Lessons learned from a farmer who was sustainable before it was cool
For North Carolina soybean farmer Jimmy Thomas, sustainability is defined not as a set of practices but as a way of life.
Thomas and his family live on a seventh generation row crop farm. Thomas inherited farming practices from his ancestors who instilled in him a love for the land and a “doing things the right way” farming mentality. And for the Thomases, farming the “right way” means protecting the land through sustainable agriculture.
“On our farm, sustainability has always been an attitude,” he says. “It’s like that old country western song that says we were country when country wasn’t cool. Well, we were sustainable before sustainability was cool.”
According to Thomas, if you’ve ever seen the definition of a true family farm, his could be the cover photo. Along with his brother Timmy and father Pete, they’ve chosen to continue their family’s farming tradition of making sustainability a priority.
“We work collectively to gain efficiency, but we’re just a group of family members who’ve chosen to work together toward a common goal of producing crops in a sustainable manor,” he says.
Water Warriors
With the farm located at the head of three major watersheds in North Carolina, the Neuse, Roanoke and Tar-Pamlico, the family’s main focus has always been on water.
“A lot of people talk about water quality, and while that is important in our operation, our real focus is on water utilization, making sure we have access to every drop of water that we can and using it to its fullest ability,” he says.
The extremely dense topsoils and limited amounts of rainfall in North Carolina make it difficult for soil to store moisture. These soil conditions make the Thomases’ “never-till” mentality crucial, as their 100 percent no-till grain operation allows the soil to hold moisture and causes less runoff into the local watersheds.
“If we can keep the water in the soil, then we can increase potential everywhere,” he says. “Our goal by using water so efficiently is to improve our soil health as well as the general public’s water supply.”
The Thomases also use a variety of structures, including terraces, grass waterways, field borders and filter strips, on the farm to direct water flow and filter runoff.
Land Learners
To be truly sustainable, Thomas believes you should use every resource the land provides. Whether it’s planting cover crops in the off-season or double-cropping soybeans with wheat, there is almost always something growing in his fields, even on the land not suitable for row crops.
Nearly 40 percent of his land cannot produce grain, but it’s carefully managed in a forestry program. He’s also invited companies to consider using waste from their 250 sow hog operation as an economical way to generate electricity.
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