Angus Cattle/The Business Breed. Piedmontese Cattle/The Lean Breed    Delmar Farm is owned and operated by Tony Francis and wife Louise, Tony a grandson of James and Pearl Francis has continued the Francis Family ownership of this farm to well over 100 years. The Farm is located in rural eastern North Carolina, between the towns of Enfield and Halifax adjacent to the Marsh Swamp and the CSX Railroad North/South mainline. Our Goal is to be a sustainable family farm growing our produce the old fashion way, without the use of chemical insecticides, pesticide and chemical fertilizers. Natural and organic based products are used in our vegetable production. We also strive to produce the highest quality beef while caring for our animals humanely and with compassion. Our cattle are a Angus and Piedmontese cross raised here on the farm in a stress free environment and are never administered hormone implants. Our animals are raised mostly on their natural diet of grass which has less fat and supplemented with some grain mix which is good for our hearts and our waistlines. Grass fed beef is a good source of beta- carotene, vitamin E, genetically low in cholesterol and more nutritious, high in protein. Our weaned calves are finished on high quality forage and millet silage with a supplemental feeding of wheat hulls and peanuts. We also actively manage our forest land as a member of the American Tree Farm Assoc. and also grow hay for sale to livestock and horse owners. Our list of Produce includes: Heirloom Tomatoes, Eggplants, Squash, Zucchini, Okra and Cucumbers in a seasonal hi-tunnel with drip irrigation. (Due to Storm Damage to the Hi-Tunnel we will NOT have Produce available this Season.) Cattle/Beef are available for purchased based on their live weight and can be processed in bulk sizes of Whole, Halves and Quarters, Customer pays for processing , Animals will be delivered to the processor for custom processing and dry aged 21 days and vacum sealed.
Our partnering organizations/agencies and our association.  Our membership with the North Carolina Cattleman's Association plays a very important role in our cattle operation providing us with the necessary tools and industry trends to make good management and marketing decisions.   We value our partnership and the services provided by USDA - NRCS . We have received technical assistance in the development of a Conservation Management Plan, Grazing Management Plan, various cost share programs as well as other program services.  The North Carolina ADFP Trust Fund has had a tremendous positive impact on our goal to preserve this farm and pass it on to the next generation. We received funding for a Conservation Easement through the NC ADFP trust fund to ensure our farm will continue to operate as such.  Being a member of this new organization know as the NC Industrial Hemp Association gave us an opportunity and insight into this new industry, as well as paving the way for our participation in the NC Ind. Hemp Pilot Program. We have received our License to grow Industrial Hemp and will be participating in the 2017 North Carolina Industrial Hemp Pilot Program. Industrial Hemp is being planted again in North Carolina since the 1950's and has great potential to be Mega crop.  Our partnership with the NC Forest Service has been a valuable asset to our forest management goals by providing technical assistance and developing comprehensive management plans for our timber resources.  We are now members of the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), a program of the American Forest Foundation. Our ATFS certification means that our woodlands meets strict international, third party audited standards of sustainable forest management.  Being a member of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association provides our farm with the resources and technical assistance for sustainable farming practices, organic farming and marketing.  The focus of the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Project is to demonstrate that through the use of sustainable forest management with the support of governmental and private natural resource agencies and organizations and the regional timber industry , African American landowners are able to retain theirs lands, generate income, and maintain healthy and productive forests for generations to come. The projects Legal Assistance Reimbursement Program was very instrumental in assisting with succession planning including Wills, Trust, POA's, Health Care POA's and Living Wills. and Forest Management plans.
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