
Jimmy Stevens is the owner and operator of Stevens Produce and Grains in Whiteville, North Carolina. Photo by Linda Gerron, FSA.
The Redemption Story of a North Carolina Farmer
By: Linda Gerron, FSA North Carolina
Through no fault of their own, our nation’s farmers and ranchers have faced incredibly tough circumstances over the last few years. That includes James “Jimmy” Stevens of Whiteville, North Carolina, who is one of the more than 20,000 producers who received life-changing, transformational support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided $3.1 billion for USDA to deliver expedited assistance to distressed borrowers with certain Farm Service Agency (FSA) direct and guaranteed loans whose agricultural operations were at financial risk. USDA has provided approximately $1.1 billion in immediate assistance for distressed borrowers to help make them current.
This has helped producers like Jimmy who were at risk of losing their operations due to several unprecedented challenges, including trade disruptions, a worldwide pandemic, continued impacts on input costs and markets, and more frequent, more intense, climate-induced natural disasters.
Jimmy owns and operates Stevens Produce and Grains, a business he has gradually developed since his younger years. He had the love of farming instilled at a young age since both of his parents were tobacco farmers. When he was 17 his dad passed away, and for the next 20 years, Jimmy and his mother continued farming tobacco. Over the years, his mother’s health slowly deteriorated, causing Jimmy to leave tobacco production and grow alternative crops – green beans and corn. Continue reading →