Dwight Howard Bought A 700-Acre Farm So He Can Retire With His Donkeys One Day

Dwight Howard is one interesting dude.

Dwight Howard likes to farm. You learn something new everyday, people.

In a recent sit down with Sports Illustrated, Howard reflected on life and what his world may look like when he does decide to call it quits on the court. The Hornets’ 31-year-old big man had some interesting things to say. One of the more surprising things was the fact that he recently bought a 700-acre farm in north Georgia where he chills with a ton of farm animals and plans to retire to said farm.

This summer Howard bought a 700-acre farm in north Georgia where he relaxes with the cows, hogs, turkeys and deer. He is particularly fond of the donkeys, which keep the coyotes away. To prepare for retirement, Howard has written what he calls his “99-year plan,” in which he hopes to become Farmer Dwight. “My dad grew up in the country, and whenever we drove to my grandma’s house, I was always fascinated by the farms we passed, how neat everything was,” Howard recalls. “I want to go out there, milk the cows, work the field. I’ll be able to tell you what watermelon came from what row.”

He has a garden on his estate in Suwanee where he grows squash, okra, tomatoes, figs, eggplant and cantaloupe. He proudly offers visitors samples of his fresh produce. In July, Howard visited the farm and mulled what crops he wants to plant. He likes what he hears about Moringa, coined the Miracle Tree because of its medicinal properties. “Everything is going to be organic, no pesticides,” Howard says. “We want to be in grocery stores, but I’d also like to organize a program where agriculture students at Georgia and Georgia Tech can come up and study the soil. This will be a place for my kids and their kids but also the community.”

This is honestly pretty cool. I mean, do I want to be a farmer whenever I retire (HAHA that’ll never be a realistic thing) the answer is absolutely not, but it’s always interesting to hear what these high-profile athletes have planned out for when they hang it up.

It’s also pretty amusing to sit back and imagine a 7-foot tall man with shoulders as wide as my car just hanging out living the farm life.