WE FARM OTHER THINGS, TOO
Even though we’re known for our sweetpotatoes, we farm a lot of other crops including…
Peanuts
We strive for excellence in our Virginia-type peanut production and continue to grow this part of the farm. We utilize wireless connections in our tractors for peanuts to share ridging, planting and digging coordinates that keeps all the machines on the same line and increases our yields. With on site drying facilities and more than 2 dozen peanut trailers we are ready and able to get the crop harvested at the right time for our shellers to receive premium peanuts.
Small Grains — Wheat & Soybeans
Grain crops work well in our crop rotation. We grow both wheat and soybeans on over 7,500 acres. We have onsite storage with a grain dryer and also organic grain storage nearby that allows us the ability to properly maintain the quality of our grains.
Watermelons
Johnny’s daughter, Bethany, started our watermelon business as a school project in 2004. We now grow more than 500 acres of tasty seedless melons with availability beginning in late May until Labor Day under our Bethany’s Best brand. Our Primus-certified watermelon packing facility can grade multiple truckloads per day into corrugated cardboard bins with ready-to-display wraps on each bin.
PERSIMMONS
Starting as exploratory specialty crop project, the Japanese persimmon orchard has carved out a niche market on the east coast. Spanning across 20+ acres, our ‘Fuyu’ Persimmons are picked ripe from the tree, hand packed and stored in temperature-controlled rooms to ensure quality. Our orchard is 100% certified organic and are available starting in September.
Tobacco
Our heritage starts with tobacco. The Barnes family has been growing tobacco for over 60 years in Eastern North Carolina. We now mechanically harvest all of our crop and have over 118 tobacco barns with state-of-the-art curing controls that allow us to keep a close eye and produce top-quality golden leaves.