Rockingham, N.C. – John McInnis Farm was selected as the annual “Farm of the Year” by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension – Richmond County Center.
The award was announced at the annual Farm-City Luncheon on November 20. Previous award winners were The Berry Patch in 2015, and David and Jackie Sherrill in 2016.
“I am honored to be able to speak about this year’s Farmer of the Year,” said livestock agent Tiffanee Conrad. “He (John) is not only a great farmer, but also a friend to me and probably most of you in the room. He is a mover and a shaker and gets things done, but he never wants credit for it.
“John is one of the humblest people I’ve ever met in my whole life,” Conrad continued. “When he told me this morning he couldn’t make it today to the luncheon because he has to get chickens, I told him we were going to surprise him with an award. I was trying to see if there was any way he could work it out to come. When I told him, he was completely shocked. I don’t think he spoke for several minutes. And when he did, he started listing off all the other farmers who were more qualified for this award than him.”
Conrad continued by saying McInnis is a true leader and has a vast amount of experience and knowledge about farming, but what grabs his heart the most are young people. She explained that he has helped countless kids get interested and excited about agriculture.
“John made sure that we were the first county in the whole state to get fecal egg count equipment to help livestock farmers,” Conrad said. “He told me where to go to get the training needed and then helped me to raise the funds for it.
“We use that equipment almost every day and it has helped farmers to save thousands of animals, not just goats but all animals,” she concluded. Today almost every county in the state is using their own equipment and they look to Richmond County for help with it.
