Thomas & Katerina

We both grew up helping with family gardens and livestock. It was annoying, to be honest. But here we are, grown up and eager to do all of the same things…

We have three little boys who are joyous and wild! They truly are the reason for all of this. Our little family started out in a rental where we worked a certain number of hours per week in lieu of rent. We had several raised beds in our garden and ran longhorn cattle in our front field. It was a blessing that literally stumbled upon us by the grace of God.

A few years later, we bought a house with a few acres. The garden and chicken coop were expanded. We put in raised beds for herbs and medicinal plants. So here we are, waking every morning and thanking God for the dots he connected for us to be here.

Why farm?

When we became parents, it fully hit us that we aren’t just responsible for our own health, but for our children’s too. There’s also just this strong desire to go back to the way they used to do things. It’s as simple as that. So we set out to raise and make as much as we can ourselves. That means produce, meat, medicine – everything we can. And we do it all organically. No herbicides, pesticides, or anything unnatural. We want to take back control of what’s in our food and the products we purchase. It’s a slow learning process when you didn’t grow up doing it. But the important part is to start.

So together, we started Shifflett Family Farms. Thomas is the muscle and the brainstorm behind everything. Katerina manages most of the day-to-day operations. Our boys tag along to help. We’re teaching them the discipline, dedication, and reward of raising food.

Our Farm Practices

We believe food can be grown in a way that does not require the use of chemicals, and in a way that heals and rejuvenates the land. Kaleb Hanshaw of The Wild Country once said, “Nature wastes nothing.” We’re working to learn those relationships and utilize them the way we were supposed to. In order to improve the soil and maintain healthy livestock, we practice rotational grazing. This means moving our animals to a new paddock every 1-3 days. They’re supplemented as needed with non-GMO, soy-free feed from local farms.

We also take a holistic, organic approach to caring for our animals. Supporting the animals’ natural biological systems are much more important than a quick fix with medication, especially when we’re consuming the meat and dairy from these animals.