Getting her start by propagating collard greens from her kitchen, Kendall Rae Johnson unlocked a deep passion for agriculture that led her to get her farming tract ID at 6 years old, thus becoming America’s youngest certified farmer.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Kendall and her family own and operate an urban youth farm, aGROWKulture, from their home. They grow and sell a variety of produce, ranging from sweet potatoes and honey, using a collaborative approach that also helps their community by offering volunteer and educational opportunities.
“She had four generations of women in our house going as far back as to her great-grandmother,” said Ursula Johnson, Kendall’s mother. “She would learn something new from being in the kitchen with them almost every week at about 2½ years old. I’ve never seen a kid that was as fascinated about how food came to the plate.”
Even after great-grandmother Laura “Kate” Williams passed away due to illness, her impact has never left Kendall. She also left Kendall land under her name, which her family now use to operate their farm.
“When she passed on, we cooked a dinner in honor of her and we made her favorites,” Johnson said. “One of those foods was collard greens. Kendall said, “ ‘Nuh-uh don’t throw it away, I can still set it outside and let it grow.’ I still can’t believe Kendall remembers hearing those exact words about not throwing away the collard greens.”
From the moment Kendall’s collard greens grew, is when everything started to change and gardening gradually became a significant aspect of her upbringing. She would spend time on the patio observing her plantings, which included collard greens, peppers, and cucumbers. Johnson, intrigued by their growth, said she then realized Kendall had been collecting seeds from items in the kitchen.
The resulting produce was vibrant and plentiful, prompting the family to share the surplus with their community. This sharing initiative laid the foundation for their involvement in gardening.
Quentin Johnson, Kendall’s father, surprised her with a raised bed for her 4th birthday, igniting her love for gardening. Soon, people from her community flocked to Kendall’s garden, eager to explore. Kendall relished sharing her knowledge and excitement for plants.
As more people became interested, the Johnson family saw an opportunity to transform their small garden into something much bigger — a farm. This decision not only provided Kendall with a space to nurture her love of gardening, but it also became a hub for teaching others in the neighborhood valuable skills.
Kendall is an animated child, cheerfully and enthusiastically describing her garden. She finds playfulness in everyday life and loves to smile.
“When Kendall is in her garden, she always has a positive attitude, and she loves gardening with her friends after school. Sometimes she likes to have their dogs accompany her in her garden,” Ursula said. “She loves to get hands dirty, and is always happy when people come visit her in her garden.”
Today, Kendall is 8 years old, and aGROWKulture stands as the Johnson family’s urban farm nestled in Southwest Atlanta. With 60 raised beds, a high tunnel, and an observation deck, the farm provides a diverse learning environment. Its primary mission revolves around agricultural education, emphasizing conservation and sustainability.
“The goal of aGROWKulture is to foster a culture of nurturing positive interests among our youth,” said Ursula Johnson. “We have three instructors who visit monthly to assist Kendall in educating kids about various topics.The numbers shift throughout the week but we usually see anywhere between 15 and 75 people come to visit our farm. Sometimes we get large groups of people like tourists, home schoolers, community organizations, and schools to visit her on the farm. She does workshops with them. Kendall is also the youngest child ever to charter a 4-H chapter and teaches at a school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
The Johnson family did not come from an agriculture background. They learned everything from the ground up, starting with getting their hands on as much research as possible. Kendall’s mother said she even had some doubts on whether anything would grow.
“We’ve never farmed, we were unfamiliar with propagation, we were more familiar with the idea of growing plants from seed or seedling,” she said. “We were unsure if what she [great grandmother Kate] was telling Kendall was going to work. She watched those stems for a long time, and I didn’t know how to tell her that it’s not how it grows. But then soon enough they started to grow.”
According to Kendall, her experience growing plants felt “magical.” It inspired her to turn her work into a business. She said her favorite part of farming is spending time with friends, family, and her community.
And her favorite thing to grow in her garden are carrots “because they are so delicious!”
But transitioning this endeavor into a business took even more exploration and research.
“I didn’t want her to grow all this food knowing we couldn’t eat it all, so I figured that if she wants to sell the food, then what does that look like? Those were the questions I asked myself. I soon found that our main goal would be to acquire a farming tract ID,” Johnson said.
In 2021, after enduring months of anticipation, the Johnsons embarked on a tedious farming tract ID application process. It was a momentous and heartwarming occasion when Ursula Johnson learned that Kendall would be the youngest individual ever to attain this distinction, she said.
