Braswell Family Farms, from the Nash County community of Nashville, will add another chapter to North Carolina’s historic ties to celebrations of faith at the White House.
Trey Braswell and his family donated 40,000 eggs for the 148th annual Easter Egg roll to be hosted Monday on the South Lawn by First Lady Melania Trump, staff of the White House and their families. It’s the fifth consecutive year for the more than 80-year-old farm, a run of about 182,000 eggs.
Trump said this year’s event will also pay homage to America’s 250th birthday, incorporating patriotic themes on the South Lawn. Commemorative eggs will be made available to the public as well.
“From the processing plant to conversations with producer leaders, today was a powerful reminder of the faith, family and grit that keep American agriculture strong,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins of the U.S. Department of Agriculture following a visit Monday to the farm. “For fourth and fifth generation egg farmers like the Braswells, this is more than a business – it is a way of life rooted in hard work, stewardship and feeding American families.”
The uninterrupted roll on Easter Monday traces back to 1878, one of the oldest White House traditions ongoing. Historians say, perhaps, President James Madison’s wife Dolley had the idea first during the fourth president’s term (1809-17); or maybe it got going with the 16th man in the office, that of President Abraham Lincoln’s administration (1861-65).
Rest assured, Congress intervened to stop it in 1876, rain washed out anything in 1877, and President Rutherford Hayes (1877-81) brought it back for good in 1878.
Braswell Family Farms originated in 1943 with brothers E.G. and J.M. Braswell that are great-grandfather and great-great-uncle to Trey. A water-powered gristmill on the farm they worked became theirs through financing and a retirement, a second mill in town was secured, and soon the feed and animal production operation were up and running.
Today, it’s a state-of-the-art farm for the 21st century. Founding member in 1989 of Eggland’s Best, Braswell Family Farms is the second-largest franchise for it in America and obtains eggs from smaller family farms in North Carolina and Virginia.
North Carolina agriculture, a $102 billion annual business, and the White House are certainly intertwined through faith. The official Christmas Tree at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has eight times just in this century come from North Carolina, the No. 2 state in the country for production.
North Carolina is No. 1 nationally for production in poultry and eggs, and No. 4 in broilers (chicken).