Back in April we put some signs along our ditch bank “Stop the 401 bypass” and “Save our farms” if you have been down Kennebec Rd you have probably seen them. We have had many people ask about them so here is our story.

My mom grew up right here on Kennebec Road, my 3 boys are the 8th generation on this farm. My dad grew up on Holland Road where my brother resides, and his son is the 6th generation on that farm. When my parents married, they took on the role to continue tobacco farming both farms as did their parents. As tobacco began to fade out my parents were graciously helped by a local nurseryman with his knowledge, and they began their career in the nursery industry and Olive’s Tree Farm was born. In 2005 after the tobacco buyout, they invested all that money into this operation and this nursery became their full-time job, life, and new farming legacy to pass on. The nursery started out on the farm on Kennebec Rd as wholesale only, once the recession hit another change in our business plan took a turn and we decided to sell to the public and moved our main site over to the Holland Road farm where we operate out of. Over the past years we have expanded all that we could with the acreage on Holland and began to expand our propagation and production area here on Kennebec to keep up with demand.

The proposed U.S. 401 bypass cuts straight through the middle of our farm on Kennebec Road along with my cousins operating farm. Without our farm on Kennebec our business cannot exist. My parents, brother and I with our 9 employees would be jobless with this bypass. I have my husband, 3 sons, my parents, 2 aunts, an uncle and 11 cousins right here. Seven households that are family right here together. How many people in Wake County can still say that they are farming off of land that has been nurtured and protected for centuries over eight generations? This bypass would destroy businesses, livelihoods, our heritage, homes, and legacy. Generational legacies and operating farms should not be sacrificed for this bypass.