Our story
Thirteen years ago we were living in Houston, TX when we realized that we wanted to move back to the Fort Smith Arkansas area (where we both grew up) and build a more sustainable lifestyle.
It took several years to reach that goal but one job transfer, three moves, four kids, and we were finally here. We started our farm life while we were still in the middle of Houston, with chickens and a ridiculous amount of plants. We moved an entire 26 ft truck full of plants when we left the city... and we were very relieved to buy our "forever home," and put all those plants in the ground a few years later!
After getting our small 7 acres, we immediately got Nigerian Dwarf goats (for the high butterfat content in their milk) and expanded our breeds of chickens. Marans interested me immediately because I’m a foodie and I read that their “chocolate” colored eggs and meat were originally considered a delicacy. I soon found out that finding the cheapest of the breed would not give you the same stunning quality eggs and meat that the Marans breed is known for. I started with my beginner flock in 2015, with pretty unimpressive brown eggs, but after several years of bringing in better breeding, we finally have egg colors that are almost too good to use for eating!
Our goals
We have had many dreams over the last several years but right now as we come to update this page in 2022… it’s really hard to say what our goals are currently. Between our 4 kids schooling, maintaining local soap sales, and trying to reshape our lives as sustainable while also navigating society, mental health, and rampant consumerism… we’re just trying to keep everyone alive and be present. We may not have any real goals or dreams that we are pursuing for a few years at this point. It’s called treading water… keeping the ship afloat. It’s pretty common (or at least it should be) for families with small children. So for now we don’t have any real active plans for changes or additions.
As far as our long term goals go, Alysha would love to be able to do something with baking and or ‘farm to table’ style food. She’s been baking and cooking all our friends and families favorite foods for years and hopes to be able to do something with it one day. We’ve dreamed of a shop with plants, farm goods, and amazing food if we ever have the ability to make it a reality.
Why
Witnessing firsthand the cost, effort, and losses involved in running a small farm has brought us a new appreciation for small things. It's much harder to be judgmental about a subject once you have experienced it. I believe our complete detachment from where things come from, leaves the bulk of our society making assumptions about things they have no idea about. Having a close relationship with the things we consume brings a better understanding of their true value, more respect for the processes and energy it took to make them, and a better understanding of the importance of moderation.
An egg was so much more valuable once we'd fed the hen that laid it, actively protected her so she could free range, and waited a day or two for each one she laid. When you've spent a year tending a herd, helped deliver the years babies, and milked the cow (or goat)… you might just cry if the milk gets spilled! In today’s world who cries over spilled milk? Much of our food is mass produced by a few large companies, processed by machines, and shipped cross country to be sold cheaply at the grocery store.
Don't get me wrong, we are a single income family with a lot of bills so we definitely take advantage of the convenience of store-bought food just like everybody else. But it's clear to us that in general our culture is largely indifferent toward over consuming, under appreciating, mass wasting, and under paying for substandard products.
Over consuming inevitably hurts people, animals, and the land. It is our goal, whenever possible, to produce what we can ourselves, shop locally, and buy sustainable products which is to the benefit of... everyone. We believe the creator has put all of us here to be good stewards of mother earth.
“You send fresh streams that spring up in the cracks between hills. Every animal of the open field makes its journey there for drink: Wild donkeys lap at the brooks’ edges. Birds build their nests by the streams, singing among the branches. And the clouds, too, drink up their share, raining it back down on the mountains from the upper reaches of Your home, sustaining the whole earth with what comes from You. And the earth is satisfied. Thus You grow grain for bread, grapes for wine, grass for cattle- all of this for us. And so we have bread to make our bodies strong, wine to make our hearts happy, oil to make our faces shine. Every good thing we need, Your earth provides...”