Chandler Dyer

Chandler Dyer - Grower

Nestled in a beautiful cove, on the South side of Union County, is the Dyer Farm. Chandler Dyer met me at the top of the gravel drive sporting a western style felt fedora and the proverbial bib overalls. His handshake was firm, from hands that tug corn off the stalks and whack down cane for a living. We leaned against his 1966 Ford pick up (the first truck he ever owned) and started to talk about his passion for farming. “It’s all I ever wanted to do”, he tells me. His eyes sparkle, and a warm and contented nature exudes from him as he tells me the stories of this land that his great grandfather purchased in 1933. He has invested everything into this life as a farmer, albeit, a very young life. Chandler Dyer is just 16 years old. (2010 Update. Chandler is now 18 years old, graduated from High School this past May, is sporting a new truck (still has his old one for the fields) and is planning on attending college.)

As I made my way into the cab of the retro pickup I had to chuckle when I caught sight of the Ipod hanging Chandler Dyer with his 1966 Ford Pick up from the old metal console. Chandler drove me around the farm, maneuvering across the waters of Town Creek that separate the fields of his 15 acres. We pulled up onto a newly plowed field. His father, Eddie Dyer, told me it was the first time in a couple dozen years that this field was going to be planted. Chandler insisted on it this year. Here’s what else he had to share.

What’s the biggest challenge you face every growing season?

Two things, I’d have to say. First is the decision as to what to plant and how much. It’s a risk and you sometimes second guess yourself later in the season. The other is my attitude. Farming is 25% physical and 75% mental. If I’m out there picking beans by hand from 6am to 9pm, I have to talk to myself to keep me out there just pulling at those beans, knowing that I’m going to have to wake up early and do the same thing tomorrow.

Tell me a little bit about your family and do any of them farm with you?

Oh, everybody does some of it. My Dad works with me, mostly. And my Grandmother (Opal Dyer) – she’s 75 years old and she can pick faster than me.

Are you superstitious about your planting dates?

(Eddie Dyer chimes in on this one). Well we look some at the zodiac calendar. If the calendar is in the bowel, then we plant those crops that grow underground. If it is the shoulders or the head, we plant the cane with hopes it will grow higher.

Do you have a secret weapon to insure the best crop?

Prayer! (The whole family answers simultaneously )

How many hours a week do you spend in the fields?

In full summer the days are 12-16 hours long – sometimes 22 hours. Six days a week.

In Nature, who’s your best friend?

The balance of rain and sun .

Who’s your worst enemy?