Johnny A. Carter was inducted into the Cumberland County Agricultural Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse on Nov. 18.

Carter was recognized during the annual Farm City event hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Fayetteville.

An official portrait of Carter was unveiled during the ceremony and will hang on the wall with those of past inductees in the I.B. Julian Auditorium of the Cooperative Extension office at the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center, located at 301 E. Mountain Dr.

A Cumberland County local, Carter grew up in the Wade community and was active in the FFA at Central High School.  After serving in the North Carolina Army National Guard and later working in the trucking industry, Carter began farming part time in 1971. He worked with his uncle, Jim Scoggins, and brother-in-law, J.R. Vann.

During the mid-1970s, Carter built a small hog operation that laid the framework for a long and rewarding career in agriculture. In 1979, Carter became a full-time farmer and entered the hog business with his brothers-in-law, Johnny and Curtis Smith. Together, they established Folly Hog Farm, an independent farrow-to-finish hog operation.

For nearly 20 years, Carter worked in the family hog business, while also developing an extensive row crop operation. Carter has said that he farmed “the most that he could with the least possible workforce.”

During his 51 years in agriculture, Carter produced corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, sorghum, millet, cotton, watermelons and raised beef cattle. In 1999, Carter ventured into chicken farming and became a contract pullet grower for Tyson Foods.

Carter was one of the first farmers in Cumberland County to diversify his farming operation, from swine to row crops, and eventually included poultry. Carter’s forward thinking, willingness to change, calculated risk taking and receptiveness to new techniques resulted in a successful, streamlined farming operation that continues to thrive.

Carter married the late Suellen Carter in 1970 and the couple would go on to have two children, Susan and Adam in 1971. Carter now farms alongside his son, Adam Carter, and his grandson, Mason Canady. They own and operate J & A Farms, with farming operations in the Eastover, Godwin and Wade areas.

Carter’s most significant contribution to agriculture is undoubtedly his commitment to and involvement with the younger farming generation in Cumberland County. During his nearly 40-year tenure with the Cumberland County Livestock Association, he has demonstrated his dedication to mentoring and

promoting young people in agriculture. Carter has also worked with Cumberland County Cooperative Extension to promote agriculture education

and awareness in the community. He regularly exhibits farm equipment and field crops at the Cumberland County Fair and has spoken at several youth agricultural programs, introducing children to the importance and impact of farming.

“It is an honor to recognize Mr. Johnny Carter for his outstanding leadership and contributions to agriculture,” said Cooperative Extension Director Lisa Childers. “Johnny’s most significant contribution to agriculture has been his commitment to mentoring and promoting agriculture to our younger generation.”