Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel McCroskey.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Maryville, surrounded by my very tight-knit family. My dad grew up on a farm in Walland (about 20 minutes outside of Maryville), where my grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins still lived, and we visited as often as possible. I spent many a weekend wandering the fields and scrambling up and down the sides of mountains, getting stuck in the mud, drinking from springs, and overall enjoying nature. I graduated high school in 2008, right as the economy was crashing, and following the advice of everyone around me, I majored in Business so I could get a good job after college. I moved to Atlanta after college and worked in events, which was a very thrilling industry; however, after a few years I could tell something wasn’t quite working for me. So, naturally, I got my working holiday visa and left for New Zealand for an indefinite amount of time at 24. New Zealand has a big backpacking culture, and LOTS of farms. One of the popular things for backpackers to do was to work on farms in exchange for food and accommodations, so I did this too. After working on a few different farms, I realized I LOVED farming. Despite knowing next to nothing, I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I moved back home to the family farm, and began my learning process. I got my first job gardening at Blackberry Farm, and I helped out other local farmers with their animals, including my aunt who had a goat farm. I met my partner, Greg, not long after moving home as well. He also had an interest in farming and living off the land. Over the next few years I worked on a variety of farms, took a plethora of classes from organic crop production to Permaculture Design, plus Greg and I kept a small garden and flock of chickens.
In 2020, we pulled the trigger and started Four Daughters Farm on my family’s land. We couldn’t have had better timing; there was nothing else to do, no where else to go, plus with the supply chain in a tumultuous state, we received a huge amount of support from folks who wanted to buy local. Since 2020, we’ve been able to provide the Walland and Townsend area with fresh, naturally grown produce, free-range eggs and pastured chicken. We helped start the Townsend Farmers Market, which is every Saturday and provides a space for a variety of vendors to sell their goods- everything from handcrafted soaps to sourdough breads. In the future we hope to do on-farm classes, and continue to grow our offerings for our community.
Farming is a tough career, and I’ve certainly had some ups and downs over the past few years, but overall I could never imagine myself doing anything else. Connection to nature, connection to food and community, is really what life is all about 🙂
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest hurdle I’ve had to overcome is my lack of experience. I did not grow up farming, so I’ve had to work really hard to gain experience on my own. It has been humbling to start completely over in a brand new field. Not to mention starting a brand new business and the learning curve that goes along with that… The biggest challenge with farming itself is the unpredictability of the weather and seasons. Our first year, we got tons of rain which gave us some unrealistic expectations. The past two years have been particularly dry, and shown us where we need to invest in our infrastructure.
We try to take the challenges as they come and enjoy the learning process. Sometimes it can be heartbreaking, but I think that makes the successes that much sweeter.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Four Daughters Farm is a female-led, family owned, diversified production farm in the heart of Appalachia. We provide Walland, Townsend and the surrounding community with fresh, naturally grown produce, eggs and chicken. Our ultimate goal is sustainable farming practices, with land preservation at the forefront of our farm philosophy. We are not certified organic, but use organic practices as much as possible. In 2019 we helped establish the Townsend Farmers Market, and we have been the staple produce vendor at that market for the past 4 years. Our main customers are the local residents of Townsend, who previously did not have a resource for fresh, organic-grown produce. This year, we have branched out into meat bird production with excellent customer feedback on the taste and quality of our chicken. In the future, we plan on offering grass-fed beef, cut flowers, natural farming classes and other agrotourism offerings.
We are very fortunate to have a piece of land that was passed down for several generations, the most recent being from my grandmother to me, my sister and my two cousins. When I first became interested in farming, I realized very quickly that our farm was not being properly cared for, so my family and I started Four Daughters Farm as a way to start transitioning to better management practices. We dove head first into studying soil conservation and are working with our local Soil Conservation District to create sustainable solutions for the health of our land. We still have a long way to go, but I am optimistic (and persistent!), and I hope that one day we can set an example for sustainable, regenerative land management, in addition to producing nutrient dense food.
While land management was the reason we started our farm, our community is the reason our farm continues to grow and thrive. We have filled a gap that we never knew existed until we began producing and selling a large amount of produce in 2020. Our neighbors tell us they are so grateful to have a resource for fresh, naturally grown produce available to them at a reasonable price in their immediate vicinity. There is only one grocery store in Townsend, and we find that this grocery store does not often have seasonal or local produce. Since we are a small farm, we bend over backwards to serve our customers, especially if they are unable to get out to the market. In 2020 and 2021, we provided doorstep delivery and would like to do this again in the future (we had some staffing issues this year that made it difficult to have regular delivery scheduled, but we still deliver upon request). In the future we also plan on offering increased on-farm pick up, and would like to build a facility to sell our products on the farm, and also possibly offer space for other growers and creators to sell their products.
We also work with other community members in a variety of ways to help grow small businesses and support other local farms. We purchase produce from other local farmers that use growing practices similar to our own and sell their produce at the market, to restaurants, or use the produce in homemade jams and jellies. One such farm is Honey Moon Farm, which is a small homestead run by Lan Jones. Lan takes all the money that she makes from the sale of her produce (by us) and puts it toward her non-profit, DDS4Kids, where she travels the world and gives free dental care to kids in impoverished countries. Lan was a good friend of my grandmother, and I am happy that we can continue this relationship in a way that benefits her philanthropic endeavors. Another example is the great relationship we have with our neighbors who have an established blueberry farm. During blueberry season, we recruit our friends and family to pick their blueberries, and we pay everyone that picks a fair wage, in addition to paying our neighbors for the berries. This year we were able to provide Frog Juice Kombucha with all of their blueberries, in addition to selling fresh berries at the market and making jam for sale throughout the year. These neighbors with the blueberries also take care of the beehives on our farm, and bottle our honey for us to sell at the market. Being able to work with other local farmers and producers is such an exceptional experience, and we love to be a part of this growing, thriving local community.
Our farm is only in the fledgling stages, but this journey has been incredible so far. I am excited to see how Four Daughters Farm grows and changes in the future, and I am so proud to be able to provide our community with high quality, healthy, nutrient dense food. We would not be where we are today without our community, and my only hope is to continue to serve them to the best of my ability, while giving new life to our land.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I think folks would be surprised to find out I love SCUBA diving! My dad is a SCUBA instructor, and anytime I visit my parents in whatever exotic locale they’re currently living in we always try to go diving. My favorite dive trip was in Maui, HI where I saw a huge manta ray! I’m looking forward to going diving again now that travel opening back up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fourdaughtersfarmtn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FourDaughtersFarmTN/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourDaughtersFarmTN/
- Other: https://fourdaughtersfarm.square.site/
