Business View Magazine | September 2020

112 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 younger farmers, because either they don’t have the proper educational processes to continue their farms, or they don’t have the motivation to want to continue to farm anymore. So, we allow students from various colleges and agriculture programs to come out to our farm and obtain course credits, so we can provide education and give back to the community.” Regarding a potential move into medicinal and/ or recreational cannabis, Patrick reports that North Carolina is not a state where either is legal as of yet. And even if it were, he believes that the price of entry would be prohibitive for many. “Unless you are part of a State funded social equity group large corporations such as Acreage Holdings and large pharmaceutical companies are making it hard for small farmers looking to scale up into the retail space, or to purchase their dispensary licenses. For example, in Florida, there are large pharmaceutical corporations that are buying all of the licenses, so that the mom and pop store, or the individual