Meet Stephen Butts Ii of Northwest Harnett County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Butts Ii

Hi Stephen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It all started as a kid. I would help my grandfather “Pa” on the farm driving tractors to helping around the barns to taking trips to the tobacco market. After graduation, I attended Campbell University and would help on the farm in the summers.
My grandfather and his brother decided to retire from farming. They still operated on a small scale basis for a few years
after that. Afterwards, we decided to take the old cow pastures and tobacco fields and turn them in to plant nurseries and
strawberry fields. A couple years later we added a fully furnished ice cream shop with play areas to assist with
agritourism. When construction began on the ice cream shop, we used old wood from tobacco barns located on the farm; just a small way of carrying on the legacy of McLean Farms. The ice cream shop is open from March to November and the building is open year-round for parties, showers etc. Each year we have added different crops as we continue to grow.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a farmer has its ups and downs. It has not been a smooth ride. Mother Nature has presented daily challenges from
no rain at all to excessive amounts. With the rising cost of commodity prices, fuel and labor it has truly been a bumpy road.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We raise strawberries in the spring, various produce in the spring and summer and pumpkins in the fall. Very labor
intensive work. We also raise different varieties of grasses at the nursery. I am also a full time fireman for the Town of Fuquay-Varina. I have three sons, 18 year old twins and a 13 year-old. They have grown up on the farm and hopefully have learned valuable lessons that will help them in life. As you can see it is a very busy life.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I have learned is to take each step one day at a time and never try to get too far ahead.