YADKINVILLE N.C. –Doctor Quincy Smiling, owner and operator of The Smiling Farms is a mental health specialist by trade. But he decided to take on a different form of serving, between the classroom and office, Quincy took on the challenge of farming. Tucked away in western North Carolina, his small farm with big aspirations works tirelessly to provide the local community and beyond with responsibly raised beef. Fittingly enough, Quincy has described his role as a cattleman and working with cows in a similar fashion as his other profession.

“It’s extremely therapeutic for me to be out here,” said Quincy Smiling. 

Outside of the beef operation, Quincy also distributes his own brand of coffee, cigars, and signature spices under the same branding, bridging the culture and flavors of Costa Rica to North Carolina.

About the Farm

Quincy and his family are first generation farmers established in 2021, managing around 30 acres. Their operation includes managing around 30 cows, which are all pasture raised. There are several benefits of pasture raised beef versus a feed lot system. On open pastures, cattle are allowed to roam freely and graze naturally, rather than being restricted to feedlots. This approach not only promotes animal welfare but also ensures that the animals are raised without routine administration of growth hormones or sub-therapeutic antibiotics, which reduces the risk of developing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Additionally, managed grazing methods help foster regenerative ecosystems, improving soil health, and enhancing natural vitality. 

The farm retains the rights to the calves after weaning. The next step is growing them through the finishing phase for harvest as freezer beef. Freezer beef is a process in which a buyer will purchase a portion of a cow, such as a whole, half, or quarter, directly from a local farmer or rancher to store in a home freezer. It provides a cost-effective, farm-to-table supply of meat customized to the buyer’s preferences.

Conservation Efforts

Responsible farming has always been a concern for Quincy.  In 2022 he received a Fund-a-Farmer Grant that year to purchase high tensile wire fencing and T posts to rotationally graze beef cattle and install piping to supply water to the animals on pasture. He began working with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that same year, with the intent of taking his conservation efforts to the next level. He wanted to address soil erosion, streambank erosion, and decreased plant productivity. Because Quincy wanted to provide the highest quality of beef, he knew that he had to do something different and improve the environment where the cows eat and drink. 

He walked through the Yadkin County field office to get started. He was greeted by Lance Parker, the soil conservationist for the county. The two immediately got to work, identifying what needed to be addressed and how to do that. The result was a comprehensive grazing management plan. The plan included installing four watering facilities in the form of wells, over four thousand feet of fencing, over one thousand feet of pipeline, over two thousand square feet of protection around the water facilities as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Quincy was very enthusiastic and ready to get to work. 

“By the time we got the contract signed and installed two drinkers, he was already liking what we were doing even without seeing the benefits and return yet,” said Supervisory Soil Conservationsit Lance Paker when describing working with Quincy. 

What was Accomplished

Since working with Lance and NRCS, Quincy has seen visible progress in his operation both in the pasture and his bottom line. Because he chose to implement rotational grazing, the pastures have seen a significant reduction in weeds. This is because dividing pastures into smaller paddocks crowds the cattle together. This density creates a "graze it or lose it" mindset, forcing cows to eat weeds they would normally skip. In a large, open pasture, cows only eat their favorite grasses. In a small paddock, they cannot walk away from weeds, so they graze everything down evenly. While cows rest in one paddock, the grazed paddocks recover, allowing desirable grasses to outcompete and smother remaining weed seeds.

The economic benefit to Quincy aside from healthy animals is the reduction of the use of pesticides in his pastures. Farmers generally spend between $20 and $55 per acre to apply pesticides on pastureland, coupled with the rising cost of fuel. Quincy is now having to spray less, and the pasture’s soil quality and plant production have greatly improved. 

“Mother nature kind of dictates everything, but at the end of the day if you do your part, you’ll be in a good situation,” said Quincy while describing the ecological benefits of the conservation practices that have been installed. 

An additional concern for the farm was keeping the cattle out of the creek, which had the banks eroded greatly impacting water quality. A single beef cow can produce roughly 60 to 75lbs of manure daily. By excluding the herd from the creek by fencing and installing watering wells, this stabilized the banks and improved the water quality on the farm and downstream as well. 

What’s Next

Quincy is currently taking great stride in increasing his conservation efforts, getting into forestry and expanding his grazing operation. Working together with Lance, invasive and harmful trees and shrubs are being identified and being removed. Aside from the health of the animals that would eat these toxic plants, another benefit is having healthy forests. By getting rid of the invasive species, native trees and shrubs can thrive. Along with forestry, Quincy is buying more pastureland to increase the amount of production and will implement the proven NRCS conservation practices on the additional pastures. 

For 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.

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