Lespedeza Broom

— Written By and last updated by Elisabeth Purser
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

Man in PictureThomas Jefferson Washington Broom (T.J.W. Broom) was a home-grown Union County boy. He was born in Union County in 1866. He attended Unionville School for 3 weeks. After 3 weeks he began teaching & taught school for 8 years. Following his stint as a teacher, Tom Broom worked for Belk Brothers for three years, where he said he learned valuable lessons from the Belks and learned about human nature. He was elected as Farm Demonstrator, now known as Agriculture Extension Agents, in 1907,. He spent 1911 with the NC State Department of Agriculture resigning after one year to return to Union County to farm for 2 ½ years. He worked with the Cotton Growers Association as a Field Agent from 1914 to 1923.

In 1924 he was reelected Farm Demonstrator and held that position for 22 years.In 1914, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture was encouraging farmers in North Carolina to grow red top clover, but failed. In 1915 Tom Broom noticed that farmers were struggling to grow the red top clover while Lespedeza was growing wild in adjacent areas. Tom conceived the idea that any plant that wanted to grow as badly as Lespedeza did was worth the effort. He convinced the local farmers to buy the seed and try growing this legume. The soil had been depleted of nutrients from continuous cotton farming, farmers struggled to grow any crops, and erosion had become a problem. Legumes include clover, lespedeza, beans, and peas withLespedeza all of these plants having the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air and fix it in their roots, holding it in the soil and then releasing it to following crops. In 1922, 2000 bushels of Lespedeza seed arrived in Union County and farmers in the County received seed pans for saving seed. That fall around 5000 bushels of Lespedeza seed was produced and in the following years, thousands of bushels of seed were shipped by rail car loads. Industrial equipment was being used to thresh the seed and Union County quickly became a Lespedeza growing County. Autobiographer T. J. Laney give Tom the name Lespedeza Broom and it stuck.

In 1943, the Progressive Farmer recognized Tom Broom as “Man of the Year in Service to North Carolina Agriculture”. He retired in 1946 at the age of 80 and died at the age of 84. At the time of his retirement, he was described as one of the most useful and best loved men in Union County. Though he had no formal agriculture training, his contact with agriculture leaders and researchers and through study and practice he demonstrated good farming on his own farm and worked in service to help the farmers of Union County. He dedicated over 25 years in service to the agriculture community of Union County and made a huge impact on farm families lives.

Written By

Debbie Dillion, N.C. Cooperative ExtensionDebbie DillionExtension Agent, Agriculture - Horticulture Call Debbie Email Debbie N.C. Cooperative Extension, Union County Center
Updated on Mar 7, 2022
Was the information on this page helpful? Yes check No close
Scannable QR Code to Access Electronic Version