About Us
Who we are
A farm designed and dedicated to returning service members and veterans of all eras to educate on all aspects of agriculture
VFNC helps them learn through on farm production models of sustainable livestock production and organic vegetable production.
Other mentorship opportunities with conventional farms are utilized for specialized interests for veterans wishing to learn about other avenues of farm production models.
Agriculture and agribusiness constitute a huge industry in North Carolina, contributing $84 billion of the annual gross state product (Walden, 2016), nonetheless NC agriculture faces a significant challenge. The average age of a North Carolina farmer is 58.9 years and NC farms are quite diverse in nature with over 50,000 farms, most being between 10-49 acres. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2012a). North Carolina certainly needs to add new farm entrepreneurs to replace those retiring to keep up with the growing food demands of a rising population globally.
A New Mission for Veterans:
The Veterans Farm of North Carolina (VFNC) is dedicated to helping veterans transition into farming as a meaningful and self-sustaining career. Through extensive training and mentorship programs, we equip veterans with the skills and knowledge needed to become successful farmers.
Bridging Military and Agriculture:
VFNC serves as a conduit between the military and agricultural sectors, acknowledging the immense potential veterans have in contributing to North Carolina's agricultural industry. We actively engage in connecting veterans with agricultural opportunities, thereby ensuring a vibrant and sustainable future for farming in our state.
Community Building and Support:
At VFNC, we pride ourselves on building a thriving community of farmer veterans. By fostering a network of support, shared experiences, and continuous learning, we create a nurturing environment that empowers veterans to thrive in agriculture while contributing positively to their communities.
Another major player in NC’s economy is the military with a, “significant impact on the state’s economy.” (Levy, 2015) American Community Survey estimates that more than 666,000 military service members and veterans call North Carolina home (Tippett, 2018).
One avenue to address the issues of agriculture is to assist, educate, mentor, and train exiting military personnel and veterans where it is most effective to do so. Fort Bragg, NC is the largest populated US Army base, serving 238,646 active duty and reserve Soldiers and veterans, civilian employees, and family members within the local area (Militarybases.us, 2019).
Meet The Board!
Robert Hosford
Robert Hosford was selected as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Agricultural Finance Authority. In 2019 Hosford assumed the role as State Director, Rural Development/USDA hased in Raleigh. During his tenure Rural Development efforts obligated close to $4 Billion into rural North Carolina communities, towns and counties. These expenditures came in the form of single family housing loans, water and environmental projects, business and industry loans and grants, firehouses, libraries, charter schools and rural hospitals.
He joined the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in 2010, in the International Marketing Division.
He specialized in export of: cotton, forestry products, Christmas Trees and meat products. Currently, he serves as the Director of Intergovernmental and Military Affairs. In this effort he spends a great deal of time working on foreign direct investment and economic development projects for rural North Carolina..
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Prior to NCDA&CS, Hosford was the President of pH Solutions, a London based clean water solution.
In 2004, Hosford was appointed by President George W. Bush as the Chief of Staff of the Farm Service Agency/USDA in Washington D.C. In that capacity he oversaw the day to day operations of the 16,000 employee agency. Additionally, he served as the Special Advisor to the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). In 2006, he accepted additional responsibilities with The President's Council on Environmental Quality(CEQ). During this time he was also asked to serve on the Secretaries Energy Council that was Co Chaired hy Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. In 1998, Hosford joined the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) based in Fort Worth, Texas as the Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs. While with TSCRA he was the government affairs advocate on behalf of the 20,000 member organization focusing his efforts in the 3 state legislatures of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and the 3 Congressional delegations.
During his time in Texas he did postgraduate studies at Texas A&M University at College Station. After graduating from Mississippi State University with a degree in Agricultural Journalism, Hosford accepted a position as the Director of Agricultural Policy with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in the Washington D.C. office. During that time, he handled all appropriations issues, the 1996 Farm Bill legislation and all conservation policy issues. Hosford was born and raised on a diversified row crop, forestry and livestock operation in Mississippi.
