NC Farm Family Faces: A Family Affair

For the Matthis family, farming is a family affair. Everyone has a part to play, and they work together to get things done. When it comes to farming, family is their favorite part about it.

Scott and Melanie Matthis, and their two boys, Chasen (18) and Colbey (15) grow hogs, cattle, turkeys and hay on their Sampson County Farm. Scott grew up on a local farm growing row crops and tobacco. Melanie grew up in the area, but was a "city girl"... that is until she met Scott and came to the farm. She's fell right in and fell in love with the farm life. In 1990, they built two hog houses. Later, they would grow their farm to a total of 6 hog houses, 110 Simmental cattle, and lease a turkey farm. Melanie manages the turkeys while the boys do the cattle, hogs, and hay. Scott works full-time with Prestage Farms as their Cattle Manager. Although gone much of the day, he goes straight to work from one full-time job to another--Cattle Manager to farmer.  You could say that he really enjoys the agriculture life.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, though. Chasen and Colbey love the farm life too. While Chasen prefers work on the tractor cutting hay and tending to crops, Colbey would rather be working with the animals, especially the pigs. Despite each of the Matthis boys having a favorite aspect of the farm, they are both adept in all areas, pitching in wherever needed. Both can drive a tractor like it is second-nature and both show livestock in 4-H. The two also know how growing up on a farm has helped them.

"I've learned responsibility," said Colbey and Chasen added that "I've developed a strong work ethic thanks to living on a farm."

For their parents, their greatest hope is for their sons to take over the farm one day."Our hope for the future is that our boys will come back and run it. They are the reason that we do what we do," said Melanie.

And what the Matthis family does, is work hard to make sure they are sustainable. They want this farm to last for generations to come. Part of that is to do things the right way and respect their neighbors.

"Being a good neighbor means everything. We live on the land too.  We don't want to do anything to harm the environment because we live here," said Scott.

Melanie echoed her husband's sentiments. As a mom raising two boys on the farm, she knows first-hand the importance of doing things the right way.

It isn't always easy on the farm, though. The family could all agree that working 365 days a year with very few vacations or time off isn't easy. Yet, the best and hardest parts about farming are integrally weaved together for the Matthis family. Late nights cutting hay and early mornings caring for animals isn't always fun, but it also allows them to work more together as a family. In the end, it is all worth it.

The Matthis family is committed to farm life and are invested in it. If they aren't working on the farm, you may find them on the road headed to a 4-H livestock show. When Scott isn't working one of his full-time jobs, he is serving on the NC Purebred Angus Board, Simmental Cattle Board, and the Sampson County Cattleman's Association Board. They lead a full life that is filled with agriculture, but at the center of it all is family.Farming is a family affair for the Matthis Family.

Photos by: M. See Creative

Farmers' Hard Work Pays Off--Almost 99% of Lagoons Held During Hurricane Florence

As of today, the reports show 46 out of 3,300 lagoons sustained structural damages, inundations from floods or overtopping (from too much rain) due to Hurricane Florence. 46 out of 3,300 – that’s not perfect but, still, given the size of the hurricane, it’s good news.  If you do the math, that means 98.6% of lagoons held up to the storm. That didn’t just happen. It was the result of a lot of hard work, and preparation for the hurricane, by farmers.But unfortunately good news doesn’t sell newspapers. And the News and Observer’s stories about how hog farms fared during the hurricane sure didn’t read like good news. Take the first line of one story: “The number of hog lagoons in the state that are overflowing and spilling is double the amount counted Monday afternoon…”Doubled? That sounded terrible. But, of course, the News and Observer was only reporting the bad news. It didn’t mention the thousands of lagoons that were holding up fine.Right above that story, the News and Observer, published a photo of a flooded farm and a headline: More NC hog lagoons are breached and overflowing as Florence flood waters rise. More catastrophe. More warnings of doom.Bad news sells newspapers. The News and Observer reported the threats. But ignored the bigger part of the picture where farmers’ hard work paid off.

Preparing, Battling, and Coming Through Hurricane Florence: One Farmer's Story

Like most farmers, I went to work getting ready for the storm (or a storm) long before I ever heard the words Hurricane Florence. No farmer worth his salt begins preparing, say, a lagoon for a storm when he hears a storm is on the way – he makes sure a lagoon can weather a storm all year long.As Florence headed for the coast, we secured trash cans, made sure diesel fuel and gasoline for generators would be available and feed for the pigs was well stocked. During the storm, like hundreds of other farmers, we made sure buildings were holding up under the stress of the hurricane winds and that generators came on – and stayed on – once we lost electricity.  And we made routine checks on the pigs to be sure they had feed and water as well as proper ventilation.And, of course, the unexpected happened. During one torrential downpour, the generator on our farm ran hot.  When it stopped working the ventilation fans stopped and the curtains in our hog barn dropped to allow the pigs to have proper ventilation.  Next, as quickly as we could, we repaired the generator and restored the electricity – then we went to work rolling up each curtain and resetting the curtain drop machines.  All these protections are in place for one reason: To ensure the safety of our animals. And the protections worked.One other surprise: During the storm one feed system broke down so, every day, we had to bucket feed those pigs until we were able to fix the feed system.I’m also a local volunteer firefighter and when I wasn’t working on the farm I helped other firemen remove trees from roadways with our tractor.  Hurricane Florence didn’t allow me much time away from the farm but my brothers and sisters in the fire service worked day and night rescuing people from floods and helping families in trouble.During the hurricane, like many families, we also had leaks at our homes and were constantly monitoring the generators that provide electricity to our refrigerators, lights, and fans. And, of course, simply keeping our families safe as the hurricane roared inland was our biggest worry. I should also add that, during the hurricane, many farmers I know had a lot tougher time, and overcame harder struggles, than I did.After the storm, with so many roads flooded, we’ve had to begin rationing feed supplies for our pigs, to make it last until feed trucks can safely travel.  And we’ve also begun to repair roofs across the farm. Everyday, we monitor the lagoon levels. And, of course, we already have a plan in place, preparing for the possibility of another storm.--Chad Herring, NCFF Executive Director