How It All Began: From City Life to A-7 Farms
Every story has a starting point, and ours begins with a leap of faith — leaving behind city life and purchasing a piece of land with the dream of building a home and a farm. When we first walked the property, the potential was clear, but so were the challenges. Once used for cattle, the land had been overgrazed, leaving behind tough overgrowth that made the soil difficult to work with. We’ve battled it in every way we could — tillage, cover crops, even rotational grazing with our horses — each effort teaching us patience and persistence.
At the same time, I was working my regular 9-to-5 in the construction field, trying to balance providing for my family with building this dream. One day, a friend on the job started talking to me about poultry. He had extra chicks he couldn’t sell and, almost on a whim, gifted me six. For over a year, my wife and I had talked about getting chickens but hesitated. That simple gift gave us the push we needed. It was both intentional and spur-of-the-moment, the perfect spark to set our farm story in motion.
Those first six chicks became more than just animals in the yard — they became the foundation of A-7 Farms. We didn’t know exactly what we were doing at first, but we knew this was a step toward something bigger.
Of course, the road hasn’t been easy. The hardest part so far has been our living situation and the financial strain of starting from scratch. We’re living in an RV while saving for a home, balancing farm startup costs, feed bills, and the dream of a more permanent place to call our own. My wife, Emily, has been incredible — a dog trainer by trade and a stay-at-home mom, she not only supports me in everything but also started her own business, Family K9 Services, and founded a nonprofit dog rescue. While the rescue has brought joy, it has also added financial stress with the cost of feeding and caring for so many animals. Yet through it all, she’s been my anchor.
Our children play their roles in this journey too. Elijah, our oldest, is my right-hand man — dependable, hardworking, and always ready to help with mowing, cover crops, or any task I put in front of him. Grayson pitches in, though his interest sometimes fades before the job is done. Lyla has a deep love for nature, plants, and creatures — she once carried a little lizard with her everywhere for days, feeding and watering it like a cherished friend. And little Kyra may be too small to help, but her bright smile has the power to wash away any stress or worry.
Today, our farm is still in its early stages but full of promise. We have 15 laying hens and one rooster, producing up to a dozen eggs a day. We’ve built three coops — two stationary, one mobile — and I’m working on chicken tractors to raise our first batch of meat birds by the end of the year. Our land comprises of 20 acres, 12 being timber and the rest open field. The 8-acre field is like a canvas waiting for us to paint our vision on it. We’ve marked off a 50x100-foot spot for our first garden, small but mighty in its potential. Alongside our chickens, we still care for several rescue dogs, one horse, and we’re dreaming of adding dairy cows and goats to create a sustainable cycle of grazing, fertilizing, and regenerating the land.
Looking back, I see that our story began not with a grand plan, but with a gift of six little chicks. From there, every step has been a mix of trial, error, and growth. Through it all, our faith has guided us. We believe deeply in the truth of Galatians 6:9 — “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” At A-7 Farms, we hold to our catchphrase: Planted in faith, reaped in love. It’s not just words to us, but the heartbeat of everything we do.
We’re still just getting started, but our hearts are set on the bigger picture. This is where our journey began — and it’s only the beginning of what A-7 Farms will become.
This blog is our way of opening the gate and welcoming you in. We’ll share our story, our struggles, our joys, and the lessons we’re learning as A-7 Farms grows from a dream into a legacy. In our next post, we’ll dive into the growing pains and growing dreams that came after those first six chicks — and how they shaped the vision we’re building today. We’re grateful you’re here to walk alongside us on this journey.
