UNIONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An eighth-generation farmer in Bedford County is keeping his promise to continue his family's agricultural legacy despite facing significant challenges with his vision.
Jason Barber, who owns a 100-acre farm that has been in his family since 1866, made a promise to his father five years ago that he would continue the family farm.
"Money is not the primary object," Barber said. "I mean yeah I could cash out today and probably sell it and never have to worry about anything the rest of my life. But that's not what it's all about."
NewsChannel 5's Austin Pollack asked: "what is it about?"
"It's heart," Barber said. "You know it's just a promise. It's a promise that, even though my grandfather isn't here, he knew that I was going to do this. And he knew that it was in my heart and I promised my dad and his sister that I would do it."
Jason has a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which causes vision loss when cells in the retina break down slowly over time. According to the National Eye Institute at NIH, it typically begins with night vision loss, and there is no cure.
"My vision loss has deteriorated slowly," Barber said." And when I say slowly, it's at the point it's not going to get any better."
His daily farming routine has been adapted to accommodate his changing vision.
"I operate off my peripherals for the most part," he said. "My central vision, like looking straight out ahead and looking at this calf, if I look straight ahead, I can hardly see it."
To overcome these challenges, Jason now uses artificial intelligence on his smartphone to help describe what his camera sees – and what his eyes sometimes can't.
"So normally that's how I use it to recognize my livestock cattle tag numbers because that's where one of my primary obstacles working with my livestock is recognizing which cow goes with which number," Barber said.
Barber found support through specialized programs for farmers facing disabilities. According to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, the AgrAbility program provides disabled farmers with services and resources to allow them to continue farming. Barber is one of more than 1,000 farmers who have received support from Tennessee AgrAbility since 1994.
For years, Jason used a flip phone that wasn't equipped with AI software. Thanks to the Telecommunications Devices Access Programs through the Tennessee Public Utility Commission, he now has a smartphone with apps that help him continue farming.
"I promised my dad and even his sister before they passed away – I would continue doing this as long as I possibly could," Barber said.
Despite the challenges, Barber remains committed to his family's legacy.
"I'm not going to fall back on a promise that I've kept," he said. "I'm a man of my word just like my dad was always. We do what we say we're going to do."
Barber often shares about his experiences, hoping to help others who may be in a similar situation. He documents these experiences on his YouTube channel.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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