Archie Griffin knows short-term thinking is critical, but he takes the long view. For his eastern North Carolina family farm, Griffin is concentrating on the years and decades ahead.
“Farmers who incorporate long-term thinking, up to 30 years in the future, are the ones who succeed and differentiate themselves from their competition,” Griffin says.
With a 30,000-ft. perspective and insights from visits to 48 states, 36 countries and six continents, Griffin is a student of innovation. He is adding practices to transform his operation, which primarily has included tobacco, corn, sweet corn, soybeans and wheat.
Originally started in the 1960s by Griffin’s grandfather, Griffin Farms in Washington, N.C., today is led by Griffin and his father, Steve. Griffin returned to the farm in 2012, during sky-high commodity prices, but then prices retreated.
“My dad would tell me you just had to tighten your belt,” Griffin says. “You have to become more efficient. Agriculture is cyclical.”
Yet, Steve Griffin had also driven another mantra into his son’s mindset: “Those who refute change will ultimately succumb to the mercy of those embracing it.”
“Tobacco is about 15% of our acres but makes about 85% of our farm’s gross income each year,” Griffin says. “If tobacco disappears, what do we do?”
GLOBAL ADVENTURES
Faced with tobacco’s declining consumption and profit margins, Griffin set out to find answers. In 2018, he was selected as the second American ever to be a Nuffield Scholar, which is an international program that started in 1947.
The Nuffield International Farming Scholars program is an elite opportunity for producers across the globe. Each class of scholars embarks on an international journey to study key issues and develop a worldwide network.
With his scholarship, Griffin visited farmers in more than 16 countries, looking for common threads of success and new ideas.
“It’s not until you step outside your comfort zone that you truly begin to grow and do things differently,” he says.
Griffin’s findings centered on three areas: efficiency, technology and differentiation. These strategies allow farms to become more circular, resourceful and profitable.
“Producers have focused on a 180° production cycle, where only inputs and outputs are considered,” he says. “This mindset has led to the belief high inputs equal high yields, which equal high profits.”
Instead, Griffin says, farmers should look at a 360° circle, which recycles all waste products and vertically integrates. This approach is illustrated at Griffin Farms.
They started planting cover crops on every acre after harvest. They are also using some of the greenhouses used to start tobacco plants for vegetable production. An aerobic digester, egg production and a cattle herd are also in the pipeline.
Griffin is focused on not wasting resources, especially water. They are putting in water control structures to capture water as well as digging ponds to collect water runoff to be used for irrigation.
For nearly 20 years, Griffin has grown sweet corn and sold it locally. His connections with customers and grocery stores spurred him to add other produce to his crop mix. Last year he grew 7 acres of acorn and spaghetti squash.
“Most farms are limited by water or labor needs,” he says. “We have irrigation, and because of tobacco we have a large employee base. So those issues aren’t a problem for us.”
As for the future, Griffin is always dreaming. Their community is on a major road to the Atlantic Ocean, so he is planning a farmstead to feature farm products from each of the 100 counties in North Carolina.
“How do you move from just producing commodities? You have to adapt, innovate and overcome,” Griffin says. “When you stop innovating, you plateau.”
Postcards and Perspectives
ISRAEL: A Lesson in Efficiency
Only 20% of total land is classified as arable in Israel, but the country produces 90% of their food needs, Griffin says.
“Many farms have been forced to move large quantities of suitable soil to better locations,” he says. “Some farms have gone an extra step by utilizing hydroponic and aeroponic production systems.”
In aeroponic systems, plants are spoon-fed water and nutrients directly. “Farmers are growing bell peppers in an aeroponic system at the Vidor Agriculture Research Center in the Arava Desert,” Griffin says. “Through technology, they have been able to increase production by 26% and decrease their input and resource use by 12%.”
UNITED KINGDOM: Diversity Drives Revenue
At Uncle Henry’s farm in the United Kingdom, owners Steve and Meryl Ward focus on vertical integration. Originally a livestock and crop farm, Uncle Henry’s now consists of a farm shop, butchery, café, hog operation, crop farm and two anaerobic digesters.
“If I had to mimic any farm it would be this one,” Griffin says. “Their anerobic digesters, for example, have allowed the Wards to reduce or eliminate multiple lines of input expenses, adopt a 360° production cycle and complete the circle of sustainability, in addition to adding alternative sources of revenue.”
ZIMBABWE & ZAMBIA: Political Turmoil Prompts Innovation
“Within 24 hours of touching down in Zimbabwe, I saw a total country meltdown,” Griffin recalls. “Military helicopters were flying over, and I was hit with teargas. Talk about political turmoil.”
Many of the crops grown in Zimbabwe and Zambia are similar to production in North Carolina. For much of history, tobacco has contributed to roughly half of all people employed in commercial agriculture and 12% of Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product.
Yet, national policy and corruption have made tobacco profit margins slim. Griffin met with growers who are diversifying away from the crop.
“Adam Gordon, a farmer from Chisamba, Zambia, introduced niche crops such as macadamia nuts and exotic fruits to be less reliant on the historical crops and fill the special needs of select buyers,” he says. “It was remarkable to learn every farmer I visited had budgets for every operation on their farm.”
Scan to watch Archie Griffin’s presentation from the 2021 Top Producer Summit.
