Our Farmers

Lisa Sluder • Our First Farmer

Lisa Sluder was our very first farmer, working closely with GM Ryan Finch. At the farm’s first birthday, Lisa said: “From the beginning, Raleigh City Farm has relied on the support, contributions and physical labor of our neighbors in Raleigh and the surrounding areas. I think Raleigh City Farm is such a unique and collaborative organization because of all the support we’ve gotten.” That first year, RCF received the 2013 City of Raleigh Urban Stewardship Award — an environmental award given annually to recognize environmental leadership in organizations and individuals in Raleigh.

Kailyard Farm • Sean Barker & Corbett Marshall

Kailyard Farm was an agricultural partnership between Sean and Corbett that utilized multiple small garden plots (“kailyards”) in both urban and rural settings. They grew top-quality, diversified vegetables for the local community.

Farmers’ Collective • Chris Rumbley

Farmers’ Collective was founded in 2016 by Chris Rumbley. Chris was the brains behind the design and development of Raleigh City Farm, and served as its first CEO. In that role he managed a broad range of strategic, administrative, and logistic operations for RCF. But his passion was always working directly with farmers, and he believed strongly in the good that would come when these farmers “clustered” their businesses together, selling collectively. Doing so gave them an advantage in an industry where small farms barely stand a chance these days. RCF had managed a food hub among its many activities, but in 2016, Chris spun off the hub as a separate formal venture: Farmers’ Collective was born and Chris became RCF’s newest entrepreneur.

Endless Sun • Matt Spitzer & Chase Werner

Endless Sun occupied the hydroponic greenhouse at the north end of RCF, where they grew lettuce, microgreens, and basil. As their business grew, they expanded into more greenhouses in Durham, adding tomatoes as well as another new crop: hemp. Excited about the promise of hemp as a medicinal therapy for consumers and as a lucrative crop for NC farmers, Matt and Chase founded Triangle Hemp, a hemp nursery, in 2017.

Farmer James • James Edwards

Circa 2014, James started helping build infrastructure at the Raleigh City Farm. He built the farm’s shed and cistern, among other things. When there was an opening for a head farmer, Edwards stepped into that role. He grew vegetables and fruits on the farm site to sell to restaurants, such as Poole’s Diner, Busy Bee Cafe, Garland, Standard Foods, and Stanbury.

Infinity Hundred Farms • David McConnell

David McConnell is the principal and head grower for Infinity Hundred Farms. He oversaw production spaces (both hydroponic + in-the-dirt) located at RCF in 2019. He now has sites throughout downtown Raleigh, NC totaling over 30 acres – making Infinity Hundred Farms one of the largest urban farms in the United States. David incorporates farm practices based on permaculture and biodynamics. He is currently completing a degree in social sciences and writing a book all the while juggling being a father, artist, record producer, furniture designer and last but not least, a full-time farmer.

Josh Sattin • Sattin Hill Farm

After careers in teaching and professional brewing, Josh was motivated to live a more sustainable and environmentally conscious life. He started Sattin Hill Farm — a micro farm located in his back yard — using bio-intensive techniques that yield significantly more than conventional tractor-based farming. He uses a no till approach to not disturb the soil’s microbiology, while building soil year after year. He believes in farming with minimal inputs and no herbicides or pesticides — plus, he is a prominent educator on YouTube, check out his channel! Josh worked with Raleigh City Farm for the 2020 growing season as our Farm Manager.

High Country Firs

High Country Firs is a local small business dedicated to providing sustainably harvested and transported Christmas Trees to the discerning customer.  Every fall — just after Thanksgiving — High Country Fir’s founder - Keith Chesnutt sets up shop at Raleigh City Farm. Keith started selling Christmas trees to fund his education at NC State University where he recently graduated with his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.

Johnny Davis Microgreens

We connected with NC State student Johnny Davis when he volunteered for several workdays in the spring. Turns out, Johnny loves the idea of promoting sustainability and efficiency and he believes that growing microgreens is the start of a vision that meshes both of those ideologies, while also promoting healthy lifestyle choices. You can follow his adventures on Instagram to learn more. His microgreens have been available at our Farmstand on various weeks. To know when Johnny’s microgreens are being featured at Farmstand, follow us on Instagram for weekly harvest menu updates.

Bella Blues Blueberries

Bella Blues Blueberries is operated by The Johnson Family and they’ve been growing delicious Premier and Climax Blueberries in Johnston County, North Carolina for over 35 years. The type of berries they grow typically yield the sweetest berries in mid-July until the end of August depending on Mother Nature. They take orders and will deliver pints or quarts to you while in season and offer the opportunity to pick your own. Bella Blues uses an organic spray at the beginning of the season to prevent a particular destructive fruit fly from eating their berries. Raleigh City Farm offers their blueberries seasonally at Farmstand.