FARM TO CUSTOMER: Farmers find a profitable business model selling directly to consumers, while raising the agriculture sector's profile.

• Author: Saylor, Teri

In a state where tobacco, sweet potatoes, and poultry are king, a new generation of farmers is creating niche markets on a smaller scale and selling directly to consumers on their home turf.

People traveling the state's backroads recall stopping at roadside farmers markets for juicy homegrown tomatoes, watermelons, sweet corn and other seasonal delights. If you got there early, you might see dew on produce picked that morning.

Now there's a movement of farmers selling directly to consumers on their own farms. Part of this change was born from necessity when COVID-19 forced some farmers to find new ways to reach a different category of customers as the pandemic shut down restaurants, limited grocery store sales and kept people off the highways.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture supports efforts to draw consumers directly to farms through a "Visit NC Farms" agritourism app. It lists 1,893 active farms in 91 counties across the state, offering everything from info on farmers markets and pick-your-own farms, to special events and overnight accommodations.

In 2019, Austin and Christina Wrenn bought the Zebulon farm that had been in Austin Wrenn's family for three generations. It started as a tobacco farm, but his father and grandfather switched to growing tomatoes years ago. The farm eventually went out of business and fell into disrepair.

After taking over, the younger generation of Wrenns refurbished the farm and created a boutique marketplace specializing in strawberries and cut flowers.

"I think it was the spring of 2019 when we had our first strawberry crop on one acre, and it was terrible," Christina Wrenn said, laughing. "We had no idea what we were doing."

But by 2021, they had doubled their strawberry acreage, added their flower-growing operation, and business boomed. Best of all, the Wrenns have created a community around their business.

"I love coming face to face with the people who eat our strawberries and enjoy our flowers," she said. "It gives our customers a sense of connection when they can visit our farm and see where our fruit and flowers come from."

Farms selling small harvests directly to consumers on location is a growing trend across North Carolina. But still, the state maintains its top ranking in tobacco, sweet potatoes and poultry production...