How did we gt started?

Well… this could honestly be a book, but I’ll try to keep it short.

Thirteen years ago, I was at a turning point. A couple of hard things had happened, and I found myself struggling to figure out what came next. My boys were 12, 8, and 4, and we desperately needed a new direction.

At the time, I was working concession stands at University of Tennessee Athletics football games to help our Cub Scout pack raise money. It was great income—but it was tough work. A friend suggested we start our own concession stand, so we did. After about a year of that, he started talking about building a corn maze.

That sounded fun, so I began researching what it would take.

Turns out… you need to be a farmer.

When I told him that, his response was, “Well, I’ve always wanted to be a farmer!”

I thought he was crazy.

But I love animals, the boys were excited, and I figured—why not? I asked what kind of farm he wanted.

“A goat dairy.”

Then I really thought he was crazy.

Still, I started learning about goats and goat milk and discovered there are some truly amazing benefits. So I tracked down the owners of an abandoned property nearby and convinced them to lease it to us. We bought three goats—Cinnamon, Spike, and Bobby—and officially started what would become Friendly Farm.

Bobby taught us a powerful lesson on day four.

He died from worms.

That was our crash course in farming: goats are not hardy, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you learn fast—or you lose animals. It was heartbreaking, but it made us better farmers.

The land itself had been abandoned and was a complete mess. We had no money. So the three boys and I grabbed a push mower and went to work. Step by step, we cleaned up the property, rebuilt fences, learned animal care, and slowly brought the farm back to life.

Friendly Farm grew into a place for family experiences, baby animals, and hands-on farm fun. But as we expanded, we also began raising our own livestock—beef and pork—using methods we could feel good about.

That’s when we decided to brand our meat separately as Rebel Hollow Farm.

Rebel Hollow Farm became the home of our farm-raised beef and pork, while Friendly Farm remained the place for events, education, and unforgettable farm memories. Today, Rebel Hollow Farm provides Tennessee families with locally raised meat—no shortcuts, no mystery sourcing, just honest food from animals we raise ourselves.

What started as a desperate search for a new direction turned into a full-fledged family farm.

It’s been a marvelous journey—and truly became our best life.

So don’t ever let anybody tell you that you can’t.

Because you can.

If you’re not afraid to work.