The Farm at Bogue is a small family farm located in Bogue, NC. They grow some of the
finest fruits and vegetables, with their specialty in hydroponic greens and vine production. Farmers Bert Guthrie Hadden and Justin Guthrie are siblings who grew up on the farm, working in the fields and at their family's roadside market. The farm has been in their family for many generations, originating on their mother's side of the family. While farming wasn't their original career choice, they found themselves with the desire to carry on the tradition while adding new and evolving elements. They love the land and water and take their responsibility of being good stewards of both very seriously while providing the best quality of nutritious deliciousness you can find.
Although they are not certified organic, they do incorporate organic and natural growing practices into their methods to increase sustainability while decreasing their footprint; they do not use herbicides or chemical pesticides. In their indoor hydroponic garden, they use a recirculating method of watering their crops with a tank of nutrient-rich water that is fed to the plants through pumps and plumbing, then drained and collected and returned back to the tank.
When the weather is perfect and the soil is great, it is easy to be a farmer. It is hard with the challenges of leaky barn roofs, spider mites that kill off the plants one by one, and too much rain ruining crops. Farmers know when you can’t control what is happening, you can control how you respond to what’s happening. That is where the power and perseverance of a farmer are. That is how the summer of 2021 has been.
The challenges have been fierce this year and yet Bert and Justin say, “We appreciate all the love and support that people have sent our way. It means more than you know. And we also send out our love to all the farmers out there who were swamped in this soggy mess.”
There were bright spots to 2021. They had the pleasure of hosting Carteret Local Food Network's Farm, Food, & Friends farm-to-table dinner - the first event since COVID-19 was held on July 24th at their farm. The menu consisted of pork from the Shenk Family Farm prepared eastern North Carolina style, with corn, salad, and Bogue Sound watermelons! And they got to share about their farming practices, gave tours of their hydroponic greenhouse, and make new friends.
There is always hope for the next growing season. In Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 it says, “To everything, there is a season. A time to every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” A farmer is taught to be tough and take life as it comes, to never give up on your dreams, and most importantly, never forget where you came from. It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the spring and reaps a harvest in the autumn. The Farm at Bogue is more than a business. It is the family farm, a lifestyle, and an ideal that is worth preserving.
Rebecca Jones is a contract writer for the Carteret News-Times and a member of the Carteret Local Food Network blog writing team. She was born and raised in the Piedmont Triad area where she spent most of her life. She has two grown children and 6 grandchildren. Writing has always been a part of her life and she believes that it is a way to showcase and bring awareness to events that affect your community. In April of 2018, Rebecca and her husband George moved to Beaufort, NC. Her most recent two books, Love Brings You Home (about Hurricane Florence) and Go Deep (a devotional with photos), are sold locally and on Amazon.
Unfortunately, the Farm at Bogue announced yesterday that it is closing. See Farmer Bert's thank you video here.
And thank you, Bert and Justin, from all of us who brought The Farm at Bogue to our tables, shared your goodness with friends and loved ones, and especially those of us who are so blessed to count you among our best and closest friends. Thank you for letting us get our hands dirty, letting our children run through your fields, taking turns crying on each other's shoulders, sunburns, snackos, puppy love, the neverending jars of peanut butter, tying up cucumber vines, the opportunity to learn how to cut kale, your hard work, perseverance, sunny disposition, long-talks, long walks, early mornings, forgotten coolers, broken tents, and the way Justin's hair looks so fabulous as he's unloading watermelons at o'dark thirty at the market.
What you guys have given to this community will not be forgotten. We have total faith in you and love you to the moon and back!
-The Carteret Local Food Network Team