George Warren farms with his son, Brian and brother, Gerald, and his son, Brandon, as Warrren Farming Partnership in northern Sampson County, NC. Their diversified, family farm includes tobacco, cotton, sweetpotatoes and a hog farrow-finishing operation. George looks after Warren Farming’s sweetpotato and tobacco operations. Last year, they grew 150 Acres of tobacco, 600 acres of sweetpotatoes and 3,000 acres of cotton. With way too much rainfall on his sweetpotatoes last season, Geroge reports he had a poor yielding crop, perhaps 2/3 of his normal yields. A graduate of NC State’s Ag Institute program, George, came back to the family farm operation in 1970. His son and nephew are also NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences graduates.

In growing his sweetpotato crop, George uses only certified seed, planting 500 acres of Beauregard B-14 and100 acres of Hernandez. George harvests and cures his crop, with the help of H2A laborers, selling his #1’s and #2’s to another packer shipper to market.

The Warren’s were among the first NC farmers to start growing cotton again in the early 90’s, after the bollweevil eradication program licked the cotton-devastating pest. They were partners in getting a new cotton gin, Sampson Gin Co., built to serve them and neighboring farmers.

The Warren’s also currently run an independent farrow-to-finish hog operation, but are in the process of entering into a contractural arrangement with Premium Standard Farms, which includes Lundy Packing in nearby Clinton, NC.

George, who is in 3rd year on the NC SweetPotato Commission board of directors, finds it quite a bit different from farming. George says, “One of our biggest needs is to get a new variety that will be easier to grow here and be more resistant to insects. It’s important that we grow a quality crop as NCSPC markets our product to grocery stores and foodservice operations.”

George eats lots of sweetpotatoes: “My favorite is a baked potato with a little butter on it.”