From porch plants to full ride: 10-year-old farmer gets scholarship offer from SC State

Youngest USDA-certified farmer in the nation tours Orangeburg campus, visits SC State’s research farm in Olar

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — She’s 10. She’s a farmer. And she’s already got a full ride to college.

Atlanta resident Kendall Rae Johnson, the youngest USDA-certified farmer in the United States, recently visited South Carolina State University during her national college tour — and received a surprise full scholarship offer from SC State President Alexander Conyers.

Her visit included a tour of SC State’s 300-acre Research and Demonstration Farm in Olar, where she learned about the university’s research and community agriculture efforts. She also took part in a hands-on robotics workshop using Legos, introducing her to basic engineering and problem-solving.

The fifth and final stop on her tour of 1890 land-grant colleges, SC State made a lasting impression on Kendall Rae and her family.

The feeling was mutual.

“We were genuinely inspired by Kendall Rae’s focus and maturity,” Conyers said. “It’s not every day you meet a 10-year-old who talks about microorganisms, crop counts and longhorn cattle. She’s remarkable.”

Kendall Rae became Georgia’s youngest certified farmer at age 6, and the youngest nationally soon after. She began gardening with her great-grandmother at age 3, growing collard greens on the back porch. The land she now farms — about an acre — originally belonged to her great-grandmother was passed to her mother, who allowed Kendall Rae to farm it.

Today, her farm produces a wide range of fruits and vegetables, including peaches, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, Granny Smith apples, beets, carrots, tomatoes and okra.

“I like helping the community out with fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said. “I also like to travel and learn different farming techniques and how other people do it.”

Her parents, Quentin Johnson and Ursula Kendall Johnson, have supported her journey from the start — despite not coming from a farming background themselves.

“The last generation of farmers we had was maybe two generations ago — maybe my great-great-grandmother,” her father said. “We just said we’d support any idea our child had when we saw real active focus. She zeroed in on plants and wanting to grow things, so we just stuck behind it and when we realized she wasn’t veering off into any other thing, we just kept building it up.”

Kendall Rae’s enthusiasm for farming was contagious.

“She kind of pulled me into the whole thing,” her father said. “As exciting as it was for her, it was for me."

During her visit to the main SC State campus in Orangeburg, Kendall Rae met with Conyers, Dr. Louis Whitesides, vice president for SC State's Public Service and Agriculture Division (PSA), Dr. Ralph Noble, dean of SC State's College of Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences, and other SC State leaders.

Her mother recalled the moment the full scholarship offer was presented in the president's office.

“I’m surprised she didn’t scream,” Ursula Johnson said. “That was amazing — to be introduced and given that opportunity so young. You very seldom see young kids who are doing amazing things get those opportunities.”

The 1890 Agriculture Innovation Scholarship — currently valued at $83,500 — covers full tuition, fees, and room and board at SC State.

Kendall Rae's exposure to agriculture has sparked a wide range of career interests — from soil science to animal care to entrepreneurship.

“She’s bouncing because she’s getting these opportunities to see what agriculture has to offer,” her mother said.

Kendall Rae, who is homeschooled, said her father serves as her primary teacher. She enjoys math and science, which she finds especially useful in managing her farm. She explained that math helps her keep track of her crops, while science gives her a deeper understanding of things like soil biology and how tiny organisms affect plant health and growth.

She also credits part of her success to mentors who have guided her along the way, including individuals who assist with farming techniques and support her efforts in the community.

“How big is the farm I want? I want at least 100 acres,” she said. “And I want a longhorn, baby.”

She was excited by the prospects of the university’s upcoming plans for animal science programming, including a unique international goat initiative in The Gambia. The project, led by SC State’s PSA division, focuses on introducing a new breed of goats to rural communities in the West African nation — with the goal of improving food security, economic opportunity and sustainable livestock production.

Though she says she’s still years away from choosing a college — “I’m only 10,” she noted — she was clearly impressed by what she saw at SC State.

“I heard you’ve got a lot of building going on,” she said, referring to over $250 million in projects in development at the university's campus and satellite locations. “I want to come back and see what it looks like in 10 years.”

The university’s president said SC State is honored to support Kendall Rae's future.

“Kendall Rae is driven, focused and passionate about making a difference,” Conyers said. “She represents the type of leader South Carolina State is proud to invest in — and we’ll be ready when she is.”

Kendall Rae's national 1890 college tour was in partnership with USDA’s National Urban Agriculture Initiative (NUAg) and Virginia State to provide education and awareness around financial literacy, urban farm practices, and USDA youth loans. She is the USDA's NuAG Ambassador.

For more information about SC State’s agricultural programs, visit www.scsu.edu.