We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dustin Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dustin, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At Holl & Stone Farms, our mission is rooted in legacy, love for the land, and a commitment to community. We’re not just growing produce—we’re nurturing a sixth-generation family farm into something that serves both our heritage and our future.

The farm has been in the Buffaloe family since 1878, handed down through generations who worked this land with pride and perseverance. In 2020, we revitalized the property with a fresh purpose: to create a space where families could reconnect with nature, where kids could pet goats and alpacas, and where fresh, local food meets immersive experience. We named it after our children—Holland and Stone—because everything we’re building is for them and their generation.

Our mission is to preserve and celebrate the agricultural roots of North Carolina while making farming relevant for today. That means embracing innovation like vertical hydroponics alongside heirloom fig orchards, offering space for agritourism, and hosting community events that bring people together. It’s meaningful because we’re not just stewards of the land—we’re also stewards of a legacy, one we hope inspires others to slow down, connect, and appreciate the beauty of simple, honest work.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We’re Burton Buffaloe and Dustin Smith, husbands, dads, and the co-stewards of Holl & Stone Farms—a sixth-generation family farm that we’ve reimagined as a modern-day gathering place rooted in heritage, hospitality, and hands-on experiences. Our journey into farming wasn’t a straight line—it was a full-circle return.

Burton grew up on this land. It was his great-great-great-grandfather’s, and while life initially took us both into other industries—technology and design—we always felt the pull to come back and do something meaningful with the family farm. In 2020, during the stillness of the pandemic, we saw an opportunity to restore the land, build something for our kids to inherit, and create a place where people could slow down and connect.

Holl & Stone Farms (named after our children, Holland and Stone) offers a vibrant mix of experiences and services: a seasonal farmer’s market, a boutique nursery, a farm store with fresh produce, home goods, and gifts, plus hand-dipped ice cream, beer and wine, fire pit rentals, and farm tours. Families can interact with goats, alpacas, and chickens, and we’re also becoming a destination for weddings, private events, and soon, lakefront cabin rentals.

We solve a modern problem: the disconnection from where our food comes from, from nature, and from each other. At Holl & Stone, people don’t just buy tomatoes—they pick them, taste them, learn about them. Kids don’t just see animals—they feed them, pet them, and learn responsibility. It’s about building memories, not just making transactions.

What sets us apart is that we’re not trying to be the biggest—we’re trying to be the most meaningful. We blend tradition and innovation, from vertical hydroponic systems to heirloom fig orchards. We’ve created an immersive, experiential space where visitors can spend hours—not just minutes. We care deeply about intentionality and stewardship, and everything we offer has a story behind it.

We’re most proud of turning a farm that had sat quiet for decades into a thriving place full of laughter, learning, and legacy. We opened our doors to the public in 2024, and watching families linger, kids light up, and neighbors return again and again has been our greatest reward.

To anyone just discovering us: we invite you to come see the farm for yourself. Whether you’re here for an ice cream cone, a sunset by the lake, or to buy a tomato plant for your own garden—you’re part of something special when you step onto this land. You’re helping write the next chapter of a story that began in 1878.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Our social media journey started long before we opened the gates at Holl & Stone Farms. Both of us come from creative backgrounds—digital storytelling has always been a passion and a craft. We believe stories move people. They connect us. And when told with honesty and heart, they can turn a quiet farm into a living, breathing experience that people feel a part of—even through a screen.

We didn’t build our audience overnight. It grew slowly and intentionally, one story at a time. At first, it was just us sharing our process of reclaiming the family land—hauling lumber, restoring barns, planting fig trees with our kids, figuring things out as we went. We didn’t try to make things perfect. We just told the truth: the early mornings, the muddy boots, the big dreams, and the small wins. People connected with that.

Today, we’ve built a local and loyal following of over 10,000—families, neighbors, and folks from around the country who are invested in the journey. We share what’s happening on the farm, yes—but we also share the why behind it. That’s the core of good digital storytelling: don’t just show what you do—share what it means.

Our advice for those starting to build their presence: Know your mission, and let it guide your content. Don’t chase trends—create moments. Be consistent, be vulnerable, and focus on connection over perfection. Your audience doesn’t need you to be polished—they need you to be real.

For us, social media isn’t about marketing—it’s about building community. It’s about inviting people into something that matters. And every time someone tells us they visited the farm because of a post they saw or a story we told, it reaffirms why we do this: to bring people closer to land, to legacy, and to each other.

Any advice for managing a team?

We’re incredibly proud of our team at Holl & Stone Farms. With about 15 employees, we’ve built a small but mighty group that’s essential to creating the kind of experience our guests rave about. And honestly, maintaining high morale is a lot easier when your team gets to witness, every single day, just how much their work matters.

One of the biggest motivators? The feedback. When our customers are blown away by the experience—when they stop to say how magical the farm feels, how much their kids loved the animals, or how beautiful and peaceful the space is—our team feels that. They feel the pride of knowing they helped make that moment happen. It creates an incredible loop of positive energy and purpose.

Our advice for leading a team and keeping morale high? Start with the mission. People want to be part of something that matters. This farm is more than just a business—it’s a legacy being reimagined for the future. When our team understands that they’re part of something lasting and meaningful, they show up with care and intention.

We’ve also worked hard to create an inclusive culture. We want our employees to feel safe, valued, and empowered to be themselves. We lead with transparency, celebrate small wins, and trust our team to bring their creativity and thoughtfulness into everything they do. We’re not trying to build a hierarchy—we’re building a family.

At the end of the day, great teams thrive on shared purpose, mutual respect, and feeling connected to the impact of their work. When you see customers light up every weekend, when people tell you this is their favorite place to bring their family—it’s contagious. And that pride spreads across the team, turning a job into something much more meaningful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hollandstonefarms.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollandstone/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hollandstonefarms
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/holl-and-stone-farms-garner