At only 6 years old, South Fulton’s Kendall Rae Johnson used her love for vegetables to become the youngest certified farmer in the state of Georgia.
Johnson’s passion began when she was just three years old. She started growing fruits and vegetables with her great-grandmother, Laura “Kate” Williams – growing everything from cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, and collard greens, Good Morning America reports.
“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,” Kendall’s mother, Ursula Johnson, said. “And then we moved, and now she has a farm.”
Kendall received her business entity at the state and federal level under the name aGROWKulture, and eventually became certified farmer in the state. She also joined organizations such as Georgia Grown, and the Georgia Farm Bureau, which allows her to purchase land under her business, and apply for grants and scholarships.
From Good Morning America:
Kendall has dedicated herself to spreading awareness about farming to her peers. She started out with a monthly gardening club, where families help her harvest, plant and produce subscription food boxes. Her mission is to teach other kids about where their food actually comes from.
Ursula said her daughter is the embodiment of young entrepreneurship and the future of Black farmers. She’s not only the youngest farmer in the state of Georgia, but also the youngest Black farmer.
As the youngest farmer in Georgia, she also joins Black producers across the U.S. who make up just less than 2 percent of the country’s 3.4 million farmers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to her website, Johnson has partnered with Georgia state Representative Mandisha Thomas to raise $85,000 to support young farmers in her community and she’s also raising an additional $10,000 to build an outdoor learning space for agricultural science.
“It has a big feeling in my heart. In my heart is the garden. The garden is special to me,” Kendall Rae told 11 Alive in Atlanta. “The most fun thing about being a farmer is just being yourself.”