Welcome to my new corner of the internet, where I’ll be writing all about my adventures starting and running a small-scale farm in Northeast Georgia. To launch this site, it only seems fitting to give a quick overview of how my farm, Deer Creek Pastures, came to be.

Some Background

I’m an environmental engineer by trade, and I’ve spent my career working in all things sustainability, with a heavy focus on carbon accounting and the voluntary carbon markets. As part of my work, I’ve had the opportunity to take a deep dive into the realm of soil carbon sequestration, agroforestry, and regenerative agriculture, exploring practices such as no-till and rotational grazing and their potential benefits to our planet. Over the last 5 years, I’ve had the privilege of visiting some amazing large-scale ranching operations embracing these practices, such as White Oak Pastures and Roam Ranch, and I have read most any book that I can get my hands on by the likes of Joel Salatin and Gabe Brown.

While living in Austin, Texas, I had the opportunity to start a small community garden and was growing cucumbers on my balcony but it wasn’t enough – I wanted to get my hands dirtier (and lock in a healthy and sustainable food supply for myself and my family). The next step seemed both obvious and daunting – rather than continue to research and read about all things farming, I needed to pursue starting my own farm. I also wanted to get back to my roots and move closer to family in Georgia, so in November 2022, I moved back to Georgia, where my mom graciously took me in as I endeavored on my property hunt.

Securing Land

My criteria for property included the need for a water source, farmable acreage, and ideally within 2 hours of my family. I had started searching Zillow and Redfin prior to moving back to Georgia, and the real estate market in 2022 – 2023 seemingly laughed at my criteria. My search radius included parts of North Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. On the verge of giving up in Summer 2023, my daily Zillow checks and multiple notifications per day finally paid off. I found a property with 30-some-odd acres total, including 20 acres of pasture, an established barn, and a creek in an area I was familiar with from spending a lot of time here as a child. Upon purchase in Fall of 2023, my initial efforts were focused on updating the house to ensure a comfortable living and office space, since I have a day job and work from home.

Getting Started

Upon moving on property full time in January 2024, every day has been a new adventure. I bought my first tractor and have slowly but steadily been mastering the art of bush hogging, though with 20 acres of pasture the grass grows faster than I can keep up with it, and I am eager to start my ruminant journey.

I took soil samples in Fall 2023 ahead of doing anything on site through the local UGA Agriculture Extension office. My passion and curiosity for soil carbon meant that a sample at baseline conditions was essential for me to track the impacts of my land use and activities over time.

I am trying to move slowly and with intention, embracing permaculture principals. While I have a strong desire to get everything going all at once, I am a sole proprietor that is also maintaining a career in sustainability, thus my farm hours are early mornings, nights, and weekends. I also want to see what the land tells me over the course of a full year. There was a flat spot behind the house that I originally thought would be a great garden spot, but turns out the clay soil holds water there (I’m currently working to remedy that with pigs).

So far, I have two Idaho Pasture Pigs (IPPs) named Dolly and Loretta. They arrived on farm in April 2024 and have brought a lot of joy to the farm, but they also have a job to do rooting around and aerating my soil. I also have established a small market garden with heirloom varietals of watermelons, cucumbers, beets, carrots, greens and peppers. Orchard establishment was an urgent spring priority as peaches and plums are slow to grow. I also planted blueberry and raspberry bushes. Blackberry bushes are already present and with their tendency to spread aggressively, I am actively working to keep them in check.

What’s Next

On the farm, my most likely next enterprise will be sheep, particularly Katahdin which are a hair sheep. I didn’t grow up in 4-H or FFA, so I am new to livestock and will be starting small with each farm addition to ensure I can appropriately care for my animals and give them a good home.

Building a chicken tractor and getting both broiler chickens and laying hens are also on the to do list, and ultimately I have ambitions for cattle as a part of my plans to restore soil health and enhance biodiversity on the farm.

On the blog, I’ll be sharing more about my day to day operations, the choices I am making, the challenges that have humbled me, and topics that I am passionate about. I welcome you to follow along!