On Monday, July 9, 2018 I had the opportunity to spend the day with Hannah Haynes Johnson, owner and operator of Haynes Farm in Dobson, NC. Hannah has a Masters Degree in Animal Science from NC State and after her father passed away, she moved back home to take care of the family farm. The farm has around 200 acres and grows a variety of produce including tomatoes (varieties roma, pink girls, cherokee purple), spaghetti squash, butternut squash, beans, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, beets, zucchini, kale, lettuce, arugula, cucumbers, yellow squash, corn, and herbs such as sage, cilantro, oregano, basil, and dill. She sells the produce at The Dobson and Mount Airy Farmers Market and to local vineyard restaurants.
Along with produce, Hannah has about 60 head of cattle and show cattle. She breaks show cows and sells them which is a good source of farm income. It takes her about 2 weeks working with the cow everyday to break it which includes washing the cow, clipping her and she uses positive reinforcement working with cows. She used one of the chicken houses to build a show cattle equipment barn and it was very impressive all of the work involved in this.
Hannah also operates a large rooster house for Perdue. The roosters come to her from Perdue when they are around 20-21 weeks old and stay for 6-7 weeks. Perdue then picks them up and places them at different hen farms to spike production. A representative from Perdue comes and draws blood 2 times and takes a swallow test to check for any diseases.
Hannah starts her day at 6:30 am by feeding chickens, picking produce, checking on the cows, and doing all of the many jobs that comes with a farm. She is also the Vice Chairperson for the Young Farmers & Ranchers Board of Farm Bureau. She has one employee that worked for her father and has continued to help her. Although managing the farm is new to Hannah, she has a passion to succeed. I was very impressed with her willingness to learn new things and her positive attitude!
