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6-year-old Kendall Rae Johnson is making history as Georgia’s youngest certified farmer.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Kendall Rae’s love of gardening and farming began around the time she was four-years-old. After initially showing interest, the child started growing vegetables and fruits outside of her parent’s home, such as carrots, okra, squash, zucchini and strawberries.
Her affinity for “playing in the dirt” is a green thumb Kendall Rae inherited from her great-grandmother, Laura “Kate” Williams, whom the child remembers saying, “Don’t throw my collard green stems away, put them back in the dirt.”
“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,” Ursula Johnson, the child’s mother, told Good Morning America. “And then we moved, and now she has a farm.”
Along with that farm, her certification and tract ID, Kendall Rae’s business entity, “aGROWKulture,” is registered at state and federal levels. In addition to becoming a member of several farming organizations, including Georgia Grown — a division of Georgia’s Department of Agriculture — and the Georgia Farm Bureau, Kendall Rae’s credentials mean she can apply for grants, scholarships, and purchase more farming land in the future.
While building and expanding her own farming enterprise, the 6-year-old also helps young farmers in South Fulton, GA as well. After being “discovered” by Georgia state Rep. Mandisha Thomas, Kendall Rae’s done speaking engagements, met government officials and numerous city council members, helped raise $85,000 for fellow young farmers and often attends Georgia Agriculture summits.
“When you go to these meetings and you go to these conferences and things of that nature, nine times out of 10 you won’t see anyone as young as Kendall there,” Ursula told GMA. “It was so important and so inspiring that they invited her to just come, sit in, listen even if she doesn’t understand what is going on.”
With a mission to “make new friends, make new things and inspire other kids,” the six-year-old’s monthly gardening club allows families to come to her farm and get educated and inspired as they help harvest, plant and produce subscription boxes.
In a recently started series on her YouTube page, Kendall Rae also stars in a cooking show alongside Georgia Grown Chef and Test Kitchen Manager Olivia Rader, where the two prepare “awesome treats and holiday eats” with farm-to-table produce.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that Black farmers represent about 2% of the industry overall. With that in mind, Kendall’s success isn’t only an inspirational story because of how young the child is. It also speaks to the importance and future of our country’s Black farmers.
To support Kendall Rae’s efforts, check out aGrowKutlure’s website here.
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