Farming Smart: Twin brothers carry on family's farming legacy

Dec. 2—Growing food and tending livestock come naturally for the Smart brothers, twin 21-year-olds who have dedicated their lives to carrying on their family's farming legacy.

Jonathan and Joseph Smart grew up on a diversified dairy farm in the Crabtree/Rush Fork area owned by their parents, Tim and Kathy Smart, with help from Tim's brother, Don Smart.

"My family works together all day, from daylight to dark. That means everything to spend quality time with your family," Jonathan Smart said. "Everything we grow, we eat ourselves. It means so much to eat everything homegrown."

After graduating from Tuscola, Jonathan earned a degree in automotive tech from Haywood Community College, and is now using his skills to improve his family's farm.

"I manage all of the machinery and keep all of it in running order," he said. "I also help take care of all of the cattle, and my dad and I go in halves and grow about 200 acres of soybeans."

He's turned down plenty of other career prospects along the way.

"His heart and soul are in farming," said older sister, Sarah Smart, an agriculture teacher at Tuscola. "If something is wrong or broken, he is the guy you call."

Joseph Smart, also a graduate of Haywood Community College, transferred to Western Carolina University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice.

"Joseph has always had a deep desire to protect people," said Sarah. "Now Joseph is trying to make that a career. He hopes he can serve the community and protect those less fortunate once he graduates."

But Joseph isn't far from the farm on most days. He said the family's bond is important to him.

"My siblings and I are close, and we want to work together," he said.

Joseph operates a large portion of the farm's produce operation — he's been dubbed the "cabbage man" in local circles because he grows enormous 20-pound cabbages.

"I grow about five to six acres of produce and three acres of tobacco. I help with the dairy, too. I do a little bit of everything," he said.

He uses the money he earns growing and selling produce in the summer to help pay for his expenses while he attends WCU. Farming was once how many a Haywood County family put their children through college.

But making it as a farmer is tougher than ever these days.

"Farming is a tough job. It's hard to make money at it," Jonathan said. "But you are your own boss every day, and nobody can tell what you can or can't do."

Part of what makes the Smart family's farm work is its diversity. The family raises dairy cattle for milk and beef and grows produce like corn, cabbage and tobacco.

"Farming is so difficult to do if you only do one thing," Joseph said. "If milk prices went down, we still have grain. If grain prices went down, we still have milk."

A lifetime of work paid off for the brothers recently when they received the FFA American Degree on national TV at the National FFA Convention Oct. 29, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"That was an experience," said Jonathan. "We got to walk across the stage [with] 70,000 people there."

Only 1% of all FFA members achieve an American Degree. Sarah Smart won the award in 2019.

"I feel deeply honored to receive that award," Joseph said. "I'm so happy I got it with my brother."

The American Degree is given to recipients who show promise inside and outside the agriculture industry. The brothers had to complete an agricultural project over five years to earn it.

For Jonathan's project, he grew and sold corn and soybeans. What was a small high school project now provides a portion of his income.

"It was a big accomplishment," he said. "We put in all the hard work, and it paid off at the end of the day."

Meanwhile, Joseph focused his project on vegetable produce and tobacco production.

"FFA helped me build leadership and learn more about agriculture, and it's a great way to communicate with other people," he said.

For the Smart brothers, the FFA accomplishment was just another way of carrying on the family legacy.

"Everybody in my family has done FFA, and we continued the legacy," Jonathan said.