Jason Brown once protected quarterbacks as the highest-paid center in the NFL. Now he protects crops from pests and droughts on a 1,000-acre farm in North Carolina.
Back On The Farm
In 2012 at 29 years old, Brown was cut by St. Louis Rams after three seasons into his five-year, $37.5 million contract. Rather than trying to continue his pro football career with another team, he retired to pursue a calling he says came from God: farming. He purchased land in Louisburg, North Carolina, and established First Fruits Farm, where he and his family donate the first yield of every harvest to local food banks.
“We are a donation-first farm,” Brown told the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017. “My wife and I made a covenant with God that whatever we produce on his farm, that we’re going to give our local communities our first fruits.”
The move from the NFL to agriculture wasn’t just a career pivot — it was a leap of faith, built on a foundation of financial security. By prioritizing stability early in his professional life, Brown was able to self-fund his philanthropic work without relying on donors or risking burnout.
According to the 2024 State of the Nonprofit Sector Report from Forvis Mazars, 68 percent of nonprofits expect to cut back on services in the next two years due to rising costs and limited resources. Brown’s approach offers a counterexample: aligning long-term financial freedom with a mission can yield both personal fulfillment and community impact.
Philanthropy, however, requires more than passion. Brown admits he had no background in farming.
“I went to the online University of YouTube,” he said in a Today interview. “I watched hours and hours of film every single day.”
Today, he is tending to his farm.
As he told the US Sun, “Before I had to wrestle 300-pound defensive linemen. Now I have to wrestle 1,000-pound cows!”
The farm produces huge amounts of vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, sweet corn, and cucumber for local charities. According to the farm’s website, he also raises chickens and cereal rye.
Despite leaving behind professional football and the luxurious lifestyle that goes with it, Brown said the farm was a directive from God, telling local station WTVD in 2011: “God told me he had something greater in store for me.”
