After serving two tours in Iraq, Brett retired from the U.S. Army in 2008 and looking for a change. We were living in Texas at the time and Brett was growing food through a community plot to not only provide us with nutritious food, but also as a means of therapy. But we wanted to be closer to family and find an area with more rain and fertile land. We were becoming increasingly concerned about the food system in this country and our reliance on chemicals and food from all parts of the world — the current system is not sustainable. We felt it was important to live in a place where we could realistically become self-sufficient.

Having no prior experience in farming besides backyard gardening, we poured over books, attended conferences, and listened to hours of podcasts.

In 2013, we headed to Western New York where Kristie grew up to seek our dream property and forever home and found a 95-acre former Amish farm in South Dayton, NY.

Today, we….