Robert and his daughter reside in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Lis Meyer
Lis Meyer grew up in a small rural community in eastern North Carolina where she often rode with her dad to visit farms all over the region for his job as a wholesale fertilizer sales rep. Maintaining her interest in all things growing, she attended NC State University for a B.S. in Botany followed by an M.S. in Horticultural Science with an emphasis on plant propagation and ornamental plant breeding.
She currently teaches as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State. Lis also serves as the advisor for student organizations in horticulture including the NC State chapter of Pi Alpha Xi and the National Collegiate Landscape Competition team. She teaches plant propagation at NC State for students in both the Associates and Bachelors degree program, as well as online courses in plant propagation and identification. She even survived having Rohert Elliott as one of her students.
Davon Goodwin
Davon Goodwin grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has rooted himself in North Carolina for over a decade now, consistently demonstrating his dual commitment to agriculture and community. Davon holds a hachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he studied biology with a concentration in botany. While in college, Davon enlisted in the Army Reserve (2007); he served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned a Purple Heart after he was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED). Davon works and connects to his community in numerous ways.
Davon Goodwin grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has rooted himself in North Carolina for over a decade now, consistently demonstrating his dual commitment to agriculture and community. Davon holds a hachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he studied biology with a concentration in botany. While in college, Davon enlisted in the Army Reserve (2007); he served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned a Purple Heart after he was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED). Davon works and connects to his community in numerous ways.
Davon Goodwin
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Since 2012, Davon has worked with Growing Change, a nonprofit organization that is transforming former North Carolina prisons into therapeutic farms for youth in the community. Through Growing Change, Davon has served as a teacher and mentor to youth who have been impacted by the juvenile justice system. He works full time as the Executive Director of the Sandhills AGInnovation Center (SAIC), a food hub in Ellerbe, NC, which he has managed since it opened in 2017. The mission of the SAIC is to support communities facing food insecurity by providing food boxes of fresh, healthy produce and proteins, which nourishes people in the region while at the same time reinvigorates the local farm economy and supports the next generation of farmers. Davon also owns and operates Off The Land Farms, a 42-acre sustainable farm located in Laurinburg, NC where he grows muscadine grapes, blackberries and vegetables. Davon was a 2017 Stone Barns Exchange Fellow, a group working at the intersections of climate change, food and agriculture. Davon was also a part of the 2018 Documentary "The War Within" that chronicles the lives of retired veterans of the conflict in Afghanistan. He currently serves on the board of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, Carolina farm
Stewardship Association.
Katie Bishop
Kate Bishop, originally born and raised in southern Missouri, came into farming naturally. Her family farm raised all manner of livestock and she was taught homesteading skills from an early age, such as canning, sewing, and processing livestock. Kate joined the Air Force after high school and was stationed at Whiteman AFB, MO, assigned to work on the B-2 Stealth Bomber.
She met her first hushand Brian on the flightline and had two children, Nathan and Emily. After ten years on the flightline, she changed johs.
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She attended the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia and was assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) as a Special Agent. Kate was transferred to Ramstein AB, Germany, and completed numerous short temporary duties and a deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan during her time with AFOSI. Kate was them transferred to Seymour Johnson AB, NC, and became a single mom. Kate later met her current husband Garrett, in 2014.
Garrett has two children, Amber and Jackson. In 2016, Kate received an honorable discharge and began a small homestead with Garrett in Smithfield. They raised a large variety of fowl and small livestock. They finally settled on chickens, and turkeys, but had spent many years attempting to locate local sources of beef and dairy. Late in 2021, Kate and Garrett made the decision to grow their farm into a business and begin milking cows, raising beef, and continuing to raise chickems for eggs and meat, as well as offer turkey for sale. Kate currently teaches homesteading classes such as canning, and butter and cheese making. She also conducts tours for new farmers with the Veteran's Farm, as well as other small homesteaders or future farmers wishing to start their own dairy operation.