TEAM SPOTLIGHT:
TAIJ COTTEN
“Many of us involved in the brigades rely heavily on what this community provides.”
Taij Cotten formally joined the Persimmon Collective team this year as the Farmer Brigade Coordinator. Taij is a familiar face to the PCF team as an Infrastructure Grantee for CottenPicked farm, a small flower farm that he and his wife, Victoria, run out of Pittsboro, NC. They are active participants in our local ecosystem through brigades and offering ongoing farmer support to whoever needs it. Taij’s experience as a farmer and community member have been a vital force as Persimmon expands its brigade work regionally. His eagerness to meet farmers where they are to offer his hands and expertise has allowed our reach to grow and has built a solid foundation with many farmers in our service area and beyond.
Tell us a little about this new role and what you will be doing?
In this position, I will be coordinating and organizing Farmer Brigades across the Piedmont region of North Carolina, facilitating farmer-led workdays to provide mutual aid and labor support among local farms. Additionally, I will be offering technical assistance to farmers across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia,and beyond drawing on my lived experience, background in Sustainable Agriculture, and professional expertise.
What are you most looking forward to in this new role with Persimmon?
What I am looking forward to most is building and sustaining relationships with fellow farmers to support them and their work. I am excited to contribute to and watch these farm operations grow, develop, and succeed.
Why are the brigades important and such a necessary part of Persimmon’s overall work?
I believe that the brigade work is important because the brigades provide support in so many ways. Beyond the financial components, they also offer vital labor and community resources.
Farmers are currently facing many challenges, and we are working to build sustainable support ecosystems to help ease the workload for them and their families.
What are some memorable visits or brigades since you’ve been in this role?
Most brigades are memorable because, by the end of the workday, participants realize how much progress was made to support the farm's operations. For many of these farmers, the labor provided by the brigades is essential to keeping their farms running, fostering a deep appreciation for the community's support.
Victoria and Taij Cotten
Lisa Kershaw of Joyful Souls Heirloom Nursery, Jaylon Morris of Celestial Configurations and Taij
Rod Leverette of Loebbs Farm and Taij working on a goat fence
You and your wife Victoria run CottenPicked Farm out of Pittsboro, NC. How has leading the brigade work informed your own journey as a farmer?
Our journey as farmers has felt like a true community effort. While we are currently in operation, we are not yet on our permanent property, and we know without the support of the farm brigades, our space would not look the way it does today.
Many of us involved in the brigades rely heavily on what this community provides. It is an invaluable resource not only for farmers in the early stages of their operations, but also for our elder farmers, helping them maintain and sustain their work at a high level.
We’ve also just gained a deep understanding of what stewardship looks like from different cultural perspectives. Taking in the generational account, and struggle of black and brown land ownership through the lens of our elders.Lastly but not at all the least, we aim to assist new and beginning farmers with navigation, especially those who lack access to their own land and resources, but possess the passion of a true land steward.