our move to the country did not come in a straight-forward fashion, with an initial great desire to move to here.  However, as we look back, we recognize it was all part of God’s great design for our lives.  August 29th, 2005 was the date of the cataclysmic event that changed the course of our lives.  It was the day that Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area that we lived in and destroyed our home.  In the mist of our grief, frustration, and the uncertainty that hung over our lives, we had no way of envisioning where life would take our family.  Sometimes just making it one day until the next was enough to bear.  But our God is a great God and knows the grand scheme of things.

By 2006, we were looking for land to build a home on with three things in mind:

1. It would be located on the western side of the parish and a safe distance from the lake;
2. It would be well above flood level; and
3. There wouldn’t be any pine trees on property that could fall on a home and crush it.

While looking at some other property being sold through a real estate agency, we happened upon 5 beautiful acres for sale by owner and fell in love with it.  We knew that it was the property meant for us.  From trying to find a house to rent following the hurricane, attempting to purchase the property, to our search to just find a contractor available to build our home-nothing went smoothly or came about easy.  It was a very trying time emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.  Our journey was a seemingly continual uphill climb on very rugged terrain, with many boulders and pot holes all along the way.  But, we persevered keeping our eye on the prize, albeit sometimes by only the skin of our teeth.  However, we had no idea that the purchase of this land would be just the very beginning of a totally unexpected, yet wonderful new life for us.

Over the prior years following our move to the country, we discussed getting some chickens and a couple of goats as pets.  Fast-forward to 2014—  In the early summer, we began our flock with three sex-link hens purchased at a chicken swap held by our favorite feed store-O’Keefe’s Feed and Seed and purchased a small pre-built chicken coop, too.  We figured we just needed enough chickens to provide eggs for our family.

By 2015, Tom had built one large chicken coop, with some help from our son Tommy, and another large chicken coop by himself.  With the help of our son TJ, Tom divided the larger of the two coops into two coops later in the summer, all to meet the needs of my chicken addiction and our growing flock of 25 chickens, including 4 roosters.  We love with our chickens and enjoy their different personalities and silly antics.  We are particularly interested in heritage breeds and specialty breeds.   As we expand in the future, we are interested in focusing our breeding efforts to help protect heritage breeds from extinction in conjunction with the Livestock Conservancy Conservation Priority Listings.

By the summer of 2015 we also finally decided we were ready to get a couple of goats for pets.  We did a thorough research on goat breeds and on how to properly provide for and care for them.  From that research, we decided that we interested in owning Nigerian Dwarf Goats (NDG) because of their demonstrated docile and lovable personalities and their smaller size.  And, although we didn’t have any immediate plans for milking, we knew that they had a high butterfat content in their milk which gives an added creaminess and sweetness to their milk.  We began a local search for two kids, found ourselves in between the spring and fall breeding seasons.  We then began looking for older does, but we couldn’t find any available at the local breeding farms.  It was by a chance, that I happened upon the Nigerian Dwarf Goats of Louisiana Facebook page.  It just so happened that the proctor of the group had two does available for sale and was located in a town very close to where we live.  We fell in love with our new goats, who were truly so incredibly sweet and lovable, and realized that we wanted more.  Because we purchased a 12×12 barn house and had a beautiful big fence built, we figured that we had enough room for a couple of more yearling does.  But, just like the chickens, so it went with our precious goats.  Tom has become an expert at building housing for farm animals.  Now we have a small herd that we intend to continue to expand, breeding to consistently improve genetics.  We want sell loving pets and quality breeding stock.

It was the purchase of this land, then the purchase of our first three chickens, and eventually the purchase of our first two goats that were the stepping stones of our farm’s inauspicious beginnings.  By late last summer, God really began to speak to us regarding our farm.  Having a working farm was the farthest thing from our thoughts.  In keeping that in mind and considering the fact that both Tom and I each felt God was telling us that He had a plan for us, we knew that God had a special purpose for our farm and for us as a couple.  We believe that God has called us into a farming ministry and we have some ideas and goals for where we believe He is guiding us.  We continue to pray for clarity and wisdom as we continue along this journey.  It has been quite a financial undertaking, that was quite unexpected and definitely not planned for.  But, our faith causes us to believe that the Lord will honor His promise to provide, as we fulfill His will.  We are excited about the direction we feel He is guiding us for the future and in seeing how He will use us to impact lives.

By spring 2016 we officially became Field of Blessings Farm, LLC.  It is our mission to ensure that we steward our land and animals in such a way that our farming practices protect our animals, our environment, and our community in a concerted effort to ensure a more sustainable future.

By autumn of 2016:

• We had a small, diverse herd of NDGs and give all glory to God for a successful first breeding season.
  • We retained some of the kids to begin to develop our own farm herd;
  • We were also able to sell some of our kids, as well, as we want to provide our NDG to others looking for exceptional stock, to gain exposure in the NDG community, and to support our farm and ministry efforts; and
  • Our goal was still to continue to purchase exceptional stock, always looking to improve the genetics and breed of our herd.
• Our beautiful barn was completed late spring, by Mr. Russel Jenkins and his wonderful crew just in time for our first breeding season.  We now have 4 paddocks, one with the barn and each other with their own goat houses.
• Our chicken flocks have been evaluated by the state vet and we are participating in the National Poultry Improvement Program.  We have invested in good breeding and specialty chickens for future sales of hatching eggs and chickens, in addition to a beautiful assortment of colors in our fresh chicken eggs for eating.
• We entered into our second goat breeding season.
• We have also recognized it is now time to take the next step in fulfilling our calling and mission to be good stewards of God’s creation.  We believe it is God’s plan and future for our farm to do our part in protecting endangered livestock and poultry.
  • Our first step in this plan was to research, research, research, which actually is an immense part of our farming endeavors.  What followed was to  become a sustaining member of The Livestock Conservancy.  The Livestock Conservancy works to protect heritage breeds from extinction and for the overall security of our agricultural system.   (Please check out our link to their site and consider what you can do in your own stewarding endeavors).  doing your part).  Our plan for participating with the Conservancy’s efforts and as God’s stewards is to breed and raise some flocks of endangered heritage breed poultry and livestock.
  • We purchased a breeding trio of Welsh Harlequin ducks, excitedly looking forward to having our first ducklings.

2017 and 2018 were increasingly successful years for Field of Blessings Farm.  We continued to improve upon our breedings.  We are firm proponents of the agricultural programs that children participate in such as 4H, the LA Junior Livestock Show Circuit, the LA Bred Program, the school Ag programs and we are so very blessed and excited at the continually increasing number of students who have purchased our farm’s goats to be shown in one of these programs!  We have also purchased and have begun breeding critically endangered Barred Holland Chickens and have successfully bred our Welsh Harlequin Ducks.

Less than five years ago, we hadn’t an inkling we would be standing at this precipice in our lives.  We have considered that a precipice can be quite treacherous; if we are not wise or sure-footed in our steps, we realize that we could go right off the edge to a very significant fall.  But we look to our goats for encouragement, because goats are able to scale a precipice with finesse and with ease, having an inbuilt trust and ability.  Our inbuilt trust and ability is in the Lord.  Therefore, we will scale this precipice in our lives with faith; knowing that even if all does not work out as planned, as long as we attempt to fulfill God’s will for our lives, it will all work out to the good in the end. So, our eyes and hearts are focused on the here and now, centered on God’s will for us, and always in keeping with those great words at the forefront of what He is doing in and through us:  “In the beginning God created…”.