Farm Expansion
Since Scott Farms, Inc. is wholly owned by the Scott family, which includes “Sonny”, his wife, Alice, and sons, Linwood, III, and Dewey, expansion has sat squarely on the shoulders of the family. Today, the Scott’s family farming operation includes around 20,000 acres on sandy-loam soils—the best soil for growing top-quality sweet potatoes and tobacco—in Wilson, Johnston, Nash, Edgecombe and Wayne counties in NC. With 4,500 acres of sweet potatoes, 4,000 acres of tobacco, 2,500 acres of soybeans, and some acreage of wheat and corn. In 2021 the first peanut crop for the farm, everyone in the family has a hand in the work.
Scott Farms is a forward-thinking and innovative company. In 2000, the opportunity to expand into the United Kingdom presented itself. The expansion in the UK market led to the formation of the international subsidiary Scott Farms UK, Limited. Over the past 19 years, since entering the international space, business has expanded throughout Europe.
Due to the increase in demand for quality sweet potatoes in Europe and the United States, in September 2013, plans were made for even further expansion of the farm and farm operations, beginning with the construction of a 60,000 square-foot sizing, grading, packing, and shipping facility in the heart of the Lucama, N.C- based farm. It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. So, one might say that necessity is the mother of expansion in the Scott family’s case. With sales and production growing, there was a need to grow the packing and shipping operation for sweet potatoes as well.
This state-of-the-art facility is unique to the sweet potato industry and is Global GAP certified and completely PTI compliant. At Scott Farms, safety and traceability are paramount when it comes to production and fulfillment. Included in the effort for a more transparent supply chain, the farm works closely with all agencies that regulate the growth and sale of farm commodities and goods.