Hardin Farm and Stables

Photo by Annette Joyce/ NWO

Evolving, adjusting and surviving

Photo by Annette Joyce/NWO Sisters Helen Hardin Isley (left) and Luann Hardin Leonard oversee operations of their family farm, Hardin Farm & Stables, in Stokesdale. Hardin Farm & Stables dates back to 1958, when Rush and the late Mary Hardin purchased 185 acres off U.S. 158 in Stokesdale. The family-owned business is now operated by two of the couple’s daughters, Helen Hardin Isley and Luann Hardin Leonard.

by ANNETTE JOYCE

STOKESDALE – Hidden away in Stokesdale just off U.S. 158 and in sight of I-73, Hardin Farm and Stables has retained the charm and bucolic atmosphere from the days when people worked the land and figured out how to make a living from it.

Sisters and co-owners of the family business, Helen Hardin Isley and Luann Hardin Leonard have continued that tradition and experienced success when other farms and farm-related businesses are dying out.

The farm had its beginnings in 1958 when Helen and Luann’s parents, Rush and Mary Hardin, purchased the 185-acre property it rests on. Rush had grown up in the Guilford College area, where his parents ran Hardin’s Hatchery and Feed Mill, and they encouraged him and Mary to purchase the land in Stokesdale when it became available.

“My grandpa always said, ‘There’s one thing they don’t make more of, and that’s land,’” Helen recalled.

Since the land was mostly wooded, the couple established their own sawmill and began clearing it for pastures and fields. Rush and Mary started out as grain farmers and later added cattle and hogs. Eventually, selling hogs became the mainstay of their operation.

“We’d buy the pigs at about 50 pounds and finish them out to about 250 pounds,” Helen said.

It was during this time that the Hardins started their family and had three girls, Luann, Helen and Betty. All three worked on the farm as they were growing up, and as adults, Luann and Helen decided to stay on and help run the business.

The two sisters learned quickly that farming is constantly evolving, and they had to be flexible and willing to make adjustments as markets shifted. ...continued on p. 24

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