Fred and Melissa are accidental farmers. Back in 2021 they felt called to leave their little 2/3 acre "homestead" behind and be open to moving. Searching for a homestead they found a working cattle ranch for sale and decided to leave it all behind, quitting jobs and becoming full-time ranchers. Only four years in to this full-time farming lifestyle, the family cooperates to raise livestock, improve the property (fencing, creating silvopasture, building new garden areas, digging ponds), and offer agritourism experiences. Four sons, ages 11-27, live on the farm as well as two big dogs, Diesel and Walker.
Caring for the animals comes first, including:
* feeding the poultry and hogs
* moving the lambs, cows, and broiler chickens to fresh grass
* watering all the animals
Gardens take up less time, but we:
* water, plant, prune, harvest, and weed two garden areas
* continue planting the permaculture orchard which was started in 2024
The bulk of our time is spent on infastructure and improving this land, which could include group tasks like:
* replacing fencing with posts and electric wire
* creating silvopasture by thinning woods
* building new garden beds, picnic tables for the fishing pond (open to the public four days a week), and repairing "chicken tractors"
* building new ponds, keeping the fishing pond area clear and welcoming for visitors, etc
There's also the sales, marketing, and retail side of the farm, including:
* Farm store hours on Fridays 3-6pm
* Packing for the Charlotte market which we go to on Saturdays
* Cleaning, organizing, packing, and unpacking freezers
* Keeping the farm store clean and welcoming for visitors
We also have the mundane tasks like:
* cleaning and organizing the barns, receiving feed deliveries, cleaning the farm store, and preparing the large farrowing stalls for sows, spreading wood chips, weedeating
Seasonal tasks could include:
Fall:
In October and most of November we process chickens and/or turkeys once a week.
Preparing for and hosting the True Que dinner event on 10/4.
Winter:
The schedule for processing ducks hasn't been set but we'll probably do that once a month from December-March.
Less daily chores since chicken season ends in October.
Managing the brooder beginning in February.
Fred does most of his projects like installing fences, clearing pathways, and repairs during this time.
Spring:
Lots of gardening!
Farm babies arrive like calves, lambs, and chicks.
Summer:
Chicken season is in full swing, with batches of 1,000 birds in the brooder and in the field. Moving chicken tractors, feeding, and watering the birds takes up much of the morning chore time. Processing usually happens weekly on Thursdays two of three weeks.
Your Accomodations:
We have a basement apartment with its own kitchen, bathroom, and living area plus a queen size bed (and a twin mattress that can go on the floor).
Your Meals:
About a third of our meals we eat leisurely around the table as a family, and invite you to join us. In your kitchen you'll have an oven, cooktop, toaster oven, coffee maker, oven, and fridge.
Our Family:
Our youngest son is a drummer in our church's worship band and our 14-year-old is a competitive athelete, which takes us off the farm to cheer for him at baseball and football games. Twin 27-year-old sons live in campers here at the farm.
Fred is always outside, working six days a week in the fields. On Sundays he enjoys sitting on the back porch smoking a cigar after a big family dinner.
At the farm the boys enjoy fishing, while Melissa mostly sticks to the gardens, fishing, and walking around aimlessly because the land is so beautiful. Usually, you'll find her in the kitchen though, since her favorite thing is to feed people.
As a family we also enjoy homesteading activities that don't bring in revenue, such as curing hams and other pork, making soap, foraging, and canning. We'd love to show you how.
Recreation and Relaxation:
Recreation opportunities at the farm include catch-and-release fishing in the stocked pond, hiking and foraging through the woods, and playing pool at our basement billiards table.
Located just off I-40 near I-77, our farm is about an hour away from Charlotte and Asheville.
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Learning opportunities
Poultry farming
Pig farming
Cattle farming
Sheep or goat farming
Meat processing
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Methods or systems
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
58.3
Hectares
|
144
Acres