“I asked if there were any other kids to do this process, only to discover she was the first,” Johnson said. “Considering her existing business model, coupled with the inheritance of our land in her name by her great-grandmother, and completing the ID application, she became the youngest.”
According to Arthur Trip, Georgia’s executive director of farm services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kendall holds the distinguished title of the youngest certified farmer in the United States.
Kendall’s mom couldn’t be any more proud of her daughter than she is now.
“Dad and I have been on an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “We are proud of ourselves for allowing her to lead, and as her parents that is the most important thing we can ask for.”
Kendall attributes a lot of her success to her supportive family, especially her late great-grandmother, whose wise words stick with her to this day, she said.
“Before she disappeared, she used to tell me not to throw away the collard green stems. She told me how you can grow collard greens from the ‘stems’ by putting them in the ground and letting them regrow,” Kendall said.
“We sold about 500 bunches of collard greens for a price of $6 each,” Kendall said. “We also recently sold our sweet potatoes, corn, ginger, and honey! …
“I love working with the bees. I actually have a beekeeper who helps me with the bees, so I am also a beekeeper in training. It’s not easy.”
And thanks to so many willing helping hands, aGROWKulture is looking to expand.
“Very soon we’re going to have a group of kids from a California high school who will be in the area for an HBCU tour,” Ursula Johnson said. “They want to do a service project and help Kendall plant seeds, help with soil movement, and we’re also going to surprise Kendall with helping put together her first chicken coop — she’s been asking for that for so long. She wants to sell the eggs.”
Building upon her farm’s momentum, this month marks an exciting milestone for the Johnson family. Kendall is preparing to launch her debut book, I’m Growing Places, an autobiographical picture book scheduled for release on April 21.
The Johnsons are also organizing the inaugural Dare to Care Earth Day Parade and Fair on April 22 in South Fulton. This event aims to unite schools, farmers, sustainable organizations, youth, and adults for a day of festivities and education.
Recognition for her achievement has brought about a wave of positive experiences for Kendall. She has had the opportunity to engage with numerous prominent figures, including former First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, who visited their farm, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, former Commissioner Gary Black, as well as various legislators from both the House and Senate.
Kendall Rae has even made multiple visits to the Georgia State capital and has received recognition from the local government level to congressional levels.
However, too much attention can be an issue sometimes, Kendall said.
“Normally, I would be very happy all the time when people see me,” she said. “But sometimes when people take too many pictures, sometimes I just want to sit down and relax for a little. But gardening with my dad in the fresh air makes me feel better.”
Despite Kendall’s hectic schedule, her mom tries her best to take care of her daughter’s mental health.
“We try to make sure that she is happy in everything that she does,” Ursula Johnson said.. “And when things become too much for her, we call it. She likes to take pictures with people, but it can get to the point where people are pretty much tugging at her. We have to be respectful of her time. So if she says no to an invitation, then it means no.”
When it comes to representation in agriculture, Kendall is representing so many people in the world, especially communities who are marginalized in society and in the agricultural workforce, such as children, girls and women, and Black, and African American people.
According to information from 2022 by the USDA, out of all the agricultural producers in the United States, only about 1.2 percent are Black/African American (41,807/3,374,044) with about 0.4 percent percent being Black/African American women (12,518/3,374,044). Historically, the U.S. agriculture industry and its related fields have often been male and White dominated.
And kids, regardless of their background, are the most vulnerable and susceptible demographics out there. Kids are often not looked at as equals to adults, are often spoken over, underestimated and ignored. But the leadership Kendall exhibits, defines children norms and inspires others like her to do the same.
“Keep growing,” she said in advice to other kids. “The world depends on you.”
“Everyone is a friend, she doesn’t meet any foes,” said Ursula. She’s able to go to all her farm’s guests and visitors and give them hugs and say ‘Welcome to my farm. I’m glad you’re here. Now let’s get farming,’ It’s pretty unique.”
With a bright future ahead of her, Kendall already has an idea of what she wants to be when she grows up. “I think I want to be a soil scientist or a farmer,” she said.
Saul Reyes served as the 2022 American Farmland Trust Agriculture Communications Intern at AGDAILY, with a focus on helping to amplify diversity and minority voices in agriculture. An FFA alum, Reyes is a graduate of California State University-Chico and double majored in plant and soil science and multicultural and gender studies, while minoring in intersectional Chicanx/Latinx studies and public relations. He can be found on Twitter @sreyes710.
