new journey farm nc

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New Journey Farm

New Journey Farm located at 1702 South Lomax Road in Ronda, NC, is a rescue farm that rehabilitates equines who have been neglected, sold for slaughter, or been injured, and rehomes them safely. Owner Jessica Bell says that most of the donkeys and horses rescued are retired from racing or were used on farms to plow or provide transportation. Once they are rehomed, these animals usually become full-use horses or emotional support animals. New Journey Farm was awarded $1,500 for needed updates to their barn and establish a system that brings water to each of the stalls. Their goal is to continue to meet the need for equine rescues in Wilkes County, heal and rehab the animals, and connect them with loving forever homes. For information on New Arrivals, becoming a Sponsor, or adopting and animal- visit www.newjourneyfarmandequinerescue.com .

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From new ground farm to unc pembroke’s fork.

Feb 13, 2020

In Robeson County, you’ll find Millard and Connie Locklear tending to their fields of okra, sweet peas, carrots, and eggplant. The Locklears operate New Ground Farm, just a few miles outside of Pembroke’s town center. New Ground Farm, despite the name, has been in the Locklear family for over seven generations. 

“My mother taught me this trick,” says Connie, as she turns the bottom hem of her shirt into a pouch and stuffs freshly picked field peas into the fold. “You can pick more of them this way.”

The field peas in Connie’s hands have a long journey ahead of them. They’ll be picked up later that day to be inspected by FreshPoint , a food distributor based in Morrisville, North Carolina. After their stop at FreshPoint, they’ll go back to Robeson County to be prepared in the kitchens at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Distributors like FreshPoint help connect the dots between rural farmers and their communities. “Food is regulated for the benefit and the health of the consumer,” says Millard. “The mom-and-pop way we’ve done it over the last hundred years has changed, and distributors and community partnerships provide the scale, logistics, and food safety processes that make this work.” 

One of the biggest missions of UNC Pembroke is building community and giving back—supporting them and building relationships across the state, says Glenn Reynolds, UNC Pembroke area executive chef. “Getting involved with FreshPoint and Millard and Connie was our way at UNC Pembroke of holding true to that mission.” 

UNC Pembroke has been building partnerships with farmers in the area for two years, despite hurdles around handling the logistics and scale of the project. “We feed thousands each week—it’s not like we can just go out to the farmer’s market; we have to create a supply chain that works for our scale,” says Reynolds.

New Ground Farm was a part of the Rural Food Business Assistance Project , an initiative of the NC Rural Center’s Food and Community Development program in partnership with USDA Rural Business Development. The Rural Food Business Assistance Project provided direct technical training to agribusinesses and built regional networks to support local farmers, value-added processors, and food service businesses. 

They are also a part of the UNC Pembroke Thomas Entrepreneurship HUB, AgriVentures Sandhills Food Innovation project, in partnership with NC IDEA Foundation and the Rural Center. The AgriVentures Sandhills project provides outreach, training, strategic counseling, and mentorship to food and agribusiness entrepreneurs. 

“We changed the way we farm and how we get our produce to the community—we’ve been more directly engaged with them and we’ve had a lot of interest and participation from the students at the university,” says Millard. “It’s been a great opportunity to work closely with FreshPoint and the students at UNC Pembroke.”

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Jaleel Hewitt: Growing Caribbean Dreams

NC State’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences is home to over 350 students pursuing two-year, four-year, and graduate degrees in agricultural and environmental sciences. Our mission is to connect them with the opportunities and careers that solve growing challenges.

Jaleel Hewitt is a senior majoring in agroecology with big plans for his family farm in the Caribbean. But first, he’s testing out business skills and plant science to take back to his home farm.

Hear how he’s mixing work, classes and volunteerism to find the right balance for business success and long-term sustainability.

Hi Jaleel, where are you from?

I was born in New York, but I spent my whole childhood and adolescent years in Jamaica . My father is from Jamaica, and my mother is from Trinidad.

What was your journey to NC State?

I picked NC State because I knew it was a good agricultural school. My aunt attended NC State for graduate school in business, so she encouraged me to consider it. 

I spent one and a half years at Wake Technical Community College and then transferred to NC State. I have enough credit hours to be considered a senior, but I added a minor in agricultural business and work part-time, so I plan to graduate in the spring of 2025.

How did you become interested in agroecology?

My dad has been farming in Jamaica for over 20 years. He grows specialty horticultural crops, such as high-value crops like peppers and tomatoes, for hotels and other markets. 

I wanted to study agroecology as a way to future-proof farming and make it sustainable in the face of climate change. Some people like to focus on a debate between agroecology and conventional farming like there’s a war between GMO products and organics. But there are actually a lot of misconceptions.

Agroecology is very flexible and versatile. You can implement different practices depending on the environmental and social setting you’re in. It’s not just hippie farming.

