Farm Bureau member Miles Mercer is a Robeson County native. So is his wife, Sandra. Mercer grows what he calls the traditional crops of the county—85 acres of flue-cured tobacco, 550 acres of soybeans, 450 acres of corn and 175 acres of wheat. Cultivating land near the state border is what Mercer has done since graduating from N.C. State University in 1979.
“Generally things work out well,” Mercer says. “We’ve been able to make a living on the farm for many years and look forward to continuing it.”
Since Mercer is so entrenched in his home area raising native crops, he has a firm plan on how to stay successful.
“With tobacco, the grower relationship with the tobacco company is important since we’re under direct contract with them. Marketing seems to be more of a challenge than in the past. There are more regulations that we have to abide by,” Mercer says.
“As far as the grain crops are concerned, it’s always a challenge keeping up with prices and with prices of inputs. There are so many new products on the market now; it can be time consuming trying to keep up with the latest products to help you,” he adds.
Mercer stays busy off the farm, too. He has served on the Robeson County Farm Bureau Board for more than 10 years and is chairman of the Robeson County Soil and Water Conservation Board of Supervisors. Mercer also enjoys watching his wife and 9-year-old daughter, Anna, compete in barrel racing and other equine sports.
When the crop is out of the field, the Mercer family might do a little traveling. Otherwise, staying in Robeson County is just fine.
“We stick pretty close to the farm and enjoy the country life,” he says.
