She found her passion early!
Kendall Rae Johnson just made history as Georgia’s youngest certified farmer, Black Enterprise reports. She is working to make her mark at the tender age of 6. With her mom and dad’s support, Kendall Rae started her own business, “aGrowKulture,” joining several agricultural organizations in the state, including Georgia Grown and the Georgia Farm Bureau. Her hope is to apply for grants and scholarships to help expand her farming business.
Her mom, Ursula Johnson, said that her daughter has been farming for nearly half her life, crediting Kendall Rae’s great-grandmother, Laura “Kate” Williams, with giving her a green thumb.
“She started out in a patio garden, and the patio garden grew from a little bitty something to, by the time her fourth birthday came, we had a full-fledged garden in our backyard. And then we moved, and now she has a farm,” Johnson said.
The kid farmer grows several things, including okra, carrots, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and strawberries. She shares her love of farming via a monthly gardening club and a subscription-based food box. Kendall Rae hopes to inspire other families and children to begin gardening and continues helping people learn about a farm-to-table lifestyle.
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Georgia state Rep. Mandisha Thomas has been an advocate for Kendall Rae, recruiting the young agriculturist to support other young farmers in the South Fulton region. As a result of Thomas and Kendall Rae’s efforts, they raised nearly $85,000.
The goal for Kendall Rae is to continue her farming, focusing on raising funds to launch an outdoor agricultural science lab so she can begin composting. Currently, she needs about $10,000 to help bring it to life, and she’s hoping that the community will assist her.
To support Kendall’s efforts, you can donate to her GoFundMe here.
Photo Courtesy of Kendall Rae Johnson/Twitter