Question: As a farm owner, what are you doing to ensure a future for the next generation on your family farm?
Answer: Porter Farms Inc. is a diversified farming operation with four major operations. We have cattle, swine and poultry, as well as our involvement in agritourism. This has enabled our three adult children and their spouses the opportunity to have an involvement in the farm and to rely on it for their livelihoods. Diversification helps maintain a healthy balance when one of the areas of agriculture may be suffering for a time. The swine and poultry are contract, which eliminates the fluctuations that arise with the food-cost risk. Our newest venture, agritourism, includes hosting weddings on our farm. This also helps educate urban families about the reality of farms and farm families. My wife, Vicky, and I have structured our wills so as to pass the farm to the next generation without too many financial obstacles in their way. It is our ultimate goal for this farm to continue operating for generations to come.
– Tommy Porter, Cabarrus County Farm Bureau president and a full-time farmer
