Wise Farms: An Early Farmer Foodshare Partner

In Mt. Olive, astride the Wayne and Duplin County lines in NC’s coastal plains, Gary Wise caretakes 150 acres of farmland. He grows 20-25 different crops year-round, a whole gamut of mixed produce, from greens to melons, berries to nightshades.   

Gary was the first farmer our Director of Operations, David Szczepankowski, met when he took the Food Hub reins in 2016, making him one of the earliest farmers in our network. Long-standing supporter of Farmer Foodshare that he is, Gary is always incredibly helpful and has gone out of his way more than a time or two to get us produce on short notice.  

This summer, nearly half of our CSA boxes contained produce grown at Wise Farms. Turnips, squash, red cabbage, okra, zucchini, lacinato and green curly kale all helped feed people in our community facing food insecurity.  

Aside from Farmer Foodshare’s CSA for ALL! and our availability list, you can find Wise Farms’ locally grown fruits and veggies at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh where Gary’s parents, Helen and William, run a produce stall. 

Photos courtesy of Wise Farms