Bradley Farm, Cherokee, NC
Project Snapshot:
The Bradley Farm’s Traditional 3 Sisters Cropping Expansion project is aimed at increasing our farms efficiency, increasing production, and to better preserving culture. By purchasing a seeder, they will be able to plant more efficiently and allow for succession plantings for the first time. The farm is also purchasing a grain bin for storage and seed saving, and a small greenhouse to extend their growing season.
Bio: Thomas Bradley lives in western North Carolina. The area of land he farms is about seven acres in a valley next to Ravenfork river in the big cove community on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. His great grandfather Seaborn Bradley started the farm in the 1920s or 1930s. His grandfather Tom Bradley was born and raised here, and ran the farm until the fall of 2019 when his last crop came in. He passed in the spring of 2020 and Thomas started to manage the farm. Thomas was also born and raised on the farm and has been involved with farming all his life. The farm mainly grows white flour corn, beans, sweet corn, and greens. The flour corn seed Thomas uses has been used for over fifty years. His grandfather started growing it and has been saving the seed every year, and Thomas hopes he can keep it going for as long as he did and maybe grow a little more.