Our Story

The Firefly Farm Story…

It was 2015 when veterinarian Cindy Stubbs fell in love - you could say hopelessly in love - with a 26-acre established farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She was taken by the majesty of the land, with its mature pecan and black walnut trees and blooming bushes. Stunning varieties of flowers were abundant throughout the year. Cindy purchased it and named it Firefly Farm. But … her story actually started years before …

how it began

Cindy’s early years were spent living with her mom and dad on a small farm in the mountains of North Carolina. They raised Black Angus beef cattle and grew all the vegetables they ate. She never realized the goodness she had until she went away to college and missed the fresh veggies from home. This memory would never leave her.

Dr. Cindy

Cindy left farming behind and, after college, entered veterinary school. She graduated and completed certification as a veterinary specialist in internal medicine with an interest in feline infectious diseases. Marriage and kids followed, with the arrivals of Jack and Lily. Cindy opened a veterinary practice in Georgia, and, ten years later, moved to Hillsborough, joining a practice in Durham.

Although Cindy is a sought after veterinary specialist, you might say her calling came “from the ground up.” The young family was bracing for another big change…farm life.

Farm Livin’

Purchasing Firefly Farm gave her not only a serene home in which to live and raise her family, but plentiful land to develop into garden spaces, generous orchards, and abundant blueberry fields. Cindy stepped back from her duties as a veterinary internist in 2018 and devoted herself, her time and her talent fulltime to farming. In 2024, she returned to consult with Antech Diagnostics as a veterinary internist while continuing to run the farm she loves.

Cindy continues to develop and expand these farm areas year by year, using sustainable growing practices. Firefly Farm produces and shares the fresh and nutritious vegetables and fruit with her customers. Firefly Farm also offers lovely fresh floral and seasonal arrangements, all harvested from the farm and woodlands.

Friends of Firefly Farm purchase the fresh, healthy and beautiful vegetables, fruits, flowers (and a few nuts) through the online farm store.

Farm Sharing

Cindy also enjoys sharing her farm with friends. The farm is open once the flowers start blooming in May till the end of August for U-pick flower sessions. In June, Fireflies on the Farm invites carloads of friends to the farm on Friday evenings to enjoy the magic of lightning bugs as they light up the night. The Witch (also known as Farmer Cindy) welcomes kids of all ages to her whimsical haunted barn all Saturdays in October. Tickets for these events are available through the online farm store.