PHOTOS: 12-Year-Old Farms, Raises Livestock to Help Feed Neighbors

A 12-year-old boy named Brayden Nadeau from Maine was born to farm, and started a produce stand two years ago.

“I’ve been farming my whole life. As long as I could remember, I’ve been on his lap, steering the tractor, running the bucket,” he told News Center Maine recently, while gesturing toward his grandfather, Dan Herrick.

A photo showed the young farmer sitting on his tractor and wearing a big smile:

Nadeau pretty much runs things on his own and also helps feed neighbors thanks to his farm stand where he sells items such as homemade zucchini bread and relish.

The ingredients are sourced from his own garden.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, there were two million farms in rural America, with 98 percent of those being run by families, individuals, family partnerships, or family corporations.

“One U.S. farm feeds 166 people annually in the U.S. and abroad,” the federation said.

Family-run farms have long been an important part of American culture, the Farm Together website said.

Meanwhile, the boy also raises livestock while working 12 hour days, seven days a week during the summer months.

In the mornings during the school year, he gathers vegetables and prepares the farm stand for business before class starts.

Photos showed the produce he collected and one of his pigs:

The young man also earned money to buy an updated stand recently, invested in tools, and learned how to do repairs.