Vick Family Farms has its seed beds in on approximately 9,000 acres of crops and now is working them daily just waiting for planting to begin in May.

“The weather is nice right now in North Carolina with much warmer days and some rainfall,” said Charlotte D. Vick, partner/sales and marketing manager for the Wilson, NC-based company.

In addition to sweet potatoes, the company is offering sweet corn again in 2025 and will be adding yellow corn to its offerings.

“We will have bi-color, which is the most popular, and yellow the end of June with a target of July 4,” Vick said. “Corn has germinated good so praying we have a good growing season.”

The spring weather has been typical for North Carolina and no adverse weather has impacted the crops, with adequate rainfall and some warmer days.

“Labor is certainly our main challenge next to weather,” Vick said. “We are always exploring more innovative ideas and additional automation, but in today’s world, these are very expensive options as well so they have to be well explored to make sure you are making the right decision financially with a large investment. We will have to continue automation because I do not see the labor issue improving anytime soon.”

Vick Family Farms also spends a lot of time and money on scarecrows because deer are a major challenge.

“Our deer population is huge and they love our sweet potato plants and can do major damage so we have to use several options to try and scare them away: scarecrows, soap-scented garbage bags tied around the fields, sound cannons and depredation permits kill the deer outside of the hunting season,” said Vick.

The farm continues to expand and work to improve things in an effort to grow.

“We are building new storage facilities right now with projection being completed when sweet potato harvest begins the end of August,” Vick said. “This will allow for more storage capacity and ensure we can always have our customers covered for their needs throughout the year.”

Over the last few years, Vick has seen the demand for organics increase and also saw a rise in the  Murasaki sweet potato variety. In response, the company has increased its acreage for both.

Vick Family Farms has a lot of very strong partnerships across the country, and these have been the backbone of the company’s success.

“We have a reputation of really caring about the quality of produce we grow, pack and sell to our customers,” Vick said. “Our customer service and our quality speak for themself. We value these relationships tremendously and we communicate with our customers about challenges and are always willing to work with them to offer what their consumers need at an affordable price.”

With a third generation working at both the farm and shed, the future looks bright.

“They are our greatest assets along with our great employees that have been with our company for years,” Vick said. “We celebrate a milestone this year of 50 years and sustainability is key to our future. We have been able to maintain a strong foundation with slow and responsible growth over the years. This next generation has a lot of opportunities ahead and though it will not be easy in the current economy, they have great work ethics and will be able to work thru the challenges that lie ahead.”