Industry encroachment and farm consolidation contributed to decades of Black-owned land loss. In North Carolina, many are fighting to recoup what was lost.
Simmons, 39, doesn t fit the farming stereotype.
He wears modern or stylish clothing, and his youthful, warm energy can make anyone feel as if they already know him, just after being introduced.
He believes that the way he dresses and his demeanor help him relate more to people, especially kids in his Duplin County community.
“Whenever you show up at a school as a farmer, and you talk with kids, it s easy to get on their level. It’s so easy to get on their level,” said Simmons, who often invites local children to his farm to teach them about raising livestock and growing crops.