A Day in the Life of a North Carolina Fruit & Vegetable Farmer

On an early morning in late spring, the strawberries hang heavy — bright red and nearly bursting with sweet juice. More fruits and vegetables in an abundance and variety that could overwhelm a grocery store ripen on green stems. Doug and Randall Patterson have already been at work for at least an hour by the time their employees drive up at 7 a.m. The brothers have checked their Rowan County fields to assess the previous day’s unfinished work, walked through the packaging facility, and consulted the inventories to see what they need to sell.

On the list are tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, squash, zucchini, eggplant, watermelon, cantaloupe, banana peppers, and poblano peppers. Packed onto sometimes 20 tractor-trailer loads a day, Patterson Farm’s fruits and vegetables travel to customers across North Carolina, as far south as Puerto Rico, and all the way up to Canada. Buyers range from some of the larger area farmers markets and garden centers to major supermarket chains and vegetable re-packers who buy the vegetables in bulk and then deliver them to restaurants.

During this peak season, the days are long; the farm needs many hands to get the job done. From the end of June through mid-October, Randall and his wife, Nora, and Doug and his wife, Michelle, are joined by eight farm managers and 300 or so employees.

Doug and his family want people to know where their food comes from. That’s why education is an important part of their mission.

“Less than 2 percent of the population farms,” Doug says. “If anybody wants to take care of the land, air, and water, it’s farmers. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to farm. I like for people to come visit us so that we can show them what we’re doing and how we do it.”

On weekdays, school groups regularly explore a portion of the 550-acre farm to learn about the ins and outs of farming. Doug regularly speaks with NC State’s Agriculture Education students. And on weekends, Patterson Farms hosts activities like wagon rides, birthday parties, a Farmer for the Day tour, corporate gatherings, and pick-your-own events.

Local shoppers often swing by the on-site market — open Wednesday through Saturday in the off-season and seven days a week in-season — to stock up on produce, homemade jams and jellies, and ice cream made with their homegrown strawberries. “We also sell produce that we don’t grow, like peaches and apples from other local farms,” Doug says.

The connection between his labor and the final product motivates Doug to go to work every day. “When you’re growing produce, you see the results from your hard work, and you package it and sell it and know you’re feeding part of the country or the world. That’s very satisfying.”

The work can be laborious, and it’s not always as straightforward as planting a seed and watching it grow. Unpredictable challenges ranging from weather to equipment to labor make each day different from the day before. “It’s this constant evaluation of materials, manpower, and weather,” Doug says. “You start out one way, and by lunch, you have to change your plan.”

That means a plan that changes by the day — and from year-to-year. “We have to analyze the yields: How many boxes did we get per acre, and do we foresee prices going up on any commodity next year? In the off-season, we’re planning for what we’re going to grow next year, evaluating if it makes sense financially to upgrade our trucks and equipment,” Doug says.

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