July 6, 2026
Before she was old enough to recognize it, agriculture was already shaping the course of Mary Margaret’s life. Whether riding the bus after school to her grandparents’ vineyard, watching her father work as a tobacco buyer, or helping in the independent grocery store he owned, she had a variety of opportunities that each deepened her love and understanding of agriculture.
In addition to agriculture, service and community were also instilled by her family. Her mother dedicated her entire career to public education, serving local students and families through the public school system. Together, her parents demonstrated the importance of hard work, commitment, and investing in the people around you.
From the field to the marketplace, each experience deepened her love and understanding of agriculture.
Mary Margaret’s childhood was filled with special memories such as helping run the family grape stand with her Mimi, or working alongside her Papa during grape-picking season.
“That place was so special to me—that’s where we got married,” Mary Margaret said with a smile.
Other days were spent in the family grocery store with her father, working in the meat department, running the cash register, stocking shelves, and learning firsthand what it meant to serve customers. During the holidays, she and her brother could often be found helping at the store’s Christmas candy counter.
As fate would have it, she fell in love with someone whose roots in agriculture ran just as deep. While attending NC State University, Mary Margaret spent the summer of 2016 interning at the North Carolina General Assembly, where she followed agricultural legislation. It was there that she worked alongside her future husband, John Wesley.
Today, as parents to John Wesley Jr. and Hallie, they are grateful to be raising their children with the same appreciation for agriculture that shaped their own lives.
“I know that a lot of people want to teach their children where their food comes from,” Mary Margaret said. “I’m grateful that I don’t have to teach my children that—it’s something they learn naturally by living it. Our children have the opportunity to see their dad at a chicken farm or their granddad work cows or at the hog farm.”
In 2019, Mary Margaret joined the AgCarolina Farm Credit team as a loan officer in the Kenansville branch. Combining her agricultural background with her finance degree, she has spent the last seven years helping members of the local lending cooperative achieve their goals and strengthen their operations.
“My children will see that for the agriculture industry to grow and thrive, it’s a three-legged stool,” she said. “It takes the farmer, the lender, and another partner such as the integrator to make it all work. Our kids not only get to see the production and management side of farming, but they also get to see the financial side and gain valuable financial literacy.”
In her role as a loan officer, Mary Margaret finds the greatest fulfillment in building relationships with the people she serves. Whether in the office or out in the field, she enjoys working alongside others who share her passion for agriculture and rural communities.
“Unlike commercial banking, our focus is on relationships,” she said. “I enjoy meeting members where they are—whether that’s on the farm, in their office, or by the chicken houses, and learning firsthand about their operations. It’s rewarding to work with people who are so passionate about farming and to support their livelihood every day.”
For Mary Margaret, agriculture is not just an industry, it’s a way of life. From her childhood days in the vineyard and grocery store to raising the next generation and serving members through AgCarolina Farm Credit, her story is rooted in the people, traditions, and relationships that make rural communities thrive.