Welcome to the Writer and the Farmer. My name is Melissa. I started this blog after a few years working at a local agritourism farm and felt led to tell the “real” story of farming. After one year of working and becoming best friends with the farmer I was working for, I felt that the story of the small farmers needed to be told. But I wasn’t sure how to tell it.
But just to be clear, I do not have an agriculture background and everything I will be writing about are my thoughts pure and simple.
It wasn’t until I was invited to attend a Gate to Plate tour with Farm Bureau, did the idea form in my mind about creating this blog. This blog is for anyone who wants to learn the stories of the small farmers and to see how sometimes “mainstream” media doesn’t always get it right.
Here is a little bit about me. I grew up in the rural part of Eastern North Carolina. Even though I lived in a rural community I never stepped on or worked on a farm. My dad was a Marine and then a police officer. Fast forward to after college and you will see where the worlds of farming and rural “city” living collided.
When I was 24, I met the love of my life, Raul. He was from a very rural part of Mexico. He grew up on a farm they raised dairy cows, pigs, goats, and chickens. The first time we went to visit his family, and I saw pig entrails on a clothesline- I thought what have gotten myself into. But 25 years later we are still going strong.
Even though my husband grew up on a farm, he is actually a mechanic. It wasn’t until our oldest daughter started working at the local agritourism farm I mentioned in the first paragraph, did we really start getting involved in farm life. After our oldest left the farm to go to college, our middle daughter took her spot. So when she left her spot for college, it only seemed natural that I would slide into it. And eventually, our youngest daughter would follow suit.
So if you are keeping tabs, my husband and I have 3 beautiful daughters all at different stages in their lives. One is married to a man who I already called son before they were even engaged. They are both attending grad school in California. ( I miss them so much). The middle daughter just graduated from college and bought her first house and just got certified to design green workspaces. And then there is the youngest. She is currently attending college online with dreams of being a screenwriter.
My husband and I still live in Eastern North Carolina and will probably live there until the day we die. He doesn’t like to go places. We have 6 fur babies 1 spoiled Shih Tzu, 1 Pit Bull Mix, and 4 cats that we adopted.
I am an avid writer currently writing for the three other blogs I own besides this one. You can find them listed below.
I am looking forward to having you along as I explore farming from an outsider’s view. I plan on taking you along as I tour farms, farm-to-table restaurants, and occasionally sharing a recipe or two.