Are you involved in any student groups?

I’m a member of the Agroecology Club and volunteer at the Agroecology Farm out at Lake Wheeler.  It’s a space where you can be yourself and surround yourself with like-minded individuals who have similar career plans.

What topics and classes have interested you the most so far?

Every field trip we took in Dr. Patterson’s lab was wonderful. I love learning through experiences and seeing all that North Carolina agriculture has to offer. One of the last trips in the spring was to Pace Family Farms, where we got to pick strawberries, have ice cream and talk about their transition from tobacco to a CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm. It was a great way to end the semester.

You mentioned that you work part-time too.

Yes, year-round, I work with my aunt at her restaurant in Raleigh. I do a little bit of everything, but I mostly work as a cashier. I’ve learned a lot about interpersonal skills and how to work with different people. It’s important to interact positively with customers to reflect well on the business.

But I’ve also worked with Dr. Craig Yencho in his sweetpotato breeding program. My father grows sweetpotatoes, and I was interested to see how they handle the sweetpotato weevil in North Carolina.

In Jamaica, it’s a very destructive pest that bores holes in vines and lays the eggs of future larvae. It not only makes the harvestable product look ugly but also reduces yield and ruins the taste. It is a hard pest to control. 

Did the experience change your academic trajectory?

I learned that the sweet potato weevil isn’t as much of an issue in North Carolina as it is in Jamaica. North Carolina growers struggle more with root-knot nematodes.

It was interesting to see research in action. But I also learned that I am very practical and business-oriented. I want to work on the farm and with customers, not in research.

Did that experience count as your internship?

No, I’m hoping to do that at the Agroecology Farm. I think there is a lot more that could be done there with more funding.

I’d like to help make it the visual image of an ideal farm — fully planted, incorporating different systems like animals and composting. I think we could offer even more products or agrotourism experiences.

What is your career goal?

In the short term, I may look for local employment in the Raleigh-Durham area until my brother finishes school. He is a junior Goodnight Scholar in Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

But I definitely want to contribute to my dad’s business in Jamaica. As a developing country, I think we can be influential as a model farm. Most farms there are subsistence farmers. I want to show how we can produce food using science and technology.

Jamaica is a huge tourist area with a constant demand for fresh food. I’d like to see us scale the business and add agrotourism opportunities. I think there is a great opportunity to show people how we grow food and share educational stories of agriculture with schools and tour groups. 

There’s a trend away from farming because of the hard work and risk, but we can inspire children and the community to appreciate agriculture. And it would give the business great exposure. 

What has your experience been like at NC State?

NC State is an incredible place. I’ve learned a lot of things in and out of the classroom. But mainly, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here, lots of people would be happy to trade places with me. I’m grateful the universe put me here.

I feel I have a responsibility to do well and make the most of this opportunity—especially to my parents, who have sacrificed for me to be here. They are my role models. I want to be just like my dad.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

I’m an avid fisherman. It’s therapeutic. I love to go somewhere peaceful and quiet, away from all the groups. Fishing teaches you about patience and the value of being able to be alone. My dad and I go fishing whenever I go back home. We share experiences and talk about life. Everyone should try it!

What’s your advice to a new student at NC State?

Be patient and give yourself time to find your path and friend group. At first, I saw other people having all of these experiences – work, research groups, study abroad, clubs –  and wondered why I wasn’t doing all of them too. 

They seemed to have everything figured out. I was driving myself crazy, wondering, ‘Am I doing enough? Am I moving fast enough? Am I doing the right things?’ The bottom line is not to let what other people do with their lives confuse you into thinking that you should do the same with yours. Always try to act with the right intentions, and the rest should follow.

I found that you have to take it one day at a time. We’re all coming from different places and need to be open to changes. Identify what you want from college and remember the reason why you’re here. There’s plenty of time to find your way. 

Picture yourself in crop and soil sciences. 

If you are looking for an academic path that leads to a career of impact, consider crop and soil sciences. Our students learn from expert professors and experience hands-on adventures every day.  

Learn more about our student degree pathways , including deep dives into our agronomy , soil science and turfgrass programs. Then, join us for a guided email tour of our Crop & Soil Sciences Department.  

Connecting students with fruitful careers is just part of how we are growing the future.

• https://cals.ncsu.edu/crop-and-soil-sciences/news/jaleel-hewitt-growing-caribbean-dreams/">

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Other top news, thank you agpack.

Thanks to our amazing Wolfpack, the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences received over $4,700 in the 2024 Day of Giving. Thank you!

Soil Science Ph.D. Student Janson Wins 2023 Women In Science Prize

Soil may be the most undervalued natural resource on Earth. But NC State soil science graduate student Julia Janson has elevated its visibility by winning one of The Story Exchange’s 2023 Women in Science Incentive Prizes for her research on saltwater-affected soils. 

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