Farming is enough to keep anyone busy, but some have found the bandwidth for additional jobs, both paid and volunteer, protecting their communities. In this story, we highlight three farmers whose roles off the farm are all about making every moment matter.
See more: Deans Farm Market Offers Agritourism, Fresh Produce and Meals
Olivia Wilson Ford
For more than a century, farming has been a way of life for Olivia Wilson Ford and her family in Caldwell County. She and her brother, Clay Wilson, run Johnny Wilson Farm, a 150-acre farm and agritourism destination in Granite Falls that has been in their family since 1910. Today, it features a pumpkin patch and hosts weddings and events.
Ford and Wilson are fourth-generation farmers, and their children are following in their footsteps. Ford’s kids, Shelby, 9, and Harrison, 7, participate in many of the day-to-day activities on the farm, and she’s excited that they want to learn more.
“The chickens are their responsibility,” Ford says. “They also both show sheep. Shelby can also successfully run the produce stand by herself, waiting on customers start to finish without any assistance, and Harrison is already driving the tractor.”
Running a farm, delivering calves, feeding the cattle and raising a new generation to do the same is enough to overrun Ford’s brimming plate. But she’s also a paid emergency medical technician and paramedic, as well as a volunteer firefighter, while her brother is a full-time firefighter. Both are full-time heroes.
See more: Meredith Bernard Uses This Farm Wife Blog to Share Her Farm Story
“You could say the apple didn’t fall far from the tree for my brother or myself,” she says.
Their father, Johnny Wilson, volunteered at the sawmill and was a paid firefighter for the city of Lenoir.
“We’ve always been very community involved,” she adds. “Even as a farm, we think it’s our turn at watch, our turn to make it better for the community. We’ve always had servants’ hearts to help and be there for others.”
Shelby Castelloe
As a contract grower for Purdue, Shelby Castelloe and his wife, Chrystal, raise broiler chickens on their poultry farm in Askewville. Chrystal runs that aspect of the business while Shelby and his son oversee the cotton, corn and soybeans they grow.
The work keeps him busy, but he still finds time to volunteer for the local fire department, where he’s been responding to emergency calls for 25 years. Castelloe’s son also volunteers, making him the fourth generation of the family to do so.
“It’s about serving the community,” he says. “It’s hard for rural fire departments to get members who can leave work. Farmers’ schedules are more lenient, so we usually make up the emergency response during the day. I’ve also always been taught that you give back to the community, and that’s part of it, too.”
See more: The Future of North Carolina Farm Bureau
A member of the Bertie County Farm Bureau Board of Directors for 16 years, Castelloe has served as its president for 10 of those years.
“North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation is one of the greatest organizations I’ve been a member of – apart from church and the fire department,” he says.
Scott Thomas
In Wilson County, hometown hero Scott Thomas and his wife, Janie, have owned Great Gardens Nursery and Landscape since 1996. With help from sons Scotty and Josh, they’ve built a thriving business specializing in a variety of landscaping services as well as growing trees, shrubs and flowers.
Outside the time he spends designing hardscapes for Great Gardens customers, Thomas suits up with fellow volunteers to respond to emergency calls with the Contentnea Volunteer Fire Department.
“Our department does a lot of traffic accidents because we have Interstate 95, U.S. 264 and Interstate 795 crisscrossing through our district,” Thomas says.
The nursery owner has been volunteering with the department for seven years.
“When someone’s in an accident, they’re having a bad day,” Thomas says. “So part of the draw to it is the satisfaction in knowing you can make someone’s bad day better.”
See more: Stop and Smell the North Carolina Daylilies
Get Involved
If you or someone you know is interested in making a difference, visit your local volunteer fire department to explore available opportunities.
– Julie J. Novara
