Why Authentic Farmer Voices Matter
December 6, 2025
| Friends, This week, I had the pleasure of attending the Southeast Vegetable and Fruit Expo held by the North Carolina Vegetable Growers Association in Myrtle Beach, SC. Their team put on a great event, and I enjoyed getting back to my specialty crop roots for a few days. One of the speakers for the event was Will Brinkley, aka the Tarheel Farmer, from Davidson County. I’m not one to post on social media much, and I definitely am not a TikTok guru, but I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Will’s story and business through his posts. Sometimes he’s joking about buying used farm equipment or his young sons falling asleep on the job, and other times he is giving a real, in-depth look at farming as a lifestyle and business. Either way, what he is doing is really important, and here’s why. In Will’s closing remarks on Tuesday, he stated that “we need to control the narrative” around agriculture. In an era where many narratives about agriculture come from critics or the media outside of the agriculture community, it is more important than ever that the people who live and breathe farming speak for themselves. The Tarheel Farmer is an exceptional case of controlling the narrative, where Will has almost 490,000 followers on TikTok and more than 7 million likes on his posts. His audience has varied experience with agriculture, but he’s built a trustworthy narrative about farming by breaking down stereotypes of farmers and farm practices and creating a space for engagement and understanding. In our Dispatch from October 18, 2025, our Chairman, Peter Daniel, wrote about how farmer voices shaped the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) commission’s final report and recommendations. This same message rings true in what the Tarheel Farmer does on his TikTok every time he posts. In a conversation with him on Tuesday, Will assured me that his secret sauce for his success was being authentically himself and sharing his daily life as he sees it. I’m not sure about you, but I am not one to grab my phone and naturally start talking to the camera. My authentic self is not as witty as Will’s, and I am much more comfortable behind this keyboard than on a screen. That said, there are so many ways that you and I can help control the narrative on agriculture, including: Give feedback to commodity groups, state agencies, and extension agents Invite policymakers to your operations and your meetings Participate in federal agency comment periods (this is a personal favorite of mine, as these comments allow farmers and their partners to describe the real-world impacts of policy on their operations) Support and amplify farmer voices by sharing their work and the work of partner organizations. An easy first step is sharing this email and following us on our socials. You don’t need a huge social media presence to influence how North Carolina agriculture is understood. Some of the most powerful forms of advocacy never appear on a screen. Even quiet actions build the foundation for our story to be told by us and for us before others have the chance to tell it. Farmers and ag professionals can shape public perception by being part of the greater agriculture community, and the NC Ag Partnership is proud to be part of that community with you. Best regards, |
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| Tori Rumenik Executive Director, North Carolina Ag Partnership |