Berry hines, Sr.

We are honored to support incredible farmers like Berry Hines Sr. and want to share his story this Black History Month:

"I was born in Roberson County and mainly raised by my grandfather, a farmer—basically, I was born a sharecropper kid. I moved to Edgecomb County as a kid, and we were a migratory farming family moving around the state working. I grew up farming cotton, corn, peanuts, and more, as well as raising hogs, mules, and sheep. During the Vietnam War, I graduated from Warwick High School in Newport News, VA and joined the military to get out of farming.

"I was a Combat Infantryman, 82nd Airborne, drill sergeant, and taught communications electronics while serving in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and Desert Shield/Desert Storm. After retiring as a Master Sergeant, I owned a janitorial company, but after a year, I had a stroke. It was during this time that I asked myself where I was healthiest, and I thought back and realized it was when I was on my grandfather's farm. So I decided to get back into farming.

"My Grandfather said to me, 'You ain’t nothing but a farmer, and a farmer is all you're ever going to be.' He knew what I was going to do, he prophesied it; it’s an honorable profession. So I founded Bee Blessed Pure Honey as a commercial pollinator in 14 counties. For over 25 years now I have produced honey products, vegetables, grits, and pollination services; I’m also a Master Beekeeper in the NCSBA. I started the Eastern NC Farmer Collaborative in 2022 after receiving a grant to help small farmers market their products; 12 have joined the collaborative.

"Some people see things as they are and say why, and I see things that never were and say why not' has been my motto since a teenager. I can’t see failures and don’t judge my standards by others. I am a Black Indigenous Person of Color (BIPOC), and my Grandfather’s lineage is from the Tuscarora Tribe. I was a Commissioner in Princeville, NC which was one of the first towns in America chartered by freed slaves. My greatest teacher was my grandfather; everything began with him, he taught me everything I know about farming and life. My faith and grandfather are the foundation of my work; it’s what I stand on."