An exceptional 6-year-old girl named Kendall Rae Johnson has made history as the youngest certified farmer in the state of Georgia and also the youngest farmer in the United States.
Kendall started her own farming business with the guidance of her mother which she named GROWKulture. She was given her business entity at the state and federal level which made her a a certified farmer according to Good Morning America.
She has also joined several farming organizations, including Georgia Grown, a division of Georgia’s Department of Agriculture, and the Georgia Farm Bureau. As an official farmer, Kendall can apply to grants, scholarships and purchase land under her business.
Kendall stated that she first caught her green thumb from her great-grandmother and from there, she continued to show interest, moving on to grow everything from carrots to okra, squash, zucchini, and strawberries.
“She started in a patio garden and the patio garden grew from a little bitty something to, by the time her fourth birthday came, we had a full-fledged garden in our backyard. And then we moved, and now she has a farm,” Kendall’s mother, Ursula Johnson, said.
Kendall was discovered by Georgia state Representative, Mandisha Thomas online and has made speaking appearances at press conferences in support of young farmers in South Fulton.
She said she is dedicating herself to spreading awareness about farming to her peers. She started with a monthly gardening club, where families help her harvest, plant, and produce subscription food boxes.
Her mission is to teach other kids about where their food comes from. With her club, Kendall hopes to spread awareness about gardening and farming to other families and young aspiring agriculturalists and has so far raised $85,000 for the efforts.
Kendall’s mother said her daughter is the embodiment of young entrepreneurship and the future of Black farmers.”’ “When you go to these meetings and you go to these conferences and things of that nature, nine times out of 10 you won’t see anyone as young as Kendall there,” Ursula said.