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Todd Kirmss of Holt Orchards named Apple Farmer of the Year

United Community Bank City President and Apple Festival King Apple Parade Grand Marshal Fair Nabers Waggoner on Friday presented Todd Kirmss of Holt Orchards in Flat Rock with the Apple Farmer of the Year award during the opening ceremony of the N.C. Apple Festival.

By Amy McCraw, Published: September 4, 2026

Todd Kirmss brought the memories of his parents and his dedication to the family farm they built with him when he rose from his seat to accept the 2026 Apple Farmer of the Year award during Friday’s opening ceremony for the North Carolina Apple Festival.

“I’ve never had anything like this happen to me,” Kirmss said shortly after receiving the award as the 80th N.C. Apple Festival kicked off in downtown Hendersonville.
Kirmss said he felt honored to be recognized as the apple farmer of the year. His sister and coworker, Tracy Cavagnaro, also deserves credit for making their farm, Holt Orchards in Flat Rock, a success, Kirmss said.
His sister is an integral part of the business and “works as hard as I do,” he said.
Cavagnaro was one of the people who nominated Kirmss for the apple farmer of the year award.
She said in her nomination letter that her brother did not grow up wanting to be a farmer or come from an apple farming family.
“But sometimes life has a way of changing your course and that’s exactly what happened to him,” she wrote.
In 2009, Kirmss’s stepfather, Mark Holt, who was an apple farmer, suffered a heart attack and died in the middle of apple season.
Kirmss quit his job and did what he could to save the farm for his mother, Viginia Holt, that year. Soon after promising her he would learn about the industry and try to keep the farm in business, his mother also died from cancer, Carvagnaro wrote.
“Since then, he has worked tirelessly to keep the 45-acre farm in business. He has two employees, one being me, his sister and each day he does the work of a small crew,” she wrote. “He has given up 17 years of weekends and vacations and self-care and even having a family to continue the apple farm that was his stepfather’s dream.”
Kirmss said after receiving the award on Friday that he was happy to keep his parent’s legacy alive.
“It is our story,” he said. “I don’t like parts of it, but we all have them.”
Others who nominated Kirmss this year included William Terry Kelley, the director of Henderson County’s Cooperative Extension office.
Kelley said Kirmss’s orchard “consistently produces a top-quality crop of apples.”
The farm has a roadside stand on Upward Road that does great business. Holt Orchards also offer apples and other items from their farm for sale on the farmer’s market in Greenville, S.C., Kelley wrote.
Kirmss also serves on the N.C. Apple Growers Board of Directors and the Blue Ridge Apple Growers Board of Directors, Kelley said.
Kelley also described Kirmss as a good neighbor who is always around to help others in their time of need.
Kirmss received the award while on a stage in front of the County’s Historic Courthouse on Main Street with Apple Festival organizers, local and state political leaders and the festival’s Apple Ambassador Haley Marshall.
United Community Bank City President and Apple Festival King Apple Parade Grand Marshal Fair Nabers Waggoner presented Kirmss with the award.
She noted Kirmss’s achievements as a farmer before mentioning their personal connection as students at East Henderson High School.
“The apple on top for me is I’ve known him since high school,” she said. “I have had the privilege watching his journey unfold. It has been inspiring to watch him grow into the farmer and leader that he is today. He carries tremendous responsibility with grace and humor.”
Waggoner said she and the others on stage were successful in keeping the award a secret from Kirmss.
“It’s a big surprise,” Kirmss said after learning he won. “I never would have expected until last night. I said, ‘Something fishy was going on. Way too many people are trying to get me up here (on stage).’”
Kirmss is the 17th apple farmer to be honored by United Community Bank.
United Community established the award in 2009 and formed a partnership with the NC Apple Festival to ensure that the festival focuses on and honors apple farmers in the community, according to a press release from the bank.
The bank received 30 individual nominations for apple farmer of the year this year.
Holt Orchards is located at 17 Holt Pond Drive in Flat Rock.
The farm is described on the Visit Hendersonville website as a boutique apple orchard, flower field and farm store offering a wide variety of apples, including Honeycrisp, Gala, Sweetie, Cameo, Fuji, Evercrisp, Granny Smith and Pink Lady.
In addition to fresh apples, the farm features baked goods, slushies, 100% apple cider, local honey, Apple Crisp Mix and classic apple cider donuts.
Guests can also enjoy cutting their own bouquets from seasonal wildflowers such as sunflowers, zinnias, celosia, and cosmos. A curated selection of home décor and unique gift items is available, with new pieces added each season, according to the website.
The farm is open September 1through October 31, with hours on Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Saturdays, the team can be found at the Greenville Saturday Market from 8 a.m. to noon. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.
For more information on Holt Orchards, visit https://visithendersonvillenc.org/