RALEIGH, N.C. — Driving through North Carolina, you can expect to see some farm animals.
Agriculture is the state’s biggest industry, with horses, cows, pigs and chickens dotting the 100 counties.
If you’re ever in Franklin County, though, you might stumble across a different kind of farm. Hardly Farm is one of the state’s new alpaca farms.
It’s not something that Kim Stewart expected to see on her family land.
The farm used to be her father’s tobacco and loblolly tree farm.
Stewart has been involved in the agriculture community and industry her whole life, and it’s something she said she comes by honestly.
“Daddy loved this land. He called it God’s country,” Stewart said.
The family has since transitioned out of those industries, however. They were seeking a new way to work the land while keeping it in the family.
One day, Stewart’s daughter, Lauren Sullivan and her husband, Chris, went to a craft show. There they saw alpacas and what was done with their fiber.
“So we started doing research and found out that you could have about ten alpacas per one acre. So we’re like, ‘That’s have something that we can manage,’” Sullivan said.
The farm opened in September, and the family has already seen over 500 visitors come out since then.
They said they’re working on finding their niche, offering a variety of classes and activities, all while promoting North Carolina agriculture.
“We’re called Hardly Farm because Daddy used to joke to me and my son-in-law that he and I didn’t he didn’t think he and I would make it farming, because we looked like we hardly farmed,” Stewart said.
Stewart never expected this use from the land, but she’s excited to see what is to come. She’s thankful her children want to continue the family legacy of farming, and keep the land in their family.
She added she’s seen how farm land has disappeared in the state — too quickly for her liking.
According to a study by the American Farmland Trust, if things continue as they are, North Carolina is set to lose more than 1.9 million acres of farmland by 2040.
Hardly Farm might look different from years past, but the family is working to make sure they aren’t a part of that statistic.
“I’m just grateful that Daddy didn’t give up on the farm and decide to cash it all in for money. He kept the land, and so my siblings and I inherited the land at my parents’ passing,” Stewart said. “I’m just very grateful for them for that.”