Our Vision
A self-sustaining farm which involves and benefits the Mattocks beneficiaries and local surrounding communities.
Our Mission
To be good stewards of the land, promote culturally and environmentally sensitive, and financially sustainable practices, to serve and educate family and community members, while honoring the cultural and historical wisdom of our ancestors.
Cultural Recognition
Longleaf for All Landowner Mentors
Trustees Constance Stancil, Joycelyn McKelpin, and Luther Turnbull Jr. have been named among North Carolina's newest Longleaf for All Landowner Mentors by the Longleaf Alliance. The designation recognizes landowners who have made the investment to learn - attending the Longleaf for the Landowner Academy in 2023, hosting partner organizations and fellow landowners at the farm, and now serving as resources for others across the state who are navigating the same challenges of Black land ownership and sustainable stewardship.
"My heart, my soul, is rooted in the dirt on that land. Everything I am, who I am now, started there." Constance Stancil
This April, Mattocks Riverview Farms was a featured stop on the Longleaf and the Landowner Academy in nearby Maysville - welcoming roughly 30 landowners for a day of learning on longleaf forestry, estate planning, and building a team of advisors. As Joycelyn put it in her closing remarks: "let this gathering be the beginning, not the end of this journey."
Model Farm Designations
In 2024, Mattocks Riverview Farms was designated a model farm by the National Wildlife Federation and the Longleaf Alliance - recognizing the family's decades of commitment to wildlife habitat, longleaf pine restoration, and wetland stewardship. The same year, the farm received a trail development grant from the National Wildlife Federation to build a Wildlife Trail through the wetlands, connecting visitors to one of the most ecologically significant corridors in Onslow County.
The farm also holds a Mattocks Model Farm designation from the USDA, reflecting a long-standing partnership with federal conservation programs. Wildlife education signs installed throughout the property tell the story of the land - its species, its history, and its significance to the broader White Oak River watershed.
The farm's foundation sign - installed on the property - tells the condensed history of the family's journey to acquire and maintain this land across generations: from Peggie Spicer's parents farming this ground in 1889, through the 1931 purchase, the 1942 Warranty Deed, and forward to the 312 known descendants carrying the family legacy today.
Our Partners
- National Wildlife Federation 2024 model farm designation and Wildlife Trail grant recipient
- Longleaf Alliance 2024 model farm co-designee; partner in longleaf pine restoration and forest stewardship
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Mattocks Model Farm designation; active in Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and EQIP
- Edwards Mother Earth Foundation Partner in conservation and land stewardship initiatives
- Onslow County United Way High tunnel lease partnership; fresh food for the local community
- Soil and Water Conservation Local partner in environmentally sound land management
- NC Cooperative Extension Technical support for sustainable agricultural and forestry practices
