THE KIRBY FILE: Former soldier has created quite a buzz with his honeybees in north Cumberland County

Former soldier James Hartman will tell you life is about as good as it can be out north Cumberland County way.

He’s grateful to fellow soldier Eric Grandon, who lives in West Virginia.

And he’s grateful to those honeybees who bring him happiness every day, and what has become quite the lucrative business on his 23-acre farm in the past five years.

“We bought some land in 2014 and put a house on it,” Hartman, 49, said about him and his wife Christi. “In 2018, my PTSD started catching up with me.”

Call it the post-traumatic demoralization syndrome stress of 10 years of military duty from 1998 to 2008, where Hartman twice was deployed to Iraq as an Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer. Disposing of enemy improvised explosive devices, you only can imagine, would fray anyone’s nerves.

“Just time in the bomb squad,” Hartman said. “There are things your brain adjusts to, and you can’t get rid of it. I get hyper-anxiety.”

It was Grandon’s suggestion that led Hartman to what today is Secret Garden Bees.

“He said it would be good therapy for my anxiety,” Hartman said. “I had nothing to lose.”

So, Hartman says, he and his wife launched Secret Garden Bees in 2020.

Jim Hartman is keeper of the bees.

Christi Hartman manages the business at 6930 Moray St.

“She does all the packing of the honey,” Jim Hartman said.

And the honeybees, Jim Hartman says, are just loving this spring pollen.

“It’s their protein,” he said.

As for business, well, it’s booming.

“Now, we distribute to 180 stores across 27 states,” he said, including the Fresh Market grocery chain.

‘It’s a big honor’

Jim Hartman’s passion for honeybees and his farm has not gone unnoticed in this agriculture community, and beyond, as he was honored during Small Farms Week held here March 23-29, and where Hartman was recognized as the 2024 Small Farmer of the Year, an award he shared with Patrick Brown of Warren County. The celebration was held March 28 in Cumberland County in partnership with the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Cooperative Extension.

“I considered it to be an honor,” he said Thursday. “It’s the first time in Cumberland County we have one. It’s a big honor for me and the county, and we worked at it.”

Lisa Benzaquen Childers is the county extension director and has worked to assist Hartman in his beekeeping journey.

“Mr. Hartman operates an apiary in Cumberland County that sells raw honey to several local businesses and to over 180 stores across 27 states,” she said. “Cumberland County Cooperative Extension works closely with Mr. Hartman through the N.C. State Extension Soldiers to Agriculture Program. Mr. Hartman has provided tours, served as a guest speaker, mentored, provided internships and employed soldiers and veterans interested in joining the agricultural industry. He is dedicated to helping the local agricultural community.”

Hartman’s success is not lost on Kirk deViere, a military veteran, who is chair of the Cumberland Board of County Commissioners.

“Cumberland County is truly blessed with generations of farm-to-table knowledge, creating a place where both tradition and innovation can thrive,” deViere said. “It’s especially encouraging to witness the success of businesses like Secret Garden Bees, where dedication, entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to sustainability are shaping the future of agriculture. The achievements of family and veteran-owned businesses like Secret Garden Bees showcase our community’s commitment to supporting veterans and providing hands-on experience and training in agriculture.”

Epilogue

Jim Hartman knows the stress of handling, disarming and disposing of enemy IEDs, aka improvised explosive devices of war.

It’s not like dealing with honeybees.

But …

“If you work with bees, you have to be super calm,” Hartman said. “If not, they get mean. But it is very calming.”

And Jim Hartman is loving being the keeper of his bees in north Cumberland County.

Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.

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