on the blackboard – You may be whatever you resolve to be – that saying is engraved above a historic archway leading into the Old Barracks at Virginia Military Institute, where my daughter is a cadet, top of her class.
That saying speaks volumes about how you should approach life.
One of Mattamuskeet’s best students knew the quote came from General Stonewall Jackson — this too was encouraging. Extra credit!
Speaking of Hyde County’s best and brightest, Brianna Williams was named as the Interim Superintendent of Tyrrell County Schools. Williams is an alumnus of Mattamuskeet Early College High School — Class of 2002! See our story – click the link.
When I get a few moments, someday I’d like to interview Williams about her life and the lessons she can share from growing up in Hyde County.
As to living in Hyde County, maybe someday I would to like restore this house in Swan Quarter. There are a lot of great farm houses in Tyrrell and Hyde counties in the wide open spaces between Tyrrell and Hyde counties is beautiful.
I love driving past the cornfields and desolate swampy areas — long stretches of road that give you time to clear your head, think. I watched an otter cross the NC 94 “causeway” bisecting Lake Mattamuskeet.
In other news, Bertie County Schools Superintendent Dr. Otis L. Smallwood has been named the Northeast Regional Superintendent of the Year, a prestigious honor recognizing his dedication to students, schools, and the wider community.
The announcement comes shortly after Dr. Smallwood received The Order of the Longleaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian award. Together, the two honors underscore his impact on education and his leadership across the region.
School officials say the recognition is a reflection not only of Dr. Smallwood’s commitment, but also the collective effort of teachers, staff, and families who support Bertie County students.
“We are so proud of Dr. Smallwood’s leadership and the positive spotlight he continues to bring to Bertie County Schools,” the district said in a statement.
Community members are invited to join in congratulating Dr. Smallwood on this well-deserved achievement.
Speaking of Bertie County, I understand there may be some financial difficulties in that neck fo the woods. Bertie folks, moving forward, I’ll be looking into of how Bertie County Commissioners are handling the county’s financial struggles and service cutbacks. Lot of things going on there.
At issue is an $841,000 budget shortfall revealed in July, not including $1.2 million needed for the 911 Communications Center. As anyone will tell you, I have a conservative mindset when it comes to government, taxes and balanced budgets, so this story is on my radar — I can’t wait to see what’s what with this budget.
Anyone with news tips, send them this way to mileslayton1969@gmail.com
