Faulkner family named 2015 Charles County Farm Family of the Year
Faulkner family named 2015 Charles County Farm Family of the Year
Addison Herbert has lived on his family’s Faulkner farm for 78 years and finds the farming lifestyle to be a worthwhile living for himself, his children and his children’s children as the farm continues to grow and change with the times.
“We are providing for so many people,” Herbert said of his family’s — including wife, Susan, children Michael, Ann, Philip and Jeanne — farming mission. “We grow for all people. It’s a wonderful lifestyle.”
The family was recently nominated 2015 Charles County Farm Family of the Year and were honored at the annual Charles County Farm Bureau dinner in March. During the awards ceremony, the family received a proclamation from the Maryland Senate and the Charles County Board of Commissioners for it’s leadership in local agriculture and a plaque from the three organizations on the selection committee.
The local nominating committee consists of the University of Maryland Extension (UME) County Agriculture Agent, the County Farm Bureau President and a representative from the Soil Conservation District (SCD).
“We’re certainly very honored,” Sue said in an interview. “As both 4-H leaders, and we’re very active in the farm bureau as well, it’s really nice to see that your peers think that what you’re doing is worth recognizing. That’s what really meant a lot is that we were nominated by other farmers.”
Not only have the Herbert’s been farming for generations, they have also been immensely involved in 4-H, a youth development program administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Addison, a La Plata high school graduate, and Susan, an Archbishop Neal School graduate, met as teenagers through 4-H. They have volunteered for the organization for almost 40 years, being named the 2004 State 4-H Family of the Year. Their children are all 4-H All-Stars and their three grandchildren—Addison, 11, Riley Jo, 9, and Charlie, 2 — are continuing the legacy.
“So many people now are so far removed from the agricul- ture lifestyle and are so misinformed about what happens on our farms day to day,” Jeanne Herbert, 25, said of her purpose for continuing her family’s farming legacy. “I think it’s a staple that needs to be around because you have to eat… an industry that feeds us is an industry worth fighting for.”
The farm began when Addison’s parents, P. Addison of Chaptico and Sophia Bowling of Allens Fresh, purchased 88 acres in 1936. Their main crop was tobacco sold at auctions. They also grew corn, hay, wheat, vegetables, poultry and dairy cows on the farm. Addison said he remembers beginning to help out on the farm when he was 10-years-old.
Sue graduated from Towson University in 1969 with a teaching degree and taught for Charles County Public Schools for 32 years, receiving the Waldorf Jaycees Teacher of the Year award in 1980, and at the College of Southern Maryland for 10 years, in addition to her work on the farm.
The couple married in 1970 and remained active in the local agriculture community. Addison was named Waldorf Jaycees Young Farmer of the Year in 1972 and has held a position on the board of directors for the Charles County Farm Bureau for 43 years. Sue was also a member of the farm bureau and worked as secretary for 20 years. She continues her service with the Farm Bureau’s Women’s Committee and Farm Bureau Education Committee.
As was the story for many Southern Maryland farmers, the Herbert family took the tobacco buyout in 2001 and decided to transition their farm into other viable enterprises that could sustain future generations, including cattle, goats, sheep, vegetable production, hay and grain. The family can be seen around the county selling their produce at local stands.
Three of the Herbert’s children have built homes and are raising their children on the 110-acre farm they grew up on. Jeanne continues to work on the farm daily, building her own livestock herd, in addition to working part-time as a veterinary technician and part-time 4-H program assistant.
“It’s kind of a tradition really,” Jeanne said. “It’s definitely a lot of fun, it’s kind of my hobby and so it’s nice that a hobby can make me some extra income. I just like the fact that I can do things that my family has been doing for so long and keep something alive.”
“[The family] not only bleed green in their leadership to the youth, but are active and involved in all other areas of local agriculture,” Elizabeth Solis-McGarry, administrative assistant for the University of Maryland Extension, Charles County, wrote on behalf of the extension’s nomination. “They have been innovative in their crops and marketing initiatives, with no signs of slowing down. In later years, as the farm is passed down to the fourth generation, the path is paved with knowledge and the understanding that the farm must continue to evolve and reinvent itself.”
Addison and Sue said being able to see a third generation of children grow up on the farm is what they are “most proud of.”
“That’s kind of what it’s all about,” Sue said. “It’s just such a good lifestyle for them. It’s giving them that chance to be out in the open, in fresh air, and if they go outside and scream a little bit it doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s that lifestyle we’ve all tried to maintain. Not every kid gets to experience that.”