I was born into a family of farmers. My father, my grandfathers, and their fathers and grandfathers, were farmers. Growing up in the country, with the wind in my hair and the smell of fresh soil in the air, I developed a love for the land and for growing food.

Some of my earliest memories are of riding in the truck and tractor alongside my dad. Riding horses was one of my all-time favorite activities that helped mold my heart to that of a country girl. I learned to drive a tractor at an early age and was helping my dad bring in the wheat harvest by the time I was in my early teens.

After I graduated high school, married, and graduated college, Kelly and I started our family. While Kelly was in graduate school, we farmed to help make ends meet for our young family. For the next couple of decades, I focused on raising our children and serving in the church. At one point, we were missionaries to Mexico for a few years helping with Christian children’s homes.

Throughout our years of living in various cities, I always had a desire to get back to the country. In 2019, we, along with our eldest daughter, began searching for rural property. We found some beautiful acreage in southwestern Missouri, and the dream of once again living in the country was fulfilled. New Morning Farms, the urban farm, was going rural!