So the whole idea behind buying the feed store was actually my dad's, lol...He has always wanted to own a feed store and with all of the ventures that Jason and I have started, we thought it probably was a good idea, it gives us a bigger platform from which to sell our products. That is when the idea began to grow from having just a Feed Store to adding in local products and specialty items. We wanted to have a place in our community where local vendors could sell their products, like us, on a bigger scale. We believe that Covid and the pandemic has changed the way people shop. More people want to know where their products are coming from, and they want to support local farmers & makers and shop local businesses. That is essentially what made us adapt the old-school vision of a Feed Store into Green Valley Country Store. We want a place where locals can come buy the seed, feed, and fertilizer that grows the corn and hay that feeds the cows and chickens that end up on your table. It's a holistic model of From-Farm-to-Table.

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Of course Uncle Sonny's Ice Cream in going to be sold exclusively at our Store. We will offer 14 flavors in quarts and pints. Small batch fresh from the Farm! We also will have Highland Homestead meats and take and bakes, Local Honey from Top of the HIll, Milk Soap from Longbourn Goat Co., Uncle Roy's Hot Sauce, Duck Blind Coffee, Frozen Meat from the Local Stockman's kids and Marburger's Dairy Products. We have a vision of having a place where people can come shop, chat, relax and feel at home. We plan on having a Farmers Market in the parking lot starting in the spring. We want this to be a place where the community feels welcome and loved. Another platform we are sticking with is ALL products are Made in the USA. We are trying our best to find local stuff, but when we can't, we make sure to purchase stuff from other small, family-owned businesses across the US.

 

I gave my family credit for all the support and help that they have given us from the very beginning. Dad is always my go to sounding board for advice, Mom is the morale booster when I'm stressed and tired. My brother, Sister-in-Law and sister, all teachers, have been very instrumental in all of the ideas and changes that they think are smart and make good business sense. Our kids of course have been, and will be, involved the entire way, we don't make any decisions that we don't ask for their input. When Jason quit his job at the Railroad last year to come home and farm we knew things on the farm had to continue to grow if we want it to be here, not just for our kids, but for our grandkids' kids. Farming is a dying occupation, you have to diversify or you die. I won't be the generation to let that happen, and without Jason leading the charge, none of this would be possible. We always have family meetings and we end them with "Go Team Holstein", lol! Which brings me to how we plan to time manage between the farm and Store. Well that goes back to our support system...we could never do all of this alone, we have a great employee that we will lean heavily on at the Store, and Jason will spend most of his days there loading the feed while I'm back and forth depending on the time of year, whether I have puppies, and how much Ice Cream I need to make! Above all, we have had our friends helping us get things up and running, and we will forever be indebted to them for the time they have put in! 

 

I never dreamed a year ago that this would be my life...but I do believe that God has set us down a path and we are just following it...and I trust that!

 

Looking forward!!

 

Farin