Life on a ‘very small farm’

MILLBORO — A 100-year-old hunting lodge is now a “very small farm.”

Nick Dezern had no plans to become a farmer when he and his wife, Elisabeth, bought the property on Mack Lineberry Road near Franklinville, just a stone’s throw from unincorporated Millboro. But COVID-19 changed everything.

Dezern is now the proprietor of Millboro & Co., which produces naturally grown vegetables on a one-fourth-acre plot of the one-and-a-half-acre site.

“We bought this with no plans to farm,” Dezern said. “I’d never farmed before. I got into it because of COVID.”

Prior to the pandemic, Dezern made his living photographing and videotaping weddings. He traveled from Raleigh to Charlotte and beyond to record the happy occasions for posterity.

Then when COVID-19 shut everything down, “it was time to start a new vocation,” he said. “I started with the aspiration of feeding my family and friends. We wanted local organic produce, but it was hard to find.”

So Dezern plowed some earth, planted some seeds and began a new enterprise. “I’m very entrepreneurial and I saw a need after I started growing. I didn’t want to be a farmer but kind of felt called to it. I saw a need in the area.”

Dezern said he found that not many farms sell locally, except for a “few hobbyists who sell at farmers’ markets.”

So, as he expanded his gardens, Dezern started his own CSA — Community Supported Agriculture, a term he said comes from the northern and western states. 

Under his CSA, customers receive a subscription box of farm shares. Every two weeks, a family picks up their box containing 7-9 vegetables for 2-4 people. The first year, he subscribed 14 boxes. Now he’s up to 55.

The first crops run from about April 1 to Sept. 15. After that, the winter shares run to January.

In addition to the CSAs, Millboro & Co. has an online store where anyone can place an order. Dezern said some 10 other farms and vendors promote their products, from meats to bakery items. He said those vendors must be approved since they’re looking for organic or pasture-raised foods.

The online market can be found at www.millboro.co.

The current spring crops, Dezern said, were delayed by recent below-average temperatures. “But we’ve made a lot of progress the last few days.”

He said when he started farming, the winters were mild. “Now we’re getting a taste of ‘normal winters.’ But you go with what you’ve got.”

Dezern said his spring crops include seasonal vegetables such as cauliflower, beets, carrots, cabbage, collards, lettuce, spinach, dill, Swiss chard, kale and romaine lettuce. 

During the warmer summer months, he’ll have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, broccoli and radishes.

“Our most popular is a carrot and lettuce mix,” he said. 

While Dezern prefers locally grown vegetables, he realizes that mass-produced crops have their place. “But we need a balance. Lots of illness is tied to what we’re eating. I think it’s made a difference with us.”

One of Dezern’s biggest challenges, he said, is that “there are not always easy answers for problems,” such as certain pests. He said aphids, “small sucking insects who love lettuce and greens, are hard to control in the winter. There are no good organic sprays. We may lose a part of a crop.

“That’s why organic costs more,” he said. “But we try to be fairly consistent in pricing.”

Millboro & Co. is not certified organic, although Dezern produces his vegetables organically. It’s a long process for certification. In fact, he believes strongly in organic farming.

“Organic vegetables are more nutrient rich,” he said. “Our focus is on the health of the soil, which leads to healthier plants and healthier people.

“One thing I do is test the soil once a year,” Dezern said. “That tells if the soil is short on anything.” For instance, if the soil needs more calcium, he adds gypsum. 

Dezern said the most difficult part of his farming has been “making it profitable. We’re getting there, but I still make more filming weddings.”

Meanwhile, he’s expanding to another one-eighth acre nearby on his mother-in-law’s property. That will give him three-eighths of an acre overall.

He has a large hothouse on his Millboro & Co. site that allows growing crops year-round. 

It’s a far cry from the railroad company treasurer’s development of the site as a hunting lodge and vacation spot 100 years ago. The property even has the wooden water tower that the previous owner built to provide water pressure to the lodge.

One day, Dezern may offer his farm for agritourism, allowing youth to see how their food is grown. But now, it’s the stomping ground of his son, Carter, now 3 years old. 

“It’s great to see Carter grow up on a farm,” Dezern said.