Kerry Frazier grew up on her family’s farm in Bishopville, SC. Like any child she enjoyed the open spaces, but after high school she swore to never return to her hometown or to live on the farm.
Tragedy stuck last year when Frazier lost her brother in a farming accident. She decided to move back home to help on the farm and to be closer to the family. Today, Frazier plays a key role in helping cultivate the family farm.
And according to USA Today, Frazier is one of a number of women making farming their main career. “The compulsion to cultivate dovetails with several trends, experts say. Among them: the explosion of farmers markets and Grow Local campaigns. There's also a stronger emphasis on eating healthy and organic, and a bigger awareness of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets. More women are going into business for themselves. And post-layoff or early retirement, some are looking to build an "encore" career that features components of community service.”
“Women now run about 14 percent of the nation's farms, up from only 5 percent in the 1980s,” according to NPR.
Frazier hopes to raise her two boys the same way she grew up, enjoying the open spaces and enjoying life on the family farm.
